Yamaha AVENTAGE 2021 AV Receivers Bulk Up on Power and 8K Features

[diablo676]

In order to be prepare for some bad THD-N numbers in Gene review I was wondering when I would be able to start to hear distortion. While I am able to perform quite good comparing compressed vs uncompressed audio file, I am starting to hear and identify distortion at about... 8% in the first test and 1% in the second one and 2% in the last one lol...

. . . . but that's because the horrendous 5% distortion in the A8A is masking it.

Nah, I've done similar tests (though will try that one later) and get similar results.

edit: that test is actually one I've tried before, quite good.

I think it was the centre channel and two surrounds which got 0.05% close to 4V output. I think all loudspeakers have far more distortion than that.

In a past post I jokingly said that Gene might be waiting for the next firmware update before posting his review - but maybe that's actually true. I don't know exactly what he was talking about when he said 'hot mess' ages ago, but I'd be grateful if he'd provide a little more explanation before his actual review.

 

[Replicant 7]

. . . . but that's because the horrendous 5% distortion in the A8A is masking it.

Nah, I've done similar tests (though will try that one later) and get similar results.

I think it was the centre channel and two surrounds which got 0.05% close to 4V output. I think all loudspeakers have far more distortion than that.

In a past post I jokingly said that Gene might be waiting for the next firmware update before posting his review - but maybe that's actually true. I don't know exactly what he was talking about when he said 'hot mess' ages ago, but I'd be grateful if he'd provide a little more explanation before his actual review.

That's more than likely alone the lines of what Gene may have found.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Not good, is there a way to tell if that 12ft HDMI 48Gb that one just bought is good?

Not beyond testing it out with a HDMI 2.1 source. It is just something to be aware of. As people gain knowledge of how iffy HDMI cables can be at longer lengths, it can help them diagnose and troubleshoot issues.

It certainly remains the case that spending more on cables is NOT the solution, but buying a well made cable is a good choice. But, at the end of the day, I always buy a bunch of HDMI cables so I can swap them out if one (or more) fails. I have dozens of HDMI cables to use. I also buy from companies with a reputable return policy like Monoprice. Even if the cable does fail, I can return it and get one that works properly in the future.

I would more likely drop 30 bucks to get 3 cables and hope one works than drop $80 on one which is more likely to work the first try.

 

[Replicant 7]

Not beyond testing it out with a HDMI 2.1 source. It is just something to be aware of. As people gain knowledge of how iffy HDMI cables can be at longer lengths, it can help them diagnose and troubleshoot issues.

It certainly remains the case that spending more on cables is NOT the solution, but buying a well made cable is a good choice. But, at the end of the day, I always buy a bunch of HDMI cables so I can swap them out if one (or more) fails. I have dozens of HDMI cables to use. I also buy from companies with a reputable return policy like Monoprice. Even if the cable does fail, I can return it and get one that works properly in the future.

I would more likely drop 30 bucks to get 3 cables and hope one works than drop $80 on one which is more likely to work the first try.

Could cause one to believe there's a issue with their gear. I don't have anything in my setup that uses any source that would need that kind of bandwidth. But I could see where that could drive someone nuts trying troubleshoot. Thinking hey I just bought this brand new HDMI cable 48Gb so my New 4K tv 2.1 port gotta be bad.

 

[Replicant 7]

Kinda highlights why most of us say that no one can hear the fractional .005% differences from one model to another. You can barely hear a full 1.0 or 2.0% distortion, let alone a fraction of a percent.

Hopefully it's alone those lines. But still it's mud in Yamaha's eye no matter.

 

[Pogre]

Hopefully it's alone those lines. But still it's mud in Yamaha's eye no matter.

Yeah, could be a li'l mud in the eye from a technical SOTA performance perfectionist pov, but unless we're talking distortion of a full 1% or more it's not likely to be audible.

 

[OldAndSlowDev]

When we were joking about reaching 50 pages before the actual review... close to 100 pages...

 

[Replicant 7]

When we were joking about reaching 50 pages before the actual review... close to 100 pages...

Yep,

 

[AVR Enthu]

Which still doesn't guarantee that the cable you buy actually works. There was a video posted recently where Linus Tech Tips went through a bunch of 48Gb/s rated cables (certified) and some didn't work. Especially at 10 feet or longer.

9 feet is the spot where problems start with passive cables. Well-documented. Anything above 9 feet, go active and/or optical.

 

[AVR Enthu]

Not good, is there a way to tell if that 12ft HDMI 48Gb that one just bought is good?

Yes, test it, if you have HDMI 2.1 source and display.

 

[AVR Enthu]

In a past post I jokingly said that Gene might be waiting for the next firmware update before posting his review - but maybe that's actually true. I don't know exactly what he was talking about when he said 'hot mess' ages ago

Things moved forward from there. He briefly replied that Yamaha came back to him to say that some issues were hardware related and could only be rectified in new production line in H2 2022.

 

[AVR Enthu]

But I could see where that could drive someone nuts trying troubleshoot.

Denons have a good features. Their AVRs actually test HDMI cable speed and report it on display. It's a brilliant feature. Every single AVR should have it.

 

[snakeeyes]

9 feet is the spot where problems start with passive cables. Well-documented. Anything above 9 feet, go active and/or optical.

Then they should make 8ft HDMI cables.

Honestly I have never had need of more than 6ft but I’m not a projector guy.

 

[VASKION]

Denons have a good features. Their AVRs actually test HDMI cable speed and report it on display. It's a brilliant feature. Every single AVR should have it.

Well, it is proven that this feature does not work properly 100%. One time it reports a cable is OK then on the next try it is reported not OK... You take a cable which is reported from the test that is not OK but actually when you plug it in it works.
Also, I don't feel like taking my AVR to the store every time I need a cable to test it before I buy it.

 

[OldAndSlowDev]

Linus Tech channel bought a hdmi tester. It's like 40 000$ so I don't think the Denon test hardware can properly test the cables.

 

[Replicant 7]

Linus Tech channel bought a hdmi tester. It's like 40 000$ so I don't think the Denon test hardware can properly test the cables.

40K!! Whatever happened to the good old days when all you had to do was check continuity on cables to find out if it was still good or not.

 

[OldAndSlowDev]

40K!! Whatever happened to the good old days when all you had to do was check continuity on cables to find out if it was still good or not.

Oh I was mistaking with something else, it's 1600$. Sorry.

Edit: I think it's Gene Audio Precision that cost 40 000$

 

[Replicant 7]

Oh I was mistaking with something else, it's 1600$. Sorry.

Edit: I think it's Gene Audio Precision that cost 40 000$

But it says 100K, ?

 

[OldAndSlowDev]

But it says 100K, ?

Yes as he's got a company he said it saves him thousands of dollars as they are losing so much time trying to diagnose issues that are actually related to bad hdmi cables. But the tester isn't that expensive.

 

[Replicant 7]

Yes as he's got a company he said it saves him thousands of dollars as they are losing so much time trying to diagnose issues that are actually related to bad hdmi cables. But the tester isn't that expensive.

Oh I see now, didn't watch the vid