Yamaha RX-Z7 A/V Receiver Overview

[admin]

Yamaha is looking to expand their top end of their receiver line with the addition of the RX-X7 - a $2700 behemoth that is touting, among many other features, near unlimited connectivity and five HDMI inputs. At 140 watts x 7, the RX-Z7 uses Vista compatible DNLA support to stream files off your computer (WAV, Mp3, WMA, AAC) and Internet radio streams (Mp3, WMA). It supports Sirius Internet Radio, Rhapsody, and, of course, Yamaha's own MusicCAST system. You can pull music from your iPod, Bluetooth device, or USB device.

Discuss "Yamaha RX-Z7 A/V Receiver Overview" here. Read the article.

 

[Dezoris]

Minimal updates. (On paper)

Comparing the RXV3800 to the RXV3900 and RXZ7, most of the features are network related. Most which could likely be pushed into a firmware upgrade for the RXV3800 if they wanted to.

In terms of AMP and power supply they seem identical.
The Z7 has more DSP programs and probably better scaling options but lets face it, most people will use the Oppo or PS3 scaling anyway.

The addition of 2 HDMI outs is something I wished they had on the 3800 but you can solve that with a $150 Octiva or monoprice HDMI 1.3 distibution amp which would help with long cable runs something the Yamaha can't do. Here again a feature only projector users would care about.

Prices continue to rise with little benefit or break through.

 

[gene]

Minimal updates. (On paper)

Comparing the RXV3800 to the RXV3900 and RXZ7, most of the features are network related. Most which could likely be pushed into a firmware upgrade for the RXV3800 if they wanted to.

In terms of AMP and power supply they seem identical.
The Z7 has more DSP programs and probably better scaling options but lets face it, most people will use the Oppo or PS3 scaling anyway.

The addition of 2 HDMI outs is something I wished they had on the 3800 but you can solve that with a $150 Octiva or monoprice HDMI 1.3 distibution amp which would help with long cable runs something the Yamaha can't do. Here again a feature only projector users would care about.

Prices continue to rise with little benefit or break through.

According to my sources, the quality of parts (IE. dacs, amp drivers, etc) are better on the Z series. I will be reviewing this in October and will find out then.

The trend with all the major receiver manufacturers now is to sacifice amp quality for features and the latest HDMI features/video/ audio decoding/licensing is rather expensive. I plan on writing an article on this as well.

 

[Dezoris]

According to my sources, the quality of parts (IE. dacs, amp drivers, etc) are better on the Z series. I will be reviewing this in October and will find out then.

The trend with all the major receiver manufacturers now is to sacifice amp quality for features and the latest HDMI features/video/ audio decoding/licensing is rather expensive. I plan on writing an article on this as well.

Look forward to those reviews. At this point with the complexity of the network and video processing how long will it be before they will be separating their audio processing and amps from the video and network stack.

It's also probably going to start being much more cost effective to start making a universal RXV chassis with plug in cards for new features. (ALA Onkyo's idea)

I mean its getting absolutely retarded to be spending $1500 on a receiver and 8 months later a model revision offers functionality updates that SHOULD be firmware based upgrades.

I say this because I have been through 3 receivers in the past 3 years and at this point with HD audio and HDMI on the last model the upgrade is no longer worth the money anymore.

 

[Audioholics]

I think the Onkyo/Integra debacle put the nail in the coffin for card-based systems. What manufacturer wants to lose the hype and enthusiasm for a model update and replace that with some kind of "here's your new card" announcement? They stand to make more money putting out new products every year.

If the marketing guy who came up with the card idea for Onkyo/Integra wasn't fired, he's the luckiest guy in the world... lol.

 

[gene]

It's also probably going to start being much more cost effective to start making a universal RXV chassis with plug in cards for new features. (ALA Onkyo's idea)

This only makes sense for flagship type products that a manufacturer plans on keeping in their lineup for 4+ years or longer. To date, I don't know of any manufacturers that have successfully pulled this off.

 

[Dezoris]

I think the Onkyo/Integra debacle put the nail in the coffin for card-based systems. What manufacturer wants to lose the hype and enthusiasm for a model update and replace that with some kind of "here's your new card" announcement? They stand to make more money putting out new products every year.

If the marketing guy who came up with the card idea for Onkyo/Integra wasn't fired, he's the luckiest guy in the world... lol.

I know we are agreeing with each other, but in terms of innovation...
These A/V receivers are turning into media centers as they should be.

I think they could save a massive amount of money by creating a universal chassis. Such as this:

• RXZ High End
• RXV High End
• RXV Standard
• HTR Budget

They could make 4 models for each market, build in all the needed hardware for each model to meet the range. You buy the hardware for a set price.
And then have the dealer configure your features you wanted added via a software package.

