Let's make the Yamaha RX-A780 versus Yamaha RX-A6A comparison. According to the results of our review, Yamaha RX-A780 received 8.2 points out of 10 possible, and Yamaha RX-A6A was rated 9.3 points. The release date of RX-A780 is 2018, and RX-A6A is 2021. After comparison, it will become clear that among these two devices, the RX-A6A is more suitable for the role of the heart of home theater system.
For the built-in amplifier, the devices received different marks - 7 and 9, respectively, on a 10-point scale.
The number of channels is equal to the number of possible connected speakers. The Yamaha RX-A780 supports 7.2-channels sound, but Yamaha RX-A6A supports a 9.2-channels configuration.
RMS stands for the actual power of the receiver. The higher this value, the louder the sound can be produced. The differences between the models in terms of RMS power are significant - for the RX-A6A this value is 150/8 W/Ohm, and for the RX-A780 it is 95/8 W/Ohm.
RX-A780 | RX-A6A | |
---|---|---|
Channels | 7.2 | 9.2 |
Stereo power (RMS), W/Ohm | 95/8, 160/4 | 150/8 |
Output impedance, Ohm | 8, 4 | 8 |
Frequency response | 10Hz-100KHz | 10Hz-100KHz |
THD in stereo, % | 0.06 | 0.06 |
The score for audio features is 9 of 10 for both receivers.
Most receivers now come with a microphone included. It is with the help of this microphone that the auto-calibration system functions, which adjusts the sound of the receiver to the room.
RX-A780 | RX-A6A | |
---|---|---|
Digital to analog converter (DAC) | Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit | 384 KHz/32-bit |
Bi-amping | ✔ | ✔ |
Pure direct (straight) | ✔ | ✔ |
Auto speaker calibration | YPAO | YPAO |
Speaker A/B switching | ✖ | ✖ |
Other audio features | CINEMA DSP 3D, Compressed Music Enhancer, Virtual CINEMA FRONT | CINEMA DSP 3D, Compressed Music Enhancer, Virtual CINEMA FRONT |
The connectivity of competitors in our comparison is markedly different, Yamaha RX-A780 scored 8, and Yamaha RX-A6A scored 9 out of 10.
Bluetooth connection is now one of the main communication protocols for the receiver's control or even music broadcasting.
RX-A780 | RX-A6A | |
---|---|---|
Wi-Fi | 2.4/5GHz | 2.4/5GHz |
USB | 1 (USB 2.0) | 1 (USB 2.0) |
Bluetooth | ✔ | ✔ |
Ethernet (RJ45) | 1 | 1 |
DLNA | ✖ | ✖ |
MHL | ✖ | ✖ |
Now music streaming services are gaining more and more popularity. They allow users to listen to millions of songs by subscription.
RX-A780 | RX-A6A | |
---|---|---|
Apple Music (AirPlay) | AirPlay, AirPlay 2 | AirPlay, AirPlay 2 |
Amazon Music | ✖ | ✔ |
Spotify | ✔ | ✔ |
Other streaming services | Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, Qobuz | Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Napster, SoundCloud |
The presence of many connectors makes the receiver more versatile. But there are also narrowly targeted models, the number of connectors which are limited to a certain area of use. And when choosing their own receiver, users need to consider exactly your goals for using the receiver. For extensive connection, Yamaha RX-A780 got 9 points, but Yamaha RX-A6A received 10 points.
Yamaha RX-A780 is equipped with 7/2 HDMI inputs and outputs, and Yamaha RX-A6A has 7/3 HDMI inputs and outputs.
