Yamaha RX-A1080 vs Yamaha RX-A4A

Here we are comparing Yamaha RX-A1080 to Yamaha RX-A4A to reveal their common strengths and weaknesses as well as the differences between them which will help you in making a correct decision before the purchase. Both receivers have 7 channel and equally powerful amplifiers.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these receivers, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Yamaha RX-A1080 over Yamaha RX-A4A.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Yamaha RX-A4A over Yamaha RX-A1080.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Amplifier

Speaker Configurations

Yamaha RX-A1080's and Yamaha RX-A4A's amplifiers can be assigned for different speaker configurations.

• Dolby Atmos Configurations: The following speaker configurations are supported for Dolby Atmos:
Yamaha RX-A1080: 5.2.2 with internal amplifier.
Yamaha RX-A4A: 5.2.2 with internal amplifier.
• DTS:X Configurations: The following speaker configurations are supported for DTS:X:
Yamaha RX-A1080: The speaker configurations for DTS:X are the same as for Dolby Atmos - 5.2.2 with internal amplifier.
Yamaha RX-A4A: The speaker configurations for DTS:X are the same as for Dolby Atmos - 5.2.2 with internal amplifier.
• Configurations without height channels: There are also other speaker configurations available which do not include height channels:
Yamaha RX-A1080: 5.2, 7.2 with internal amplifier.
Yamaha RX-A4A: 5.2, 7.2 with internal amplifier.
• 2-ch Bi-Amp: Both models are able to bi-amp up to 2 main channels simultaneously. During bi-amplification two amplifiers are used for one speaker. One amplifier powers the midrange and tweeter section of the speaker and another amplifier powers the low frequency woofers. Each amplifier is less loaded and performs better. In order to use this feature speakers must have 2 pairs of connectors.



Dolby Atmos

Yamaha RX-A1080 and Yamaha RX-A4A support Dolby Atmos. It is a cinematic audio format in which sounds exist as individual entities, called audio objects. In Dolby Atmos, any sound can exist as an independent audio object, free of channel restrictions. They can be precisely placed and moved anywhere in your room, including overhead, to flow above and around you in three-dimensional space. Through the use of audio objects, overhead sound, and all the richness, clarity, and power of Dolby sound, Dolby Atmos turns your room into an amazing place for entertainment. The format supports up to 128 simultaneous independent audio objects in a mix for rich, realistic, and breathtaking sound. It recreates the director's original concept through descriptive metadata to provide customized playback for home theater and delivers sounds above you through overhead speakers, special upward-firing Dolby Atmos speakers, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar.

• Dolby Surround Upmixer: Both models support Dolby Surround Upmixer. If the content is not mixed in Dolby Atmos then the Dolby surround upmixer will expand the audio to all channels including ceiling speakers. The upmixer has replaced the Dolby Pro Logic II family with improved upmixing algorithms.
• Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization: Yamaha RX-A4A supports Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization which is a digital signal processing solution that leverages Dolby's deep understanding of human audio perception to create the sensation of overhead sound from the listener-level speakers.

DTS:X

Yamaha RX-A1080 and Yamaha RX-A4A support DTS:X. A technique used in DTS:X is similar to the one used in Dolby Atmos. Instead of a fixed number of channels, DTS:X defines object locations from the listener in polar coordinates. An a/v receiver then dynamically renders sound according to the current speaker configuration. The speaker layout employed by DTS:X is the sum of Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D. It has standard 7.1 channel base layer, a 5 channel height layer above the base layer on the front and side walls, and 3 rows of speakers on the ceiling.

• DTS Neural:X: Both models feature DTS Neural:X which is an advanced upmixer that can take non DTS:X content and upmix it to the DTS:X speaker layout. It has replaced the DTS Neo family with improved flexibility.
• DTS Dialog Control: Both models have DTS Dialog Control. This function adjusts the dialog levels during playback of the DTS:X stream. It allows you to separately increase the dialog levels in contrast with the background sound and hear dialog easily even under noisy circumstances.

Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)

Yamaha RX-A1080 and Yamaha RX-A4A support Audio Return Channel (ARC) which allows the compatible TV to send audio signal to the a/v receiver through the same HDMI cable which is used to send audio and video signals to the TV. So one HDMI cable is used to transfer audio signal in both directions. New Enhanced ARC will support uncompressed audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio whereas the previous ARC could support only Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, DTS HD, and PCM.




