Yamaha "Pure Direct" Better Performance or Pure Nonsense In AVENTAGE Receivers?

[@Audioholics]

Correction: at 4:04 I meant to say "Pure Direct" mode has ruler flat frequency response. Sorry for the confusion.

[@AlexMQQ2273]

For me through the analog inputs in pure direct the bass and sound quality took a nose dive. I had to substantially increase volume to better drive the speakers but still sounded flat. Granted down in the game room my speakers aren’t very sensitive @ 87db so I wonder if that’s the issue? I never connected my Legacy speakers to check if speakers were the issue since if that was the case it wouldnt work for my needs. I exchanged it for the A8. If that model doesn’t work I’ll head to Marantz and grab the SR 8015. Any thoughts for the greatly reduced audio quality?

[@chriswilson1853]

@@AlexMQQ2273 Do you have YPAO engaged when you're not in Pure Direct?

[@dalewilliams8001]

I noticed that. Thanks for the clarification.

[@bretired59]

Just purchased the RX-A6A a few days ago...thank you for your detailed reviews. I found the more I learn about this Yamaha receiver the more I want to know.

[@CrimsonFile-u6d]

You anticipated and answered every question I had about "Pure Direct" so thanks for being so thorough.

[@mikelittrell6200]

Great video Gene! Yamaha CX-A5200 owner here. Like that you touched on the jitter and DAC settings too. Now I know to use Pure Direct for my analog sources 🙂

[@firstlast-mf3hq]

The downside to using "Pure Direct" mode is that it bypasses YPAO (Yamaha's proprietary speaker calibration mechanism) time alignment and speaker equalization. It may be the case that an audiophile magazine rates a given set of speakers as providing highly flat frequency response (which I would think most people would want if their goal is to hear the reproduced audio just as it was produced, without coloration in frequency response.) Once you place said speaker system into any room, that room contributes its own inherent characteristics to the overall frequency response characteristics of the speaker system, possibly rendering the overall system anything but flat. While disabling "Pure Direct" mode results in having to listen to audio that is processed through YPAO, in my opinion the benefits (flat frequency response) outweigh the costs (I've read people talking about possible latency associated with digital signal processing.)

[@aihuateoh3447]

Hi, this is my first comment on your insightful channel. I have been using the Yamaha RXA810 which came out in 2011. I use pure direct mode for 2 channel music using the rca input connecting to the rca output of the OPPO BDP-105D. The direct mode sounds cleaner and clearer compares to the straight mode. The background is dead quiet. I also use pure direct mode for HDMI when listening to 2 channel music. However, I like to engage its 7 channel music mode when I want to play background music or listening to FM radio. Your measurements, although on the more advanced and latest model, just demonstrates how good the pure direct mode of the Yamaha. The RXA810 is decently good av receiver for 2 channel music. The only thing I feel is that it is a bit too polite, and a bit lack of excitement and dynamic when compares to a similarly price dedicated 2 channel amplifier. Thank you once again for your wonderful videos.

[@ganesang5537]

Recently discovered pure direct mode on my Pioneer vsx 534 that made the sound more dynamic, cleaner and natural with depth and granularity, so I'm sticking to it for CDs, DVDs and BDs for the foreseeable future. Plus it keeps my AVR cooler in the summer.

[@lsaideOK]

Besides bass control, the key difference is in straight mode you can play with the tone controls including loudness. Certain people might look down at tone controls but Yamaha amps tend to have them. The loudness control has been one of Yamaha's signature features.

[@raphaelmeillat8527]

Very interesting video Gene on Pure Direct. Always asked myself about efficiency of such feature. Thanks for researching and testing it! 🙂🙏

[@Clemme]

Love this, thank you. Im blown away about the low noise level in oure direct. I got a RX-A830 with NS-F500 and today I streamed some music via. Chromecast and Spotify. I actually shed a tear because the sound quality of Jeff Buckley's Lover, You Should've Come Over was so exceptionally fantastic, and Jeff's voice stood out in a way I had never heard before. I was sitting in a completely darkened and 100% silent room with great acoustics. Looking forward to the next Music in the Dark Pure Direct Therapy Session

[@polokomogatusi3787]

Yoh! Didn’t understand how far can “Pure Direct” do. Thanks a lot for such informative video explaining & comparing analog vs PD & HDMI.

