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

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I guess the lack of response means everyone has tried the hearing tests and now ponders why they spent all that money on equipment reproducing sound perfectly to 20+ kHz.

Similar audio shenanigans with the supposedly hi-res audiophile music posted by various outfits, e.g. NBR, on YouTube. While the uploaded sources may indeed have been hi-res PCM with sampling rates > 44.1 kHz, YT applied lossy compression to them, so the best you can get is mp4a@192k or opus@160k:
Whats with all these Audiophile YouTube Playlists?

Not that it sounds bad when reproduced even by an older Yamaha receiver that adds multichannel "enhancement" effects, but still not the real deal... If you like jazz trios, try this (there is a series of recordings made in the same setting):
Bob James - Angela (theme from 'Taxi') (4K)

Well, I doubt audiophiles can hear 20kHz or 20Hz and THD of 0.1%, but that won't stop them from wanting the best "state of the art" numbers and measurements.

 

[lc6]

Q: What is the current AVR product cycle (given the pandemic, supply-chain shortages, HDMI 2.1/firmware issues, etc.) -- when could the next-gen Yamaha Aventage, Denon and Marantz models be expected?

 

[ryanosaur]

Q: What is the current AVR product cycle (given the pandemic, supply-chain shortages, HDMI 2.1/firmware issues, etc.) -- when could the next-gen Yamaha Aventage, Denon and Marantz models be expected?

Previous D&M product announcements have happened in June and July. After taking last year off, there was a tease that there might be an early release this year. Conversely, there has also been a rumor that they would switch to a 3-year cycle.
Can't speak to Yamaha.

 

[AVR Enthu]

Previous D&M product announcements have happened in June and July. After taking last year off, there was a tease that there might be an early release this year. Conversely, there has also been a rumor that they would switch to a 3-year cycle. Can't speak to Yamaha.

Yes. A few months ago someone was validating a new D&M engineering model and spoke about it on Audioholics. How long does this process take, I do not know? Yamaha cannot release anything new before they get right all current features on HDMI 2.1, including VRR and FRL signal in Zone 2 output, and possibly not before they get out 5300 series.

If they decide to put new chips in 5300, they will want to show it off, namely that new processor works fully and properly, before risking putting another half-baked HDMI board into yet another generation of AVRs. They are desperate now to make sure there is no consumer backclash, board exchange embarrassment and heavy delay of enabling software, like the one we saw during 2020 and 2021...

My impression is that a dealbreaker for new gen of AVRs is going to be a new HDMI 2.1 chip - third gen full speed chip with 48 Gbps and proper software out of the box. So, this may take one more year to get right.

Notice that Trinnov is the only well-known brand that has not jumped into HDMI 2.1 early trap. Trinnov does not have commercial cadence approach of 2-3 years. So, their philosophy is to get things right in the first place, regardless of how long it takes. Watch out for Trinnov annoucements. Whatever HDMI 2.1 chips they decide to install into Altitude processors is what others are going to do too in next gen of their divices. Trinnov would not dare embarrass themselves and their owners of expensive Altitude gear by exchanging HDMI boards that would turn out not to be fully functional in hardware and software features.

 

[ryanosaur]

Anthem is working, ya?

 

[AVR Enthu]

Anthem is working, ya?

We do not know. I have not seen any tests posted.

 

[jakkedtide]

Does anyone know the max height for installing Atmos speakers? I want to add another home theatre in my garage but the ceilings are high. Is there a limit?

 

[ryanosaur]

Does anyone know the max height for installing Atmos speakers? I want to add another home theatre in my garage but the ceilings are high. Is there a limit?

It's all about angles and Speaker sensitivity...
Dig into the Dolby PDF to get the angles.
Then just make certain they aren't so far away that you need 99dB Speakers to make the cut.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Does anyone know the max height for installing Atmos speakers? I want to add another home theatre in my garage but the ceilings are high. Is there a limit?

Seems like I remember 14’.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Does anyone know the max height for installing Atmos speakers? I want to add another home theatre in my garage but the ceilings are high. Is there a limit?

Main thing is being able to hear your Atmos speakers easily.

If your ceiling is 18’ and you can clearly easily hear your Atmos speakers, then that’s better than a 12’ ceiling where you cannot easily hear your Atmos speakers.

My HT has a 14’ ceiling.

 

[lc6]

On 12/22/2021, @gene wrote:
"I will be conducting critical listening tests in the formal review process coming next."
I cannot find any follow-on review of the RX-A6A. Has there been one that I missed?
In general, I see fewer useful reviews with objective measurements or assessments on this site. Instead, more product announcements and geezer musings about some equipment from many decades ago and how audiophiling declines. What is going on? Is this site becoming mostly a front for a HT consulting business (re: an ad constantly popping up on the home page)?

