Yamaha R-N803 Smart Receiver Review

[Vincentponcet]

Can Yamaha users tell me if Musiccast shows the file format/bitrate of the stream being played back? thx

No information for the stream bitrate.
musiccast is very poor UX.

 

[TonioRoffo]

No information for the stream bitrate.
musiccast is very poor UX.

Horrible. Looks like deezer HiFi is dead in the water for me. Good service but horrible support for network players. How to be sure you are listening to FLAC streams.

 

[Vincentponcet]

Horrible. Looks like deezer HiFi is dead in the water for me. Good service but horrible support for network players. How to be sure you are listening to FLAC streams.

You can choose the streaming bitrate.
Your question was does it show it.
On radio or files, it is not showing the bitrate.

 

[TonioRoffo]

You can choose the streaming bitrate.
Your question was does it show it.
On radio or files, it is not showing the bitrate.

Thanks for that feedback. And HiFi is a choice?

 

[Vincentponcet]

Thanks for that feedback. And HiFi is a choice?

I don't use Deezer but Qobuz.
And I get rid of Musiccast because it kills many of the benefits of using streaming. The search is poor, no recommendations, no album informations, UX is 20 years old.

 

[rammster]

Hi dear community.
I have been trying to investigate the quantity of YPAO PEQ bands in Yamaha 803, but I don't have it on my hands.
Whoever owns the device, could you please try to enter an advanced web setup page and make a screenshot of relative page?
I contacted one owner on other forum, he says that his Yamah 803 does not have advanced web setup page option.
That confuses me. because I believed that every Yamaha network capable AV device has such option.

Here is an example of such page from my Yamaha RX-A2030 AVR, which shows 7 PEQ band points.

To enter that advanced web setup page you need to add /setup after the IP address of the device in browser.
example: 192.168.1.55/setup
Example:

Thank you in advance!

 

[nemanja_t]

I have found that for N-803D commands are given in form of HTTP REST service request.

See if this helps : API List PDF

 

[jjk1]

YPAO measured noise and distortion or not it’s a great product at twice the price.

In my room (10x10x8 no subwoofer, Harbeth P3ers speakers)

This Yamaha sounds better than anything else I’ve had in this room and that includes Parasound Halo, Rotel gear, various NAD amps and dacs, and Marantz.

This one sounds like the others until you enable YPAO
I don’t hear noise, and I don’t hear distortion and what I hear sounds better than the uncorrected room be it “pure direct” or not.

I think that anyone sitting in the sweet spot would agree.

What I love most about this amp is it’s flexibility-

When I’m working at my desk it’s no YPAO and analog loudness, and balance adjustment.

When I’m not working and sitting in the sweet spot - it’s YPAO with YPAO EQ, and analog loudness compensation when at very low volume.
One thing that never sounds very good is YPAO loudness - I always leave that turned off.
I can even enable YPAO for distance and reflection and disable YPAO EQ if I want to hear the P3s mid base hump.
I think it’s a great amp. I just wish I could have found it in silver.
It’s pretty hard to make the speakers sound anything but good but the corrected room just sounds better with most material in my opinion and in my room.
JJK.

 

[hawk01]

hello amir! asr folks!

nice to know the performance difference between running pure direct and non-pure. to those who have experience of owning the rn-803, do you still have the subwoofer output running in pure direct? or is like any typical avr where you lose this function in direct mode? thank you!

 

[jjk1]

I just re-read this thread.
Between these measurements presented here (thank you) and some threads on other sites, it would seem that an analog source does indeed need an A/D conversation to access the analog tone control, loudness, and balance circuits.
A digital source likely doesn’t, and probably doesn’t suffer the same noise floor rise.
The only way to access the tone controls and loudness ( the analog feature set! )is from the output stage of the internal DAC ?

I’ll admit that I can’t hear it, and it’s transparent to me, but for some reason it find it offensive from a design standpoint. They didn’t have to build it this way. It’s a shame.
Still sounds awesome though.

 

[pozz]

Yamaha states at its product page: Created by tradition and progress.

So it fits Amirs findings like this:


Created by tradition


Created by progress

Hilarious

 

[jjk1]

I’m wondering if the measurements taken for this review were done with YPAO enabled or disabled (non pure direct results) considering this reply from Yamaha, or if the replay is just incorrect.
reply pasted below.

edit:
I could be wrong and often I’m clearly wrong, but the drop in the frequency response of this amp when not in “pure direct” mode may be a limitation of the tone control circuit and not an indication of an ADC conversion?
It seems that all of the Yamaha amps with a loudness dial have a published FR of 10 Hz to 100 kHz in pure direct, or CD direct, and a published FR of 20hz to 20khz in non-pure direct mode. This includes analog only amps like the A-S700.

end edit
—
—-

“Hello Jay,

Thank you for contacting Yamaha Customer Support, we have been impacted due to Covid stay at home orders, we apologize for the delay in response.

If the audio signal is analog going in then it remains analog until output from speakers, none of our units convert a analog signal to digital. There is only conversion from digital to analog.

Best Regards,
The Yamaha Customer Support Team
P.S. Please do not remove the " [ref: " in the Email Subject when replying to this email.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Application/Technical Support
Model: R-N803
Hello Yamaha support.
I have a question about the R-N803 receiver.

When feeding the amp an analog source, and with pure direct NOT engaged (so as to access tone controls and old style loudness), and with YPAO disabled, does this receiver do an analog to digital conversion, and then a digital to analog conversion, or does the signal remain in the analog domain the entire time ?

