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Generation-X
The new Millennium brings a new Yamaha.
By Max Christoffersen
October 2000
Yamaha DSP-AX1 home theatre amplifier. $6799 in black. $6999 in gold.
What's in an X?
Well depending on what you're looking for the answer could lie in the
new flagship Yamaha DSPAX-1 amp-processor.
Yes the X says it all: this new Yamaha isn't another A-1 and it's not
quite a brand new stand-alone unit either. So X marks the spot and sets
the standard for 2000 home theatre according to Yamaha.
While some of the upgrades may be subtle changes, collectively the AX-1
is a looooong way removed from the 1992 DSPA-1000 and that's the
point and probably the main question: what have Yamaha done to lift the
bar even if it is by just a little on the award winning A-1?
Fact is the level of performance of home theatre products is so consistently
high it's leaving little left to explore. But the buzz around the net
is the addition of the centre rear 6.1 ES/EX decoding (and from what I
heard with the addition of a centre rear, it could be an extremely valuable
upgrade) and a couple of upgrades to make life easier including new Burr-Brown
chips.
For the techos here's what's under the hood:
- Dolby EX Processing
- DTS ES Processing
- Component Switching
- 6 Channel External Decoder Input
- Burr-Brown DACs on all channels
- Added rear channel and EQ for Dolby EX and DTS ES
- RS 232 computer interface (for interfacing with multi-room systems))
- Yamaha 44-bit DSP LSIs
- 54 hi-fi/cinema DSP modes
- Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES are available on their own (normal) and
withYamaha's DSP modes (e.g. EX Spectacle, ES Enhanced, EX General,
etc.)
Typically the first question home theatre enthusiasts ask is 'does it
sound better than the A-1?'. Second question is 'does it do 6.1', and
the third question is 'what does it cost and would you buy it'?
Well, I'll answer all that later - but for now let's start where I did:
trying to get this weighty back-breaker out of the box. I mean this is
BIG. It is larger than the A-1 and really is a two man job to get it in
the rack. I gave up and actually took the lid off my rack and placed it
in that way. You have been warned! But it sure looks gorgeous and substantial..
The first trap I fell into was thinking this would work the same as the
A-1 - it doesn't. I sat there with silence for some time until I finally
discovered the Speaker A/B buttons on the front fascia. (The manual wasn't
that helpful here). Then I noticed there was no red LED on the volume
knob, a new remote...and for the first time a full mute button, so things
were a little different to the A-1.
But to start with, sonically the AX-1 was a little tame - I have been
spoiled by the superlative A-1, but something wasn't quite pushing my
buttons - put it down to two hours of screwing rack-panels off, lugging
this beast in, wasting half an hour looking for a non-existent speaker
problem and then finally getting it to talk. Frankly I was beat.
I left it on all night and then next morning decided to use both the
Speaker A and B to drive my Kappa 8s split between high end and bass cone.
Next day dawned with a new Yamaha in the house and, well..well, with
Aussie guitar master Tommy Emmanuel first up I was back to Yammie bliss.
This thing was singing to me in a very clean and engaging way.
It's really articulate on percussion and otherwise a very familiar full
bodied feel and texture to the soundstage - which coming from familiar
A-1 territory is high praise indeed.
But if I'm not mistaken there seems to be a slight difference in the
top end which isn't quite as bright. But it sure does reveal detail when
fed a direct digital signal via its own on board D/A converters and whether
it was acoustic guitar, hard rock or movie soundtracks - it performs at
a level unheard of for one box home theatre units even five years ago.
The X's fine musical performance to me is crucial. I don't subscribe
to the view that a poor sounding music home theatre component suddenly
blossoms into a fine sounding home theatre component. But the bottom line
is a fine sounding music-capable home theatre product is a fine sounding
home theatre-capable home theatre product.
The
AX-1's performance may also be because this is the first time a Yamaha
home theatre flagship to carry the company's ToP-ART designation - their
flagship approach to high-end production, or the high class Burr-Brown
D/A convertors on board a Yamaha for the first time. (This is the same
designation for the receiver version the Yamaha RX-V1). Improvements to
the pre-amp power supply and 8.5kg of trannie goes a long way too!
So yes musically I like it a lot (heaps of high-end detail, cymbal splashes/rides
and percussion and a sense of idle power waiting for the all important
slam when you want it).
