Yamaha RX-A4A AVENTAGE 7.2-Channel AV Receiver – 8K and 4K/120 HDMI, eARC, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Auro-3D, Surround:AI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, MusicCast

It's a Yamaha, it just works. I've been buying Yamaha ever since getting burned by no less than 4 Onk0 products, one Integra and three Onkyos. HDMI boards in each went south.But enough of that, this is a Yamaha review after all. HDMI switching is as quick as you could want, sound quality is very good, and I have very revealing speakers with RAAL ribbon tweeters. I don't really care for the 24 or so sound effects stuff Yamaha includes in most or their AVRs, but it's no big deal since they don't get in the way of what I want, which is nice clean sound. And that is where this Yamaha shines.What I don't like is that great big volume knob on the front of this thing. Couldn't look more ridiculous if they had pasted a big red rubber clown nose on it! All to hide the fact that they cheaped out with that itty bitty display window that is difficult to read without binoculars!

The RX-A4A is very easy to use via either the remote control or the MusicCast iOS app. The front panel of the unit has only two dials (volume and input selector) and four buttons for selecting pre-programmed inputs. Plus front panel connectors for USB and a headphone. Missing is a front panel connector for HDMI which is unfortunate because there are still times I want to connect a laptop to the receiver using my traveling HDMI cable. Now I have to dedicate an HDMI cable connected to a back panel HDMI connection.My previous AV receiver was the RX-V2095 purchased in 2007. That has pretty good audio but the RX-A4A noticeably improves upon that unit especially on the predefined audio and video settings for concert halls and Sci-Fi movie content. Most interesting is the Artificial Intelligence surround sound choice. It does a decent job of determining the best distribution of voice and instrumentation to the speakers based on the source. But I do find I don't like the AI distribution on older audio content that originated from the early days of stereo. Too much of the voice is pushed to the center speaker on that old content which indicates the AI is working as programmed but I'm more used to the 60's and 70's music being evenly distributed between two front speakers. So the best choice, as it was with the RX-2095 was to evenly instruments and voice to all speakers. In my case 7 channel stereo. Otherwise I am pleased with how the AI Surround works.Video management is much easier than the RX-2095 and there is no degradation of video quality that I'm seeing but I'm also not doing any detailed analysis on that.So overall I am very pleased with the RX-A4A. Easy to use and outstanding audio.

I have used a few different brands and models, and couldn’t be happier with this YAMAHA RX-A4A. Awesome sound and power. It delivers crisp and clear sound with the punch that you need for home theater. I love the PURE DIRECT mode that delivers the power you need for karaoke. You have to spend a little more to enjoy the music and audio experience. I tried the RX-A2A and that does not have enough power and the sound is not to my expectations. I highly recommend this YAMAHA RX-A4A for your home theater and music listening. At least the RX-A4A or A6A.

I’m a Huge fan of Yamaha and own Many Yamaha receivers. They are usually relatively easy to setup and have great features and sound quality. This unit is the first model that requires a USB flash drive in order to update the firmware. The process is tedious and frustrating and would be impossible without Computer skills. Once you download the file you need to unzip it and then place the .bin file on a formatted USB drive. Then you can install the firmware. (Currently version 2.21)When you get that done you can go through the process of setting up the system which requires making changes in many different screens and it could be confusing to some people. Once it is set up properly it sounds fantastic. It can upscale to 4K and has Many options for sound processing but it’s tricky to get the show on the road. Some people are going to be frustrated. I don’t recommend using Ethernet cable … use WiFi instead.Yamaha claims wired connection works but it seemed to me that the unit choked on the wired connection. It’s a terrific sounding receiver and a good looking device but the quirky setup keeps me from giving it 5 stars.

I bought the this unit with some reservations, only due to the reviews. This replaced an Onkyo that failed in three months. Before that it was a Denon and before that was a Marantz. Needless to say I’ve had bad luck in the receiver department. Now back to the Yamaha, this thing is a beast and relatively easy to get set up. There are two things that are annoying on this unit. #1 is the tiny screen on the front, you can’t read it unless you get right up to it. #2 is the giant volume knob on the front of this thing, unusually large. As far as power and sound, I have a 7.1 setup running Klipsch speakers. Plenty of power and fine tuning the setup was a breeze. If this receiver lasts longer than three months I’ll update my review. As for right now I would definitely recommend it.

I have bought Yamaha receivers for number of years and this one does not disappoint. I highly recommended the sound is great

This is my second one of these and after listening to mine a good friend bought 2 also (one for living room, one for basement home theater. I use my main one as a pre-amp and digital music processing system to push a 5 channel 300 watt per channel amp to listen to HD FLAC music and the occasional movie. The built in DAC is not the best but is perfectly acceptable for critical listening. I have compared it to several external DACs and it compares favorably. The music processing is very good especially the "All Channel Stereo" feature. It's heavy and well built.I recommend this receiver for anyone that listens to music as a primary activity.