AV Receiver Reviews

Five channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1% distortion at 65.8 watts
1% distortion at 67.9 watts

Seven channels driven continuously into 8-ohm loads:
0.1% distortion at 39.5 watts
1% distortion at 38.1 watts

Analog frequency response in Pure Audio mode:
–0.08 dB at 10 Hz
–0.04 dB at 20 Hz
–0.00 dB at 20 kHz
–3.00 dB at 50 kHz

Analog frequency response with stereo signal processing:
+0.10 dB at 10 Hz
+0.02 dB at 20 Hz
–0.38 dB at 20 kHz
–59.85 dB at 50 kHz

This graph shows that the R-972’s left channel, from CD input to speaker output with two channels driving 8-ohm loads, reaches 0.1 percent distortion at 99.9 watts and 11 percent distortion at 121.8 watts. Into 4 ohms, the amplifier reaches 0.11 percent distortion at 163.6 watts and 11 percent distortion at 187.9 watts.

Response from the multichannel input to the speaker output measures –0.09 decibels at 10 hertz, –0.04 dB at 20 Hz, –0.05 dB at 20 kilohertz, and –3.07 dB at 50 kHz. THD+N from the CD input to the speaker output was less than 0.0321 percent at 1 kHz when driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load. Crosstalk at 1 kHz driving 2.83 volts into an 8-ohm load was –78.21 dB left to right and –82.15 dB right to left. The signal-to-noise ratio with 2.83 volts driving an 8-ohm load from 10 Hz to 24 kHz with “A” weighting was –93.82 dBrA.

From the Dolby Digital input to the loudspeaker output, the left channel measures +0.07 dB at 20 Hz and –0.23 dB at 20 kHz. The center channel mea- sures +0.07 dB at 20 Hz and –0.30 dB at 20 kHz, and the left surround channel measures +0.06 dB at 20 Hz and +0.02 dB at 20 kHz. From the Dolby Digital input to the line-level output, the LFE channel is +0.04 dB at 20 Hz when referenced to the level at 40 Hz and reaches the upper 3-dB down point at 110 Hz and the upper 6-dB down point at 118 Hz.—MJP