Yamaha Amplifier RX-A550

The AVENTAGE line of high-performance AV receivers is based on the audio design concept of providing a massive, full-bodied sound for movie sound effects and the accurate reproduction of music sources. By expertly harmonizing traditional and advanced technologies, every factor that affects sound quality, from materials and parts to construction, layout, vibration damping (unique foot) and “fine-tuning” the sound, is handled with no other thought than to achieve the best possible audio quality. As a result, every AVENTAGE model has the ability to reproduce the most subtle details of high-definition sound, so that listeners can enjoy a truly high-class sound studio experience at home.

The Anti-Resonance Technology Wedge is a fifth foot in the center of the unit. It dampens vibrations from the power transformer, power transistors and heat sinks, as well as vibrations that might be caused by the sound from the speakers.

All of the AVENTAGE components feature the same sleek, clean design, with an elegant aluminum front panel and silky touch volume/selector knobs. The aluminum front panel is used to effectively shield sensitive circuitry from external noise and electronic radiation generated by dimmer switches, fluorescent lighting, video monitors and so on. This ensures optimum sonic performance in the widest range of installation environments.

MusicCast makes it easy to bring music to every room in your home wirelessly with playback controlled by a simple app. Start with a MusicCast capable AV receiver in your main entertainment room for the ultimate home theater experience, then add MusicCast speakers, sound bars or Hi-Fi components in other rooms wirelessly.

MusicCast allows you to access your digital music library, streaming music services and Internet radio, as well as Bluetooth® sources, your TV sound and external sources attached to your AV receiver, such as a Blu-ray disc player or CD player.

The RX-A550 is equipped with Bluetooth® functionality to let you easily enjoy wireless music playback from smartphones and other devices. The Compressed Music Enhancer from Yamaha is now optimized for Bluetooth audio transmissions to ensure that your music will have vivid, lively sound quality during wireless playback.

This unit supports the latest HDMI standards thanks to the transmission of 4K video at 60 frames per second (pass-through only). Fully enjoy the high definition video quality of 4K without degradation along with HDCP 2.2 that fully complies with the latest copyright protection, a standard for 4K video transmission.

The RX-A550 supports 3D video signals. Additionally, the Audio Return Channel function enables audio to be sent and received via the same HDMI cable, so you can hear the sound from the TV via a single HDMI cable.

Another benefit of HDMI is the availability of CEC functionality. When the unit is connected to a CEC compatible TV, the receiver will turn on and off together with the TV and you can use the TV remote to control the volume. CEC also provides advanced functionality with other components. For example, you can use the receiver’s remote control to command source players with functions like skip, play and pause. 

*All connected devices must be HDMI CEC compatible. Some CEC compatible 
TVs / players may not work.

This AV receiver provides a variety of network functions that enable you to access more sources and also enhance operation. You can connect the AV receiver to a Mac® or PC with WebBrowser Control and have two way control of Internet radio, Pandora® and Spotify. The AV Controller App (from iTunes® or Google Play) lets you control various functions from your iPod®, iPhone®, iPad® or Android™ phones / tablets.

Built-in Wi-Fi allows for a wireless connection with your wireless router, greatly simplifying system connections for enjoying networked audio (PC / NAS) and music streaming services. If a Wi-Fi router is not available, the unique Wireless Direct feature not only allows you to stream music directly from your smartphone or tablet via the AV Controller App, AirPlay® etc., but also allows for control of the AV receiver as well.

This AV receiver supports AirPlay, which means they can accept wireless music streaming from iPod touch®, iPhone®, iPad®, as well as from iTunes® on a Mac® or PC. This makes it easy to enjoy music from your mobile devices or computer at your home theater system. You can view metadata such as song title, artist name as well as album art inside the receiver's on-screen display.

With the Spotify app on your smartphone, you have instant access to millions of songs. Now you can stream those songs to your networked Yamaha AV receiver by using Spotify Connect. Just hit play to start streaming music. When you listen to Spotify outside on your smartphone or tablet and come inside, the song immediately streams to your Yamaha AV receiver allowing no interruption to your music playback. You can also personalize playlists and receive phone calls while listening to music on Spotify. 

The Spotify app and premium account are required. Visit www.spotify.com for more details. 

Try Spotify Premium for free on your Yamaha home entertainment system for 30 days. http://spotify.com/yamaha

This AV receiver is compatible with many audio formats such as Dolby® True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio™. It is also compatible with high-resolution audio codecs such as DSD / AIFF / FLAC / WAV / Apple® Lossless. You will enjoy the excellent sound quality of these various high-resolution audio codecs from the USB input on the front panel or from network connected devices.