So cut to the chase: how is it on home theatre?
The first thing I did was check the 6.1 feature - this is what the future
of home theatre is all about. In went the DTS sampler DVD with The
Haunting on it and yep, the auto detect went on telling me Yamaha
was being fed a 6.1 signal.
And hearing it made me a believer. There is a lot of atmosphere on this
soundtrack and the rear centre (direct radiator) seemed to add both a
degree of localisation and a degree of precise panning - it's worth a
listen just to hear for yourself the benefits in spatiality and localisation
that it provides.
Other 5.1 sources were less dramatic and really added little to the overall
effect, although I am reliably advised that the 5.1 Jumanji soundtrack
is quite an experience!
Overall you could throw a blanket over the performance difference on
straight 5.1 between the A-1 and the A-X, which given the clean decoding
and superb sense of dynamics is all you could ask for. Dolby Pro Logic
is simply superb (in fact good Pro Logic beats bad Dolby Digital in my
view) with a good sense of space and ambience.
But you're always aware that the soundfield is well defined and sounds
simply too good for a one-box unit with eight on-board amplifiers doing
the muscle work.
T2 remains a test disc and the end chapters are quite complex
requiring a level of precise imaging, clear definition but atmospherics
(and a bit of slam) as well (try chapters 65-69). All of which comes together
to create a convincing illusion combining atmosphere, small detail and
dynamics.
The same cohesion happens on a very simple but tricky scene from Wild
Things (chapter 15). In the scene an eerie vocal takes up much of
the soundstage but small details like a tap dripping takes centre stage
and then a very clean musical peak hits the scene.
On some systems this scene dribbles out of the cones and doesn't have
the impact required. On others the balance between silence and drama makes
a very simple scene a minor highlight of an otherwise glorious but underrated
soundtrack. The AX-1 did it- it is a real favourite scene because it requires
attention to small detail in multiple channels and then a quick kick.
Great stuff.
Of course if you want more power, you can use outboard amps if you choose
and for those wanting twin centre rears or even more, you can do it via
the pre-out jacks on all channels to a dedicated rear amplifier.
Just a quick word about Yamaha's DSP effects - they are a lot of fun
and I do use them and enjoy them for what they are worth. I listen to
a lot of live concert DVD's and there is nothing more fake than having
a live recording with the audience noise up front on the soundstage when
it should be around you. So DSP works well for me sometimes - but almost
never on film soundtracks.
You can add Yamaha's Cinema DSP over the 6.1 soundfield - but you can
have too much ambience and too much of a good thing!
One of the reasons I really enjoy my A-1 is apart from how it sounds,
is how it works. It really is a user-friendly box. But the new digital
potentiometer on the AX-1 caught me more than once; there is no immediate
visible cue to how loud the level is if you come back to the unit cold.
And more than once I went to turn it on without realising I had switched
sources and the volume was now too loud for comfort. Be warned. Many prefer
the digitally regulated volume control for good sonic reasons, but give
me an old mechanical pot any day!
So conclusion?
- I prefer the way the A-1 works ergonomically (give me an old analogue volume pot any day)
- I like the speaker set-up on the A-X (Zone two outputs and Speaker A&B main speakers)
- I like the A-1 remote (yep at least one person on the planet does..) and the 20 dB mute
- I like the AX-1's 6.1 decoding with single rear centre speaker (and centre rear EQ)
- I like the flexibility of the AX-1 ( to control other functions through the RS 232C port)
- I like the AX-1's cosmetics
- I like the AX-1's processor direct switch
- I like the AX-1's component video switching
- I like the AX-1's BGV (Background Video function)
So there you have it the AX-1 wins - but it is a near run thing.
For day to day listening I'm not sure there will be a major difference
between the A-1 and the A-X. But as with all things audio, if you want
the envelope pushed to the outer limits on music and home theatre, the
AX-1 will be a few steps ahead.
It is a worthy successor to the A-1 and it is great to see a company
target key performance areas in a bid to make small but potentially substantial
improvements including improved digital processing, improved amplifier
power supplies and better construction, DD/DTS Matrix 6.1EX/ES processing
and multi-room functions and build quality to die for.
The home theatre race for perfection continues...
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