The RX-A6A, part of the Aventage series, is one of Yamaha's highest quality home theater receivers. Equipped with 9 amplification channels, it can drive a 5.2.4 speaker system. With a price of 3,000 euros, it is positioned just below the Yamaha RX-A8A, which costs 4,300 euros and is equipped with two additional amplifier channels. Even if the price is already high, it seems to offer interesting value for money.
Yamaha Aventage RX-A6A
Type: 7.2 Channel Home Theater Receiver
ON-mag's opinion: 
(5/5)
Price at the time of testing: €3000
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Despite being part of the trio of leaders in the home theater amplifier market, Yamaha has, for several years now, chosen to pursue a slightly different strategy than its two Siamese competitors, Denon and Marantz. Gone are the days when the company released new products every twelve months. As we saw in his home theater demo room at the recent Audio-Video trade show in Paris, his “range is now built to last”. That's a good thing, because the home theater sector has long since ceased to be the scene of incessant further developments in multi-channel audio formats. What changes from year to year only affects the video formats that the HDMI sockets have to handle. Don't worry on this point: the Yamaha RX-A6A is absolutely state-of-the-art, even though it wasn't introduced that long ago. It supports 4K at 120 Hz and 8K at 60 Hz. Its HDMI sockets have a data rate of up to 40 GB/s and compatible with most HDR and video game optimization modes.
The Best Home Theater Amplifier Circuits from Yamaha
When it comes to functionality and versatility, we can't imagine a better option than the Yamaha RX-A6A. In addition to its FM/DAB tuner, the unit features an MM phono preamplifier for a vinyl turntable and the MusicCast multiroom network player common in dozens of Yamaha products. In addition to Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, Auro 3D decoding is also added.
Compared to the RX-A8A, the RX-A6A has two fewer amplifier channels, but there are 11.2 preamp outputs, and apart from the number of channels, these two models are completely identical. Their circuits use the same high-end components. They deliver 150 watts per channel at 8 ohms in continuous operation (measurement is carried out with two channels used) and up to 220 watts per channel, still at 8 ohms, in dynamic operation.
The outer casing of the Yamaha RX-A6A is made of plastic but has a double metal casing that benefits from special work to decouple and attenuate parasitic vibrations, in particular thanks to the presence of a fifth conical forefoot. Under its triple hood, it uses a Qualcomm QSC407 multi-channel audio processor, ESS Saber Pro 32-bit converter (ES9026PRO) and very wide bandwidth power transistors.
Multi-channel playback with excellent resolution, extremely coherent and immersive
On the Yamaha RX-A6A we find the same menus and settings applications as on the little brother RX-A4A tested two years ago. The options offered are very numerous. It's quite complex sometimes. We regret that the information displayed on the tiny front screen is so summary. On the other hand, we appreciate the effectiveness of the YPAO automatic calibration, presented here in its most advanced version. We also appreciate the Surround:AI mode, which automatically selects the right processing and decoding depending on the content, making everyday use of this device a little “gas factory”.
For our tests we were able to use the Yamaha RX-A6A with two high-end built-in speaker systems from Dali and Focal. This home theater amplifier delivers a particularly clean and precise message. It's powerful, firm and without burrs in the low end, both sharp and well controlled, with no acid slipping in the high frequencies. Its tonal balance is very straightforward and avoids shifting this or that register forward or backward. We were fascinated by the quality of the tones and especially the sound that the Yamaha RX-A6A was able to produce. The dialogues are rarely understandable in multichannel and stand out wonderfully from the rest of the soundtrack without seeming overemphasized. The atmospheres are extremely harmonious. The feeling of immersion is at its peak while maintaining a lasting feeling of great definition and utmost precision, with every small detail clearly positioned in space. This is great art.
In summary
The Yamaha RX-A6A offers the perfect combination of features and functions with its integrated network player, its HDMI range compatible with most formats, its Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro 3D decoders, and its automatic YPAO calibration. But it is also a very convincing device for listening and its excellent performance. For us, it is an indispensable reference among integrated home cinema amplifiers in all price ranges.
Special test condition: This test was carried out on the premises of the Son Vidéo store in Champigny-sur-Marne.
>>> READ ALSO: ALL OUR TESTING OF AMPLIFIER, PRE-AMPLIFIER, MULTI-CHANNEL PROCESSORS
Specifications
- Type: 7.2 Channel Home Theater Receiver
- Amplification: 9 channels, 150 watts RMS into 8 ohms (2 channels operating)
- Tuner: FM, DAB
- Decoding: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer, DTS:X, Auro-3D
- Automatic acoustic correction: YPAO RSC 3D/High Precision EQ
- HDMI: 4K/120Hz and 8K/60Hz; Dolby Vision and HDR10+; VRR, ALLM, QMS, QFT
- Connections (inputs/outputs): Bluetooth, WLAN, Ethernet, USB, HDMI (7/3), optical digital audio (3/0), coaxial digital audio (2/0), RCA line (5/0 ), XLR line (1/0), MM phono, RCA preamp (0/11.2), XLR preamp (0/2), Zone 2 (0/2), speakers (0/7), Headphones (0/1), Trigger (0)/2), IR (1/1)
- Network functions: MusicCast, AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect
- Dimensions: 435 x 192 x 442 mm
- Weight: 20.2kg
- Price: €3000
Brand website: fr.yamaha.com/fr