TEA London News & Views

Yamaha RX-V465 AV receiver

First Looks

The 2009/2010 range of Yamaha home surround amplifiers are noticeably smaller than most AV receivers on the market. Make no mistake, the more heavy-weight units still are of similar size to the original amplifier units, but the lower end of the range, the footprint of these units are smaller than previous versions. It is roughly the footprint and height of a component tape-deck. The smaller footprint means the unit will be able to fit onto shelves and storage units with limited depth, which can be an important consideration when selecting a product.

The look and feel of the RXV465 is as solid and well made as the mid-range amplifiers, and there is no noticeable skimping on product quality despite its very attractive price tag, until we took a look at the rear.

We were mildly disappointed by some of the rear connections, the surround speaker terminals are push terminals, rather than a standard 4mm binding post; be aware of this, there is little point in investing in decent speaker cable terminations for anything other than you front left and right speakers. This approach may be to save precious space on the unit, but these sort of connections are more akin to budget, or home-cinema in a box surround systems. Considering this unit is capable of cleanly driving some weighty speakers, we feel this minor cost saving in manufacturing may be indicative that other aspects of the unit are cheapened to save a few more pennies on its manufacturing costs, and these cost savings may be lurking underneath the RXV465’s skin.

Capabilities

As the RXV465 is a very well priced unit, putting it well within the reach of the tightest of budgets, it is bound to have some weaknesses, or a reduction in capabilities when compared to its mid-ranged siblings that would cost £200 more.

Yamaha RX-V465 rear connections

The RXV465 is a 5-Channel surround amplifier, delivering 105W per channel when configured with 5 speakers, a lot of AV receivers are 7 channel (or more). The lack of the extra surround channels means the unit can’t handle the more advanced sound tracks available, it also consequently can’t be configured as a 2 or 3 zone amplifier.

The unit is capable of decoding all major sound track types including HD audio, we consider this to be vital a feature when considering any new AV receiver purchase. In order to get the most out of modern blu-ray movies, you really do need to ensure you curround amplifier supports both DTS-HD and Dolby True-HD sound formats, and the RX-V465 does both as well as all of the preceding DTS and Dolby sound formats; this is perhaps one of the amplifier’s most salient features, as it does mean the unit is bang up-to-date and capable of decoding the most demanding audio sound tracks found on blu-ray movies.

The 4 HDMI inputs should be plenty for the average front room, giving you enough HDMI inputs to cover a games console, PC, satellite receiver and disc player. There are additional inputs for analogue connections, including component video, s-video and composite video. There are 2 optical and 2 digital coaxial connections, we feel this should be sufficient, albeit somehwat limited; keep in mind that connecting a SKY receiver will take one of the Optical inputs; HDMI V1.3 support will however ensure that as long as your other source components are V1.3 compliant, audio can be delivered through these ports.

Be aware that the RX-V465 does not have any video scaling capabilties, it will output the video signal it receives, using the same signal output type as the input, i.e. if you intend connecting source components that use video signals other than HDMI, you will need to connect your TV or monitor to the same outputs on the RX-V465; for example if you are connecting up devices that use HDMI, component video and composite video, you will need to connect the same cables from the Yamaha to your TV set; if you consider the cost implications and clutter this may create, you may be better off considering slightly more expensive AV receivers that are capable of upscaling, such as the RX-V565 or better.

Review

For our tests we thought we should set the RX-V465 through its paces using a comparable budget priced speaker system. We opted to use the ever popular and award winning Q-Acoustics Q-AV system for the front speaker array with a Monitor Audio Vector VW10 subwoofer. We used our RED-JNR media centre PC as audio and video player and a Panasonic TX-P42g10 plasma TV as a monitor.

We initially configured the surround system using Yamaha’s automatic sound calibration system known as YPAO; this is an automatic equalisation and calibration procedure. It is a simple procedure that requires you to plug in a small microphone supplied with the RX-V465, placing the microphone at the ideal listening/seating position, and starting the sequence.

