Yamaha RX-A1010 AVENTAGE A/V Receiver Introduction

It’s hard to keep up with technology in such a fast paced tech world, but Yamaha doesn’t seem to simply keep up so much as they seem to set trends.  Last year, when Yamaha launched their AVENTAGE line of receivers, we knew they meant business.  AVENTAGE was designed with the audiophile in mind.  Yamaha beefed up the amplifier and analog sections in their entire AVENTAGE line of receivers while still providing a full fledged set of features not found in many of their competitor models.  The RX-A1010 represents the middle of their AVENTAGE lineup of A/V receivers.  At just under $1,100, the 7.1 channel RX-A1010 has just about every networking feature and streaming service currently available while also supporting all of the latest HD audio and video formats, including full 3D support.  Let’s take a tour of this receiver to see why it earns its AVENTAGE badge and see why it’s NOT just a problematic middle child. 

Build Quality and Features

I was sitting down to do a tabulated comparison list between the RX-A1000 and RX-A1010 when I realized the feature differences between the two receivers isn’t long enough to tabulate.  Basically the RX-A1010 builds upon the already solid foundation the RX-A1000 forged by upping the power to 110wpc x 7 from 105wpc x 7, HDMI CEC scene device control and an upgraded graphical user interface which Yamaha calls “Advanced GUI”.  The RX-A1010 also weighs nearly1lb more than the RX-A1000 for those interested in using their new receiver as a curling device. 

Comparison of Logos of Yamaha RX-A1010 (left pic) to RX-A1000 (right pic)

Yamaha supports every current audio CODEC on the market and most of the major streaming services. If you can connect it, the RX-A1010 will play it and even convert it to 7.1 surround sound or employ a music enhancer mode to increase the perceived fidelity of compressed MP3 audio.  I, for one, am tickled pink that this receiver supports Pandora streaming services which I use every day around the house and at the office.

Yamaha has thrown a lot of goodies into the RX-A1010 A/V receiver.  We covered many of the similar features in our RX-A3000 review but let’s do a brief recap of RX-A1010 specific ones.  For one, you’ve got full control of your RX-A1010 via a FREE downloadable Apple iPhone or Android App.  In fact, Yamaha just announced an update to their App ver 2.0 which allows you to stream audio directly from your Smart Phone to the receiver.  Want to impress your friends?  Just show them how you are controlling your entire home theater system via your smart phone.  That is certainly a worthy conversational piece at parties while you are slamming some brews with your buds and switching out the tunes (it's even more impressive if you're standing in the back yard listening to outdoor speakers!)  Yamaha’s App gives you a lot more control over your AVENTAGE receiver than it did with its first iteration on the RX-Z7 and the graphical interface is much improved too. 

The SCENE PLUS function simplifies operation by providing one touch power-on along with selection of the desired source and the appropriate DSP programs. SCENE PLUS offers a choice of 12 SCENE selections, four of which can be assigned to the second zone in a multi-zone system. SCENE PLUS can be selected from the front panel, remote control, on-screen GUI and even from the AV Controller App for iPhone or Android devices.  Your parents or spouse will really appreciate using a feature like this to quickly get a Blu-ray movie running or a TV channel in surround sound without having to flip through a host of remotes and key commands.  Take the time to program this as it will pay you back in reduced angst from not too tech savvy loved ones trying to operate your system should you not be home.

Yamaha RX-A1010 Back Panel View

The RX-A1010 has a lot of goes-intos and goes-outas on the RX-A1010 just like you would expect from a receiver of this caliber.  Two HDMI outputs (simultaneous, but not independent) and 8 HDMI inputs ensures you’ve got enough connects for all of your HD devices.  The RX-A1010 will upconvert all of your 480i/p digital or analog video signals to 1080p via HDMI which is great for supporting your legacy devices without having to run legacy type cables to your display device.  You can connect up to 9 pairs of speakers to the RX-A1010 (seven for the main zone and two for zone 2).  The speaker connectors are high quality binding post, no cheesy spring clips here.

Yamaha RX-A1010 Top View

Yamaha truly lives up to their mantra of "better build quality" with their AVENTAGE lineup of receivers.  Pulling the top cover off the RX-A1010 revealed no wasted space and meticulous attention to detail for reducing mechanical vibrations in the product such as felt taped heatsinks, padding for every contact point to the top cover.  by the way, what do Quentin Tarantino and Yamaha have in common?  Answer: A foot fetish… Anytime I speak to someone at Yamaha about their AVENTAGE line of receivers, they insist on giving me a spiel about the wonders of their 5th foot. I will give them props in the fact that their alleged 5th foot is mounted directly under the centralized E-Core power transformer. At first this appeared to be a marketing gimmick, but there is method to their madness as it's a solid design goal to eliminate mechanical vibrations in a product, especially a transformer that likes to hum. 

