The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Yamaha RX-V581 vs Yamaha RX-V485BL 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-V581 has 7.2 versus 5.1 for Yamaha RX-V485BL. Regarding power, then RX-V581 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 115/6 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, Burr-Brown 192 KHz/24-bit for RX-V581 and Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit for the RX-V485BL. Both the RX-V581 and the RX-V485BL 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 Yamaha RX-V581 has support for AirPlay, and its competitor in our comparison - AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. 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-V581. Dolby Vision technology found support only on the RX-V485BL.
Each receiver has 4/1 HDMI inputs/outputs. 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.
Each of the AV receivers from our review supports 2 Multi-room zones. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both RX-V581 and RX-V485BL can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Only the RX-V581 has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the RX-V581.