Yamaha Aventage RX-A1080

Compared with the category winner opposite, the RX-A1080 has seven rather than nine channels, each rated at 110W rather than 150W, and a lower level of ESS Sabre DAC for the audio conversion (but hey, still ESS Sabre). There are a few more limitations on its video processing (such as resolution changes when invoking menus over scaled video). But with its lower price of $2099, it makes a strong case for those who don’t need quite the power or flexibility offered by the top-level integrated Aventage. Nine sets of binding posts allow useful flexibility in setting up different ‘Scenes’ to switch between, there’s still Alexa compatbility and Yamaha’s MusicCast multiroom streaming platform to play with. Its high-res audio abilities are impressive.

So if you only want seven channels of power, you’ve got some weighing up to do before deciding whether to save yourself a sweet $900. We very much doubt you’ll be disappointed with the overall performance here.

More info: au.yamaha.com

JUDGES’ COMMENT “Seven channels plus the versatility of Scene switching and MusicCast make this a contender.”