Marantz NR1609 vs Yamaha RX-V4A comparison definitely makes sense.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Marantz NR1609 has 7.2 versus 5.2 for Yamaha RX-V4A. Regarding power, then NR1609 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 50/8, 70/6 when RX-V4A has a power of 80/6. The THD is 0.08% for the NR1609 but 0.06% for the RX-V4A. Both the NR1609 and the RX-V4A support Bi-amping. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.
WI-FI modules have the same characteristics: 2.4/5GHz. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Apple Music service is implemented on considered devices: AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The NR1609 can work with the audio stream from Deezer, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and the RX-V4A can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Qobuz. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. Both rivals can scale the resolution of the incoming HDMI signal. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.
The Marantz NR1609 has 8/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Yamaha RX-V4A. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the RX-V4A. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The NR1609 supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.2, versus HDCP 2.3 in the RX-V4A. The NR1609 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. The NR1609 supports voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI, and the RX-V4A - Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both NR1609 and RX-V4A can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Only the NR1609 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the NR1609.