Yamaha RX-A2A Aventage 7.2 Channel AV Receiver

A wonderful system. Replaced a faulty Denon AVR-X2700H which couldn't be fixed. Was wary of spending more on top to move up to the Yamaha RX-A2A, but took the advice of Audio-T Manchester staff and it was worth the upgrade.The A2A takes anything thrown at it input-wise; From blutooth; DAB/FM, mp3s and FLACs from the portable player to a Panasonic UHD player, firestick, networked PC and phones - and then outputs it in a beautiful clear manner over your speakers.Have a mixture of B&W and Monitor Audio's speakers/sub wired in and the sound either as equal split stereo or one of the many home cinema formats gives music and films a crystal clear sound.Whether its the Beatles remastered tracks or Chris Nolan's latest audio-tricky blockbuster playing through, the ... MoreA wonderful system. Replaced a faulty Denon AVR-X2700H which couldn't be fixed. Was wary of spending more on top to move up to the Yamaha RX-A2A, but took the advice of Audio-T Manchester staff and it was worth the upgrade.The A2A takes anything thrown at it input-wise; From blutooth; DAB/FM, mp3s and FLACs from the portable player to a Panasonic UHD player, firestick, networked PC and phones - and then outputs it in a beautiful clear manner over your speakers.Have a mixture of B&W and Monitor Audio's speakers/sub wired in and the sound either as equal split stereo or one of the many home cinema formats gives music and films a crystal clear sound.Whether its the Beatles remastered tracks or Chris Nolan's latest audio-tricky blockbuster playing through, the sound is triumphant and clear every time. IT does some nifty trickery with dialogue so that the centre speaker can lift and raise the spoken track over the action. TENET, INCEPTION and the Mission Impossible and No Time to Die FiIms in 4k UDH sound incredible.It also processes 4k images from the UHD player to projector in a magnificent way. Have had this about three months now and everytime I find something else that it can do, it makes me happy.The model I purchased has the new board in (from the factory) to to handle the PlayStation 4k/120hz throughput issue noted on the initial release models.Great remote and the android App is better than I was led to believe by other reviewers.100% pleased with my Yamaha and a convert to their brand.

50/50

Upgraded/downgraded from Avantage RX-A2000. This set up with my Samsung 43 inch 6000 series 4K TV fairly easily. Unfortunately, I upgraded my 4K 43 inch Samsung TV to a 4K 50 inch QLED Samsung.I could not get it to pass the cable through from input one to the TV without contacting technical support, a Yamaha and spending about an hour on the phone changing HDMI handshake settings. Finally got that working but when I connected my external antenna for over the air TV to the TV using the HDMI two audio return channel ARC is supposed to send the audio back to my home theater receiver which I'm sure it did but I still can't get that to work.Furthermore, my old receiver whenever I change the input, it would display all of the inputs on the TV screen so you were know ... MoreUpgraded/downgraded from Avantage RX-A2000. This set up with my Samsung 43 inch 6000 series 4K TV fairly easily. Unfortunately, I upgraded my 4K 43 inch Samsung TV to a 4K 50 inch QLED Samsung.I could not get it to pass the cable through from input one to the TV without contacting technical support, a Yamaha and spending about an hour on the phone changing HDMI handshake settings. Finally got that working but when I connected my external antenna for over the air TV to the TV using the HDMI two audio return channel ARC is supposed to send the audio back to my home theater receiver which I'm sure it did but I still can't get that to work.Furthermore, my old receiver whenever I change the input, it would display all of the inputs on the TV screen so you were know what you're changing it from or two making it very easy. Not the case anymore on this receiver it also does not seem to receive or display High def stations on FM.All in all I'm disappointed when compared to a much older, albeit slightly more costly receiver. It works fairly well but I would have paid more if I was aware of one that works better.

