The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A1080 vs Sony STR-ZA2100ES that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
Considered AV receivers have the same number of channels 7.2. Regarding power, then AVENTAGE RX-A1080 has such a W/Ohm ratio - 110/8, 170/4 when STR-ZA2100ES has a power of 75/8, 95/6. The THD is 0.06% for the AVENTAGE RX-A1080 but 0.09% for the STR-ZA2100ES. Both the AVENTAGE RX-A1080 and the STR-ZA2100ES 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. Only the AVENTAGE RX-A1080 supports Spotify.
Both AV receivers support HDR10 technology (High dynamic range). 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. Both rivals can scale the resolution of the incoming HDMI signal. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.
The Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A1080 has 8/3 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 6/2 HDMI connectors of the Sony STR-ZA2100ES. 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 2.2. The AVENTAGE RX-A1080 has a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player.
Each of the AV receivers from our review supports 2 Multi-room zones. An ECO mode is only available for the AVENTAGE RX-A1080. Both AVENTAGE RX-A1080 and STR-ZA2100ES can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Both devices have support for Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format. The surround sound technology DTS:X is supported by devices under review.