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Yamaha Bows New A/V Receiver Line Featuring 4K, HDMI 2.0 and Dolby Atmos Support

By Rachel Cericola

Just in case you can't wait to purchase one of the new Dolby Atmos-capable receivers coming later this year, Yamaha Electronics is actually making a few options available this summer. The company just announced a total of five new receivers for its AVENTAGE line, two of which will have the power of Dolby Atmos.

Dolby Atmos allows listeners to experience multi-directional sound, even from above. The technology was previously limited to movie theaters. However, both Dolby and a variety of manufacturers are also planning to put the technology into a slew of newly announced home theater products.

Now, it's important to note that these two receivers won't have Atmos powers right out of the package. Even though both will start selling in August, the firmware upgrade that will give the RX-A3040 and the RX-A2040 that type of support will be made available sometime this fall.

Until then, you'll just have to enjoy the HDMI 2.0 support and the many wireless streaming options that each of those AVRs will be able to deliver.

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All five of the receivers in the 2014 AVENTAGE lineup will ship this summer.

Actually, all five of the new receivers come packing HDMI 2.0, which means that each one of these components can handle 4K content and provide video upconversion to 4K 60p. The new lineup also includes AirPlay for wireless streaming from iOS devices and iTunes, as well as direct access to Pandora, Spotify Connect, Rhapsody, SiriusXM and vTuner out of the box.

If you're having problems with speaker placement, these new components do have Yamaha's Virtual CINEMA FRONT technology. This allows you to place speakers at the front of the listening area and still get that surround sound effect. Each one also works with the latest Yamaha AV Controller app for iOS and Android devices.

Besides the upcoming support for Dolby Atmos, the 9.2-channel RX-A3040 stands out for a variety of other features. It has the ability to expand up to 11.2 channels and has Yamaha's own CINEMA DSP HD technology, an ESS Technology 192 kHz/32-bit ES9016 DAC for the seven main channels, and an ESS ES9006 SABRE Premier Audio DAC for the others. Other perks include HDMI multi-zone switching and the YPAO - R.S.C. (Reflected Sound Control) with 3D calibration system.

The 9.2-channel RX-A2040 will also be eligible for the Dolby Atmos upgrade and comes with that HDMI multi-zone switching feature and the YPAO - R.S.C. with multipoint measurement. However, this model has two ESS ES9006 SABRE Premier Audio DACs.

Although they won't be able to support Dolby Atmos, the 7.2-channel RX-A1040 does come with one ESS ES9006 SABRE Premier Audio DAC, with the YPAO - R.S.C. with multipoint measurement feature and HDMI zone switching that allows users to have the same or different HDMI sources in two rooms at the same time. The 7.2-channel RX-A840 also has the YPAO - R.S.C. with multipoint measurement, while the RX-A740 gets YPAO with R.S.C.

Yamaha will start shipping the latest from the AVENTAGE line with the RX-A740. That's coming later this month, with a $699.95 MSRP. The RX-A840 and the RX-A1040 will ship in July, priced at $899.95 and $1,199.95, respectively. And finally, the RX-A2040 and the RX-A3040 are coming in August with $1,699.95 and $2,199.95 price tags.

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The 9.2-channel RX-A3040 can expand up to 11.2 channels and has 4K Ultra HD 50/60p support.

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