Yamaha RX-A2A
Product Name: Yamaha RX-A2A
Overall
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DESIGN - 92
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FEATURES - 91
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CONNECTIVITY - 91
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SOUND QUALITY - 92
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VALUE - 88
Summary
Slightly expensive but has great design and great sound quality.
Pros
- Attractive, sleek design
- Crystal clear, detailed sound
- Easy setup
- Excellent ease of use
- Superb multi-zone function
- Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization, TrueHD, and Digital Plus compatibility
- Advanced DTS compatibility
- Gaming dedicated functions
- YPAO R.S.C/Multi-Point for perfect room acoustics analysis and sound parameter optimization
- High compatibility with Google Assistant and Alexa
Cons
- No 8K upscaling is available
- The quality of materials used could have been better
Yamaha RX-A2A Review
Yamaha is one of the most reliable and efficient AV receiver manufacturers available on the market nowadays. What about Yamaha RX-A2A? Is it a product that lives up to the expectations of users? Does it offer the best features and benefits for the users? Let us explore and analyze the pros and cons of this AV receiver model in detail. This Yamaha RX-A2A review follows an objective approach to help potential buyers make an informed decision.
Table of Contents
Yamaha RX-A2A – Build and Design
RX A2A creates a great first impression. The reflective front panel looks solid. It comes with large central volume control. You can find a large text LCD on the right side. With its sleek and glassy design, this model never fails to make an instant impression. RX A2A is a reasonably heavy AV receiver that needs some substantial space to breathe. The weight of this product is 22.5 lbs.
The quality of the materials used to construct this AV receiver could have been better. However, the sharp corners and straight lines provide an elegant appearance to RX A2A. You can come across front-panel sockets, a mini-jack for YPAO auto-calibration, a USB-A port with 5V charging, and a 6.3mm headphone jack on this device. The overall boxy design is an innovation by Yamaha. You can find a beautifully laid-out and tactile remote control that offers admirable ease of use. There is no need to access the full onscreen menu for navigating the menu and settings.
The bottom line is that Yamaha RX-A2A comes with a clean, elegant, and user-friendly design that creates an instant impression on people. The only flipside is the materials used are not specifically premium. Yamaha could have done a bit better when it comes to the quality of the materials.
Yamaha RX-A2A – Features
This model comes with a 7.2-channel amplifier. You can convert this receiver into a 5.1.2 system using internal amplifiers. The internal amplifiers generate power up to 100 watts at 8 Ohms per channel.
Yamaha RX-A2A is compatible with voice control agents like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. The multi-room audio feature of this device lets you share music from one room to the other easily. You can connect the receiver to the MusicCast app to activate this feature. AirPlay 2 and the MusicCast app are the wireless protocols of the RX A2A model. Amp assign functions allow you to utilize the surround back speaker outputs in many different ways. That is to say, you can employ them in various configurations, such as for Zone 2 or bi-amping the front speakers.
The Cinema DSP 3D feature makes your movie-watching experience enjoyable and relaxed. This device supports HDR10, Dolby Vision, and Hybrid Log-Gamma. 8K 60hz is the pass-through support of this product. 8K UHD upscaling is not available. The video signal upscaling of this receiver is up to 4K 60hz. After extensive research on various sounds from concert halls, music clubs, and cinemas, Yamaha has recreated these sounds efficiently to make your home theatre experience incredibly immersive.
This model also comes with an in-built Wi-Fi adapter, in-built Bluetooth adapter, and Spotify Connect feature. The proprietary YPAO Reflected Sound Control feature makes the process of optimizing sound highly efficient. This feature evaluates room acoustics and measures the characteristics of speakers to calibrate sound exactly according to the needs of your space. Yamaha RX-A2A is compatible with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos Virtualization Technology, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby TrueHD.
This AV receiver supports DTS:X, DTS Neural:X, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS Express, and DTS Neo. However, this product doesn’t come with an Auro 3D support feature. The built-in Wi-Fi lets you listen to music from music services, internet radio, and a networked computer. You can use Apple AirPlay 2 to stream music from iPhone directly.
The supported audio formats include DSD, AIFF, FLAC, WAV, and Apple Lossless. Other notable features you can find in RX A2A include DTS Dialog Control, Dialog Normalization, Dialog Lift, Adaptive DRC, Straight Decoding Mode, and Pure Direct Mode. The power supply needed for this device is AC 120V, 60Hz. The power consumption of RX A2A is 360 watts.
This model supports ARC and eARC. With the help of an FW update, you can make this device compatible with dedicated gaming functions. Yamaha RX-A2A is not a perfect choice for avid gamers. However, a free hardware upgrade makes it a gaming-friendly AV receiver. The amplifier comes with a high slew rate to improve the overall performance. It responds to fast changes in input levels and ensures steady and accurate signal transmission.