We were rather disappointed with the results of the YPAO calibration, and found that it is better configured manually. We have read elsewhere that some Yamaha amps are better configured manually, and this is certainly one of those cases. Maybe the close proximity of the LCR speakers on the Q-AV speaker system is a cause for this anomaly, or perhaps this is because YPAO only takes one measurement for calibration with smaller models.

After we manually configured the speakers and deactivated DSP processing, the speakers sound absolutely wonderful, detailed, spacial and responsive. The Yamaha drives a very crisp and clean sound, leaving your speakers to eak out the tonal nuances out of your sound tracks. The opening scene on Inglorious Basterds created a perfect eeriness and tension to the polite SS interrogation, to sharp and loud gunfire at the end of the scene. Further scenes revealed that the RX-V465 not only delivers the sound sounds clearly, but seems to do so effortlessly, even when there are rapid changes from loud to soft.

The RX-V465 adds a great sense of motion and ambience to the video. In fact we can find no real faults with it with when watching DVD or Blu-Ray discs from our RED-jnr BDS media centre. All sound playback from the RED was clear, well defined and fettered.

TV sound is often limited by how well or uncompressed the broadcaster chooses to transmit their video, so there will be variations in sound quality and equalisation. We found that the Yamaha’s DSP came handy in adding some body and clarity to poor quality or 2-dimensional sound. A good reference channel such as BBC HD was found sound to be very clear and spacious both from the TV’s own tuner and from the RED-JNR.

Normally AV receivers are not very good for stereo playback, but I found the Yamaha to be a very satisfying listening experience at any volume., however if you play opt to play stereo in 2.1 sound mode do you get a really complete and satisfying audio experience.

Conclusions

The Yamaha RX-V465 is a great amplifier choice for those of you just starting with hi-fi surround sound systems, or if you are on a really tight budget. I would go no less expensive than this amplifier. For similar money there is some competition in this field both the Denon AVR-1610 (1 less HDMI input) and Onkyo TX-SR507 (not Panasonic friendly) are very worthy alternatives with some strengths over the Yamaha.

Product information

Price: £345
Available Finishes: Black, Titanium

Specifications

Timothy Francis
TEA London Limited

Siemon's 10GB network connector

A recent workshop held between some of the major network cabling, connector and chip manufacturers to discuss the development of  copper networks beyond 10Gb/s was held at Pennsylvania State University CICTR (Center for Information and Communication Technology Research) in August last year.

Why I have only just recently received a press release from one of its co-sponsors, Nexans, is anyone’s guess, however I thought it relevant that I should share the outcomes of this workshop held between some the finest technical minds, and industry leaders in the manufacture and development of copper networks; we are always keen to know what the next big leap in speeds will be. Currently the maximum speeds attainable on both copper and fibre network systems is 10Gb/s, which some would say is fast enough; however we believe that if high definition TV, HD audio and 3D TV continues its development and mass-adoption at the pace we are currently seeing, it won’t be long before even 10Gb/s will seem like a very slow network indeed, even in domestic settings. If we consider that blu-ray movies can be 50 Gigabytes in size, and soon 3D titles could very well require more that 33% more capacity, it is not hard to understand that the transfer, backup and streaming of high-definition video content is going to put demands on networks never seen before on the internet or within domestic settings.

In essence the workshop concluded that in 2010 there is sufficient cause and interest in creating a committee to call-for-interest to establish a 40BASE-T solution.

