0403HCC18 Yamaha RX-V2400RDS P

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AVReceiver
YAMAHA RX-V2400RDS N 1,000 (APPROX) N N www.yamaha-audio.co.uk
Yamaha and the joy of THX
SELF-CONFESSED CINEPHILES WONT BE ABLE TO RESIST YAMAHAS FIRST THX SELECT SEVEN-CHANNEL RECEIVER, PREDICTS JIM HILL
do-it-all receiver has much to live up to, particularly at this price point. A brief glance at the specifications indicates a powerful seven-channel receiver, with every significant sound format catered for; a dazzling array of DSP modes and some pretty fancy audio and video circuitry. But what has the RX-V2400RDS got that hasnt already been done? For a start, this is Yamahas first THX Select certified receiver, which means it embraces THX post processing, including re-equalisation of the centre channel
s one of the long-standing leaders in home cinema amplification, Yamahas latest
front flap and are duplicated on the remote control. Also behind the dropdown flap are a set of front AV inputs that include an optical digital in that would suit a games console. Around the back meanwhile, is the daunting array of AV connections and speaker terminals that make the V2400 one of the most flexible receivers at this price point. There are plenty of analogue and digital audio inputs plus composite, S-video and component video inputs. Whats more, the Yamaha can up-convert composite and S-video to component and vice versa, so you only need one monitor output connected to the display device. Ideally, this would be a component connection and in this case, the component feed can carry the OSD information with it if you want it to. There are in fact, eleven speaker terminals available. This basically covers the usual five channels plus the two centre-rear backs plus the two front presence speakers. These intended to expand the front soundstage by pulling effects from the main front channels to small speakers that should be positioned

RATINGS

Highs: Nine possible channels of audio (seven amplifiers); masses of DSP modes; all sound formats covered; auto setup procedure; good universal remote Lows: Moderate power and volume levels; complicated OSD
Sound Build Features Overall ####12 #### ####12 ####12
above and wide of the front speakers. In addition theres a second stereo pair (Zone 3) which duplicate the output on the main stereo pair. Thats quite a wiring job, if you are going to make full use of the facilities, and it could take an age to calibrate all of those channels. Thankfully, thats where the ingenious YPAO (Yamaha parametric room acoustic optimizer) comes into play. All you have to do is connect and arrange all of the speakers as required, place the supplied microphone in your favourite listening position and switch

Excellent

Average

Lab Report

Manufacturers Rated Output 120W (20-20, 0.04%, 8) Measured power @ 1kHz 2ch driven: 150W into 8 5ch driven: 100W into 8 Fidelity firewall @ 1kHz/ 2ch 145W into 8 (0.05%THD) Distortion @ 1kHz 0.001%THD @ 50W (8) Frequency response 20Hz-20kHz +/- 0.1 dB
and de-correlation of the rears for an
improved ambient soundfield and meets the standards required by Lucasfilm to drive a set of THX Select speakers in a medium-to-large room. Secondly, its one
of the first AV receivers to sport ProLogic IIx, Dolbys latest development of Pro-Logic that makes use of the centre rear speakers. It also uses Yamahas unique algorithm to drive two additional effects speakers to give you a total of nine speakers and a subwoofer! But best of all is the auto-setup function that uses test signals and a microphone to calibrate all of the channels in the system for you. So, on paper at least, were off to a great start already.

HCC Practical Tip

Like most modern AV receivers, the RXV2400RDS has seven channels of onboard amplification. Thats regular Dolby/DTS 5.1 plus left/right centre rear speakers for enhanced 7.1 soundtracks. For DTS ES 6.1 soundtracks you just add a single centre rear to the left terminal. But the Yamaha system adds two more front effect speakers called Presence left and right. In Yamahas own DSP modes, these channels add depth and ambience to the front sound field. Its worth noting though, if you want a dedicated centre back (ie 7.1) the front effects are mixed into the main stereo pair. In the hi-fi DSP modes, the front effects are active and the centre back isnt used.

