Yamaha RX-A740BL Receiver Preview

The new Yamaha RX-A740BL receiver continues a trend that is sweeping the major manufacturers in the industry. The company’s newest Aventage model provides a 7.2 channel network AV receiver with WiFi built right-in. Add to that a second zone that can take an independent source and you’ve got a $649 receiver that can be used for whole home audio. Keeping with the former RX-A730, the new RX-A740BL keeps other streaming content services and profiles like Apple’s AirPlay, Pandora, and Rhapsody.

IOS devices like the iPhone and iPad and Android devices can use the free Yamaha AV Controller App to control sources and streaming media to the new AV receiver. In addition to the sources mentioned above, the RX-A740BL can also stream Internet radio (vTuner) and it supports MHL for full HD video and audio from your phone or portable device. Finally, advanced auto-calibration is provided by YPAO w/R.S.C. (Reflected Sound Control).

Yamaha RX-A740BL Receiver Features

• 7 x 90 W per channel (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.09% THD, 2 ch driven)
• HDMI 2.0
• MHL support
• AirPlay
• Pandora
• Rhapsody
• AV Controller App (iOS/Android)
• YPAO Reflected Sound Control (R.S.C.) sound optimization for automatic speaker setup
• 6 HDMI inputs (1 front)
• Ultra HD (4K) video upscaling
• FLAC or WAV 192 kHz/24-bit audio playback
• On-screen GUI with album art
• Detachable AC power cord

There’s no denying that this new AV receiver is going to make some waves. With Yamaha certain to add WiFi (and eventually Bluetooth) to all of its new receivers, consumers are now getting to the point where they can stream anything, anytime, anywhere. While the features are impressive and growing, Yamaha doesn’t look to have removed anything from the quality or amplification side either. The RX-A740BL weighs about the same as the previous model (the RX-A730), and it also maintains the same number of HDMI inputs and much the same inputs as last year’s Aventage.