Yamaha RX-A or RX-V: what’s the difference?
Recently, we’ve added the Yamaha Aventage Series to our offering and we’re really stoked about that. Why’s that, you may ask? Isn’t Yamaha just Yamaha?
And you’re right. We’ve been recommending the Yamaha RX-V series to our customers for a long time and for good reason. It’s just good, reliable ‘stuff’ that doesn’t tend to ‘play up on you’. And in the odd occasion where it does, the support you get from Yamaha and the importer is excellent.
So what’s the difference between the RX-V Series and the Aventage Series?
The answer to that tends to be a little obscure. You definitely are not going to get a straight answer from the Yamaha website. So here’s a bit of an explanation of why it’s a big deal.
On a superficial level, you will notice straight away that The Aventage Series has a longer warranty. That’s because while there are definitely similarities between the RX-V series and the Aventage Series, some of the ‘Aventage-components‘ tend to be higher-spec. One of the most talked about Aventage features is the ‘extra supportive foot’. That’s a very noticeable thing for sure, but there’s more to Aventage than that. But we’ll get into that a bit later. Fact is that we’ll be able to offer you another excellent option that is very highly regarded in AV circles.
But also, while the RX-V series is available from a wide range of suppliers, the Aventage series is reserved only for hand-picked dealers who are trusted to offer the support and attention required and have a well set-up demo room. It’s a privilege to be an Aventage dealer and a sure sign that Yamaha believes that you as a customer who cares about your equipment, are in excellent hands.
Let’s introduce the currently available Yamaha Aventage Series:
A couple of months ago, the new RX-A80 series was released to great acclaim, with the new products now becoming available in NZ. The six available models start with the RX-A680, a 7.2-channel receiver that drives immersive 5.2.2-speaker systems consisting of five front and surround speakers, up to two powered subwoofers, and two height speakers. It also features YPAO sound optimization, and four HDMI inputs and one HDMI output, all supporting 4K video up to 60 frames per second with HDCP 2.2 copy protection.
The biggest change in the new RX-A80 Series comes from the addition of Surround Artificial Intelligence in the top three receivers: The RX-A1080, RX-A2080 and RX-A3080. These three receivers are equipped with Surround:AI, a next-generation artificial-intelligence technology, which is designed for a clearer, more engaging listening experience by automatically adjusting audio levels on the fly to match the scene setting.
The other huge addition to the RX-A 80 lineup is the introduction of wireless MusicCast Surround. It gives home theatre fans the opportunity to use the new MusicCast enabled wireless speakers for a home theater’s Surround Left and Surround Right speakers, each synchronized with wired front speakers.
The new RX-A80 series come with a sturdier frame-and-beam chassis with a fifth foot to dampen sound-degrading resonances. And an aluminium front panel that shields sensitive internal circuitry from electronic noise generated by dimmer switches and other home electronics. All models will also add out-of-the-box support for a trio of HDR (high dynamic range) video standards—HDR10, Dolby Vision and Hybrid Log-Gamma.
All models integrate with installed home-control systems such as Control4.
In addition to the Aventage AV receivers, there is an Aventage power amplifier and pre-amplifier availble to complete the range.
So…
As you probably get from these features, the Aventage range is another step-up from the already awesome RX-V range and is aimed at users with a more high-end set-up. Cnet puts it like this: ‘If you have a pair of floor-standers worth over NZD 2,000, you’d want to be looking at one of the Aventage receivers.’ Fact is that you sure are in for a treat and we have no doubt that you’ll be just as excited as we are by now.
As for availability of the RX-A80 series, the RX-A880 and the RX-A780 are expected to arrive in three weeks at the time of posting of this blog. The RX-A3080 is expected late August / September all going well. The other models are available.
Source: Digital Trends, Cnet, Yamaha, AVSforum, Sound and Vision, Audioholics
Photo credit to Yamaha