Yamaha RX-Z1 A Very Quick View (1 Viewer)

[J. Redcay]

I just received this new Yamaha and have had very little
time to get to know it really well. However, for those who
may have an interest I would like to post a few observations. First the not so "hot" feature:
The Remote...for me this is not the greatest new feature.
Although very powerful it is difficult to read in either light or darkness. The backlight seems very inadequate
and in general just tough on my old eyes.
The Good....Quietness is what I notice most(don't ask how you notice quietness!!!), maybe just lack of anything but the signal at hand would be a better phrase. Separation between the various channels is also very pronounced. The Z-1 is very clean and very powerful. In general I do notice
a distinct difference between the Z-1 and my Yamaha DSP A-1.
Further listening and fiddling will reveal more I am sure.
I don't feel anyone would be disappointed with this unit.
Especially if you have a great pair of eyes!!

 

[Nathaniel_J]

I have had my RX-Z1 for three weeks now and have put it through many paces to see how it would perform on various material (music and movie) that I am familiar with. I must say that I am very pleased with its performance. I have an all Definitive Technology speaker setup (BP2000TLs-mains, CLR2000-front center, BP2004s-rears, and a newly added BP-8B as a rear center). I upgraded from the RX-995 so I have increased both power from 100w to 130w as well as moving from 5.1 to 6.1. As with my previous Yamaha experiences, I like the way the Z1 mates with Definitive speakers. I am totally satisfied with the sound and its ability to drive these speakers effortlessly.

I love the PL II and Neo 6 music modes. Although many are not, I am a fan of Yamaha?s DSP modes and am enjoying some of them as well. The lack of bass management for DVD-Audio and/or SACD is a drawback, but since all of my speakers are full range it is less of one with me. Another major drawback, in my opinion is the inability of the component output to carry the on screen display signals from the receiver. It makes little sense to me to do component switching through the receiver if OSD info is not carried. Once I discovered this, I reconnected my DVD, and HDTV Sat Receiver to the inputs on my HDTV monitor. So the (3) component inputs are unused. I know this capability exists on some units by Marantz and probably others. The touch screen remote is very powerful and I am still mastering its capabilities. I am confident that soon it will be the only remote I will need. Since I have powered towers in the front and rear, I also like the three subwoofer output jacks.
All in all, I love the RX-Z1 and am not disappointed with my purchase decision.

 

[RichardMA]

The remote comment does not surprise me. The audio companies (some of them, Sony for one) are using dirt cheap
LCD panels for these units. They are junk. Any decent
product now incorporates high visibility, low draw,
high visibility from an angle LCD panels. An example
would be a Tektronix mini-oscilloscope test scope.
The one that came with my Sony is almost worthless due to
it's poor visibility so I use a basic, non displayed remote
for most things.

 

[J. Redcay]

Thank you Richard!

At least I know its not just "my" eyes that are the problem.
Its unfortunate, because the RX-Z1 is quite a unit.