The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Yamaha RX-V4A vs Denon DRA-900H that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Yamaha RX-V4A has 5.2 versus 2.2 for Denon DRA-900H. Regarding power, then RX-V4A has such a W/Ohm ratio - 80/6 when DRA-900H has a power of 100/8, 120/6. The THD is 0.06% for the RX-V4A but 0.08% for the DRA-900H. Only the RX-V4A supports Bi-amping feature. 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 RX-V4A can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Qobuz, and the DRA-900H can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Napster, SoundCloud, Amazon Music, Amazon Music HD, MOOD:Mix.
Compared AV receivers retain the quality of 4K/120Hz signal when transmitting from a source to a TV or projector. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. Both rivals can scale the resolution of the incoming HDMI signal. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the RX-V4A.
The Yamaha RX-V4A has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 6/1 HDMI connectors of the Denon DRA-900H. 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. The DRA-900H has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. The RX-V4A supports voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, and the DRA-900H - Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both RX-V4A and DRA-900H 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.