Listening Tests

Another eye opener for me regarding the RX-Z9's entourage of features was its inclusion of Dolby Pro Logic IIx. When I first heard about PLIIx, I was skeptically optimistic about having yet another format to confuse consumers and justify enforcing the 7.1 speaker configuration. I was already content with the sonic results and abilities of PLII deriving 5 channels of full range information from ordinary two-channel program material, so why would I want to throw two more speakers into the mix? The answer became quite clear in my listening tests - bigger, more expansive and convincing surround fields. PLIIx Movie mode sounded very spacious and dynamic while watching the Star Trek Series V "Enterprise" show. It always irks me that my satellite provider has yet to provide the UPN channel in DD 5.1 - and I feel short changed everytime I watch one of my favorite TV shows in ordinary analog stereo, forcing me to rely on matrixed encoded processing to make the sonic results palatable. PLIIx really came as close as I have yet to hear at tricking the listener into believe they are hearing true discrete 5.1 playback of the program material. I found myself even more eager each Wednesday night to watch this show with my audio system turned on as opposed to just my Display speakers. Alas, I was enveloped on the bridge of the Enterprise and thrown right into the battles they endured while, as always, trying to save humanity and the planet Earth. "Mars Attacks" was another shining example of PLIIx Movie Modes' ability to convey pseudo 7.1 channel information out of a two-channel analog source with stunning realism.

PLIIx is definitely a worthwhile tool to add to your home theater arsenal of DSP processing and its inclusion should be highly considered when choosing a new product.

I was hit upside the head by Carlos Vives when I switched from ordinary 2CH to PLIIx Music Mode. "Déjame Entrar" is the type of song that puts you in that party and dance mode. PLIIx Music Mode, expanded the sound field so immensely that it just begged to be played louder. Ordinarily the wife would complain when things get this loud, but she went right along with it as we challenged the dynamic limits of the RX-Z9 amplifier section.

The RX-Z9 had no problems keeping up with our expectations as it belted out raw power with confidence and pride. I had to keep reminding myself a receiver shouldn't sound this good. That old stereotype is now slowly deteriorating as receiver vendors have improved the performance and value of their one-box solutions, and loudspeaker manufacturers have continued advancements in loudspeaker design to yield higher efficiency and more linear impedance and phase response.

Home Theater Listening Tests

As I have noted in previous Yamaha receiver reviews, home theater is truly where Yamaha excels. Yamaha has always been unequalled in their DSP processing to enhance the movie watching experience and the RX-Z9 proved to be no exception. While I found the DSP modes to be too numerous and over emphasizing in most applications, I did manage to find a few favorites and tweak them to more subtle settings that worked better in my system. I was happy to see Yamaha include their proprietary dedicated front effects channels, or in their new nomenclature "Presence" channels. What's really cool is you can run the back channels and "Presence" channels simultaneously. However, you have to remember to toggle the "EX" button when engaged in a Yamaha Cinema DSP mode for this to be realized.

The Last Samurai was one of those movies I was eager to see in the theater, but simply never got around to it. I knew eventually that Yamaha would be sending me an RX-Z9 for review and figured I might as well wait to experience this movie in my favorite 70mm Yamaha Cinema DSP mode "Adventure". I really enjoyed having the back and presence channels engaged in this mode and felt it did expand the surround field and smooth out panning between channels. Switching between ordinary DD 5.1 and Yamaha 9.1 DSP, I preferred the latter by a wide margin. Cinema DSP simply enveloped me into a more theatrical experience and made the grueling battlefields seem much larger and more surreal.

What was most impressive was that the Cinema DSP mode did not sacrifice dialog intelligibility during critical dialog scenes. Bass impact was also unadulterated in Cinema DSP mode.

My continued experience with the RX-Z9 was that it delivered theatrical levels of uncompressed sound during multi-channel movie and music passages in my listening room. The DSP modes for movies, simply made my experience that much more grand. I was certainly never of the mindset of wondering how much better the sound would be if I had access to a more powerful dedicated amplifier section.

Yamaha proprietary DSP modes for Jazz and Rock venues brought about new dimensions to the stellar performance of the Pat Metheny group. The soundstage of "Last Train Home" was really opened up in "Village Gate" DSP mode, without sacrificing the focus of Pat's acoustic guitar. "Roots of Coincidence" rocked my house in "Roxy Theatre" DSP mode. Cranking the volume up on this song, with Yamaha DSP and my RBH Sound T-2 system transported me back to the live event at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater Florida I so fondly remembered being a part of only a few years ago.

When playing back concert DVDs or other recordings for that matter, my advice is to experiment with variety of DSP modes and settings Yamaha offers. I personally enjoy using the Jazz and Rock modes to bring back life in ordinarily dull or compressed sounding DVD concerts and VHS tapes. I ultimately prefer using PL IIx for CD music, but this is entirely subjective and you must decide what works best for your listening preferences.

Suggestions for Improvement

It is really difficult to fault the RX-Z9 receiver given that it does so many things so extraordinarily well. However, being the Audioholic I am, and given the nature of this website, I do have some critiques aimed in making this product and all forwarding Yamaha products even better:

While this is a long laundry list, and certainly not meant to suggest the RX-Z9 is lacking for its price point, we feel these changes would have made the RX-Z9 an even better product with which to compete against entry level separates and other flagship receivers in the marketplace.