[@ponce538]

For music, I use Wiim Pro and Pure Direct on my Rx-A4A. I setup the EQ on the Wiim, the sound quality is superb with hardly any distortion. Pire Direct is a game changer for great sounding music.

[@aldoconti6126]

@@ponce538 thanks for the info. I was wracking my brain as to putting a external dac through my Yamaha amp 👍

[@danallan4860]

I enjoyed that thorough and articulate comparison. Thanks Gene for putting that together.

[@ericdorfler6454]

hello Gene i read again and again how important it is for the receiver and speakers to work together in the home cinema area. so you show at which point the yamaha rxa6a separates from the speakers for a harmonious sound. I have now bought a THX loudspeaker system and would like to know how the yamaha deals with THX. thanks for the reply, you are doing a good job.

[@michelequarti]

If i remember right in pure direct mode bass management and peq are disabled so if the speakers are placed badly it can create a mess.

[@argasek]

As mentioned previously in the comments - what a Pure Direct really does (and one can test it easily) it decreases audio latency A LOT when you have SPDIF signal input connected - easy to check when you got for example a decent audio interface with speakers connected and another pair of speakers connected to Yamaha. Tested on my RXA3080

[@barbalabros1266]

Greetings from Greece.Very nice video.I have a Marantz SR5012 and it has Pure Direct mode too so I would be interested to see some tests on Marantz/Denon avr. Also it is very interesting to test and see if the Pure Direct on mid-range recievers is evenly affective and as good as in more expensive ones. Grats on your amazing videos and take care!

[@hamdc4291]

On my RXa780 yamaha, Pure Direct always gave me excellent stereo listening with Tidal streaming. For movies I would use the dsp modes through the 5.1.2 setup i have. So great to see those measurements. Thnx

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

It definitely does something on the older denon receivers I have noticed.

[@raulgarcia1718]

I use pure direct on my Yamaha receiver about 60% of the time for both music and movies. I get around the lack of bass management by using the speaker level connections on my sub in addition to the lfe connection and using the crossover on the sub.

[@m.zillch3841]

Thanks Gene. The .25dB or so level change when engaging Pure Direct (I've seen on other AVRs too) means if a listener hears a "quality difference by using Pure Direct" it might actually be nothing more than the fact that the level has subtly changed. Tom Nousaine in his JAES paper "Can you trust your ears" points out that in his testing, listeners consistently report subtle level changes like that in qualitative terms like "cleaner", "more smooth", etc., when in truth there is no change in anything but level. The moral of the story is only carefully level matched A/B tests are valid and many will errantly think they are matched when testing "Is PD audible?", when in truth they aren't.

[@fredmccarroll3476]

Thanks for the video Gene! Interesting! But I have a rather old Yamaha A/V receiver. I have a 7.2 Yamaha A/V RX-V665 receiver. I purchased it in 2012 with a 7.1 Klipsch Synergy speaker system. My sub is the Klipsch SW-450. Both are still going strong...knock on wood, but as far as I know I'm not able to do a firmware update. It does not have the options of connecting to the internet, but it does have "Pure Direct", which I never use. I always stay in the 7 Channel Enhancer mode for both movies, music, and even watching TV. But I guess what I'm getting from the video is that I should listen to my vinyl records through the "Pure Direct" mode. I have a Music Hall turntable with a Shure M97xE cartridge.

[@tonymosley6951]

Still have my 665 AVR. Pure direct sounds so much cleaner.

[@LarsonChristopher]

You may or may not like the puredirect, all comes down to preferences and the gear you're using. A friend of mine replaced the Klipsch horn drivers with JBL synthesis drivers, and the result is horribly off balanced between the horns and the woofers (he refuses to get a custom crossover) so being able to turn down the treble on the amp makes the speakers tolerable. Pure direct makes singers sound like they sing in a pa horn from about 2k hz. But my friend is happy with the sound because it recreates the bad live sound from the 70's and 80's, and that sound is what he was after. Anyway, use the settings that make you happy, its your gear and your time.

[@thomaskeenan2208]

Very grateful for your insights! Good stuff. Look forward to more but as your schedule permits since it does take time to do and then summarize. Best coverage I have seen so far on this amp. Including your website forum.