 

[clone1008]

On 12/22/2021, @gene wrote:
"I will be conducting critical listening tests in the formal review process coming next."
I cannot find any follow-on review of the RX-A6A. Has there been one that I missed?
In general, I see fewer useful reviews with objective measurements or assessments on this site. Instead, more product announcements and geezer musings about some equipment from many decades ago and how audiophiling declines. What is going on? Is this site becoming mostly a front for a HT consulting business (re: an ad constantly popping up on the home page)?

Contact him and ask him.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

On 12/22/2021, @gene wrote:
"I will be conducting critical listening tests in the formal review process coming next."
I cannot find any follow-on review of the RX-A6A. Has there been one that I missed?
In general, I see fewer useful reviews with objective measurements or assessments on this site. Instead, more product announcements and geezer musings about some equipment from many decades ago and how audiophiling declines. What is going on? Is this site becoming mostly a front for a HT consulting business (re: an ad constantly popping up on the home page)?

So you’re looking for his SUBJECTIVE OPINIONS about how the RX-A6A sounds in his room?

 

[Trebdp83]

On 12/22/2021, @gene wrote:
"I will be conducting critical listening tests in the formal review process coming next."
I cannot find any follow-on review of the RX-A6A. Has there been one that I missed?
In general, I see fewer useful reviews with objective measurements or assessments on this site. Instead, more product announcements and geezer musings about some equipment from many decades ago and how audiophiling declines. What is going on? Is this site becoming mostly a front for a HT consulting business (re: an ad constantly popping up on the home page)?

What more is there to say about the A6A? It sounds good to those who have heard it but does not measure as well as devotees would like it to and it is gimped out of the box with no full functionality date in sight. But, as you say, a full review is long past due, You know, like the A6A's full feature set. I'd sue.

 

[lc6]

So you’re looking for his SUBJECTIVE OPINIONS about how the RX-A6A sounds in his room?

To me, "the formal review process" sounds like an objective assessment, perhaps with trained listeners and double-blind tests. But even if I am wrong, if an author says "part II is forthcoming" and 6+ months pass with nothing, I still hold him to the promise. I would also like to learn if Yamaha fixed the -9dBFS problem @gene discovered, either in one of the recent firmware updates or, if it is an unfixable hardware issue, if perhaps it was corrected in units produced after a certain date.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

To me, "the formal review process" sounds like an objective assessment, perhaps with trained listeners and double-blind tests. But even if I am wrong, if an author says "part II is forthcoming" and 6+ months pass with nothing, I still hold him to the promise. I would also like to learn if Yamaha fixed the -9dBFS problem @gene discovered, either in one of the recent firmware updates or, if it is an unfixable hardware issue, if perhaps it was corrected in units produced after a certain date.

Okay, that makes sense. If he found some initial bugs, we certainly want a follow up to see if all the bugs have been addressed.

 

[lc6]

The other day I watched on YT @gene 's long interview with a Yamaha rep introducing the new Aventage line. Yamaha switched its platform to Qualcomm (there was a subtle indication that the previous DSP was TI). They tend to switch platforms every 10 years. So a lot of custom software had to be rewritten for the new SoC. The new 8k HDMI chips are quite power-hungry, so Yamaha equipped them with radiators to increase longevity. Based on that interview and some posts on this thread, my general conclusion is that Yamaha will likely not come up with new Aventage AVR models any time soon (e.g. not in 2H22 or 1H23). Instead, they will likely focus on amortizing their investment and perfecting the current models. That is why it is important to learn if the known issues are addressed in firmware or minor hardware tweaks during the current production run.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

The other day I watched on YT @gene 's long interview with a Yamaha rep introducing the new Aventage line. Yamaha switched its platform to Qualcomm (there was a subtle indication that the previous DSP was TI). They tend to switch platforms every 10 years. So a lot of custom software had to be rewritten for the new SoC. The new 8k HDMI chips are quite power-hungry, so Yamaha equipped them with radiators to increase longevity. Based on that interview and some posts on this thread, my general conclusion is that Yamaha will likely not come up with new Aventage AVR models any time soon (e.g. not in 2H22 or 1H23). Instead, they will likely focus on amortizing their investment and perfecting the current models. That is why it is important to learn if the known issues are addressed in firmware or minor hardware tweaks during the current production run.

I think everyone agrees 100%.

This is a 1st Generation AVR, which has some growing pains for some people, while not affecting some people- depending on the usage.

For those affected, I think eventually all the bugs will be worked out. But it’s frustrating having to wait because the waiting is the hardest part. When you’re waiting, it seems forever.

 

[ryanosaur]

because the waiting is the hardest part

Thanks, Tom Petty.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thanks, Tom Petty.

So predictable aren’t I?