Thank you,”
—-

 

[Vincentponcet]

I'm wondering what is the digital in performance of this amp.
If it is the ADC which kills its performances or the DAC itself is already bad.

 

[macauley86]

I have this amp connected to a pair of Polk LSiM703. It sounds great. At low volume, for background music, the YPAO EQ automatically compensates for the Fletcher-Munson curve and makes background music more full-bodied.

At higher volumes, pure direct mode sounds great. Built-in network streaming, tuner are great, wifi and Ethernet are super convenient and work well. I usually listen to Amazon Music HD via the amp's AirPlay input through the MusicCast + Amazon Music Apps on an iPad.

The Amazon Music app is Alexa-enabled (as is the R-N803) and I can even tell the amp what music to play. Beats me having to fiddle with a CD or even Roon any day of the week.

The flimsy controls don't bother me. I never use them or even touch the amp. It's all controlled via the remote, iPad app, or voice.

 

[nn_in]

I’m wondering if the measurements taken for this review were done with YPAO enabled or disabled (non pure direct results) considering this reply from Yamaha, or if the replay is just incorrect.
reply pasted below.

edit:
I could be wrong and often I’m clearly wrong, but the drop in the frequency response of this amp when not in “pure direct” mode may be a limitation of the tone control circuit and not an indication of an ADC conversion?
It seems that all of the Yamaha amps with a loudness dial have a published FR of 10 Hz to 100 kHz in pure direct, or CD direct, and a published FR of 20hz to 20khz in non-pure direct mode. This includes analog only amps like the A-S700.

end edit
—
—-

“Hello Jay,

Thank you for contacting Yamaha Customer Support, we have been impacted due to Covid stay at home orders, we apologize for the delay in response.

If the audio signal is analog going in then it remains analog until output from speakers, none of our units convert a analog signal to digital. There is only conversion from digital to analog.

Best Regards,
The Yamaha Customer Support Team
P.S. Please do not remove the " [ref: " in the Email Subject when replying to this email.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Application/Technical Support
Model: R-N803
Hello Yamaha support.
I have a question about the R-N803 receiver.

When feeding the amp an analog source, and with pure direct NOT engaged (so as to access tone controls and old style loudness), and with YPAO disabled, does this receiver do an analog to digital conversion, and then a digital to analog conversion, or does the signal remain in the analog domain the entire time ?

Thank you,”
—-

Does this imply that rca analog signal in path (with Pure direct and YPAO NOT engaged ) is pure analog in to power amp and loudspeakers?
When YPAO is turned on then whats the path ?

 

[ehabheikal]

Would you but this or the
A-S801SL

 

[Astrozombie]

^ Somebody needs to compare both.
IIRC with the Integrated Amp you don't get YPAO room correction, but in theory it should sound better to begin with.

 

[Lattiboy]

I just got this thing last week and oh my god it’s the best amp I’ve ever owned.

I tried YAPO, but I prefer it in pure analog mode. The YAPO is good for low level / background listening, but once you get any volume the analog mode is much, much better.

It looks great, it sounds great, the Yamaha app is quite good IMO, and between Airplay, BT, and MusicCast you’re totally covered. I wish it had chrome cast, but that’s literally my only complaint.

To answer some questions:

1) the DAC is good
2) sub x-over is configurable
3) I think it sounds much better than the A800 I briefly had
4) phono amp is surprisingly good!
5) the radio tuner is really good too!
6) PRE outs and a tape-like configuration!

Using it to drive B&W CDM-7NTs and it is superlative. Perfectly balanced, obscenely powerful, and even after multiple hours of high SPL listening it’s hardly even warm.

Absolute highest recommendation if you can get one. Even at the $800 MSRP I would buy it.

For reference I’ve owned some quite well regarded amps like the Onkyo M-504 with P306 preamp, two Hypex amps (252mp and 400nc), legendary vintage amps like the KR-9600 and Marantz 510M, and my main AV amp the Denon X3600.

 

[mr.k]

Does it produce noise during operation? Fans, humming noises and similar?
Can it be heard operating at low volumes in silent room?

I just got this thing last week and oh my god it’s the best amp I’ve ever owned.

I tried YAPO, but I prefer it in pure analog mode. The YAPO is good for low level / background listening, but once you get any volume the analog mode is much, much better.

It looks great, it sounds great, the Yamaha app is quite good IMO, and between Airplay, BT, and MusicCast you’re totally covered. I wish it had chrome cast, but that’s literally my only complaint.

To answer some questions:

1) the DAC is good
2) sub x-over is configurable
3) I think it sounds much better than the A800 I briefly had
4) phono amp is surprisingly good!
5) the radio tuner is really good too!
6) PRE outs and a tape-like configuration!

Using it to drive B&W CDM-7NTs and it is superlative. Perfectly balanced, obscenely powerful, and even after multiple hours of high SPL listening it’s hardly even warm.

Absolute highest recommendation if you can get one. Even at the $800 MSRP I would buy it.

For reference I’ve owned some quite well regarded amps like the Onkyo M-504 with P306 preamp, two Hypex amps (252mp and 400nc), legendary vintage amps like the KR-9600 and Marantz 510M, and my main AV amp the Denon X3600.

 

[Lattiboy]

Does it produce noise during operation? Fans, humming noises and similar?
Can it be heard operating at low volumes in silent room?

No, it’s completely silent. I don’t even think it has fans. Really impressive heat sink for a modern piece of equipment too. You can see it and feel the weight.