[@xavdeman]

Did Yamaha ever answe the questions about the ringing in HDMI mode and the DAC rolloff not working?

[@izzzzzz6]

Just fixed one of the many Yamaha (HTR-2064) home cinema amplifiers. The DAC was not working so sound was only coming through main speakers when in 2ch stereo mode and only if bass and treble were in the zero position. When pure direct was selected there was no sound, suggesting it is converted to digital and then back to analogue as it was not passing the DAC chip. It seems that 2ch stereo is actually direct mode with the Yamaha amps. Once i changed the tiny 28 pin DAC chip PCM 1681 it was back to fully working.

[@abdull1154]

Not concerning about audio but i noticed no ring on your finger. Hope everything is OK. Loved the video as always a lot of info from you and no BS as always

[@Harald_Reindl]

Unless you have a 100% perfect treated and symmetric room you need YPAO and so pure direct is out of question

[@boostedmaniac]

Yeah I agree. My room had hard wood floors and vaulted ceilings. Not very good acoustics. The ypao def helps over pure direct.

[@Harald_Reindl]

@@boostedmaniac I invested 8000 dollars in room acoustics and it still needs YPAO to correct the problem left speaker near to a wall while right one is next to a door as well as bass still makes a difference because I can mount membrane absorbers only on the right wall

[@firstlast-mf3hq]

The minimum expectation one might have for any receiver is that it convert audio input through the SP/DIF, optical, or HDMI interfaces from digital to analog (sound is an analog phenomenon) for amplification and output to the speakers. Today's audio/video receivers, and this is particularly true with Yamaha receivers, typically employ digital signal processing modes to emulate specific acoustic environments. "Pure Direct" mode simply bypasses any additional digital processing and causes the audio bit stream (and video in some cases) to be decoded and amplified by the receiver without the application of any additional digital signal processing. One would therefore expect to hear (and see) the audio and video just as it was encoded by the source's (CD, DVD. streaming, etc.) producers.

[@jC-kc4si]

Yeah, the dsp stuff actually sounds good on yamaha avr.

[@IamVintage72]

I miss the days when u bought something and took it home and it was ready to do whwt u bought it for. Nowadays my tv is just a big ass phone that u have to clean files and update. Updates for a av receiver is cool for. When it's needed to fix something but it's still a pain knowing that one day I will turn on my receiver and a update will be needed and there's a chance it won't take and lock up your receiver. It sux

[@joemarz2264]

Well as long as the product delivers in the sound quality department, I have no problem doing that. And I think Yamaha delivers!

[@anthonymartino9917]

With the incarnation of ever chaining tech and over complication and always having a .learning curve, it certainly has been more challenging to just ENJOY a said system. I am up to reasonably the newest standards in my system but it never ends and honestly, most of it is bs to make money. Good power, good pre amp, good main speakers true full range I mean truly to 20 hz and you got 99 % already done. That is what I did. And yes it is worth the expense to get the front mains right no matter cost first.

[@brad6200]

Gene when will you have the final review?With this receiver Can you do 5.2.4 and 2 Channel in another Zone or Room?

[@bikdav]

You answered some legitimate questions. I’d like to hear this one or one of the aventage receivers in a high end audiophile system. So far, with any present Yamaha amps, I couldn’t hear any differences between ‘Pure Direct,’ ‘CD Direct’, and regular.

[@jiminia]

I can tell you that the CX-A5200 in Pure Direct mode, with analog in from a good external DAC, is definitely audiophile quality. Not sure if there is any difference between the preamp sections between the two Yamaha products. I replaced an Ayre 2-ch preamp, and would have returned the Yamaha if there was any hint of compromise.

[@jamesharris5879]

Gene, Love the shirt. I typically use standard mode with exclusively HDMI inputs, including ARC and EARC. Are you able to test the HDMI out for ARC with your equipment? Also, any chance you are gonna touch anything besides audio on this receiver? I know I know, about the dumbest question to ask if AUDIOholics is gonna test video, but Its wishful thinking on my part hoping they are gonna do something to fix the Dolby Vision issues, especially with equipment such as NVIDIA Shield.

[@mmcpa]

I'm still jealous you have an A6A and mine continues to be on backorder. Love your content.