RX-A780 | RX-A6A | |
---|---|---|
HDMI input/output | 7/2 | 7/3 |
HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) | ✔ | ✔ |
HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) | ✔ | ✔ |
HDMI CEC | ✔ | ✔ |
Digital content protection (HDCP) | HDCP 2.3 | HDCP 2.3 |
Subwoofer output (LFE) | 2 | 2 |
Headphone output | 1 x 6.3 | 1 x 6.3 |
Optical digital input | 2 | 3 |
Coaxial digital input | 2 | 2 |
Composite input | 1 | 2 |
Component input/output | 1/0 | 1 |
Phono (MM) input | ✔ | ✔ |
Front panel connectors | USB, phones, setup mic, AUX | USB, phones, setup mic |
Multi channel preamp output | ✔ | ✔ |
The AV receiver is the heart of the home theater. And in this case, support for all current video formats ensures the best user experience, so it is very important to consider this when choosing a device. Video features of the RX-A780 were rated 8 out of 10 against the 9 for the RX-A6A.
With the 4K pass-through feature, the AV receiver sends "native" 4K signals to a 4K TV from a video source without any processing. The RX-A780 works with the 4K/60Hz video, and the RX-A6A has the 4K/120Hz.
The AV receiver passes "native" 8K signals from a video source to 8K TV without any encoding, with the 8k pass-through features. The 8K path-through is available on Yamaha RX-A6A.
RX-A780 | RX-A6A | |
---|---|---|
HDR (High Dynamic Range) | HDR10 | HDR10+ |
4K signal pass-through | 4K/60Hz | 4K/120Hz |
8K signal pass-through | ✖ | 8K/60Hz |
HDMI signal pass-through | ✔ | ✔ |
3D signal pass-through | ✔ | ✖ |
HDMI pass-through in standby mode | ✔ | ✔ |
Video conversion | ✖ | analog to HDMI |
Analog to HDMI scaling | ✔ | ✔ |
HDMI to HDMI scaling | ✔ | ✔ |
Dolby Vision | ✔ | ✔ |
Other video features | DeepColor, x.v.Color, HLG, BT.2020 | x.v.Color, HLG, BT.2020, LipSync |
In terms of evaluating additional features, both receivers received a score of 10 out of 10.
RX-A780 | RX-A6A | |
---|---|---|
Voice control | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI |
App control | iPhone, iPod, Android | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android |
Display | colour OSD | colour OSD |
Tuner | AM, FM | AM, FM |
Sleep timer | ✔ | ✔ |
Auto power off | ✔ | ✔ |
ECO mode | ✔ | ✔ |
Graphical user interface (GUI) | ✔ | ✔ |
Setup assistant | ✔ | ✔ |
Firmware update | network, USB | network, USB |
Other additional features | has not | Web Control, App Control |
As the center of a home media system, each multichannel receiver has an additional set of terminals for connecting the second set of speakers to create additional audio space in Zone 2 or even Zone 3 where audio can have the separate source.
RX-A780 | RX-A6A | |
---|---|---|
Multi-room zones | 2 | 3 |
Zone audio output | speaker, preout | preout |
Zone HDMI output | ✖ | ✔ |
Multi-room control | MusicCast | MusicCast |
RS-232 | 1 | 0 |
Remote control input/output (IR) | 1/1 | 1/1 |
DC trigger output (12V) | 1 | 2 |
Yamaha RX-A780 got 7 points for the multichannel surround sound and Yamaha RX-A6A got 8.
Auro 3D gives a bit more versatility than Dolby Atmos or DTS:X and provides a hemispherical sound and enables a receiver to produce 3D sound stages. Yamaha RX-A6A has Auro-3D on its feature list.
RX-A780 | RX-A6A | |
---|---|---|
Dolby Atmos | ✔ | ✔ |
Dolby TrueHD | ✔ | ✔ |
Dolby Surround | ✔ | ✔ |
Dolby (other) | Dolby Digital Plus | Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization |
DTS:X | ✔ | ✔ |
DTS HD Master | ✔ | ✔ |
DTS Virtual:X | ✖ | ✖ |
DTS Neural:X | ✔ | ✔ |
DTS (other) | DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, DTS-HD, DTS-EXPRESS, DTS-Neo:6 | DTS-ES, DTS-HD |
Auro-3D | ✖ | ✔ |
IMAX Enhanced | ✖ | ✖ |
Multichannel stereo | ✖ | ✖ |