Good Amp with irritating Niggles

My Budget Yamaha receiver was on its last legs, so was in the market for a new AVR fully equipt with the latest features and could perform sound wise on par with my previous Yamaha (RV381D).First, I tried the Denon AVR S760H which was (at the time of writing this) relatively new so assumed it would be a safe bet, however for TV viewing (Sky Q, Netflix) the sound was perfectly acceptable, however when using the Phono inputs for my Technics SL1500, I found stereo sound very disappointing, flat, dull, a lack of treble.After many different settings tried, I returned the amp and was recommended to try the Marantz Cinema 70S, what a stunning amp and for TV viewing the sound was superb, it looked the business and felt like a premium receiver, however like the Denon ... MoreMy Budget Yamaha receiver was on its last legs, so was in the market for a new AVR fully equipt with the latest features and could perform sound wise on par with my previous Yamaha (RV381D).First, I tried the Denon AVR S760H which was (at the time of writing this) relatively new so assumed it would be a safe bet, however for TV viewing (Sky Q, Netflix) the sound was perfectly acceptable, however when using the Phono inputs for my Technics SL1500, I found stereo sound very disappointing, flat, dull, a lack of treble.After many different settings tried, I returned the amp and was recommended to try the Marantz Cinema 70S, what a stunning amp and for TV viewing the sound was superb, it looked the business and felt like a premium receiver, however like the Denon stereo listening was again a real let down which to be quite honest I was very disappointed but for the cost, I could not accept and live with the amp especially when my old budget £350 amp sounded better.My last shot was this Yamaha, I would have gone for the model down the R6, however I didn't like the rounded edges of the receiver, and so far, so good, my turntable has come alive again and sounds just like my old budget amp, but better, so sound wise I am very happy with it, and also watching Sky Sports UHD through it, I don't get the annoying delay flicking between UHD and HD channels which I was experiencing on the Denon & Marantz.The drawbacks however, and the main one is the this amp and the models below it cannot output Dolby Vision, reading online this is a well known fault and a big fix is being waited on to solve it, but currently my Nvidia Shield cannot do Dolby Vision, the screen just goes blank which for a £900 amp, I would of expected this to not be an issue, especially as the A2 has been out for a good while.Other minor niggles are having to manually switch between Surround Sound decoder when watching Sky, to 2 channel stereo when listening to music either through Sky, You tube or my turntable, the Marantz would do this automatically with no need to mess.My last current irritation is using the ARC function on the amp, currently if I am using my turntable, I have the video output set to Sky Q, but whenever you press the home button to go on the tv guide whilst listening to a record, it switches the input to Sky Q automatically.Again all the above niggles I feel for an amp of this cost, shouldn't be an issue, however on the flip side it sounds very good on all the inputs I have going through it and ultimately sound is king.

Good unit. Skip the manual and hit setup on remote

The receiver has eARC and several HDMI inputs, as well as a digital coaxial and a few analog RCA audio inputs and a phono input. HDMI control is nice because if you turn on your TV, it will turn on the receiver, and also turning on an HDMI connected device will switch to that input. The room and speakers have more influence on the sound, but for what it’s worth, this sounds good and has enough channels for Dolby Atmos/5.1 setups. The only things that frustrate me about this unit are the manual (which was pretty useless), the apps (which do not work the way they are advertised in a video I saw), and the fact that it sometimes takes a while to connect to my TCL TV, though that may not be Yamaha’s fault.

Good value for money, but not perfect

Yamaha generally makes A/V receivers (I've owned several) that deliver great sound and video. The RX-A2A is no exception, with some caveats. Residing in Yamaha's audiophile Aventage model line one would expect that its back panel connections should support high-end gear. With all video inputs limited to HDMI connections, there is a lot of open space on the back of this receiver. So why did Yamaha cram all of the ridiculously small speaker connections so close together? If you have large gauge speaker cables you're going to have trouble unless they terminate with a banana connector. Spade connectors, or thick bare wire? Forget it. I had to replace my speaker cables in order to hook them up.Set-up is reasonably easy as it is with most Yamaha gear and their room ... MoreYamaha generally makes A/V receivers (I've owned several) that deliver great sound and video. The RX-A2A is no exception, with some caveats. Residing in Yamaha's audiophile Aventage model line one would expect that its back panel connections should support high-end gear. With all video inputs limited to HDMI connections, there is a lot of open space on the back of this receiver. So why did Yamaha cram all of the ridiculously small speaker connections so close together? If you have large gauge speaker cables you're going to have trouble unless they terminate with a banana connector. Spade connectors, or thick bare wire? Forget it. I had to replace my speaker cables in order to hook them up.Set-up is reasonably easy as it is with most Yamaha gear and their room equalization procedure is as simple as it gets. The firmware however leaves a bit to be desired. I've twice had the receiver fail to deliver audio or video. Once was after a power outage and the other was weirdly when powering up the receiver via one of its Scene buttons, which is user-assignable to an input and program. The solution to the first required unplugging the unit entirely and the second just powering it off and on. I've also had the RX-A2A change inputs on its own several times, switching from satellite TV (Scene 1) to "TV," which on my receiver has nothing plugged into it. Perhaps a future firmware update will address some of these issues.At about $800, the RX-A2A provides plenty of bang for the buck and is supposedly ready via update for the future 8K video standard. If you can live with its quirks it should not disappoint.

