Yamaha RX-A1010

It’s crazy how much less one pays for premium technology products now compared to some years ago.

Professional cameras, while still expensive, cost far less than they used to. Top of the line television sets have just about halved in price, and serious audio products, which were ridiculously expensive in the past, are now quite accessible.

Yamaha’s new range of Aventage AV receivers are a case in point. They aren’t exactly cheap, but you would’ve had to spend at least double the current prices on similarly classed amplifiers in the past.

All the perks

Having been in the market for a good receiver for some time, I eventually decided to settle on the Yamaha RX-A1010 for my home audio needs. The amplifier supports two sound zones, 7-channel surround sound with 110 watts per channel, 8 HDMI inputs and two outputs, along with ample audio channels and other modern features.

But perhaps most attractive to me is Yamaha’s network features, including support for DLNA that lets users stream media from compatible computers over their home network and an app for iPhone or Android users that allows for control of the amplifier.

The RX-A1010 also supports Internet radio and music streaming services like Rhapsody and Pandora that are unfortunately not officially available in South Africa.

I set the amplifier up in my lounge with a set of speakers outside as its second zone.

Fancy features aside, the RX-A1010 has beautiful sound reproduction and, if you’re into surround sound – not something I’m particularly taken with – will do an amazing job of it once calibrated. Music sounds full, and Yamaha has incorporated new technology called Compressed Music Enhancer that it claims will improve the sound quality of MP3s and other lossy formats. It certainly seems to make a difference in my experience.

Phone home

While the RX-A1010 doesn’t support WiFi without an optional extra, I connected it to my home network using Ethernet and discovered that you can also access and control the amplifier via a web application that can be loaded on any browser.

The iPhone app is a treat, allowing you to control the amplifier from your phone. It will also let you play the music stored on your phone to the receiver, via the application. This is an acceptable alternative to Apple’s Airplay technology, which the amp doesn’t support, but which I simply added with an Apple Airport Express – handy for also extending wireless networking to the receiver.

This is certainly the best amp I’ve ever owned, but I’m still deciding whether it’s worth twice as much as the new Denon and Marantz options, which deliver amazing functionality at much lower prices.

Verdict: Yamaha takes receivers to the next level.

Complexity: Network features require more technical prowess than your average AV equipment.

Price: R14 000

Also consider: Denon AVR2312

Value rating: 8/10