Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A8A 11.2-Channel AV Receiver with MusicCast

2025-01-20T19:00:00

I'm still breaking in the unit. It's sounding quite good already. The dialogs are clear. the channel separations are spot on. It's worth the money. But there are two things I have problem with. One, during setup YPAO keeps detecting faulty polarity. I triple check the wires and connectors and none was found. A different running of the test will change the channel that has the "problem". Two, you can't setup the Atmos ("presence") speakers as rear Atmos speakers only. You HAVE to set them up as front Atmos speakers if you only have two. The problem? My Atmos speakers are attached with the rear speakers and I don't have seperate front Atmos speakers.

Leslie

Originally posted at

2025-01-03T11:32:40

Brought this for a newly build basement home theater. Easy setup, quick cal, motion lit remote, great sound are real positives. Sound is very lively for a 7.1.4 setup, AI and enhanced sound options are good. Well built unit. Only suggestion is the display, could have been bigger.

Sakthi K.

2024-11-20T19:00:00

i am coming from a line of Flagships DSP-A1, RX-V1 and RX-Z9. I was pleased that you have Volume trim for the individual inputs and subs on the RX-A8A I did not care for the RX-A3070 It did not have that feature and seemed lifeless. I love the App and the DSP Modes. I really like that you put DSP Mode descriptions in the app and for features . 1 change i want to see please is making manuals again though

John

Originally posted at

2024-10-27T20:00:00

2nd RX-8A I bought. The product has great technology, plenty of power, and great quality build. Having bought 2, I highly recommend.

LMA

Originally posted at

2024-10-16T20:00:00

best receiver i ever bought . is something i always wanted and only thing i would change is ease of subwoofer volume controll .

randt

Originally posted at

2024-09-27T07:54:08

I am very happy with the purchase of the Yamaha RX-A8A from Adorama. The order was shipped the next day and arrived in perfect condition. I upgraded from the Yamaha A4A and the A8A is a substantial upgrade providing even more details and dynamics to music and movies. I am using the A8A in a 7.2.4 configuration and am using the xlr and preouts on all but 2 channels and everything works perfectly. This was my first purchase with Adorama and won't be my last. I am very happy with the quality and service from Adorama.

Erik K.

2024-08-13T22:37:27

Great service

SHEN S.

2024-07-30T20:00:00

The RX-A8A is built like a tank, plenty of power and I love all the DSP choices along with the AI function which is my default setting.

Rick

Originally posted at

2024-06-11T03:20:02

All around powerhouse of a receiver. Main purpose for the purchase is for a 7.3.4 plus 1 zone layout. Been a Yamaha fan for years and this receiver is the company's crowning achievement. You would want a cooling fan as the receiver runs warm compared to the RX-a4a. 3 subs are routed through mini dsp to 1 input on the receiver. I have dolby atmos configured to front and rear heights which provide an exceptional sound bubble. The build quality can only be truly judged within the hand of the user. What a masterpiece of technology greatness! Yeah, you will love it!

JOSEPH C.

2024-04-22T20:00:00

GUI needs work. Front Display screen is cheap and of low quality and resolution. For a product with this price tag I expected way more.

Jay

Originally posted at

2024-03-03T19:00:00

This is my second Yamaha Aventage, my first was an RX-A3020 I bought in 2014 which started having issues with amp relays picking up but still sounded good once up and running. Because of this issue we decided to purchase the RX-A8A as a replacement and weren't disappointed, the sound is excellent, it really brings movies and music to life (after I ran YPAO and did some tweaking). Another feature I rarely hear about is the Yamaha web based receiver setup/adjustment which I especially like and prefer, I rarely use the on screen remote based control. If you're not sure how to connect to the web based just do an internet search for the details. My only issue was updating the firmware as it required me to download it to a usb drive to up date the receiver, not a big deal but that could be better. Overall we are very happy with the purchase and recommend the Yamaha RX-A8A.

Charles

Originally posted at

2024-02-15T19:00:00

I've driven my ESS Tock Monitors with many power systems; Krell, Conrad Johnson, bi-amped with Onkyo. I am so happy with this new A8A. To combine an audio system with an AV system in to one, this is the answer. Awesome top-hat power for strong performance at low volume. Crisp clear mids and highs, you'll hear all the definition in your source with great balance over the full spectrum. It's very versatile and loaded with all options for games, movies and outside rooms! I love this machine, not to mention you can bi-amp your speakers with this one unit.