FEATURES

Main features: THX Select; 7 x 120W amplification; 9-channel speaker outputs; 33 DSP modes (57 variations); component video up/down conversion; automatic speaker optimisation; direct stereo mode; RDS tuner Sound formats supported: Dolby Pro-Logic IIx; Dolby Digital EX; DTS ES 6.1(Matrix and Discrete); DTS 96/24; DTS Neo:6 (Music and Cinema) Inputs: 5x AV (including composite and S-video); 4x analogue stereo; 2x component video; 4x optical digital; 3x electrical digital; 8-channel external; front AV inputs (including composite, S-video and optical digital) Outputs: 2x AV; 2x stereo; optical digital; composite and S-video zone 2; composite, S-video and component video monitor out Dimensions: 435(w) x 171(h) x 433.5(d) mm Weight: 15.5kg

IN A FLAP

Aesthetically, the V2400 is typical Yamaha, with a thick sculpted steel faceplate, orange LED display, oil damped fold-down flap and oversized volume dial. The only difference is the smart new silver finish, while black remains an option for the traditionalists. All of the main controls can be found somewhere on the front panel mostly behind the
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Tried&Tested

With so many DSP modes, its easy to spend an entire afternoon exploring the various settings
the Yamaha to auto setup. The receiver then generates a series of test signals and records them in order to optimise phase, sound pressure level and frequency response. In this way, you can guarantee the best sound for your room from the start and then tweak it later to suit your own preference. Pioneer uses a similar system for its high-end amplifiers, but this is the first time weve seen it on a sub 1,000 model. going through the onscreen menus with the remote control and assigning the inputs an arduous, but necessary task. With so many channels and DSP modes, its easy to spend an entire afternoon exploring the various settings, but once done, operation is fairly straightforward. Happily, all those fiddly hours paid off, leaving me wrapped in a wholly immersive surround soundstage. Starting with the regular Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack of 2 Fast, 2 Furious, the Yamaha delivers crisp, clear audio to each channel with precision. Theres easily enough power to drive each of the

M&K speakers in my reference system, while the Dolby processing is very convincing. A little extra bass weight from the sub is required to warm the audio up a little, but thats all. Switching in the Presence speakers has the positive effect of adding height and depth to the front soundstage. I used a single M&K speaker at the centre rear to hear the enhanced DTS-ES soundtrack of Gladiator. The extra channels add a lot to the battle scenes, but its worth noting that you cant use the Presence speakers, while the centre rear is switched on. Super Audio CD material also sounds very pure, when directed through the Yamahas external inputs. There is full bass management for both SACD and DVD-A sources. Yamaha has always been big on DSP modes. Its engineers have been at pains to emulate the acoustic characteristics of famous venues around the world and its well worth checking out some of the modes. There are no less than 33 to choose from and 57 different variations, so thatll be a few more afternoons gone trying them all out. After that, youll probably be thankful for the direct audio mode, which bypasses any signal processing to deliver the purest stereo sound. Significantly, two-channel music does sound very uncoloured and theres even a phono stage for the real audiophiles. But naturally, this is a receiver for cinephiles, specifically those that cant resist the urge to tweak their components to perfection. The 2400 puts Yamaha back in the game in terms of feature specification and general innovation. At less than a grand, the price is realistic and yet the RX-V2400RDS is equipped to cope with even the most sophisticated home cinemas. It just edges ahead of its immediate rivals in sound quality and has muscle to spare I

PLAIN SAILING

With the hard part done, the rest of the setup procedure is merely a case of
Key inputs and controls are hidden behind a drop-down flap
Connectivity is excellent with component up conversion
The remote is overly confusing with separate Power on and off buttons
The gun-metal fascia looks the business
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0404wv05 Yamaha RX-V2400RDS

