AV Receiver Reviews

The main L/R channels each have two speaker outputs wired in parallel; the second pair can be used for stereo speakers in another area, such as a patio. If both outputs are connected to speakers of equal impedance, the total impedance seen by that channel is cut in half. As a result, all four main speakers draw at least 50-60% more power from their amplifier channels, but the other channels are not affected because of the amp section's discrete design.

Like most modern, high-end A/V receivers, the Rx-Z1 provides all the expected 5.1 and 6.1 surround formats (12 in all), and then some. You can assign a particular format to each input, or the receiver can automatically engage the format that matches the incoming signal. In addition to Dolby Digital, DTS, and their variations, there are 42 DSP programs that simulate different acoustic environments. These programs are divided into two groups: Music and Cinema. In addition, some DSP programs offer several variations, and each program has several parameters that let the user fine-tune the sound.

While you can listen to Dolby Digital, DTS, Pro Logic, and Pro Logic II unaltered, they can also be supplemented by a feature Yamaha calls Cinema DSP. Designed to simulate the surround system of a commercial theater in which many surround speakers line the walls, it comes in two flavors: Tri-Field and Quad-Field. Tri-Field corresponds to 5.1, with three overlapping soundfields created by the DSP circuitry: front, right rear, and left rear. In the front soundfield, dialogue is placed closest to the listener, with effects behind that and music farthest away. This sense of depth can be enhanced with two front effects speakers, but if they're not present, their signals are mixed into the main L/R speakers. The two rear soundfields are formed by the front effects speakers (or main L/R if there are no front effects speakers) and rear speakers on each side of the room. Quad-Field adds a rear-center soundfield directly behind the listener in a 6.1 configuration. If your system has only two speakers, Virtual Cinema DSP simulates a complete surround experience using psychoacoustic principles. There's also a Silent Cinema DSP mode, which simulates a surround soundfield in stereo headphones.

Bass management is adequate but not extensive. The crossover is fixed at 90Hz, and there are four Large/Small speaker settings: Main L/R, Front Center, Real L/R, and Rear Center. The LFE channel (and redirected bass from channels designated Small) can be sent to the sub or main L/R speakers, as determined by the LFE/Bass Out parameter.

LFE/Bass Out also has a somewhat confusing third setting, called Both; according to the manual, this setting mixes the low frequencies from the main channels with the LFE channel and sends them all to the sub. However, the manual doesn't make it clear that if a speaker is designated Large and the LFE/Bass Out parameter is set to Both, the low frequencies in the corresponding channel are sent to the sub and the speaker; if the speaker is designated Small, the low frequencies in that channel are sent only to the sub. In either case, the LFE channel is sent to the sub alone (unless there is no sub in the system, in which case the LFE channel is sent to the main L/R speakers). A Bass Extension switch boosts the low end (centered on 60Hz) by 6dB, dropping off by 12dB/octave below 50Hz.

Among the many global setup parameters are 5-band graphic equalizers for the front and rear center channels, which are provided to timbre-match these speakers to the main L/R and rear surrounds for those adding a center speaker to an existing stereo setup. A benefit of these EQs is the ability to maximize dialogue intelligibility with them.

Cinema EQ which provides four sets of equalizer controls for the front L/C/R, rear L/R, rear center, and front effects L/R. Each set includes a highpass-shelving and 1-band parametric EQ, both of which have user-definable frequency and gain. This lets you timbre-match your speakers with exceptional precision, which is especially important if they are not a matched set.

Setup
Connecting components and speakers to the Rx-Z1 was straightforward, thanks to the rear panel's logical layout. However, navigating the setup menu was less clear. The Set Menu page on the remote displays a 4-way cursor-navigation cluster; the Up and Down buttons enter the menu and select items on five onscreen pages, and the + and - buttons enter the selected item and change its value. In many cases, a particular item might have subpages, accessible with the Up and Down buttons. Most frustrating, the only way to exit any menu level is to scroll past the top or bottom of the level, which takes you to the next level up. There is no way to directly exit the menu system, which is bogus.

When you first power up the Rx-Z1 the speaker outputs all default to their On and Large settings (except both pairs of main L/R outputs, which are disabled), and the LFE/Bass Out parameter defaults to Both. I have a 5.1 speaker system, so I enabled the main L/R outputs I was using and disabled the rear center and front effects speakers. Also, I prefer to send the main-channel bass to the sub, so I designated all speakers as Small and set the LFE/Bass Out to Subwoofer.

As usual, individual speaker levels are set while the receiver plays a rotating test tone, which sounds through each channel for 2.5 seconds unless you adjust the level of that speaker, in which case the tone stays there until the adjustment is complete. I found this a bit tricky to manage; I'd have much preferred a way to manually move the tone from one speaker to the next. The main L/R speaker levels are not adjustable (except for a -10dB pad that can be engaged if desired); all other levels are adjusted relative to the main L/R channels.

The subwoofer is not included in the test-tone rotation. Instead, you adjust its own internal level control by comparing its output by ear to the output of any main speaker you select while both play a narrowband test tone centered on a user-selectable frequency from 35 to 250Hz. This is quite flexible, but there's no way to adjust the receiver's sub-output level while the low-frequency test tone is playing, even though there are two places in the control structure where you can change that level: the LFE Level page in the Setup menu and the Subwoofer Level control in the Effects parameters. I wish the Rx-Z1's subwoofer level were integrated with the other speakers' controls.