Sound Processing

• Surround:AI: Yamaha RX-A1080 and Yamaha RX-A4A feature Surround:AI artificial intelligence which in real time, automatically optimizes surround-sound performance for each scene in a movie or any piece of content. Surround:AI analyzes a scene's audio characteristics, focusing on soundtrack elements such as dynamic range, amount of dialog, the degree of sound effects, background music, and channel balance. Surround:AI then compares the scene's audio characteristics to a reference database of movie scenes and automatically processes the scene's sound to optimize performance. Surround:AI makes dialog more intelligible in scenes with lots of background noise, delivers massive, full-bodied sound for scenes with immersive sound effects, and ensures that you hear softly spoken dialog and soft background sounds. Scenes with big musical scores deliver the best possible musical experience.
• Adaptive DRC: Yamaha RX-A1080 and Yamaha RX-A4A feature Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control) which automatically adjusts the dynamic range of the sound according to the volume level. This ensures that you hear clear dialog and vocals, and all sound effects at comfortable levels. There is no need to adjust the volume level as you listen; everything from whispers to big explosions will be heard clearly and comfortably at the same volume setting. It also tones down loud TV commercials, and is ideal for low-volume, late-night listening, when you do not want to disturb others.
• Compressed Music Enhancer: Yamaha RX-A1080 and Yamaha RX-A4A feature Compressed Music Enhancer which enhances the quality of the music files with lossy compression.

Room Calibration

Yamaha RX-A1080 comes with YPAO with R.S.C., Multipoint Measurement and Precision EQ Calculation and Yamaha RX-A4A comes with YPAO with R.S.C., Multipoint, 3D, 64-Bit High Precision EQ Calculation, Low Frequency mode and Angle measurement room correction system.

• YPAO: The Yamaha Parametric room Acoustic Optimizer (YPAO) function detects speaker connections, measures the distances from them to your listening position(s), and then automatically optimizes the speaker settings, such as volume balance and acoustic parameters, to suit your room.

HDMI

Yamaha RX-A1080 comes with 7 HDMI inputs. It has 3 outputs - 2 for MAIN and 1 for ZONE2.

Yamaha RX-A4A comes with 7 HDMI 2.1 inputs with 8K support. It has 3 outputs - 2 for MAIN and 1 for ZONE2.

• 4K/60Hz Passthrough on Yamaha RX-A1080: All inputs pass up to 4K/60p 4:4:4 video signal.
  8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz Passthrough on Yamaha RX-A4A: All inputs pass up to 8K 50/60Hz and 4K 100/120Hz 4:4:4 video signal.
• 4K Upscaling: Both receivers can upscale up to 4K 60p 4:4:4 from HDMI sources. Yamaha RX-A1080 can also upscale from analog sources.
• Analog To HDMI Upconversion: Yamaha RX-A1080 supports analog to HDMI Upconversion, so you can input your analog video sources and output them digitally via HDMI. This means that you will need only one HDMI cable to connect to your TV.
• BT.2020 Color Space: BT.2020 or Rec. 2020 is a color standard which delivers a wider color gamut compared to Rec. 709. It covers approximately 75% of the total visual spectrum while the Rec. 709 covers only 35% (available on both models).
• HDCP 2.3.0 Copy Protection: Both receivers are HDCP 2.3.0 compliant which is a requirement for 4K/HDR copy-protected content transmission.
• Quick Media Switching (QMS): With HDMI 2.1a, Quick Media Switching for movies and video uses the HDMI VRR mechanism to eliminate the blackout period when an HDMI Source device switches its video mode. As long as the resolution remains the same and only the frame rate changes, QMS will instantly switch between frame rates. QMS eliminates A/V blackouts by using VRR technology to change frame rates, allowing instant changes from 24Hz to 60Hz frame rate, and anywhere in-between. The viewer never sees blank screens and gets a seamless experience (available on Yamaha RX-A4A only).
• 3D Ready: Both receivers are able to pass 3D video through HDMI.

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

Yamaha RX-A1080 supports HDR10, Dolby Vision and Hybrid Log-Gamma.

Yamaha RX-A4A supports HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Hybrid Log-Gamma.

High dynamic range video has greater dynamic range than standard dynamic range (SDR) video with brighter whites and deeper blacks. The result is greater contrast and more details in dark and bright areas, better color and depth.

