For those high-end home theatre nuts out there (you know who you are) who were lusting after Yamaha's 11.2 channel RX-Z11 audio receiver but lacked the funding to add it to your movie den, Yammy has an early Christmas present for you.

Their new RX-Z7 draws inspiration from the flagship Z11, from its design to its feature set. There are five Version 1.3 HDMI inputs and dual HDMI outputs (for those of you with both a TV and a projector), and it will decode all those fancy new lossless audio codecs as well.

Previous Yamaha receiver users will be enamoured by the new GUI menu for customising settings on your screen, while the ethernet port means that you can now control your receiver over your home network on PDA devices or your iPhone.

There are countless, audio enhancement settings and multi-room settings, which you will probably never explore unless you're one of those people we were talking about before. It's also a green little receiver (or as green as receivers can be), consuming just 0.1 watts of energy when in standby.

It'll hit shelves in November for an RRP of $3,999, which includes Yamaha's YDS-11 iPod dock.

[YamahaMusic]

Once again Onkyo has delivered gadget porn in receiver form—two THX Ultra2 Plus certified 7.1 channel A/V receivers to be exact. The TX-SR876 and TX-NR906 both provide high quality HDMI repeaters, Audyssey's new Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume tech, HD Radio, 140 and 145 watts per channel (respectively), badass HQV Reon-VX video upscaling to 1080p and new THX Loudness Plus processing. The NR906 will also give you portable digital audio device support as well as streaming audio via a rear panel Ethernet port. The TX-SR876 and the TX-NR906 will retail at US$1,799 and US$2,299, respectively.

Read More »

Sony's DA6400ES and DA5400ES hi-def A/V receivers won't exactly get your nerd juices (it's a thing) flowing, but if you're in the market for a high-end unit for your home entertainment system, they might be worth considering. Merging a relatively predictable feature set with newer DLNA streaming technology and an array of connection and input options, the receivers are intended to help integrate your central home entertainment system with the rest of your household media hardware, streaming files from your DLNA-compliant PC as well as sending out a second HD signal via CAT5e (ethernet cabling) so that you can distribute the system's output over your home network.

Read More »

The bottom line on the STR-DA4400ES, STR-DA3400ES and STR-DA2400ES is that they are Sony's new high end line of 7.1 receivers, outstanding for low noise, clean power, chassis dampening, 5 year warranty and high price. They all have cross media bar interfaces like the PS3. The HDMI ports also do BRAVIA control for over the wire remote of other Sony devices. The 4400 has 6 HDMI ports, does 2 video zones, 3 audio zones and picture in picture.

Read More »

Pioneer's got new Elite 7.1 receivers, the high end SC-07 and SC-05, and the lesser VSX-03TXH and VSX-01TXH. The SC-07 has a Burr Brown Sampling Rate Converter (SRC) to upscale audio to 192 kHz 24-bit res, and dual HDMI outputs for multiroom output. The SC-07 and SC-05 also work with Pioneer's new Blu-ray player to activate the "Precision Quartz Locking System (PQLS) that synchronises data between the Blu-ray Disc player and the receiver, providing listeners with the ultimate precision in CD playback." I kid you not, Pioneer is working on making CDs the yesterday technology of tomorrow! All four receivers do new lossless formats ("DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, Dolby® TrueHD and Dolby® Digital Plus" ) and room tuning.

Read More »

Onkyo's best new entry level HTiB setup has a 7.1 surround is notable for having room correction tech. I'm pretty sure its rare to find a low end system that can adjust gain and delay on all channels to calibrate itself to a room's acoustics. The receiver included is the DTS/Dolby capable HT-R560, with 3 HDMI inputs, 130 watts per channel, and is Sirius satellite ready. The set up also comes with an iPod dock and a 290-watt sub. Not bad for US$579 from a solid company like Onkyo. There are two lesser models:

Read More »

Onkyo is releasing a couple of A/V receivers next month. The 80-watt-per-channel TX-SR576 will cost US$499 and the 75-watt-per-channel TX-SR506 (above) US$379, and both include a Dynamic EQ loudness correction technology from Audyssey. Full press release after the jump.

Read More »

Sony's latest STR-DG920 receiver looks nice (it's got a similar look to my cheap-o Sony receiver in a box and other Sony receivers), but has plenty of functionality as well. There's the 7.1 channel support, 1080p + 60/24Hz, four HDMI ports (woo!), Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True HD, dts High Resolution Audio, dts HD Master Audio, xvyCC, Deep Color, Sony's Digital Media Port (networking and connectivity with iPods and other stuff), is XM Connect-and-Play ready (5.1) and has 20-30 second auto-setup. It'll be available in June for US$600.

Read More »

Yes, you read that right. The RX-Z11 features connections for 11 speakers and two subwoofers giving you surround sound for your home theatre. It's the kind of setup millionaires would enjoy. Well, at least they'd have the room for 13 speakers in their loungeroom.

The setup looks something like this: Take 7.1, add in two front "presence" speakers and two rear "presence" speakers, then add another sub, so you have "left and right" channel subs or "front and rear". Of course, subs are omni directional, so I guess it's more about showing off keeping up with the speaker output than anything else.

A few of you are probably already shaking your head, saying that there's no format that offers 11.2, and you'd be 100 per cent correct. Instead, it uses Yamaha's own DSP technology to create virtual surround from a 5.1 or 7.1 signal. It creates a 360 degree music atmosphere that not only gives audio from around you, but also above and below you as well.

Does it work? Initial verdict after the jump...

Read More »

Samsung announced the launch of their new AV-R720 receiver that will be on display at this year's IFA Expo. In addition to its 850 watts of juice, the receiver boasts 1080p support, 7.1 audio, 2 HDMI in/out jacks, along with the standard fare of component, composite and coaxial inputs. There is no photo as of yet, but above is how the HT-AS720 looks. The receiver is exclusive to Germany for now, and costs 659 Euros. [Samsung]