Additional upgrades could be purchased from the Yamaha store downloaded to your receiver for an annual subscription or one time fees.

Want to activate HD radio? Download the package for $50.
Need a hardware update? Flash the firmware.
They could easily go on a 3 year life cycle and be the first in the industry to make a standardized system while making money off the updates they release.

This would save massive manufacturing costs, massive dealer inventory savings, marketing, and they would have higher margins as well.
The side benefits they would be more environmentally friendly, and keeping people more dedicated to their brand.

 

[niget2002]

I've also wondered about some of those ideas.

Once you get beyond the amps for the outputs, you're mostly dealing with just a bunch of either analog or digital I/O's. Buying a chasis with a bunch of slots (similar to PCI slots) and then being able to select the I/O's I need would make a lot of sense for me. If I only need a handful of I/O's up front, then it will make it more affordable for me to get into a higher quality chasis with better amps for the speakers.

Until then, I'll just keep admitting that I'm a big fan of Yamaha, and will continue to drool over their latest and greatest no matter how similar it is to their other offerings.

(P.S. If someone needs a Christmas Idea for me... this receiver would be a good one )

 

[Doug917]

Being this unit is a "Z" series, where's the option to run surround back and presence channels simultaneously? For this reason alone, the Z7 does not belong in the "Z" category of receivers in my mind. Keep trying Yamaha!

 

[gene]

Being this unit is a "Z" series, where's the option to run surround back and presence channels simultaneously? For this reason alone, the Z7 does not belong in the "Z" category of receivers in my mind. Keep trying Yamaha!

What will be killer is if you can redirect the front channels to the presence channels and then run an external 2 channel amp for the fronts. I will determine if this is possible. This is something I've been requesting on lower than flagship models from Yamaha for years.

 

[Jeepers]

Z7 is 7.1 and Z11 is 11.2 so apart from the 4.1 difference; are the amplifiers in both receivers identical meaning using the same components, build quality .. ?
Does the PReP Progressive Reprocessing feature of the Z7 allow for better video processing than the Z11's video processing ? Can it compete with the VP of the Denon 5308CI ?

 

[Doug917]

What will be killer is if you can redirect the front channels to the presence channels and then run an external 2 channel amp for the fronts. I will determine if this is possible. This is something I've been requesting on lower than flagship models from Yamaha for years.

I'm curious to hear your results on this Gene. I have always hated they don't give you the option to do this on the mid-level units as well. They should definitely give you separate "Presence/Surround Back" preouts on a "Z" model though as well as giving you all the surround fields to take advantage of the 9.1 setup.

 

[MichaelJHuman]

Z7 is 7.1 and Z11 is 11.2 so apart from the 4.1 difference; are the amplifiers in both receivers identical meaning using the same components, build quality .. ?
Does the PReP Progressive Reprocessing feature of the Z7 allow for better video processing than the Z11's video processing ? Can it compete with the VP of the Denon 5308CI ?

Note that the Z11 used a different VP package. It used a separate scaler and deinterlacer.

The 3900/Z7 look to be using the ABT 2010 Video Processor chip. This is ABTs top of the line video processor chip. This seems to be a better solution than the Z11 went with.

In my opinion, the deinterlacer is more important than the scaler. And the 2010 should have an excellent deinterlacer. Also, the 2010 is a complete VP on a chip. It should be able to apply various other VP tricks besides simply deinterlacing and scaling.

Yamaha's Z7 page implies that it will have more control over the VP than the 3900. In fact, that seems to be one of the main differences in functionality, at least until more is known. The ability to control the noise reduction, for example, seems present on the Z7 but not the 3900.

Time will tell. But I would bet money a number of Z11 owners will be dissapointed if the 3900/Z7 turn in a near perfect HQV score when the Z11 cannot

(I have no agenda, these are simply my observations from reading a ton of material and owning the RX-V2700.)

 

[wiyosaya]

Anyone have any further info about this?

I downloaded the English version of the manual for the RX-Z7 and the notes on page 46 concern me.

They state:

When you play back DTS 96/24 sources with any sound field program, this unit applies the selected program without activating the DTS 96/24 decoder.

Huh?

Sampling frequencies higher than 48 kHz are sampled down to 48 kHz or lower and then the sound fields are applied.

Seems like interesting behavior for a flagship line receiver. I have a query in to Yamaha on this and have not yet gotten anything more than we will get back to you on it - though that response came from a real person.

I have to wonder what else besides video processing is going to distinguish this receiver over the 3900 to make it worth the extra cost.

