An affordable AV receiver is always a good option to consider, so Yamaha RX-V385BL vs Yamaha RX-V475 comparison definitely makes sense.
Considered AV receivers have the same number of channels 5.1. Regarding power, then RX-V385BL has such a W/Ohm ratio - 70/8, 145/6 when RX-V475 has a power of 80/6. The THD is the same and is 0.09%.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for RX-V385BL and Burr-Brown 192 KHz/24-bit for the RX-V475. None of the models support Bi-amping. The Yamaha RX-V475 can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing.
Both models do not have WI-FI support. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. Only the RX-V475 supports Spotify. Compared AV receivers retain the quality of 4K/60Hz signal when transmitting from a source to a TV or projector. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. The RX-V385BL can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the RX-V475. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the RX-V385BL.
The Yamaha RX-V385BL has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 5/1 HDMI connectors of the Yamaha RX-V475. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the RX-V385BL. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The RX-V385BL supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.3, versus HDCP 2.2 in the RX-V475. Receivers do not have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. A voice control is not available. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Unfortunately, the setup assistant is not available in each of the models.
None of the rivals equipped with Dolby Atmos multichannel audio decoder. The receivers do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X.