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Yamaha RX-A8A review
Many buyers aim to find an AV receiver with good equipment, an advanced decoder, and powerful amplifiers, and the Yamaha RX-A8A is sure to be the favorite. After careful consideration of the model, we gave it a 9.4 out of 10. The manufacturer released this model in 2021. The receiver is fitted with an amplifier capable of managing 11.2 channels.
Yamaha RX-A8A Pros
- ✔The receiver has a function of wireless connection to the Internet via Wi-Fi.
- ✔Bluetooth is now one of the key wireless communication protocols. In AV receivers, it is used for audio signal transmission or remote control. And it is in the model under review that Bluetooth support is implemented.
- ✔The presence of a USB port allows the receiver to play content from external media.
- ✔Like any modern receiver, RX-A8A has a Phono (MM) input for connecting a phonograph or turntable.
- ✔Dolby Atmos technology has been included in this model specifically to create a 3D effect when watching movies, which reveals all its features with a minimum 5.1 configuration.
- ✔Yamaha RX-A8A with an adaptive and flexible DTS:X surround format can support any speaker configuration, unlike Dolby Atmos.
- ✔Auro 3D provides a little more flexibility than Dolby Atmos and creates a hemispherical sound space and allows our receiver to create three levels of sound.
- ✔With 4K/120Hz pass-through support, it is possible to pass data through this model without degrading image quality.
- ✔The RX-A8A is fitted with the 8K pass-through feature and able to send 8K signals directly to an 8K TV without degrading image quality.
- ✔ARC feature eliminates the need for an additional composite or optical cable when connecting this unit to a TV.
- ✔eARC is more bandwidth-intensive than ARC and therefore allows Yamaha RX-A8A to support advanced high-quality audio formats.
- ✔The manufacturer claims support for CEC in Yamaha RX-A8A and therefore you can control any HDMI-connected device using one remote control.
- ✔This receiver supports the data encryption protocol HDCP 2.3 which allows licensed devices to play high definition audio and video.
- ✔Can stream audio using the AirPlay protocol.
- ✔Has access to the Amazon Music network service.
- ✔Stream music from one of the most popular services Spotify directly on the Yamaha RX-A8A.
- ✔The main functions of this model can be controlled using voice control.
- ✔This receiver consumes less power thanks to ECO mode.
- ✔Yamaha RX-A8A uses bi-amping to amplify each dynamic in a speaker separately, resulting in clearer, better sound.
- ✔The reviewed receiver has a Pure Direct mode, when used it feeds sound directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.
- ✔This AV receiver is able to use 3 zones to send a source signal to speakers or a separate audio system in different locations.
- ✔With the included microphone, the Yamaha RX-A8A can use the auto speaker calibration mechanism to create the most suitable soundstage.
Yamaha RX-A8A Cons
- ✖Has no speaker A/B switching function.
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Yamaha RX-A8A back and front view
Yamaha RX-A8A specs and features
Amplifier
| Channels | 11.2 |
| Stereo power (RMS), W/Ohm | 150/8 |
| Output impedance, Ohm | 8 |
| Frequency response | 10Hz-100KHz |
| THD in stereo, % | 0.06 |
Audio features
| Digital to analog converter (DAC) | 384 KHz/32-bit |
| Bi-amping | ✔ |
| Pure direct (straight) | ✔ |
| Auto speaker calibration | YPAO |
| Speaker A/B switching | ✖ |
| Other audio features | CINEMA DSP 3D, Compressed Music Enhancer, Virtual CINEMA FRONT |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi | 2.4/5GHz |
| USB | 1 (USB 2.0) |
| Bluetooth | ✔ |
| Ethernet (RJ45) | 1 |
| DLNA | ✖ |
| MHL | ✖ |
Streaming services
| Apple Music (AirPlay) | AirPlay, AirPlay 2 |
| Amazon Music | ✔ |
| Spotify | ✔ |
| Other streaming services | Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Napster, SoundCloud |
Extensive connection
| HDMI input/output | 7/3 |
| HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel) | ✔ |
| HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) | ✔ |
| HDMI CEC | ✔ |
| Digital content protection (HDCP) | HDCP 2.3 |
| Subwoofer output (LFE) | 2 |
| Headphone output | 1 x 6.3 |
| Optical digital input | 3 |
| Coaxial digital input | 2 |
| Composite input | 2 |
| Component input/output | 1 |
| Phono (MM) input | ✔ |
| Front panel connectors | USB, phones, setup mic |
| Multi channel preamp output | ✔ |
Video features
| HDR (High Dynamic Range) | HDR10+ |
| 4K signal pass-through | 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 | x.v.Color, HLG, BT.2020, LipSync |
Additional features
| Voice control | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI |
| App control | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android |
| Display | colour OSD |
| Tuner | AM, FM |
| Sleep timer | ✔ |
| Auto power off | ✔ |
| ECO mode | ✔ |
| Graphical user interface (GUI) | ✔ |
| Setup assistant | ✔ |
| Firmware update | network, USB |
| Other additional features | Web Control, App Control |
Multi-room
| Multi-room zones | 3 |
| Zone audio output | preout |
| Zone HDMI output | ✔ |
| Multi-room control | MusicCast |
| RS-232 | 0 |
| Remote control input/output (IR) | 1/1 |
| DC trigger output (12V) | 2 |
Multichannel surround
| Dolby Atmos | ✔ |
| Dolby TrueHD | ✔ |
| Dolby Surround | ✔ |
| Dolby (other) | Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization |
| DTS:X | ✔ |
| DTS HD Master | ✔ |
| DTS Virtual:X | ✖ |
| DTS Neural:X | ✔ |
| DTS (other) | DTS-ES, DTS-HD |
| Auro-3D | ✔ |
| IMAX Enhanced | ✖ |
| Multichannel stereo | ✖ |
Audio file formats
| MP3 | ✔ |
| WMA | ✔ |
| AAC | ✔ |
| WAV | ✔ |
| FLAC | ✔ |
| ALAC | ✔ |
| Other audio file formats | AIFF, DSD |
Power
| Operational power consumption, W | 600 |
| Standby consumption, W | 0.4 |
| Removable power cord | ✔ |
Dimensions
| Size W x H x D, cm/inches | 43.4 x 25.4 x 45.7/17 x 10 x 18 |
| Weight, kg/lbs | 19.1/42.2 |
Other
| Release year | 2021 |
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