Great Product - Needs Good Setup

Great receiver, I have a 5.2.2 setup and this works great for that; I will say you need to make sure to setup the receiver to get the most benefits. This can be confusing, I did find a great resource online "YPAO lost manual", which walked me through all the steps. I also found the flat DSP setting to be best for carpeted rooms, along with crossover set at 60 hertz for my front larger two bookshelfs (set as small in options). Play with these settings as well. The remote is large and mostly only used for the setup, I would recommend the MusicCast app as well, if only to adjust the settings easier without having to use the remote.

Great Reciever

Got this as an Excellent Open Box quality item. Saved ~$100 and has the same factory warranty. Works great and sounds perfect. Wasn't missing any accessories.Spent a lot of time looking between Yamaha and Denons. A bonus to the Yamaha over the Denons is the ability to use Zone2 for another room or outdoor speakers. I use it as 7.1 + Zone2 in my shop/shipping area with a Crown 1502 running my subs with no issues. Zone2 can be used to power a set of outdoor speakers or another reciever if wanted. YPAO works well too. Plenty of power and I love the MAX volume setting. I have it set to -10db myself to prevent someone overdriving speakers accidentally. Dead quiet with no hiss or hums at all. The bluetooth connects automatically when you enable it and the remote can ... MoreGot this as an Excellent Open Box quality item. Saved ~$100 and has the same factory warranty. Works great and sounds perfect. Wasn't missing any accessories.Spent a lot of time looking between Yamaha and Denons. A bonus to the Yamaha over the Denons is the ability to use Zone2 for another room or outdoor speakers. I use it as 7.1 + Zone2 in my shop/shipping area with a Crown 1502 running my subs with no issues. Zone2 can be used to power a set of outdoor speakers or another reciever if wanted. YPAO works well too. Plenty of power and I love the MAX volume setting. I have it set to -10db myself to prevent someone overdriving speakers accidentally. Dead quiet with no hiss or hums at all. The bluetooth connects automatically when you enable it and the remote can even control the media and skip, pause etc so if your streaming from a phone you don't have to keep unlocking it.Little tip. If you use a pro amp with it, make sure its plugged into the same strip as your reciever and TV to prevent any ground loop hum. If you do get any humming then unplug the HDMI and see if it goes away. Most likely coming from the connection to the cable box/TV. It should be dead silent. Most of the time the cable companies don't ground the coax cables right.

Quality sounding Receiver. Best Buy under £1k.

This Receiver is very easy to set up and sounds great.Follow the steps one by one to complete set up. You can also fine-tune the centre speaker and the other speakers. Very clean and straightforward front fascia and rear. I feel the binding posts are little too close together.However, it does not feel like Yamaha of old, the quality of the fascia and the slight lightness of the unit almost make you feel that it’s a slightly cheaper product. For example, the remote has a rubber texture on it, looks modern and feels good however, doesn’t provide that level of certainty like old Yamaha amplifiers did.Deep bass and the treble is rich, not the best sounding amplifier for Music, if you want music then you need a Denon - hands down.If it’s purely surroundsound that ... MoreThis Receiver is very easy to set up and sounds great.Follow the steps one by one to complete set up. You can also fine-tune the centre speaker and the other speakers. Very clean and straightforward front fascia and rear. I feel the binding posts are little too close together.However, it does not feel like Yamaha of old, the quality of the fascia and the slight lightness of the unit almost make you feel that it’s a slightly cheaper product. For example, the remote has a rubber texture on it, looks modern and feels good however, doesn’t provide that level of certainty like old Yamaha amplifiers did.Deep bass and the treble is rich, not the best sounding amplifier for Music, if you want music then you need a Denon - hands down.If it’s purely surroundsound that you’re looking for then look like further than the Yamaha as nothing else will come close to it (theatre) performance wise.The amplifier is crisp and very intuitive to use, very user-friendly settings and interface. You will not be disappointed.It’s just misses out one star to make it a 5 star product as the display is a bit small & The remote feels a lot cheaper than Yamaha of old.

