The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Yamaha RX-V479BL vs Yamaha RX-V485BL that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
Considered AV receivers have the same number of channels 5.1. Regarding power, then RX-V479BL has such a W/Ohm ratio - 80/8 when RX-V485BL has a power of 80/6. The THD is the same and is 0.09%.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, 192 KHz/24-bit for RX-V479BL and Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for the RX-V485BL. Only the RX-V485BL supports Bi-amping feature. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Yamaha RX-V479BL has support for AirPlay, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Only the RX-V485BL 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-V485BL can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the RX-V479BL. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the RX-V485BL.
The Yamaha RX-V479BL has 6/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 4/1 HDMI connectors of the Yamaha RX-V485BL. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. The HDMI eARC is available only on the RX-V485BL. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. Both models support the standard HDCP 2.2. Receivers do not have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both RX-V479BL and RX-V485BL can be configured using the Setup assistant.
None of the rivals equipped with Dolby Atmos multichannel audio decoder. The receivers do not support the surround sound technology DTS:X.