Another remarkable feature of the RX A2A model is the Anti Resonance Technology. In the center of the unit, you can find a fifth foot that offers extra stability to this device. External vibrations cannot make a negative impact due to this feature. The product dimension is 17.1 x 9.6 x 14.6 inches (W x H x D). The supported audio codecs are AAC and SBC.
Setting up this AV receiver is extremely easy. You can use the Yamaha AV Setup Guide app to get a clear idea about the connection process and initial settings. The compact remote control can be handled easily. Yamaha offers a 3-year warranty for this product to safeguard the interests of customers. With Yamaha account creation and model registration, you can extend this warranty to 5 years.
Yamaha RX-A2A – Connectivity
This model has 7 HDMI inputs, 1 optical TOSLINK, 1 digital coaxial, 3 stereo RCA, and 1 stereo RCA with a ground screw on the rear side. The rear-side outputs include 1 HDMI output, 2 RCA subwoofer pre-outs, 1 stereo RCA zone 2, and 1 stereo RCA pre-out.
If you look at the front side, you can come across 1 x 1/8-inch/3.5 mm setup mic input, 1 USB type-A input, and 1 1/4-inch/6.35 mm headphone output. Other rear inputs and outputs include 1 FM antenna terminal input, 1 AM antenna terminal input, 1 1/8-inch/3.5 mm output, 1 1/8-inch/ 3.5 mm output, 1 1/8-inch/3.5 mm input, 2 Bluetooth/Wi-Fi antenna terminals, and 1 RJ45 Ethernet cable.
As mentioned above, Yamaha RX-A2A has a built-in Wi-Fi that is compatible with 2.4 and 5 GHz networks. You can come across a Bluetooth v4.2 feature on this model. The HDMI inputs come with HDCP 2.3 copy protection. The wireless audio protocols of this receiver include AirPlay 2 and MusicCast.
Yamaha RX-A2A – Sound Quality and Performance
This AV receiver offers pleasingly broad and dynamic sound when it comes to handling action-packed scenes. Explosive actions are recreated with admirable drama and punch. You can also expect a neatly detailed sound output at low volume levels.
The directionality and focus of this AV receiver model make the action scenes highly impressive. You don’t need to worry about dialogue getting lost while watching noisy scenes. It offers powerful clarity to make your listening experience highly engaging. When you listen to your favorite music, Yamaha RX-A2A takes your listening sessions to the next level with impressive rhythmic panache.
One of the main attractions of Yamaha RX-A2A is the front soundstage. Offering a pleasant separation between the channels, this receiver keeps the dialogue front and center. It renders even the tiniest of sounds with remarkable resolution and precision. The subtle addition of Atmos effects enhances the immersion perfectly.
This model is one of the best choices available if you have a small or medium-sized room. It handles low, mid-range, and high levels efficiently without any distortion. The stereo imaging and panning effects can be termed excellent. It stays delicate when needed and transforms into a powerful device whenever required.
With the controlled velocity and expressive and articulate bass, this model preserves the nuances of delicate moments. It creates natural stereoscopic sound fields like concert halls or movie theaters. Overall, you can expect an immersive soundtrack with this device. With full of details and lively performance, this AV receiver never makes you feel disappointed.
Verdict
Pros
- Attractive, sleek design
- Crystal clear, detailed sound
- Easy setup
- Excellent ease of use
- Superb multi-zone function
- Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization, TrueHD, and Digital Plus compatibility
- Advanced DTS compatibility
- Gaming dedicated functions
- YPAO R.S.C/Multi-Point for perfect room acoustics analysis and sound parameter optimization
- High compatibility with Google Assistant and Alexa
Cons
- No 8K upscaling is available
- The quality of materials used could have been better
Final Words
With top-quality audio processing features, Yamaha RX-A2A offers excellent sound quality to make your listening experience highly immersive. The amplifier performance is extremely good. You can find superior connectivity features on this device. It is compatible with most of the advanced surround formats. The video capabilities are reasonably good. This receiver comes with many more advanced features compared to previous models. The main competition comes in the form of Denon AVR-X2700H and Marantz SR5015.
Overall, you can expect very good performance from this Yamaha model. If you want to buy an AV receiver under $900 for a small and medium-sized room, you can choose this AV receiver. With a variety of features and amazing performance, it offers the best value for your money.
REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:
- Denon AVR-S970H Review – New Value King - February 12, 2024
- How To Choose An AV Receiver – Make An Informed Decesion - May 6, 2023
- Onkyo TX-RZ70 Review – The Ultimate Flagship - April 26, 2023