Yamaha RX-A2040 Atmos AV Receiver Conclusion
There’s a lot to like in the Yamaha RX-A2040 receiver. You get more power than you’re likely to use, more flexibility than you’re likely to need, and more surround modes than you’re likely to have speakers for. This is a receiver that, even if you don’t currently use multiple zones of audio and video, or have hard-to-drive speakers, you can easily grow into as your needs change. Sure, there will still portion of users opting for the RX-A3040 for the slight added power and configuration options, but the RX-A2040 really looks to be a category champ given the retail price.
When it comes to surround sound in the home, Atmos, as a surround format, is here to stay, and with the RX-A2040, you can start upgrading your home theater to experience object-oriented audio today. Even with less than ideal speaker placement, I found that adding height channels, and using either Atmos or Yamaha’s own presence modes, enhanced my experience with a lot of content. Power, value, and features make the Yamaha RX-A2040 a standout in the receiver market.
Yamaha RX-A2040 Video Review
The Score Card
The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:
Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating
Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.
Audioholics Rating Scale
— Excellent
- — Very Good
- — Good
- — Fair
- — Poor
| Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| Performance | |
| Value |  |
See also:
About the author:
Marshall is an Educator by trade, and currently lives in Oregon. He was lucky enough to grow up in a musical household, and though the AV equipment wasn't the greatest, it was always on. His dad introduced him to Queen, Paul Simon, and Sgt. Pepper's, and his mom played Lionel Richie and Disney Soundtracks. When Marshall was 14, his uncle passed down a pair of JBL towers and Marshall finally had his own system. Having enjoyed podcasting and video production over the past 10 years, Marshall is happy to be contributing at Audioholics.
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Recent Forum Posts:
gene, post: 1101368, member: 4348
That tech gave you the lawyers approved answer. The Yammie will drive your speakers just fine as long as you don't change the impedance switch from its default 8 ohms or more setting.
The Pioneer counterparts have no advantage of driving low impedance loads than the Yamaha. In fact up until recently the Pioneers used ICE Class D amps which did not do well at all with 4 ohm speakers.
Thanks for the swift reply Gene. So judging by your answer would listening at reference level with the Yammie be ok? I have all the speakers set to 80Hz at the amp with the subs set there too (although the yammie's auto setup had the speakers set lower at 40-70HZ and the sub at 120Hz).
Alternatively, would you I be safer with the new Class D3 amps in the Pioneer SC-95? I called Pioneer and the tech said that their MCACC PRO calibration software would calculate all of the specs from the speakers and calibrate the unit so that it would not damage itself nor the speakers..
Wellz, post: 1101366, member: 76575
I recent purchased the Yamaha RX-A2050 to drive my full Andrew Jones pioneer elite dolby atmos set up. I have a 5.2.4 set up with the elite atmos towers up front, the elite center channel and the elite atmos bookshelf speakers in the back. The Yamaha seems to drive them well, but after contacting Yamaha, I am now looking at possibly having to change receivers. My speakers are all rated at 4 Ohms, and according to the Yamaha tech, the RX-A2050 can only handle the 4 ohms in the front channels. So even though the amp is currently running all of my speakers, the tech said that it could be a matter of time before the amp gave out due to the extra load that all of the additional 4 ohm speakers place on it. I read the article here about using 4 ohm speakers with an 8 ohm amp as long as it was a high quality amp. I think the Yamaha could fall into that category, but the Yamaha tech's hanswer is not comforting. At this point I'm considering a Pioneer Elite SC-95, which I'm being told can drive all channels at 4 ohms. What do you guys think?
That tech gave you the lawyers approved answer. The Yammie will drive your speakers just fine as long as you don't change the impedance switch from its default 8 ohms or more setting.
The Pioneer counterparts have no advantage of driving low impedance loads than the Yamaha. In fact up until recently the Pioneers used ICE Class D amps which did not do well at all with 4 ohm speakers.
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