Jim

Originally posted at

2024-01-09T19:00:00

Terrific sound! Even better than my Denon 3808ci. Was sad to replace but wasn't compatible with 4k and newer HDMI codecs anymore. Did a lot of research and the RX_A8A is the best for the money by far. Weighs almost 50 lbs. Huge transformer. The newer Marantz and Denon have much smaller power supplies and fewer channels in this price range. My RX-A8A does not have any heat issues. I like the plastic cover too. Provides more ventilation and is rigidly braced by the steel frame. My Denon always ran pretty hot. The web interface is awesome too. No regrets, my first DD AV receiver was a Yamaha 20 years ago and served me well. My brother in law still uses it to this day. Yes it does do VRR, 4K120 etc. perfectly with my XBOX Series X. The firmware updates rendered all functions as promised. Get the RX-A8A! You will love it!

MarkyMark

Originally posted at

2024-01-07T19:00:00

Does everything you need and want... !

DH

Originally posted at

2024-01-03T19:00:00

I've had this receiver for just over a month and I can say with confidence that I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I have it connected to Arundel 1723 speakers and the sound is just outstanding. I leave the surround AI on all the time and I've compared the sound with it on and off and the difference is perceptible. The surround AI makes dialogue more intelligible and creates a wide sound field. The best and most useful feature is the scenes which you can configure to your heart's content. I will point to the fact that initially I did the YPAO wrong with the angle measurements. There are two parts to the stand the tripod(propeller type)and a stand that fits onto it. The fourth position is high up on the stand after it is fixed to the propeller stand. Use a tripod stand to achieve great results. If you have Dolby Atmos and/ or front presence and rear presence speakers turn off the speaker virtualization and this will give you better sound. Also when doing the calibration choose your measurement points at least two to three feet apart. To give you some context I have tested the Onkyo RZ70, Sony 7000ES ,marantz Cinema 50 and Denon X4800. The Yamaha a8a outshines all these receivers. It is a blast to watch movies. The sound is very punchy especially in the mid bass and the lower bass is literally room shaking. The surround AI feature is awesome and I would advise that you use it. I was initially skeptic about this but it creates a sense of immersion as if you are right in the movie. The dialogue is crystal clear and very easily intelligible. I would strongly recommend using AI or at least giving it a try. The remote is backlit which is great. One of the most powerful features of this receiver is scenes. With this, you can assign various functions to one button on the remote.

Sid

Originally posted at

2024-01-01T19:00:00

I am fan of the big black block design, with its perculiar little matrix screen and big central volume knob. I am not a fan of the volume knob being made of plastic and having an amount of slack, none of which have much of the premium feel you'd expect at this price point. As for the sound, it is just fantastic (I use the RXA8A in a 2.1 setup, bi-wired and bi-amped using monster cable) I can only recommend to take A LOT OF TIME to experiment, fine tune and simply listen to the sound, including using different types of YPAO measurements, EQ profiles, DAC settings, YPAO volume on or off, Extra Bass on or off, speaker positioning, as there is A LOT on this receiver that can be tweaked, which I consider to be a big PLUS. The Yamaha RX-A8A meets my requirements in terms of sound quality, settings, connectivity and looks, so it will be in our household for the next 5 to 10 years, same as its predecessor, the 8 year old Yamaha Aventage RX-A2060.

svlinch

Originally posted at

2023-12-23T19:00:00

The AI on this unit is wonderful. Takes all the work out of the setup. Highly recommend.

RX-A8A

Originally posted at

2023-09-02T20:00:00

Upgraded from a Yamaha RX-A2070. Did not expect a night and day improvement, but I was wrong. The sound processing turns your room into a soundstage where your speakers disappear and the sound is everywhere. Take the time to print and read the manual, about 450 pages. Does it all with power and clarity.

Luke

Originally posted at

2023-05-02T20:00:00

The quality of this unit's build is extremely high. The sound it puts out turns your house into a real theater with superbly clear sound. The customizations available stay true to Yamaha's history of giving users full control over their sound, unlike other brands that gave few adjustment options over the years and have only recently started to copy Yamaha's design. Worth every dollar.

His M.

Originally posted at

2023-04-19T20:00:00

Great for home theater setup

Flip

Originally posted at

2023-03-14T20:00:00

This is my second RX receiver, my first is an RX 567 that still sounds as good as it did the day I brought it home. Unfortunately it is not able to decode Dolby atmos or other modern formats. Fortunately the A8A is more than up to the task. Let me say that I have just scratched the surface of it's ability's. Primarily the A8A is used as a home theater,and simply put it sounds like a movie theater. Immersive,thrilling,effortlessly reproducing bombastic sounds one moment and then the delicate sounds of an insect's wings. As for music the A8A is a revelation,at night time the classical radio station switches to jazz ,I am more of an album oriented rock guy, but this station is a one hundred thousand watt blowtorch.plus it's only a mile away from my house. It was so beautiful sounding Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington preforming Caravan.It literally took my breath away and brought a tear to my eye. My former audio systems have included a pair of klipsch corner horns,Martin Logan monoliths and Bob Carver designed Phase Linear 3 speakers. Yamaha is proud of this product and that pride is reflected in the price. Is it worth it? If you love music,I mean really really really love music,the answer is yes. It's worth every cent.