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ON TEST: YAMAHA RX-V2400RDS

AV receiver

1,000 %%%%%

Smooth operator

Yamahas latest receiver is one of the first to boast Dolby Pro-Logic IIx. Alvin Gold finds out how it shapes up against the competition
Yamaha is famous infamous even for the way it has shrugged off developments from outside its own labs. At they same time the company has stuck relentlessly to its own long-established thinking, even when it appears to have run out of steam. The traditional concentration on DSP soundfield processing, a feature of limited appeal these days, is a case in point. Now things are changing. The new product generation, of which this model is a part, is the first from Yamaha to adopt THX, which is a requirement for many enthusiasts. It is also the first outside Pioneer with a fully comprehensive automatic set-up regime. In this case the surprise is not that Yamaha was so quick off the mark, but that others have still not yet jumped on the bandwagon. The result is a well equipped receiver that is easily the most competitive entrant from Yamaha in the important 1,000 area for a very long time. It is also among the very first receivers to hit the market with the latest Dolby Pro-Logic IIx, the x indicating that it can be used to drive a full 7.1 channel speaker array. value except to the dedicated DSP nut. DSP itself is very much a matter of personal taste. Some people love it, but the idea of superimposing a foreign sampled acoustic on a recording that will have been made in an acoustic of the recording engineers choosing doesnt have universal appeal. The Yamaha has many more useful tricks up its sleeve. The most striking of these is YPAO, which stands for Yamaha Parametric room Acoustic Optimiser. Connect a microphone (supplied) which has been placed at the listening position, press a few buttons and off it goes. The procedure takes several minutes and makes some loud and rather unpleasant noises, so its best to go out and make a cup of tea while its happening. When you return, TPAO will have checked the speaker connections, set the distance, level and crossover settings, and then attempted to adjust the tonal balance of each speaker. There are various interesting options associated with this speaker equalisation feature, but it has to be said that the effects, though no worse than Pioneers MCACC on which it appears to be modelled, are less than entirely convincing. The RS-V2400RDS conforms to the THX Select standard rather than the much more ambitious THX Ultra2 that the Yamaha website points to. It fully supports THX Select loudspeakers like the Jamo D6 system that was used for this test. There are a couple of THX surround settings that can be selected, but Select certification can otherwise be regarded mainly as a performance and quality yardstick. There is some impressive hardware under the bonnet. The list includes high resolution 24 bit 192kHz D/A converters for all channels, TOP-ART design, which minimises unnecessary analogue circuitry, and a homegrown 32 bit DSP to produce all
Yamaha takes auto set-up a stage further
Absence of any digital high res audio inputs is a disappointment

DESCRIPTION

Even without Dolby Pro-Logic IIx, this is a well equipped receiver. It can drive 7.1 or under some circumstances as many as 9.1 speakers (the.1 is the subwoofer as usual). Even then, it has enough speaker outputs left for a second pair of front main speakers for use in a second room in stereo only. There are even outputs for extra front presence speakers, though the latter cannot be used at the same time as the surround back speakers. Presence speakers are used on upmarket Yamaha models to help Yamaha DSP to breathe, but the feature has never been widely adopted by others, and is of limited
the Dolby, DTS and DSP related image steering. The Yamaha is home to an impressively endowed power supply, and the materials used and construction aim to reduce microphony, which can subtly mar sound quality. Well equipped as it is, there are omissions. Most notable are the absence of i.Link or other broadband multichannel digital inputs, and full support for

WHATS GOOD Powerful, if slightly clunky auto set-up; powerful range of DSP acoustics; among the first to include Dolby Pro Logic IIx WHATS BAD Slightly clunky internal software makes life harder than it strictly needs to be SOUND. FEATURES. EASE OF USE VALUE.%%%%%.%%%%%.%%%%%.%%%%%
Chunky design has it all but its rather lacking in style and could be more clearly laid out
VERDICT Ambitious and well-specified receiver is a pleasure to listen to
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SPECIFICATION

