It makes sense comparing Yamaha RX-V4A vs Yamaha RX-V485 because they both are able to give some premium features.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Yamaha RX-V4A has 5.2 versus 5.1 for Yamaha RX-V485. Regarding power, then RX-V4A has such a W/Ohm ratio - 80/6 when RX-V485 has a power of 80/8, 145/6. The THD is 0.06% for the RX-V4A but 0.09% for the RX-V485. Both the RX-V4A and the RX-V485 support Bi-amping. 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 Apple Music service is implemented on considered devices: AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The RX-V4A can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Qobuz, and the RX-V485 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM.
Both AV receivers support HDR10 technology (High dynamic range). 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.
Each receiver has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. HDMI eARC is available in each model. 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 2.3. Receivers do not have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. Supported voice control technologies are identical - Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both RX-V4A and RX-V485 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.