Yamaha RX-V6A review: The future sound of entertainment

The waters about AV receivers drift somewhat than rage. As opposed to TVs and soundbars, alter will come slowly and gradually to these huge black boxes. The Yamaha RX-V6A ($850 at Amazon) is a refreshing splash in a pool that has stagnated in the latest many years. With rounded very good looks reminiscent of higher-end models like Classe, paired with a laundry record of futuristic features, this is the most ahead-wanting receiver I have noticed in a long time.

Appears to be are not nearly anything with out the overall performance to back it up and the RX-6A served up excellent sound top quality in my listening test. This midpriced receiver RX-V6A gives Dolby Atmos playback and loads of music replay possibilities as well, generating it as cozy with an episode of The Mandalorian as it is with impromptu dance parties.

It’s received some quirks — the speaker outputs are organized in an unusual buy and that Liquid crystal display show is harder to read through than an LED — but in general this Yamaha is simply much more pleasurable than its opponents. I am hopeful that the RX-V6A is the spark that ignites a rethink on AV receivers and can help carry the group back into the mainstream.

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The RX-V6A is a 7.one.2-channel receiver with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X playback, and a hundred watts per channel. But the specification sheet is just not the initial issue that catches the eye.

The Yamaha RX-V6A’s rounded, glass-like fascia is a authentic departure from the black shoe boxes of Sony, Denon and Onkyo. The edges are curved in a way I have under no circumstances noticed just before, but it will not glimpse ostentatious. The front houses a centered volume control and higher-res Liquid crystal display show that looks sensible but is just not all that vibrant. It’s off-centered so if you are sitting off to the left it really is even much more complicated to read through even at utmost brightness. I choose the LED readouts observed on opponents.

This receiver couldn’t be “the long term” with out a completely up to date spec sheet and the RX-V6A will not skimp. It incorporates seven HDMI inputs, a few of which are 8K-appropriate HDMI 2.one ports ports made to aid the complete output abilities of sources like the Xbox Collection X, PlayStation five and Personal computer graphics playing cards these kinds of as the Nvidia RTX 3090. Yamaha statements this is much more 2.one ports than any other brand, and they provide these kinds of goodies as automobile lower latency mode and swift media switching. The receivers also aid for a longer time HDMI cable operates with a bolstered energy source. 

Yamaha also designed improvements about back. Most receivers, like past Yamahas, area the L/R speaker output at the left of the panel, which is followed by the centre and then the rears. For whichever rationale the RX-V6A spots the front pair in the middle as a substitute of the left, which could be complicated — specially if you are bent in excess of it in a darkened theater environment. It will never acquire long to recall which output is which, and at the time you get your speakers linked it really is not a huge offer.

The RX-V6A may well not be as completely loaded when it will come to Wi-Fi streaming aid when as opposed to our existing Editors’ Preference winner, the Onkyo TX-NR696, but it continue to gives anything for most people. Yamaha’s MusicCast multiroom program is one particular of the very best integrated devices, and it also permits the use of Yamaha sensible speakers as rears. The receiver gives AirPlay 2, Spotify Join and Bluetooth too, despite the fact that it lacks Chromecast built-in. IT can be controlled by using Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri-enabled products, but the instructions are mainly essential — generally volume, enter and subsequent/past track controls.

The receiver will come with a remote control that gives a wide variety of capabilities, like a devoted Bluetooth button. It’s vibrant and cheery moreover gives a zone 2 control switch for much more adaptability.

While the aesthetics have been soundly improved, the on-monitor show is a smaller action back. The interface features blocky white and blue icons, whilst opponents these kinds of as Sony provide much more consumer-welcoming interfaces with even bigger icons and greater hand-holding for newcomers.

This is the long term of sound

I as opposed the Yamaha RX-V6A in opposition to a different new receiver, the Denon AVR-S960, and observed myself returning to pay attention to the Yamaha much more normally. Although the Denon is relaxed-sounding, the Yamaha gives much more home theater thrills and pep when listening to your favored tunes. Simply just place, the Yamaha sounds much more pleasurable.

I begun my testing with an underrated typical — the Iron and Wine/Calexico collaboration EP, In The Reins. When streaming by using Roon to the Oppo UDP-203 ($3,999 at Amazon) and then letting the receivers decode, the Yamaha experienced a good, a few dimensional sound. Via it Sam Beam’s voice was much more firmly rooted in room, and the backing vocals a minor less complicated to discern than on the Denon. 

Receivers that are tuned for flicks are almost never very good with music — they can sound extremely harsh and tiring — but the tambourine-ahead sound of Spoon’s You Acquired Yr. Cherry Bomb sounded fuller on the Yamaha than the Denon. The song’s chugging bass underpinned the percussion in the palms of the V6A and the complete creation sounded a lot less thrashy and much more composed. The Denon was a shade subtler but didn’t make me sit up in my seat in the identical way.

Turning to home theater with Avatar, the Yamaha driving a pair of Bowers and Wilkins 603 S2 speakers sounded even bigger and much more effortless than any soundbar I have heard. The opening dialog of the Thanator chase scene was much more intelligible as well, and surely greater than the JBL Bar 2.one Deep Bass ($300 at Amazon) soundbar, for example. It may well not have experienced the identical booming result on the creatures’ footfalls, but this was quickly tweaked by using the Yamaha menu. 

After that tweak the Yamaha experienced bass consequences I could truly truly feel with my feet and, as opposed to the Denon, I observed it sounded much more atmospheric, but the bass continue to was not as impactful.

Must you purchase it?

If you are making an attempt to determine concerning the Yamaha and the Denon, both equally sound top quality and features appear into perform. The Yamaha gives an excess HDMI port than the Denon and much more 8K-compliant 2.one ports as well. The RX-V6A also looks greater and sounds much more entertaining. 

The receiver didn’t get every little thing right — that Liquid crystal display show is a misstep — and I continue to choose the Onkyo by a nose simply because of its remarkable streaming possibilities and greater show. Although there are much more receivers coming in mid-2021, if you want anything that gives a degree of long term proofing and higher-top quality sound right now, the Yamaha is an exceptional preference.