FEATURES 7.1 channel FM-RDS/MW 40 preset tuner; power output 120W/channel 20Hz-20kHz, 0.0% THD, 8 all channels driven single; Auto (YPAO) and manual set-up; LFE crossover frequencies 40Hz-200Hz in maximum 20Hz steps; tone defeat; onscreen display; sleep timer; separate speaker equaliser and headphone tone controls; Silent Cinema DSP processing for large scale sound through headphones (similar to Dolby Headphone) Surround modes: Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Digital 5.1/EX, DTS 5.1/ES, DTS Neo:6; DTS 96:24; DSP modes include music video, TV theatre, mono movie, variety/sports, movie theatre, spectacle, sci-fi, adventure, general, THX cinema, concert hall, church, jazz club, rock concert, entertainment, disco, game, music video etc, many with adjustable parameters; Bypass mode Supplied with multi-component coded, learning remote control with concealed set-up panel and macro (multi-set-up) function SOCKETS Audio only 1 x phono, 1 x line, 2 x tape, 1 x 7.1 channel input; AV 4 x line (1 x on front), 2 x tape inc composite & S-video; 2 x assignable component video inputs; preamp outputs for all channels; digital 5 x optical (1 x on front), 3 x coaxial in, 2 x optical out; 10 pairs loudspeaker terminals; RS232 system control port; aerial inputs; headphone socket DIMENSIONS 171(h) x 435(w) x 434(d) mm
multiroom operation. But these things are rare at this price level, and it is still possible to run a set of speakers in a second room.

OPERATION

The auto set-up feature is not entirely bug free. It takes a long time, and involves more user input than some will be happy with, and the nature of the test tones can prove painful literally. In the test system, it kept incorrectly identifying an out of phase speaker (the notes supplied even say that the error message may be spurious). Set-up was reasonably accurate and consistent but the equalisation feature inevitably failed to ensure that each speaker sounded like the others. Otherwise, and allowing for the usual quota of finger problems that arise when using a sophisticated but unfamiliar amplifier for the first time, the unit operated well.

PERFORMANCE

Apart from the minor irritations with the YPAO function (just rolls
off the tongue, doesnt it?), the RX-V2400RDS operated like a dream. The amplifier section is not the most muscular of its kind. It is not even the most transparent or detailed. It is, however, unusually smooth and refined, even subtle when the occasions demands. In this the amplifier is ably assisted by a very impressive Dolby and DTS section. It is precise in the way that sounds are positioned around the listener, and impressive in the way it allows the soundstage as a whole to breathe. The real novelty here, of course, is Dolby Pro-Logic IIx, which when using a 7.1 channel speaker system, improves the precision of image positioning behind the listener, and allows smoother transitions as sounds are panned from one speaker to the next. Before the test began, I had expected no more than minor enhancements from the new Dolby process, but the Yamaha delivered something more substantial and worthwhile.

Whether the RS-V2400RDS is good enough to double as a stereo amplifier for those, say, with large CD collections, is a moot point. But the Yamaha has plenty of ways of turning stereo recordings into multichannel extravaganzas. The purist will blanch, but the Yamaha is nothing if not fun.
WEIGHT 15.5kg TEST DATA Manufacturers output: 120W per channel (20Hz-20kHz, 8, 0.04% THD) Power output @ 1kHz (2-channel): 150W (8, 0.1% THD); 195W (4, 0.1% THD) Power output @ 1kHz (5-channel): 100W (8, 0.1% THD); 125W (4, 0.1% THD) Fidelity firewall: 145W @ 0.05% THD (8) Distortion @ 50W: 0.001% (8, 1kHz) Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz 0.1dB CONTACT www.yamaha.co.uk/

CONCLUSION

There is no doubt that over recent years Yamaha has lost out to a number of its rivals with its continuing allegiance to features like DSP acoustics, which the market has long considered dated, while ignoring THX, auto set-up and other features that have been proving popular elsewhere. With this model, strategically positioned at the hot end of the middle market, Yamaha begins its fight back in earnest. However, it still has all the DSP stuff for those who want it. If there are a few rough edges, they pale when set against the rich range of features and refined audio performance

Also consider.

HARMAN/KARDON AVR 7500 Over-busy control system, but good where it counts, thanks to strong image steering and plenty of power Reviewed: Feb 03 PIONEER VSA-AX5 Sophisticated design with auto set-up feature and i.Link inputs for suitably equipped DVD-Audio/SACD players
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