Yamaha Aventage RX-A1020 - Quick Review
Nightfall
Posts: 10,086
Just a quick little post about the RX-A1020 I got yesterday. I was previously using a Yamaha RX-V667 and a Yamaha CA-1010 as an amp for my RTA-12B's. Also make a note that I have never heard any high end electronics, so take this less as a review and more as a comparison to my previous AVR.
Build Quality: The case is the same type of metal that the RX-V667 is made of but a little thicker, I could tell by tapping on it, making it feel a little more sturdy and of higher quality. The front of the receiver is much better also. The aluminum fold down front face plate is heavy for its size, and moves smoothly from open to close. The input and volume knobs seem to have a tighter gap tolerance and weight to them making them feel much higher quality just by turning, holding, and feeling them. The binding posts are made of denser plastic, the RX-V667's binding posts feel very cheap in comparison which are about the same quality (maybe a touch better) of binding posts on our vintage Polks. Overall a good step up.
Sound Quality: I have two 4 ohm RTA-12's, two 8 ohm Monitor 5's wired in parallel presenting a 4 ohm load, and two Monitor 4's which I'm unsure of impedance. Overall, I'm being relatively demanding on the amp. I listened to music at fairly loud levels for a while and the amps protection never kicked in. It runs cooler than the RX-V667 as well. (I put my hand on it after listening for two hours) Some of the brightness has been tamed. I still wouldn't call it a warm sounding receiver but Yamaha have moved much closer to a neutral sound with the Aventage line. Sound stage has widened some, but not by a huge margin. Imaging, however, is much better. Instruments and voices come from very specific places in the sound stage now. Bass with my previous setup was good, if the recording warranted it the floor and couch would vibrate. The bass with the Aventage doesn't dig a whole lot deeper but it sounds better, more refined, more controlled, and more dynamic. For reference, my source is FLAC files played from my laptop going to the receiver with an HDMI cable. I have no analog sources so I can't comment on the analog section of either receiver. One last thing is I had a slight hum coming from the tweeters on my last setup which is now gone. I suspect the vintage CA-1010 was the culprit but never the less the RX-A1020 has a much lower noise floor, almost silence.
Other Notes: Video quality in certain instances, and maybe I'm just not remembering how it used to look, seems improved. Playing some Fallout 3 right now on my Xbox 360 and the image looks sharper, clearer, and a little brighter. I actually turned the brightness on my TV down a few clicks. Other things like streaming Netflix when I switch back and forth between "through" and "processed" there isn't a whole lot of difference. I haven't tried a BR disc from the Xbox One yet, however. The app Yamaha has that allows me to control the receiver from my Android tablet (Google Nexus 7 2103 edition) is very nice, easy to use. The only piece of equipment I have left that I cannot control from my tablet is my TV. It is nice using the same touch screen to control my Xbox One, 360, and the Yamaha, all without putting down and picking up another remote.
Overall I am very happy with my purchase and wouldn't hesitate to recommend an Aventage (10xx series and higher only) to someone. My next purchase is very likely going to be an amp and I am looking forward to seeing what kind of synergy this Yamaha and a warm amp such as a B&K (Which is what I'm on the lookout for) will have together.
Build Quality: The case is the same type of metal that the RX-V667 is made of but a little thicker, I could tell by tapping on it, making it feel a little more sturdy and of higher quality. The front of the receiver is much better also. The aluminum fold down front face plate is heavy for its size, and moves smoothly from open to close. The input and volume knobs seem to have a tighter gap tolerance and weight to them making them feel much higher quality just by turning, holding, and feeling them. The binding posts are made of denser plastic, the RX-V667's binding posts feel very cheap in comparison which are about the same quality (maybe a touch better) of binding posts on our vintage Polks. Overall a good step up.
Sound Quality: I have two 4 ohm RTA-12's, two 8 ohm Monitor 5's wired in parallel presenting a 4 ohm load, and two Monitor 4's which I'm unsure of impedance. Overall, I'm being relatively demanding on the amp. I listened to music at fairly loud levels for a while and the amps protection never kicked in. It runs cooler than the RX-V667 as well. (I put my hand on it after listening for two hours) Some of the brightness has been tamed. I still wouldn't call it a warm sounding receiver but Yamaha have moved much closer to a neutral sound with the Aventage line. Sound stage has widened some, but not by a huge margin. Imaging, however, is much better. Instruments and voices come from very specific places in the sound stage now. Bass with my previous setup was good, if the recording warranted it the floor and couch would vibrate. The bass with the Aventage doesn't dig a whole lot deeper but it sounds better, more refined, more controlled, and more dynamic. For reference, my source is FLAC files played from my laptop going to the receiver with an HDMI cable. I have no analog sources so I can't comment on the analog section of either receiver. One last thing is I had a slight hum coming from the tweeters on my last setup which is now gone. I suspect the vintage CA-1010 was the culprit but never the less the RX-A1020 has a much lower noise floor, almost silence.
