75
Yamaha RX-Z11
$5,499.00
Released November, 2007
The Pros:11.2 channels - 140W x 7, 50W x 4. WiFi, LAN, USB. 1 HDMI input on the front panel.
The Cons:Four surround presence channels are useless unless you reassign them to auxiliary zones. Very expensive. At this price point, it should have one more HDMI input (it has 5) to guarantee you don't run out.
The Yamaha RX-Z11 ($5499) is the flagship A/V receiver in Yamaha's 2007 product line. It boasts an impressive 11.2 channels with 140 Watts delivered to 7 channels, and 50 Watts to the other 4. It has similar features to the much less expensive Yamaha RX-V3800 ($1699), but adds WiFi, and a 4 more channels.
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The other 2 models in the product line are the Yamaha RX-V1800 and Yamaha RX-V3800.
Key features
- 11.2 channel receiver, 140 watts per channel for 7 channels, 50 watts per channel for additional 4 channels
- 5 HDMI 1.3a inputs, with HDMI upconversion; 2 HDMI outputs
- Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio
- Ethernet jack with the ability to play MP3, WMA, and WAV files from up to four PCs, plus Internet radio
- 2 USB ports capable of reading USB Mass storage devices, including FAT32-formatted hard drives up to 2 terabytes
- XM-ready
- HD radio tuner
- Multiroom functionality for four zones, with component video output for the second zone.
Competitors
The RX-Z11 is expected to be available in November 2007.
User Reviews (15)
Pros & Cons
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9
11.2 channels - 140W x 7, 50W x 4
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8
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6
1 HDMI input on the front panel
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6
Presence channels for uncanny realism of the DSP modes.
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1
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1
Assignable amplifiers which allow 7.1 in the main room while internally powering two additional zones
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-1
Four surround presence channels are useless unless you reassign them to auxiliary zones.
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At this price point, it should have one more HDMI input (it has 5) to guarantee you don't run out
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-5
Unproven Anchor Bay Technologies ABT1010 processor
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Comments (5)
Royal 1:
#yamaha_rx_z11 Anyone who doesn't understand what the Presence channels do has never truly encountered a DSP from YAMAHA. I had a DSP-1 and the presence channels are what create the realism of the DSP's. The are what recreate the ambiance form the stage they were recorded in.
Believe me when I tell you, you don't need monster speakers for these channels but rather small FX speakers. They do make a world of difference.
dj Royal Tee
theRoyal1.com
Jun 23, 08
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JVi:
#yamaha_rx_z11 The Anchor Bay Technologies ABT1010 processor for video scaling is AOK. Read the comments for the Yamaha RX-V3800 which also uses this scaler.
http://www.productwiki.com/yamaha-rx-v3800/
Dec 7, 07
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heapatrouble:
#yamaha_rx_z11 Although to many people, Anchor Bay Technologies seems like an 'off brand' (if you will), the reality is that they are the parent company of DVDO which makes the iScan line of video processors/scalers. They have been around for a very long time, certainly longer than has DCDi (although not Faroudja itself) or the Reon or Realta series of scalers/processors by Silicon Optix. The truth is that Anchor Bay has significant experience in this field and their products have worked well, been well reviewed and have been consistently good values for their level of performance. In fact, they have just released a THX certified version of their VP50 scaler/processor called the VP50 Pro and getting THX certification for any piece of hardware is a significant indicator of performance.
Sep 25, 07
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heapatrouble:
#yamaha_rx_z11 This seems like an excellent offering from Yamaha, albeit impractical on several points. In the first, it seems unlikely that anyone is going to have room for 11 speakers plus one or more subs an anything except an exceptionally large room. Also, having the ability to access two TB of HDD storage is nice. But it would be even nicer if you could transfer HD Video from Tivo Series3, and all the other HD sources out there. Currently, your only option is to transfer it from a PC using an OTA tuner. (Don't even mention to me OCUR and PC's with cable cards. I have yet to read a review in which one of those systems worked.) Finally, while I applaud the inclusion of an HDMI 1.3a input on the front panel, I would far rather have two additional one s on the back panel (for a total of six). Think about it: 1. HD disc player, 2. HD cable box or similar, 3. Game Console, 4. PC, 5. Universal disc player (for DVD, SACD, DVD-audio and all the other stuff a next gen player won't play) and 6. possibly a second HD cable box such as a Tivo Series3.
While the Yamaha looks very nice indeed, for my money, I'd go with the Denon AVR-5308CI
.
Aug 15, 07
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