I own an RX-V2500 now, and I was initially very excited about the RX-Z7; however, now I think I will wait for reviews before I make a final decision to purchase on.

 

[evenless]

I think it's great that Yamaha has launched the DSP-Z7 next to the DSP-Z11. I simply find the DSP-Z11 too expensive and where the heck will I place 11 speakers?

You can see the DSP-Z7 as a stripped Z11, with now "only" 7 channels remaining. Many people wonder what these differences are between the RX-V3900 and the DSP-Z7, because the great similarities, even is size and weight:

Here's an interesting link that will give you some more details on the differences between the RX-V3900 and the DSP-Z7.

OK! Great, I can't post a link because I'm a newbee

Just go to youtube and search for "Yamaha Audioholics" and it should be the video #1 (07:32)

 

[evenless]

So basically the pro's from the Z7 over the RX-V3900 should be:

1) Bigger Power Supply
2) Extended 5 year warranty
3) Gold plated speaker connectors
4) Audio Pure Direct Mode seems to be better than on other models?
5) Advanced YPAO (Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer)

The RX-V3900 also has YPAO, but the Z7 "advanced" YPAO. Don't know what the exact difference should be though...

Did the 3800 also have the GUI (Graphical User Interface) or is the a feature that ony the newest models have on board?

Really looking out for that that review of yours Gene!

 

[gene]

Sorry guys I got a little backed up b/c of holidays and other stuff this time of year so my review won't be out until 1-2 weeks after XMAS.

To answer your questions, the Z7 IMO has better video processing than the Z11.

The amp quality is nearly as good, though not quite as powerful as the Z11.

I am having alot of fun with this receiver and yes I am a bit disappointed as usual that Yamaha doesnt allow for doing 9.1 on this receiver for front presence channels via ext amplification but oh well.

Oddly enough I got some decent results with YPAO this time around. Usually I like to make fun of Yamaha about this, but it did a pretty good job overall, something I wasn't expecting.

 

[ChrisJam]

I am having alot of fun with this receiver and yes I am a bit disappointed as usual that Yamaha doesnt allow for doing 9.1 on this receiver for front presence channels via ext amplification but oh well.

Does anyone use front presence speakers in an otherwise good speaker set-up? If so, what's the advantage?

Watching a DVD in 5.1 or 7.1 mode, wouldn't two front presence speakers interfere with the transition between the mains and the center channel? I have never heard a system that had presence speakers. So I just don't grasp the usefulness of the concept.

I can possibly see an advantage in a phantom center set-up. But still, if the mains are good enough...

Chris

 

[shunter]

I downloaded the English version of the manual for the RX-Z7 and the notes on page 46 concern me.

They state:

When you play back DTS 96/24 sources with any sound field program, this unit applies the selected program without activating the DTS 96/24 decoder.

Huh?

Sampling frequencies higher than 48 kHz are sampled down to 48 kHz or lower and then the sound fields are applied.

Seems like interesting behavior for a flagship line receiver. I have a query in to Yamaha on this and have not yet gotten anything more than we will get back to you on it - though that response came from a real person.

I have to wonder what else besides video processing is going to distinguish this receiver over the 3900 to make it worth the extra cost.

I own an RX-V2500 now, and I was initially very excited about the RX-Z7; however, now I think I will wait for reviews before I make a final decision to purchase on.

Does anyone have update on the sampling down of the frequencies when played with the sound field programs?

Unfortunately, this would be a deal breaker for me. I use the sound field programs exclusively when playing movies. I have a DSP-A1 and it is incredible. It would seem that buying the Z7 would be a lateral move for me since the DSP-A1 does 48kHz for the sound field programs already. I guess it would make more sense to buy a blueray player that decodes TrueDD and DTS Master and use the external decoder inputs. I would not be able to use the sound field programs, but that would put it even to the Z7.

Best,
SHunter

 

[dm_4u]

Does anyone use front presence speakers in an otherwise good speaker set-up? If so, what's the advantage?

Watching a DVD in 5.1 or 7.1 mode, wouldn't two front presence speakers interfere with the transition between the mains and the center channel? I have never heard a system that had presence speakers. So I just don't grasp the usefulness of the concept.

I can possibly see an advantage in a phantom center set-up. But still, if the mains are good enough...

Chris

Actually yes...I have used the Yamaha "Presence" speakers for years...and it is an incredible thing...(they get setup higher and outside the mains)...and I have a top of the line Athena SCT series of speakers...

It adds so much fullness to music and movies/tv...and it expands the soundfield...so much so...that it is the reason I can no longer look at any other brand of receiver...

When a helecopter goes over from back to front...it seems to go on forever...the same with a dog barking down the street...it feels like it's wayyyyy down the street...