The key observations, which I have copied verbatim from the press release are:

• Copper solutions beyond 10G could include many possible options but the highest Twisted Pair Category (Category 7A) is clearly in prime position.
• Data Centre architecture will play a vital role in next generation networks. Jeff Cain, of Cisco systems, suggested that rack-centric, modular designs could change current thinking.
• Chip Vendors and Data Centre designers pointed out that structured cabling had many benefits over ’Top of Rack’ switching, and that future copper solutions for 40G shall not be “point to point”.
• The concept of a unified I/O, spawning the prospect of “any machine, anywhere, anytime” was introduced.
• The PHY vs. Channel, aka “Chicken or Egg” debate, continues…with chip vendors saying the cable channel needs to be established first, while the cable manufacturers say the PHYs need to be developed first. Workshop attendees agreed that concurrent development was the best plan.
• Based on his market analysis and model, independent consultant Alan Flatman (LAN Technologies) suggested that the call for interest (CFI) for 40GBASE-T should be initiated in IEEE during 2010.

Bottom line is it is actually possible for you to install 40GB/s capable networks today, even though this technology has yet to be developed. Category 7A cabling systems are already available, and if these cabling systems are installed correctly they will be able to deliver speeds well in excess of 10gb/s, where some cabling and connector manufacturers are even guranteeing 40gb/s performance, even though such technology is only in conceptual stages.

TEA London are already installing Category-7A networks, our first cabling project of this nature started in early 2009, following acceptance of a cabling design proposed in 2008; such cabling systems are not significantly more expensive than good Category-6A copper networks, and if one takes into account that a Category 7A network is truly future proof, and will likely give a lifespan of a minimum of 15 years, but likely as much as 25 years, then this is an investment well worth making in any new build, or during any refurbishment project where you own the building.

The more common Category-5e cabling systems are less expensive to implement, but is already at its end of life, where you will be hard pressed to get a stable optimised 1GB/s network, let alone 10Gb/s, similarly, cheaper Category-6 networks have proven themselves to only just scrape through in passing minimum requirements.

We have been advising our clients to implement a minimum standard of Category 6A cabling systems for some time now, you should strongly consider the same if you consider what developments are around the corner.

Should 40Gb/s copper networks appear in the near future, here is an important fact worth considering: it will be faster than fibre optic networks, currently copper 10Gb/s networks match fibre optics (and we mean only high-0end fibre optic networks, over short distances, using the most expensive equipment), the key difference being that copper networks are always cheaper, in terms of hard costs, implementation costs and installation costs; fibre optic networks have the advantage of being able to deliver data over long distances reliably, but copper networks will soon take over as the faster technology.

I have noticed an increase in the press about the recent announcement of high definition (HD) broadcasts that will be made over the UK terrestrial digital TV service known as FreeView; these announcements that HD broadcasts will be broadcast over our airwaves, rather than exclusively over satellite services is a big boon. We are very happy that almost everyone home in the UK will be able to receive HD TV without the need for a satellite dish is good news.

What is perhaps not good news is that the vast majority of FreeView receivers, being both the set-top box variety and those tuners that are built-in to your TV, will not be capable of receiving, or at least, decoding these HD broadcasts over the FreeView service.

The press, not all of the press, but the sort of press that is aimed at the lowest common denominator, and has some ties to BSKYB (like those owned by News International, or those that broadcast their Porn channels on Sky), have decided to call foul on this limitation found within the vast majority FreeView tuners.

The theme that most of these news articles follow is consumers are being deceived, no conned, when they are sold an HD-Ready, or Full HD capable TV without the ability to tune in and decode these HD broadcasts. Not 5 minutes after FreeView made the announcement that they will begin HD broadcasts in 2010, did the alarmist and techno-ignorant press jump on the caveat emptor bandwagon stating that if you buy a TV set today, you will not be able to receieve HD TV. Surely the consumer will expect to be able to receive HD broadcasts out of the box, especially when their TV set has an ‘HD-Ready’ logo sticker on it?