Unlike prior Yamaha receivers at this price point, which utilizing a single heatsink for their power devices, the RX-A1010 splits this duty off to smaller dual heatsinks mounted on each side of the power transformer in what Yamaha calls a "dual symmetric power amplifier layout".  At first glance, these heatsinks appear small but more careful observation reveals extra thick metal plating at the base of the heatsink mounted to a very thick bottom cover to help dissipate heat and increase chassis rigidity.  Yamaha also employed brand new thermal control regulated power transistors in this baby to better manage heat.

The power transformer is quite beefy for a receiver of this size.  The two power capacitors are each rated at 12,000uF, 71V which are appropriate sized for a receiver of this power and class.  Yamaha’s back panel lists 480 watts power consumption which I suspect is based on two channels driven.

It was clear to us that Yamaha proved their masterful craftsmanship with the execution of this compact, well engineered A/V receiver.

HDMI Features Like Never Before!

There are a lot of HDMI functions that I want to espouse on behalf of the RX-A1010. First off, the receiver can take in anything and output it via HDMI - but we already went into that. Yamaha takes it to the next level by also giving you HDMI Standby which allows your spouse or children to watch TV using the TV speakers without having to power the receiver up.   You can even switch HDMI inputs while in standby mode.  Previous generation receivers were limited to a preselected input only. 

Yamaha ups the ante to the next level by incorporating full HDMI control which automatically switches sound between your TV speakers (when the RX-A1010 is turned off) to your home theater speakers (when the RX-A1010 is turned on).  You can even use the remote control from your HDMI compliant TV to control volume level on your RX-A1010!  We tested this on a new Samsung LED display and it worked flawlessly.  For the first time in my installation history, I was able to install a single cable (HDMI) from the receiver to the TV utilizing just one input on the display to handle all source types (ie. composite, component, HDMI) coming into the A/V receiver without any operational hiccups.  Yamaha I thank you for making installations and usability as easy as pie.  Neophytes of the world rejoice. You no longer have to go through complicated video switching on your display and A/V receiver if you get this receiver!

Power management and efficiency is another strong point of the new AVENTAGE line.  Yamaha makes its receivers eco-friendly with a low standby power consumption of 0.3W (2W in HDMI Standby Through mode).  They do this by employing a hybrid power supply which turns off all of the analog circuits when the receiver is powered down and engaged in HDMI Standby.  This offers tremendous savings on power and heat dissipation compared to older models. Welcome to the new AV receiver standard. Aside from these great features, the Yamaha RX-A1010 also supports Audio Return Channel (ARC) and the latest audio format support. It also can apply video processing to HDMI signals as well as standard definition sources.

Menu System

Most of us like the new GUI Yamaha launched with the first generation AVENTAGE receivers.  You can see them in action in our Yamaha RX-A3000 Video Preview.  Personally I prefer the GUI of the older RX-Z7 but it may be because that is my reference receiver and I am quite familiar with its operation.

Yamaha has tried to simplify the setup process with their new GUI and most users will certainly appreciate it. Hitting the “On-Screen” button on the remote control takes you to the following options: System, Zone, Audio Signal, Video Signal, HDMI Monitor, Network.  Hitting the “Option” button on the remote takes you to DSP setting, Enhancer, DRC, input volume trim, dialogue lift and extended surround”.  This split approach is probably better for most users to not overwhelm them with too many options via a centralized GUI screen from a single menu button command like Yamaha used in prior receivers. 

An important feature that I initially thought was missing is the “Initial Volume” setting which allows the user to preset a volume level during power up to avoid being blasted off your couch by whomever last cranked up the system to rock concert levels.  The feature is located in the “Sound Menu” and I recommend setting it to -30dB as one of the first setup options when configuring your receiver.

Speaker Set-Up & Bass Management

This is where you engage the Auto setup using the included multi-point microphone, and also where you configure the speakers with the manual setup function. We’ve covered YPAO to death in the past, so we're not going to waste valuable real estate rehashing that system here.  The only thing I felt noting about YPAO was related to their lack of a manual PEQ option for the subwoofer channel on this model.  It's an omission I wish Yamaha wouldn't have done because having the ability to EQ the sub channel is arguably the most important and beneficial of any of the speakers in a home theater system.

