Yamaha RX-V685 Review (7.2 CH 4K AV Receiver)
Yamaha RX-V685
Pros
- Best-in Class Sound
- DTS:X & Dolby Atmos Enabled
- Wireless Streaming
Cons
- May Struggle in Oversized Rooms
The Yamaha RX-V685 Gets the pedigree Being one of Yamaha’s mid-tier recipients, the 685 does not have the attributes along with the unbridled power the amps at Yamaha RX-V685 Aventage lineup have, nevertheless it will provide a considerable upgrade over their entry amps such as the Yamaha RX-V385.
Let us be fair, most AV receivers will not be in line to get a design award along the Yamaha 685 is not any different. The 685 is the basic black rectangular box with a couple of shiny knobs and buttons adorning the front. All-in-all it is not much to check at, but it is possible to say that about most AV receivers.
Design of Yamaha RX-V685
It’s the normal complement of presses which you would expect including a couple of analog, analog, and electronic. The receiver also comes with a dedicated phono output to be used with a turntable. It ends up the 685 can also be fairly convenient when it comes to double room installments.
The amp includes a 2nd HDMI output which allows you to view identical articles on two distinct TVs simultaneously. The 685 additionally has hook-ups to get a committed zone two-speaker setup which lets you listen to stereo audio in another room. The largest drawback to this is that you find yourself losing the usage of both surround speakers in the primary room.
Not a massive deal, but something you will want to know about. While we are talking about surround speakers, I wish to chat about MusicCast a bit. Sonos burst on the scene using multi-room sound and it has not taken other technology firms long to catch up. In case you’ve got a set of MusicCast speakers like.
the MusicCast 20 or even MusicCast 50, you can blast music into some portion of your home which essentially offers you a whole-house sound system. The fun does not end there. If you are like me and you are sick and tired of how cable runs on your surround speakers, then you may use some of those MusicCast speakers since your surround speakers consequently, eliminating some of your cable clutter.
Audio Quality of Yamaha RX-V685
Speaking of wireless sound, the Yamaha RX-V685 Incorporates built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. WiFi provides you the capability to stream music wirelessly in case you’ve got a networked attached storage device. Bluetooth on the Sky works both ways. You can’t just send Bluetooth sound to the recipient, but you could also stream music from the receiver into a compatible Bluetooth device like a set of cans.
Since almost every TV sold now touts 4K resolution it is only natural that you’ve got an AV receiver that fits. Yamaha RX-V685 and Marantz are often at the forefront of accepting fresh sound formats, so when Dolby Atmos and DTS:X moved mainstream, they had been among the earliest AV manufacturers to embrace the newest formats.
Originally, the two formats have been relegated into top-tier amps, but lately, it is trickled down into midsize receivers such as the Yamaha RX-V685. Dolby Atmos and DTS:X have been made to provide an immersive”3D-like” sound experience. Both formats enable sound designers to orient sound in 3D space by using overhead speakers or specially designed speakers which bounce sound off the ceiling and down to your listening place.
Installation of Yamaha RX-V685
As is true with the majority of AV receivers, obtaining the 685 up and functioning does not take too much time. Should you encounter a problem, Yamaha RX-V685 provides an AV installation guide that is on the majority of tablets which you may use to acquire the receiver ready to go.
Among the first things, you will want to do is calibrate your system. Constructed to almost every recent Yamaha amp is the proprietary YPAO calibration bundle. Based on the accumulated information, the Yamaha RX-V685 will place the proper speaker crossovers and distances. In my instance, YPAO put my fronts to complete selection. The 685 didn’t disappoint.
The moment the powerful lizard appeared on display the 685 stunned my subwoofer into life. The Atmos monitor was equally tall and broad with audio panning around the space treating me into a real 3D sound experience. When King Ghidorah and Rodan take flight both titanic creatures apparently zoom overhead with the assistance of this Atmos soundtrack. In general, I walked away quite impressed.
While the onscreen action kept my focus front and center, the Yamaha RX-V685 made a blanket of neighboring noises that surrounded me. For songs, the Yamaha RX-V685 is almost as skillful. The receiver’s abundant treble and mid-range reaction supposed vocals were sharp and clear. The recipient is not as skillful as a committed stereo amp, but it may definitely hold its own.
Input / Ports
The Yamaha RX-V685 checks off all of the boxes, its great connectivity, a fantastic feature set, and also, above all, its excellent audio quality. It does not have the brute power of recipients in the Aventage lineup, but it’s an agile and true performer. The most important thing is that if you are in the market for a brand new cheap AV receiver, then this amp must be on your radar.
Yamaha RX-V685 has earned high accolades because of its organic audio quality that it gets from its exceptionally engineered audio-video recipients, and through the years this identifying high quality of pure noise has squeezed down into reduced cost ranges.
The Yamaha RX-V685 is a good instance of a superb upper-mid-fi AVR which comes packed with a few of the most up-to-date and most compelling characteristics while managing to continue to the organization’s traditional high-end texture, even in what we believe to be a value price point.