This AV receiver lets you use the Yamaha AV Controller App that is downloadable from iTunes®, Google Play or the Amazon Appstore to control the power, volume, input selections, DSP modes and much, much more from an iPhone® or Android™ device. You can also use as many as 23 different languages and customize the interface by hiding unused icons and renaming functions. A tablet version is also available.

This AV receiver is equipped with a variety of sound programs that utilize original DSP technologies from Yamaha. These sound programs allow you to easily create sound fields like actual movie theaters or concert halls in your room to enjoy natural stereoscopic sound fields. It is now possible to use the AV Controller App to adjust the DSP parameters in a basic or advanced mode to match the mood of your favorite movie or music album.

A USB port on the front panel allows convenient connection of an iPod® and iPhone®, which also charges the iOS device when connected. Because the digital signal from the iPod and iPhone is transmitted directly to the AV receiver, there is no signal-loss or interference. You get to enjoy the best possible sound quality. In addition, you can use the receiver’s remote control unit to operate the iPod and iPhone for basic playback control.

When music is encoded into a digitally compressed format like MP3, the frequency response suffers. The Compressed Music Enhancer from Yamaha employs sophisticated digital signal processing using exclusive algorithms to restore what was lost, so the music always sounds the way it should.

Many live and classical albums have no gaps in the music. Gapless playback ensures that there are no pauses between audio files. This provides playback with no interruptions, the way it was meant to be heard.

YPAO™ (Yamaha Parametric Acoustic Optimizer) analyses the rooms acoustics and measures various speaker characteristics, then calibrates the audio parameters to achieve optimum sound.

The Virtual CINEMA FRONT feature allows for more flexibility to arrange your speakers inside the room. Simply place the surround speakers in the front of the listening area to enjoy a virtual 5-channel surround sound with superior rear virtual sound localization.

This exclusive low-range enhancement technology delivers richer bass than you would expect from the speaker size while maintaining good localization and sound balance even with compact front speakers. When a subwoofer is used, it improves the volume of the entire low range of the speaker system, not only the front speakers, but also enhancing the bass from the subwoofer. You'll enjoy video and music with sound that has exceptional power and presence.

The Total Purity Concept, which Yamaha has been cultivating for many years, encompasses high drive amp technology, high purity preamplification, anti-vibration technology and independent pure power supplies. All models have fully discrete power amplifiers that help minimize distortion. They also adopt pure independent power supplies, allowing dedicated power supplies for the analog and digital circuitry to prevent digital noise from affecting analog circuitry. The anti-vibration heat sinks are designed to suppress vibration from transistors and sound pressure. Independent power supplies for the DACs are designed to further eliminate noise on certain models. Down to every detail, these AV receivers are designed with full emphasis on the highest possible sound quality.

This AV receiver was designed with a strong focus on achieving a high level of sound clarity. It employs a discrete amplifier configuration and a low-jitter PLL circuit, which contribute to its excellent audio performance.

Pressing a SCENE button powers on the AV receiver and selects the input source and DSP mode. You can reset the buttons for different sources by selecting a source and DSP mode, then pressing a SCENE button for more than three seconds.

CINEMA DSP 3D provides a wide, high and dense sound field. HD Audio format decoding lets you enjoy HD Audio sources. Virtual Presence Speaker delivers three-dimensional sound without the actual use of presence speakers.

The Subwoofer Trim Control enhances the low frequencies by avoiding overlap with the front speaker output. This will result in a cleaner, more focused soundstage while providing a seamless frequency response. When subwoofer frequency overlap occurs in conventional systems, the overall sound is “pushed” toward the subwoofer. Subwoofer Trim Control takes care of this by separating the low subwoofer frequencies cleanly, thus stabilizing the front stage while providing a well-balanced enhanced bass sound.

The AV SETUP GUIDE makes it much easier to perform the set up process with the Yamaha AV receiver. This app assists you with cable connections between the AV receiver and source devices. Additionally, it guides you through various settings such as speaker connections, TV and source device connections and power amplifier assignments. System illustrations and actual AV receiver images help you understand how to make the connections between devices. It is available in multiple languages and is designed for iOS and Android™ tablets.

Auto Power Standby lets you save energy by automatically turning off the receiver's power after 20 minutes, two, four, eight or 12 hours.

When ECO mode is turned on it can reduce power consumption by about 20 percent.

*Compared to power consumption when ECO mode is off (Yamaha measurement).