Denmen

Originally posted at

2023-01-10T19:00:00

Yamaha RX-A8A AVENTAGE Receiver is not up to standards compared to my previous Pioneer Elite SC-57 Receiver. No true Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 supported. Extra speaker 3 should be part of Dolby Atmos and not a separate zone No clear way to just set Dolby Atmos to input bitstream to true Dolby Atmos where all speakers are used Setting the equalizer to manual is a joke: no way to set for different sound tracks and switch between them quickly and easily, we don't think the equalizer even works. color keys on the remote control are confusing YPAO does not configure speakers properly so need to adjust manually Android app fails to connect with Receiver frequently. No SACD inputs for music XLR input jacks are useless. Called support and they are not familiar with this unit In the future, we will not purchase a Yamaha Receiver.

Rick A.

Originally posted at

2022-08-24T20:00:00

I am totally blown away with the quality of the sound that this Yamaha RXA8A Receiver along with my Definitive Technology BP9000 Series speakers and GIK Acoustic Panels. This is a system that will blow most others of its price range away. My best part is when I start pumping some amps through the system and the speakers handle every cord.

Jeff L.

Originally posted at

2022-03-27T20:00:00

Just surpassed all my expectations across the board. The sound quality, dynamics, details and nuances are exceptional. This AVR does a great job for Music along with movies, games et all. My setup is: Klipsch RF 7 III and RC 64 III fronts, RP402 surround, RP500SA for front height and dual SVS SB3000 Subs. 5 ear level speakers are powered via Emotiva XPA gen 3. My previous experience has been with Denon x4000h AVR and Onkyo's prior to that. With the Denon's, it was always a compromise with sound quality..was generally bass boomy, details and vocals were hard to pinpoint and i thought it was the speakers and peripherals that were the bottleneck so had gone down the path of adding the Emotiva amp and upgraded speakers to RF 7 line. Unfortunately the sound quality while improved, was never inspiringly joyful..so took the plunge with RX A8A. Couldn't be happier that i did. Wasn't expecting such a vast difference to SQ, though this upgrade is substantial at pretty much double the price of the Denon x4400H. The sound stage, dynamics, bass quality and nuance, detail and just overall balance and tonality of sound has made me smile more than a few times. It's just the way i always wanted movies and music to sound. Was apprehensive of the YPAO calibrator having read so many negative reviews vs the Audyssey Multi EQ. Yep, the directions and details in how to use YPAO can be better. My recommendation: don't just do the one point calibration, do at least 3 and above point calibration. I'm not sure about the measurement accuracy etc, but the sound that i got post YPAO 6 point calibration was just what i wanted, Subs perfectly dialed in and bass vs overall tonality - exceptionally kicky, precise and tons of dynamics. For movies i use the Natural PEQ and for Music I use the Front PEQ. Finally reached the sound quality that i had been aspiring for since the last few years and super glad that Yamaha delivered. This ones going to be my end game setup for hopefully 3+ years.

Nishant

Originally posted at

2022-01-24T19:00:00

I had a Yamaha RX-A3010 which was great. It sounded great and was easy to control through control code I wrote to interface with my AMX touch panel. This new receiver uses a different protocol for control called "Yamaha YXC API". It's fine, and provides a nice notification scheme using UDP, but there is a part of the protocol that is severely lacking. When displaying a list of albums (for example), the protocol has no apparent way of telling the receiver to play all songs within the album folder, so you can't just play all songs from an album, or all songs from an artist without going to the song level to play each song individually. Apparently there is a queue mechanism so songs can be added to the queue to play now, or play next, or just add to the queue. Unfortunately, I was told that the queuing scheme is too complex to share with the public. This is NOT acceptable! If it is too complex, then the engineers should have found a better way to implement this feature. If it is NOT too complex, why can't Yamaha provide documentation detailing the commands and their proper use? Something is very wrong here.

Larry

Originally posted at

2021-12-14T19:00:00

The Yamaha RX- A8A is an outstanding product. It totally exceeded my expectation and provides outstanding sound. The unit can handle every speaker configuration and even motivated me to purchase another pair of Dolby Atmos speakers to create a wonderful surround system. The option to use two subwoofers is calling me to add a second subwoofer my speaker setup. Highly recommended!

SBBang

Originally posted at

2021-12-10T19:00:00

I am an absolute audiophile. I use this receiver to power 4 Klipsch RP-280F floor standing towers (front and rear), 6 Klipsch RP-250S surround sound speakers, and 2 Klipsch SPL-150 subs. When shopping for a receiver I wanted the best. I did a ton of research, checked out all the competition, everything they had to offer, and this was hands down the best choice! The sound quality is simply phenomenal!!! I have no regrets, this was an amazing purchase!

LuckyOne

Originally posted at