Other Notes: Video quality in certain instances, and maybe I'm just not remembering how it used to look, seems improved. Playing some Fallout 3 right now on my Xbox 360 and the image looks sharper, clearer, and a little brighter. I actually turned the brightness on my TV down a few clicks. Other things like streaming Netflix when I switch back and forth between "through" and "processed" there isn't a whole lot of difference. I haven't tried a BR disc from the Xbox One yet, however. The app Yamaha has that allows me to control the receiver from my Android tablet (Google Nexus 7 2103 edition) is very nice, easy to use. The only piece of equipment I have left that I cannot control from my tablet is my TV. It is nice using the same touch screen to control my Xbox One, 360, and the Yamaha, all without putting down and picking up another remote.
Overall I am very happy with my purchase and wouldn't hesitate to recommend an Aventage (10xx series and higher only) to someone. My next purchase is very likely going to be an amp and I am looking forward to seeing what kind of synergy this Yamaha and a warm amp such as a B&K (Which is what I'm on the lookout for) will have together.
afterburnt wrote: »They didn't speak a word of English, they were from South Carolina.
Village Idiot of Club Polk
Post edited by Nightfall on
Comments
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I owned an RX-V663, and my speakers, all Polks, consisted of a pair of Monitor 50's for my fronts, a CSiA4 for my center, a pair of RTi4's for my surrounds, and a PSW 505 for my sub. My system was brighter than the noonday sun at the top of Mt. Everest. I now own an RX-A1000, and I am very happy with it. I totally agree with you about the brightness being tamed. It is a well-built receiver, and it sounds much better than the '663 which I owned earlier. (BTW, that CSiA4 was one nice center channel speaker!!)
Currently (no pun intended), I am using a Parasound HCA 1205A with my RX-A1000. I love it!! It's rated at 140 wpc, but it can produce up to 45 amps per channel. On Ebay, you can find them for anywhere from about $350 to about $500. A comparable B&K amp, say the Reference 200.5, can cost you from about $600 to $800 on Ebay. These prices, of course, do vary.Paradigm 11seMkIII mains, w/ Zu Audio jumpers
Paradigm CC 450 center, w/ Zu Audio jumpers
Polk Audio RTi6 surrounds
Paradigm SE sub
Sony BDP S5100 blu-ray player
Panasonic 50" plasma
Yamaha RX A1000 receiver
Parasound HCA 1205A amp
Audioquest Evergreen IC's -
I'm in the middle still owning a RX-V665. The 667 I believe is i-net ready and 3d where as the 665 is not w/ the same 90 watts pc. I was disappointed w/ the music side of the avr, when pushed a bit it clipped and went into protecto mode until I added the Adcom for a few months before I went 2-chl. My h/t speakers are the Klipsch#500 set and I have no problem w/ them. This was about 5 years ago. No doubt the Adventage line is way better.2chl- Adcom GFA- 555-Onkyo P-3150v pre/amp- JVC-QL-A200 tt- Denon 1940 ci cdp- Adcom GFS-6 -Modded '87 SDA 2Bs - Dynamat Ext.- BH-5- X-Overs VR-3, RDO-194 tweeters, Larry's Rings, Speakon/Neutrik I/C- Cherry stain tops Advent Maestros,Ohm model E
H/T- Toshiba au40" flat- Yamaha RX- V665 avr- YSD-11 Dock- I-Pod- Klipsch #400HD Speaker set-
Bdrm- Nikko 6065 receiver- JBL -G-200s--Pioneer 305 headphones--Sony CE375-5 disc -
Thanks for the post. I still believe this is the Receiver for me and what I want to do with what I have. Hopefully in the next year I can get one.HT/2Channel: Emotiva MMC-1, Adcom GFA-555II, Polk SDA 3.1's, Teac TN-300 TT, Polk Center and Sub.
Bedroom system: Carver CT-24, Parasound HCA-800II, Monitor 10's
Additional projects: RTA 12c's -
Yamaha hit a home run with this new series of AVR's. Glad you're enjoying yours. I know I sure am!!"2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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Nightfall, you got a heck of a sweet AVR there. I've been running a Yammie 663 that's all pre-outed now, keep hoping someday to jump up to a killer pre-pro unit lol. Yamaha... Your Azz, My Azz, Her Azz.