Like the RX-A3000 previously reviewed, Yamaha gives you a very graphical representation of speaker configurations and sizes via their “advanced” GUI.  The on-screen GUI interface literally shows you what your options are, and you can pick and choose how you want to run your speakers though we NEVER recommend a situation where you would want to run the main channels on “small” and other channels on “large”.  It makes little sense why this option is even offered and we found using it also affects the slopes of the HPF and LPF of the bass management circuits. In my opinion once the user sets the main channels to “small”, the receiver should automatically default all other channels to “small” too.

Yamaha RX-A1010 Bass Management Response

Using our Audio Precision APx585 8-channel HDMI Audio Analyzer, we confirmed if you set the main channels to “small” and all other channels to” large”, and set the Xover to 80Hz, the LPF -3dB pt is actually 94Hz with a 20dB/Oct rolloff.  Only when you set ALL speakers to “small” do you actually get closer to the intended crossover frequency.  However, the slope of the LPF is a bit shallow as it should instead be 24dB/Oct like we’ve seen on Yamaha predecessors.  The HPF function worked as expected, with the correct -3dB point and 12dB/Oct slope.  In practice this likely won’t cause any audible issues but it’s probably a good idea to set all speakers to “small” or only the main channels to “large” to get the most accurate intended bass management response.  

Yamaha gives you multiple crossover options between 40Hz to 200Hz but it’s a global crossover affecting all speaker groups instead of independent settings for each speaker group like some of their higher model offerings provision for.  I recommend using the 80Hz setting for most installations.

Power Amplifier Assignability

Yamaha really gives you some great assignable amplifier options in the RX-A1010.  It doesn’t seem too long ago when we jury-rigged a Denon AVR-3805 into  bi-amping the main channels using the two idle amplifiers in a 5.1 installation.  This quickly became an Internet sensation resulting in all of the major A/V receiver manufacturers offering it as a standard option on most of their 7.1 A/V receivers shortly thereafter.

Yamaha RX-A1010 Speaker Assignability Chart

Yamaha makes this really simple by illustrating all of the possible assignable amplifier options in clear diagrams via their GUI interface.   The user is offered a basic 5.1 configuration, 7CH + Zone2 which they oddly label as 1Zone, 5CH Bi-amp and 5CH Bi-Amp + SB which allows you to use external amplification for the surround back channels while still bi-amping the front channels.

The Yamaha RX-A1010 isn’t as versatile as some of their higher end models.  You cannot use front presence and back surround speakers simultaneously even if you have external amplification.  You can however wire up both speaker configurations and the RX-A1010 will automatically switch between the two depending on the DSP mode selected.  The Presence speaker terminals can also be configured for Zone 2 or Bi-Amp duties as well.

Yamaha gives you the same precision for setting speaker levels in 0.5dB steps, distances (0.2 ft/.05m increments), and Extra Bass (where the receiver can send full range information to the front speakers and bass from the front speakers to the subwoofer simultaneously). You can also connect two subwoofers, but they are parallel connections and do not have independent level or delay control.  This is still handy for installers that don’t have a Y-splitter on hand when doing dual subwoofer installations though.

For more information, read:  Home Theater Multiple Subwoofer Set-Up Guide

Remote Control

I am a heavy user of the RX-Z7 remote control.  I find it very easy to program and navigate between zones, sources, etc.  The remote for the RX-A1010 (RAV448) shares many of its virtues but also has some misses.  For one, it’s not backlit.  The buttons seem more crammed in and I am so NOT a fan of labeling the inputs numerically as opposed to actual names.  Who really remembers that their Blu-ray player is on AV #1 input and their Cable box is on AV #2 input?  While you can rename the sources on the actual receiver, you obviously cannot do this on the remote so either you need to have a good memory or a cheat sheet on hand.  It seems every few year’s manufacturers love to toy with calling labeling the inputs numerically or by name.  Everyone I know (myself included) prefer the naming method so I hope Yamaha reverts back for the next generation of this receiver.  In all likelihood, most users will purchase a universal remote shortly after setting up their home theater and shelve this one.  I don’t blame them and I also don’t want to scold Yamaha too much on this remote given the price of this receiver.  I’d rather see them concentrate the bulk of the budget of this receiver on performance and features which, in my opinion, they have done quite nicely.