I would agree that it is a realistic expectation for consumers to expect to receive HD TV from their TV set, but the reality is that out-of-the-box, almost all TV sets require some sort of additional hardware to in order to watch HD pictures. Think about it… if you want:

• High definition films, your DVD player will not cut the mustard; you need to get yourself a blu-ray player; and yes… blu-ray movies to play on the blu-ray player. These players can play DVD’s, so this does not mean you have to chuck away you entire DVD collection, but it does mean that these discs are standard definition, and whilst your player, TV or AV receiver may be able to upscale the standard definition picture to a high-definition picture (like 1080p), the source still remains standard definition
• HD TV, you need a HD TV service. TV’s that have FreeSAT tuners are capable of receiving HD TV broadcasts through a satellite dish, but more often than not those consumer who are serious about receiving HD TV will subscribe to a pay-TV service like SKY HD or Virgin HD; this will enable them to receive more channels than the standard FreeSAT offerings. This is my biggest suspicion as to who’s agenda is being circulated around the press… the press is stating you will need to buy a new HD FreeView receiver in order to receive the FreeView HD broadcasts, but none of saying that the same applies to existing SKY and Virgin Media subscribers too. If you are a SKY subscriber, and you purchase an HD ready TV, it does not mean you will receive HD TV. Only once you have ordered this service, had a new box installed (which does carry an installation cost) and subscribed to a HD TV package, which costs more than a standard SKY/Virgin subscription, will your HD Ready TV show off its capabilities. The FreeView HD service will incur a once-off cost for the purchase of a HD capable receiver, and these are very modestly priced, some cost as much as the installation costs of the pay-TV services, or a modest £140 will get you a HD capable PVR.
• Games consoles: Nintendo Wii does not display HD, Xbox 360 and PS3 games consoles do, all you need to purchase is an HDMI cable… the PS3 has the added bonus of being able to play blu-ray movies
• Audio: Most older AV receivers are not capable of decoding the newer high-definition audio soundtracks found on newer blu-ray moview releases, meaning that for those who really love their home surround sound will likely need to purchase new kit here… again the press has nothing to say about this, this of course is merely the advancement of technology; why is the announcement of FeeView HD any different?

Consumers should not confuse the the ‘HD Ready’ moniker as being description of the capabilities of the TV tuner, no more than you can expect to view HD using a standard SKY receiver, Virgin Media cable box, DVD player, video machine or games console, unless these devices are HD capable themselves.

Quite simply there are no HD channels at the present time being broadcast on terrestrial services, so how on earth can TV manufacturers be realistically be expected to have this capability ready, this is also a very recent announcement by the FreeView group, and thus manufacturers will need to ‘catch-up’ with this announcement to their commitment to the broadcast of HD TV.

A set that is ‘HD ready’ has nothing to do with what TV signals it is capable of receiving and displaying, it merely describes the maximum level of resolution, or detail the TV is capable of displaying; this does not mean the TV set is magically going to be able to take a lower resolution (standard definition) picture and magically convert it into anything better than what it receives in the first place.

What the press are also failing to mention is that the announcement of the FreeView HD services, due for launch in 2010, is actually an outstanding technical achievement. They have developed a technology that was first launched as the doomed ITV Digital service, a service that is well over 10 years old (and its technology equally old) into something that was initially thought to be impossible to achieve. Yes, they have made a technological achievement that means if you want these new features, you will have to upgrade your existing set-top box, or simply be patient and wait for the TV manufacturers to announce when their TV sets will be capable of receiving Terrestrial Digital HD TV. Buy a TV set today, you will most definitely need new hardware only if you want FreeView HD, otherwise you can continue using FreeView unhindered without any changes required to your TV or set-top box. You can even have HD TV today if you opt for FreeSAT (available on Panasonic TV’s), or you can wait for the TV manufacturers to catch-up and develop tuners that will take advantage of this very positive announcement.

Remember, whenever a new innovation and positive announcement is made in the TV broadcast arena, and this is quickly slagged off by the press, always question what the true motives are… more often than not it will be something that threatens someone’s comfortable and unchallenged position in the TV market, and will bring about some healthy competition.