As a newly reduced $549.95 option from the Yamaha RX-V AV receiver collection, the RX-V685 stands on the very top of its scope, before continuing to Yamaha’s higher-end Aventage AVR lineup. This device may lack a few of their flair and luxury elements of the Aventage versions, but it nonetheless provides a sizable punch with this price category.
The general performance is assisted significantly by the organization’s excellent selection of DSP surround sound-shaping tools and service for lots of the most recent theatrical surround audio features such as Dolby Atmos/DTS:X object-based audio partitioning. In cases like this, that the object-based sound output is restricted to just a 5.1.2-channel (two leading elevation stations ) speaker installation.
OS/ Apps / Features of Yamaha RX-V685
The receiver delivers another zone for listening in places beyond the primary zone. Also offered is a 12-volt cause for much more ambitious home installments. If 3D surround audio isn’t required, the recipient may be configured to output a 7.2-channel surround with no existence stations.
Yamaha RX-V685 also contains a wonderful array of wireless connectivity options, such as support for the well-regarded MusicCast wireless multi-room sound platform which enables connectivity using mobile devices via a free control program. Additionally, it enables distributing music wirelessly throughout the home to MusicCast-compatible speakers and network elements.
A useful additional advantage of MusicCast from the Yamaha RX-V685 is your choice to join a set of Yamaha RX-V685 MusicCast wireless speakers to function as the surround channels.
This gets around the need to conduct long cable runs which may occasionally be difficult to conceal. Moreover, the V685 incorporates Amazon Alexa voice-assistant management throughout the MusicCast platform. The connectors will even support until the BT.2020 broad color gamut when it gets here at a user TV.
Another significant plus is how the V685, such as other Yamaha RX-V685 AVR versions, is expected to have a firmware upgrade bringing assistance for the new improved Audio Yield Channel (eARC) jack, that will enable linking a 4K as well as 8K video part to the tv and directing out the audio to the receiver within the eARC port. This ought to provide more flexibility when preventing the danger of rapid obsolescence using 8K movies on the horizon.
Performance of Yamaha RX-V685
Even though the receiver will not accommodate the entire HDMI 2.1 specification (that was still anticipating compliance testing and silicon because it was written), Yamaha RX-V685 stated the RX-V685 will be firmware upgradeable to support possibly the most crucial attribute HDMI 2.1 provides — improved Audio Yield Channel (eARC).
Regrettably, this did not arrive in time for us to check it The eARC attribute offers considerably greater bandwidth compared to the previous ARC version, raising from 1-3 Mbps in regular ARC into 37 Mbps. This will be enough to send 7.1-channel to encircle and lossless HD sound formats such as Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio, together with object-based surround audio info. Additionally, it will offer you a brand new Lip Sync Correction method to make sure pictures and sound always fit.
Additionally gone in eARC is going to be the hassle of this HDMI CEC (control protocol), which has been famously debatable for incompatibility problems between different brands and devices.
Rather, eARC provides its own dedicated information channel to assist connected devices in better trading data back and forth. Connected products will immediately understand one another’s abilities and limitations and are going to have the ability to pass across the right sign and protocols with no hiccups.
Yamaha RX-V685 seems much like each other Yamaha RX-V685 version, especially the RX-V683. It is a rectangular metal box that’s black in color with a brushed metal appearance. The display screen is large enough to see from several feet away and can be light blue and crimson in color.
I am still waiting for somebody to develop a cylinder or possibly a triangular-shaped receiver to change this up a little. I doubt will utilize those very small buttons on the front since the remote is much more than competent. The cover of the device is totally insulated from front to rear to keep the cool air.
Feature Highlights of Yamaha RX-V685
Meanwhile, the rear of the receiver includes a slew of relations, including two HDMI outs and 5 HDMI input signals. There are seven different sound options also, including two-wheeled, and three RCA hookups. There is also a part video choice and RCA video choice together with AM/FM input signals. Two-zone pre-outs along with a subwoofer pre-out around out the back of the receiver, minus the Ethernet jack and speaker cable hookups, which include up to nine distinct speakers. A nice number of choices when I say so myself.
Setting this receiver up is rather easy as it’s an auto-setup and space equalizer that can automatically configure your machine given what sort of speakers you’ve got and how big your room is. This procedure works via an integrated mic that pops up into the receiver and also collects all your EQ, speaker, and space size information for the best sound, such as your own sub. Once the installation is launched, you are going to notice a string of noises from every speaker. All of it takes a few moments to do. Next, you may select to correct each speaker volume manually when desired… and then you are all set to rock roll.
Conclusion
You will find fifty-two buttons on your recipient’s amazing remote that feels and seems exceptionally pricey. It is thick and contains a rubber texture on the surface and metal feet on the floor. Regrettably, there are no LED lights to liven the remote up in a darkened room.
Last, this receiver features Yamaha RX-V685’s famous MusicCast program, which means that you can hook up wireless tablet computers, phones, and speakers on it and play with your favorite music on many different platforms such as AirPlay and Bluetooth. And if this was not enough, you could also hook this up to an Amazon Alexa apparatus for voice command, which can be quite cool.
