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Yamaha RX-V6A 7.2 channel 4K / 8K Dolby AV Receiver Review

dougi

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That is disappointing, not like they didn't have time to refine the design/build. I'm eyeing the A4A as a replacement for my RX-A660. BTW, what does the "+" signify ?
Oh, 4a, 6a,8a.
 
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beagleman

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I have noticed something strange since latest firmware update for these. I use a basic 5.1 system and generally prefer to leave it on NEO 6: music as a surround mode as a personal preference. However, for some dolby digital content (not DD True HD) (only some) it refuses to use it and insists on Dolby surround decoding.

From the Dolby metadata guide I can't seem to see that there is a flag which would allow content to force this, but could be wrong. I wonder what is going on?
Neo6 is a lower quality surround mode.

It would not make sense for a true DD signal to be converted to a lower quality surround mode, as DD is a dedicated multi channel surround mode with higher sound quality.

Neo6 is a pseudo surround mode like pro logic, intended for 2 channel stuff mostly to CREATE a simulated surround mode when there is none.

I am not sure why you would want to downgrade the sound of a TRUE DD signal .......
 

dougi

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Neo6 is a lower quality surround mode.

It would not make sense for a true DD signal to be converted to a lower quality surround mode, as DD is a dedicated multi channel surround mode with higher sound quality.

Neo6 is a pseudo surround mode like pro logic, intended for 2 channel stuff mostly to CREATE a simulated surround mode when there is none.

I am not sure why you would want to downgrade the sound of a TRUE DD signal .......
I generally preferred the centre spread on NEO with content with music than Dolby. The other issue was that some services were producing content with DD but in 2.0 stereo. The AVR would not then let me use a surround mode to produce a centre! I had to end up changing to PCM in the source device to get around it.
 

3dbinCanada

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I generally preferred the centre spread on NEO with content with music than Dolby. The other issue was that some services were producing content with DD but in 2.0 stereo. The AVR would not then let me use a surround mode to produce a centre! I had to end up changing to PCM in the source device to get around it.
Maybe Yamaha felt that its no longer feasible to keep the older legacy formats around anymore. I know they've stopped supporting a single surround back channel from the xx080 forward.
 

beagleman

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Maybe Yamaha felt that its no longer feasible to keep the older legacy formats around anymore. I know they've stopped supporting a single surround back channel from the xx080 forward.


My Yamaha from years ago, will not allow this either.

I think the issue, is based on NEO6 simply being a program to simulate a surround sound. In other words, it takes a 2 channel left/right and "creates" a pseudo center image and surround information.

Where as Dolby Digital are DISCRETE channels of surround sound, that are already decoded into their appropriate channels, and applying Pro logic or NEO6 would be counter productive and adding a 2nd layer of decoding onto the signal.

In other words, prologic, and Neo6 are just to simulate NON surround information INTO surround.
 

dougi

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Maybe Yamaha felt that its no longer feasible to keep the older legacy formats around anymore. I know they've stopped supporting a single surround back channel from the xx080 forward.
To be clear, it allows me to do it most of the time, but certain DD content seems to have a flag that prevented it. Some of it annoyingly being 20 DD content.
 

Jazz

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I wonder if firmware updates fixed some of these issues. It sounds really great!
Yamaha tier 2 tech said plain front is style direction they are headed to move all controls to app. The cheaper feel volume control is along same line. Most people don’t use it. The smaller blue screen was also intentional shrinkage for shrinkage sake. But as a professional art director and design educator, they really stink at on HDTV screen typography, layout, UI/UX. They threw out the old baby (OK, OK) but put a runt piglet in the crib instead of a supermodel!
Having said that, I’ll live with it. Low cost pork dumplings at my favorite Chinese place are delicious, even if the decor leaves much to be desired.
But Yamaha: please hire a graphic designer to fix you typography and UI unending flubs on screen. Maybe from your app development team?
 

artsky

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I've been eyeing this avr for some time and it is mostly out of stock, but good thing that I decided to check the reviews first. I might go with a Denon instead.
 

beagleman

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I've been eyeing this avr for some time and it is mostly out of stock, but good thing that I decided to check the reviews first. I might go with a Denon instead.