• HDR10: HDR10 uses the wide-gamut Rec. 2020 color space. It sends static metadata via video stream to the TV which calibrates its screen brightness and color according to that. HDR10 supports 10-bit color which corresponds to 1024 shades of the primary RGB colors. It is technically limited to a maximum of 10,000 nits peak brightness, however common HDR10 contents are mastered with peak brightness from 1,000 to 4,000 nits.
• HDR10+: HDR10+ is an HDR video technology that adds dynamic metadata to HDR10 source files. The dynamic metadata are used to adjust brightness levels on a scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame basis. HDR10+ supports maximum of 10,000 nits peak brightness and 10-bit or more (up to 16-bit) color bit depth. It uses Samsung's dynamic metadata defined in SMPTE ST 2094-40.
• Dolby Vision: Dolby Vision is a set of technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories for high dynamic range (HDR) video. It covers content creation, distribution, and playback. Like HDR10+, it includes dynamic metadata that are used to adjust and optimize each frame of the HDR video to the consumer display's capabilities in a way specified by the content creator. Dolby Vision allows for a maximum resolution of 8K up to 12-bit color depth, maximum peak brightness of 10,000 nits and a color gamut up to Rec. 2020. It uses Dolby's proprietary dynamic metadata defined in SMPTE ST 2094-10.
• Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG): The Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) is a transfer function developed mainly for HDR live video feed and over-the-air broadcasts. It is an HDR format that uses BT.2020 color primaries and a bitdepth of 10-bit. It is backward compatible with the transfer function of SDR and is designed to be better-suited for television broadcasting, where the metadata required for other HDR formats is not backward compatible with non-HDR displays. HLG defines a non-linear optical-electro transfer function, in which the lower half of the signal values use a gamma curve and the upper half of the signal values use a logarithmic curve.

Gaming Features

Yamaha RX-A4A supports Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Quick Frame Transport (QFT) for lag-free and smooth gaming.

• Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM): Auto Low Latency Mode enables the ideal latency setting to automatically be set allowing for smooth, lag-free and uninterrupted viewing and interactivity. When the receiver detects a gaming signal it will enter ALLM. The signal will also be sent to the TV causing it to automatically switch to a low-latency, low-lag mode for gaming. Some functions will not be available on the receiver and TV during ALLM.
• Variable Refresh Rate (VRR): VRR enables a gaming source such as a console or computer to deliver video frames as fast as it can, which in many cases is slower than the normal static refresh rate. It allows the TV to adapt to certain frame rate which reduces or eliminates lag, judder and frame tearing for more fluid and better detailed gameplay.
• Quick Frame Transport (QFT): QFT reduces latency for smoother no-lag gaming, and real-time interactive virtual reality. It transports each frame at a higher rate to decrease display latency, which is the amount of time between a frame being ready for transport in the GPU and that frame being completely displayed.

Audio

• Phono Input: There is an MM phono input on Yamaha RX-A1080 and Yamaha RX-A4A with built-in phono stage for connecting the moving magnet cartridge output of the turntable directly to the receiver.
• Analog Pre-Outs: Yamaha RX-A1080 and Yamaha RX-A4A have 7.2 preamplifier outputs which allow you to connect the receivers to the external power amplifiers. You may want to use a high quality external amplifier for certain channels, usually for front L/R and center, and use the receiver to power the rest. Also, both receivers have 7 channel processing but have only 7 channel amplifiers, so they need external amplifiers connected to the analog pre-outs in order to reach their maximum speaker configurations.
• Analog Line Inputs: There are 8 pair of line inputs on Yamaha RX-A1080 and 3 pair of line inputs on Yamaha RX-A4A for connecting sources with analog outputs.
• Digital Inputs: 3 optical inputs and 3 coaxial inputs are available on Yamaha RX-A1080 and 2 optical inputs and 1 coaxial input are available on Yamaha RX-A4A for digital audio connections.
• Headphone Output: There is a 6.3 mm (1/4") headphone output jack on the front panel of each receiver.

Video

• HDMI:
Yamaha RX-A1080
Inputs: 7   Outputs: 3 (2 for MAIN, 1 for ZONE2)
8K Inputs: 0.
Yamaha RX-A4A
Inputs: 7   Outputs: 3 (2 for MAIN, 1 for ZONE2)
8K Inputs: 7.
• Composite Video: Connect you VCR, Laserdisc player and other old video equipment with composite video cables.
Yamaha RX-A1080
Inputs: 4   Outputs: 0.
Yamaha RX-A4A
Inputs: 0   Outputs: 0.
• Component Video: Component video connection gives you the higher quality video compared to the composite video connection. So in case your old DVD player and other equipment do not have an HDMI output but have Component video output use this connection over the composite one.
• Yamaha RX-A1080 supports up to 1080i resolution on Component video connectors. resolution on Component video connectors.
Yamaha RX-A1080
Inputs: 2   Outputs: 0.
Yamaha RX-A4A
Inputs: 0   Outputs: 0.

Front A/V Inputs

• Yamaha RX-A1080: USB, Analog Audio
• Yamaha RX-A4A: USB

Yamaha RX-A1080

Yamaha RX-A4A