An overview of Yamaha RX-A8A and Marantz CINEMA 60 will help us understand the many features that the devices are equipped with. According to the results of our review, Yamaha RX-A8A received 9.4 points out of 10 possible, and Marantz CINEMA 60 was rated 8.3 points. The release date of RX-A8A is 2021, and CINEMA 60 is 2022. And as a result of the review, it becomes clear that CINEMA 60 is inferior in audio processing features to RX-A8A.
For the built-in amplifier, the devices received different marks - 10 and 7, respectively, on a 10-point scale.
The number of channels is equal to the number of possible connected speakers. The Yamaha RX-A8A supports 11.2-channels sound, but Marantz CINEMA 60 supports a 7.2-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-A8A this value is 150/8 W/Ohm, and for the CINEMA 60 it is 100/8 W/Ohm.
RX-A8A | CINEMA 60 | |
---|---|---|
Channels | 11.2 | 7.2 |
Stereo power (RMS), W/Ohm | 150/8 | 100/8, 140/6 |
Output impedance, Ohm | 8 | 8, 6 |
Frequency response | 10Hz-100KHz | 5Hz-100KHz |
THD in stereo, % | 0.06 | 0.08 |
After reviewing the audio features of each model, we can rate the RX-A8A 9 out of 10, and the CINEMA 60 - 7.
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.
Speaker A/B switching allows you to change between the main and sub speaker set. Marantz CINEMA 60 can work with the main and additional set of speakers - and switch between them.
RX-A8A | CINEMA 60 | |
---|---|---|
Digital to analog converter (DAC) | 384 KHz/32-bit | 192 KHz/32-bit |
Bi-amping | ✔ | ✔ |
Pure direct (straight) | ✔ | ✔ |
Auto speaker calibration | YPAO | Audyssey MultEQ XT |
Speaker A/B switching | ✖ | ✔ |
Other audio features | CINEMA DSP 3D, Compressed Music Enhancer, Virtual CINEMA FRONT | Audyssey Dynamic Volume, Audyssey Dynamic EQ, Compressed Audio Enhancer(MDAX2), Hi-Res audio |
The connectivity of competitors in our comparison is equal and was rated 9 out of 10.
Bluetooth connection is now one of the main communication protocols for the receiver's control or even music broadcasting.
DLNA is the perfect way to use your local cloud storage to stream movies and music directly to a TV. You can use the DLNA protocol only with Marantz CINEMA 60.
RX-A8A | CINEMA 60 | |
---|---|---|
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-A8A | CINEMA 60 | |
---|---|---|
Apple Music (AirPlay) | AirPlay, AirPlay 2 | AirPlay, AirPlay 2 |
Amazon Music | ✔ | ✔ |
Spotify | ✔ | ✔ |
Other streaming services | Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Napster, SoundCloud | Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Napster, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, Amazon Music HD, MOOD:Mix |
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-A8A got 10 points, but Marantz CINEMA 60 received 8 points.
Yamaha RX-A8A is equipped with 7/3 HDMI inputs and outputs, and Marantz CINEMA 60 has 6/3 HDMI inputs and outputs.
RX-A8A | CINEMA 60 | |
---|---|---|
HDMI input/output | 7/3 | 6/3 |
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 | 3 | 2 |
Coaxial digital input | 2 | 2 |
Composite input | 2 | 0 |
Component input/output | 1 | 0/0 |
Phono (MM) input | ✔ | ✔ |
Front panel connectors | USB, phones, setup mic | 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-A8A were rated 9 out of 10 against the 8 for the CINEMA 60.
RX-A8A | CINEMA 60 | |
---|---|---|
HDR (High Dynamic Range) | HDR10+ | HDR10+ |
4K signal pass-through | 4K/120Hz | 4K/120Hz |
8K signal pass-through | 8K/60Hz | 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 | x.v.Color, HLG, BT.2020, LipSync | HLG, BT.2020, Dynamic HDR |
In terms of evaluating additional features, both receivers received a score of 10 out of 10.
RX-A8A | CINEMA 60 | |
---|---|---|
Voice control | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI |
App control | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android |
Display | colour OSD | port hole OLED |
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 | Web Control, App Control | IP Control, Web Control, App Control, RS232 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-A8A | CINEMA 60 | |
---|---|---|
Multi-room zones | 3 | 2 |
Zone audio output | preout | speaker, preout |
Zone HDMI output | ✔ | ✔ |
Multi-room control | MusicCast | Marantz 2016 AVR Remote, HEOS App |
RS-232 | 0 | 1 |
Remote control input/output (IR) | 1/1 | 1/0 |
DC trigger output (12V) | 2 | 1 |
For the ability to create multichannel surround sound, each of the receivers received 8 points out of 10.
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. Only the Yamaha RX-A8A has Auro-3D on its feature list.
RX-A8A | CINEMA 60 | |
---|---|---|
Dolby Atmos | ✔ | ✔ |
Dolby TrueHD | ✔ | ✔ |
Dolby Surround | ✔ | ✔ |
Dolby (other) | Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization | Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization |
DTS:X | ✔ | ✔ |
DTS HD Master | ✔ | ✔ |
DTS Virtual:X | ✖ | ✔ |
DTS Neural:X | ✔ | ✔ |
DTS (other) | DTS-ES, DTS-HD | DTS-ES, DTS 96/24, DTS-HD, DTS-EXPRESS |
Auro-3D | ✔ | ✖ |
IMAX Enhanced | ✖ | ✖ |
Multichannel stereo | ✖ | ✖ |