Superb !!!

I bought the RX-A2A to replace my old Yamaha DSP-A5, which was starting to fail after many years of loyal service.Connecting it up was easy although the speaker connections are quite small, close together and fiddly compared to the DSP-A5.Set-up is through an on-screen user interface and I found it quite slow to respond, although this is not a big problem for me because it is not something that I would use every day.Once connected to my home network, the amplfier performed a firmware update which took 15 minutes or so, and went smoothly.My first impressions are good - aesthetically speaking, the piano black fascia looks gorgeous (and matches my B&W CM9's nicely). Some reviews have criticised the build quality, but I feel it is comparable to that of the ... MoreI bought the RX-A2A to replace my old Yamaha DSP-A5, which was starting to fail after many years of loyal service.Connecting it up was easy although the speaker connections are quite small, close together and fiddly compared to the DSP-A5.Set-up is through an on-screen user interface and I found it quite slow to respond, although this is not a big problem for me because it is not something that I would use every day.Once connected to my home network, the amplfier performed a firmware update which took 15 minutes or so, and went smoothly.My first impressions are good - aesthetically speaking, the piano black fascia looks gorgeous (and matches my B&W CM9's nicely). Some reviews have criticised the build quality, but I feel it is comparable to that of the DSP-A5.Most importantly, the sound is detailed and well controlled, dialogue is crisp and there is plenty of power available when the soundtrack demands it. It is streets ahead of my old amp, but that's 15 years of progress!Richer Sounds did a fantastic job with the delivery - I ordered it on a Friday with an expected delivery day of the following Monday - but they then delivered it 2 days early on the Saturday. It's almost as if they knew how excited I'd be to get my hands on it!Particular thanks to Patrick (Cheltenham store) for his knowledge, advice and painstaking research into my requirements.

Yamaha AVs are a different league!

Bought YAMAHA RX-A2A to replace my 4 year old Sony STR-DN10180. Sony AV did a good job and was great value for money. Since they haven't launched an upgrade yet, I was looking for a replacement to upgrade. Did lot of research, shortlisted the new Denon range as a suitable replacement.But as soon as I discoved the Yamaha range (thanks to online research coupled with Paul (@Cambs Richer Sounds), learnt about its history, the reviews, particularly for the Aventage range, I knew Yamaha was going to be my next buy. Unfortunately, A4A is too big in terms of depth, which meant I had to settle for A2A. I got lucky as only 1 unit of A2A was available in the wider RS stock n/w. Paul promptly blocked it for me by calling the Maidstone store.I've been using it for past ... MoreBought YAMAHA RX-A2A to replace my 4 year old Sony STR-DN10180. Sony AV did a good job and was great value for money. Since they haven't launched an upgrade yet, I was looking for a replacement to upgrade. Did lot of research, shortlisted the new Denon range as a suitable replacement.But as soon as I discoved the Yamaha range (thanks to online research coupled with Paul (@Cambs Richer Sounds), learnt about its history, the reviews, particularly for the Aventage range, I knew Yamaha was going to be my next buy. Unfortunately, A4A is too big in terms of depth, which meant I had to settle for A2A. I got lucky as only 1 unit of A2A was available in the wider RS stock n/w. Paul promptly blocked it for me by calling the Maidstone store.I've been using it for past couple of weeks, and its brilliant. I can hear so much more detail from Bower Wilkins M-1 (5.1) speaker setup. Just don't look elsewhere, get the Aventage range from Yamaha, it is the best!