Yamaha unveils two receivers with multiple HDMI 2.1 connections
Yamaha has unveiled two new receivers that will be released in the RX-V series. These are the RX-V6A and RX-V4A. Unlike other recent receivers with HDMI 2.1 support, such as from Denon and Marantz, the two Yamaha receivers have more than one HDMI 2.1 connection.
Yamaha reports that the RX-V4A has four HDMI inputs and that they all support HDMI 2.1. The more expensive RX-V6A has to make do with three connections that support the latest HDMI standard; this device has a total of seven HDMI connections and both devices are all at the back. There is also support for hdr10 + and all inputs on both receivers can handle Dolby Vision. Incidentally, Yamaha indicates that the transmission of 8k60 and 4k120 signals is possible immediately, but that other parts of the HDMI 2.1 standard will only be available later via a firmware update. These are what Yamaha calls ‘specific gaming functions’: allm, Fr., qms and qft.
RX-V6A
The RX-V6A supports seven amplifier channels and the RX-V4A has five. The power at output over two channels, measured over the entire frequency range, is 100W for the former and 80W for the other. Only the RX-V6A supports Dolby Atmos and DTS: X, with the device also getting Dolby’s Height Virtualization feature via a firmware update. This makes it possible to create virtual height channels without the listener actually having speakers.
Like many other receivers from Yamaha, the new devices also have MusicCast Surround support for adding wireless MusicCast 20 or MusicCast 50 speakers for the rear two channels. There is also support for WiFi, Airplay 2 and Spotify Connect and the necessary music streaming services are built in. Multi-room audio is also supported and voice control can be used via Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri.
RX-V4A
Both receivers have a renewed design with the characteristic large rotary knob on the front, supplemented with touch-sensitive buttons and a renewed LCD with a high, unnamed resolution. The manufacturer has increased the power supply of the HDMI connection to 300mA, so that users can optionally use active HDMI cables if the signal needs to be amplified over a longer distance.
The RX-V4A will hit the market in August for a suggested retail price of $ 440. Converted and including VAT, that is about 451 euros. The RX-V6A should be released in September for a suggested retail price of $ 600, which equates to around 615 euros.