Not saying it will actually "matter" to you maybe, but real world owners of most Yamahas and AVRs in general mostly give the advantage to Yamaha as far as reliability, sound quality and overall ease of use.

Unless there is something specific you found to not like in a review, I would think quite hard about going by just "specs and measurements". I know that most all that have actually heard and compared tend to favor the yamaha for various reasons.
 

Sal1950

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Unless there is something specific you found to not like in a review, I would think quite hard about going by just "specs and measurements". I know that most all that have actually heard and compared tend to favor the yamaha for various reasons.
Sighted listening tests by owners are completely without value.
They spent their money and in a huge majority of cases will praise their own decisions.
 

Ataraxia

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I've been eyeing this avr for some time and it is mostly out of stock, but good thing that I decided to check the reviews first. I might go with a Denon instead.
I feel the only real concern would be HDMI 2.1. Not sure if the straightened that out yet. All else should be great.
 

3dbinCanada

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Sighted listening tests by owners are completely without value.
They spent their money and in a huge majority of cases will praise their own decisions.
Yes sighted listenings tests are one extreme and invaluable but so is the other extreme of judging how something sounds based on specifications alone. Most people who judge soley on specifications arent even aware what noise measurements are audible or the conditions in which they could become audible. That too is completely without value.
 

Sal1950

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Yes sighted listenings tests are one extreme and invaluable but so is the other extreme of judging how something sounds based on specifications alone.
Why? If a unit returns excellent numbers you can be assured of excellent sound,
And don't start with the "ear can hear things measurements don't reveal" BS, cause they can't.
 

Beershaun

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You can definitely hear the difference in a 3db change in volume. And 75db SINAD vs 90db sinad is definitely in the audible range.
 

3dbinCanada

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Why? If a unit returns excellent numbers you can be assured of excellent sound,
And don't start with the "ear can hear things measurements don't reveal" BS, cause they can't.

Dont get your knickers in a knot!!! Are you telling me you can hear the distortion measured on the RX-A3080?
 

3dbinCanada

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You can definitely hear the difference in a 3db change in volume. And 75db SINAD vs 90db sinad is definitely in the audible range.
You come back with conclusive proof of blind listening tests in which listsners reliably could pick out an amp with the higher SINAD and then we'll talk.
 

beagleman

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Sighted listening tests by owners are completely without value.
They spent their money and in a huge majority of cases will praise their own decisions.

Why? If a unit returns excellent numbers you can be assured of excellent sound,
And don't start with the "ear can hear things measurements don't reveal" BS, cause they can't.

I hate to say, but those two comments TOTALLY sum up why this forum gets laughed at a lot "outside this forum"....Wow, you need to reread what you wrote and put some thought into it first.

I am all into measurements, but would never be so naive to think that measurements alone can sum up an item totally, and that actual listening does not matter at all, as you are tying to say.

Has nothing to do with the ear hearing "things" as you imagine either.

There is a fine line between being TOTALLY objective and TOTALLY subjective, where both measurements and listening factor in to what one likes or does not like.
 

beagleman

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Dont get your knickers in a knot!!! Are you telling me you can hear the distortion measured on the RX-A3080?
He will not be able to answer this question, as he has not listened to it.

Amir did not do any subjective comments on that Receiver, so he will not be able to find the answer...
 
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beagleman

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You can definitely hear the difference in a 3db change in volume. And 75db SINAD vs 90db sinad is definitely in the audible range.
With no details, that comment is meaningless.

Or are you claiming, after reading measurements, and seeing which you are listening to, you can tell one is better or worse?/

Or do you mean, with a blind test you can tell for sure?

At what distance, at what loudness level? With source material playing, or with nothing playing and your ear against a tweeter??
 

3dbinCanada

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There is no question in my mind that Yamaha needs to clean up their designs based on the measurements. Yamaha can do better and has done much better in the past. Judging the sound of any equipment that is approaching borderline in their measurements is a subject choice filled on the premise of knowledge bias and is no different then judging the sound on ears alone, also filled with sight and knowledge bias. No difference at all. At the end of the day, only blind listening tests can determine if a measured result has an audible effect. The rest is speculative conjecture.
 
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