[@00bikeboy]

Love the direct talk from this channel.

[@joesabato9736]

My Yamaha integrated stereo amp is quieter in Pure Direct mode and it is noticeable with my horn loaded drivers. It also has a CD Direct mode which shuts down other circuits not used when playing CD's ( like the phono preamp, etc ) but that difference is very subtle compared to Pure Direct being toggled on and off

[@Chris21709]

Love these videos while waiting for the A6A to become available again.

[@mmcpa]

Mines been on backorder for months.

[@LarsonChristopher]

Yam is getting through 6 month backorders now. I just got in a couple a2a's and three wxc50's. Waiting on one of the 5400 amps since early July.

[@herjantow.l.6063]

Thanks a lot. I always use Pure Direct mode for music. Real good! I have RX-A2080 and RX-A3070.

[@robinak83]

One reason to use Pure direct mode is to remove latency from the digital processing. E.g if you have DJ equipment connected you would get latency that would be very distracting if you don’t use the Pure direct mode

[@sagars376]

This IS the right view! Everyone including the presenter believes Direct mode is about frequqncy response or distortion, WRONG!! It is all about LATENCY.

[@kibyras]

I’m new to this channel and I started to love it. This guy is unbelievable, not from Earth I believe :)) 👍

[@slimjim1104]

I can tell you from spinning music and beat matching that if you try to use a mixer going through your reciever , various brands, on any other mode than direct there is a noticeable delay from the headphones on your mixer vs the music coming out of your speakers. Pure direct mode eliminates this. I'm assuming due to bypassing DSP. As far as sound quality I cant tell a difference. What yamaha model are you testing?

[@davidjudd951]

On my Marantz SR6015, Pure Direct is a sweet vintage sound, that offers a much more natural and broader soundstage. For me it only takes a couple of minutes to get the ears trained to not hear all the processing from the other modes. It's as close to the 70's analog receivers as it gets. At least, that's what my ears experience.

[@2tubeguitar]

Good topic. Thank you! What happened with the full review? Was it so bad that you gave up publishing it?

[@MegaStlblues]

Great videos. Looking forward to the full review.

[@jasonc331]

Would love to see you put a few USB DACs in and see how they measure and sound out. I have always wondered why it matters to have a DAC that has 120DB plus if most line in are around 100db. Glad to see you with an AP. I should send you My Anthem MRX740 when I go on vacation put it through the test!

[@tomcherry5816]

Gene, love this and all your videos. It would be great to see a comparison of the A6A vs the V6A to see if the price difference is worthwhile.

[@LarsonChristopher]

Additional cost for better parts. It's always worth it if you care about the sound and you are using good speakers and cables. If you have modest speakers or low end cables... you might not hear much of a difference, and then the amp upgrade is not worth it. What is the rest of your gear?

[@tomcherry5816]

@@LarsonChristopher I currently have Jamo S809, S801,C83, & J10 sub connected. I have Polk Rt-16 on another system that I may use instead of the S809s

[@wild291]

Great job Gene but i still don't know if there is a preamp mode on those Yamaha AVRs.That's what i need

[@TH-lo8mq]

There isn't, unfortunately, though I'm not really sure if the differences are audible on the Denon receivers, for example. I couldn't hear a difference when I was testing the 3700, other than it being a bit louder due to the increased preout voltage. If the external amp requires the higher preout voltage then I suppose it would be better.

[@wild291]

@@TH-lo8mq It's not only question of sound quality but a question of electric power needed.I need a AVR as a preamp but i don't want the receiver to run "full power" if i don't use the amps inside.Gene said there is an Eco mode on those Yamahas but he was not specific about the result of eco mode and using the AVR as a preamp.He just said eco mode is bad when you use the avr as "usual" if you see what mean. There is no preamp mode like on the Denon/Marantz that cuts the power anyway,that's for sure.Too bad.

[@zakblue]

I just like pure direct mode for stereo and making my mains run full range (turning the subwoofer off) I don't use pure direct for home cinema content. It's kind of nice to have the minimalist look with display blank when it's time to do stereo. Great to know that the measurements show a clear difference! I love my 3080 even more now haha

[@lucasrem]

You should try it on a good source, if you can find 7.1 ATMOS Bluray, Pure direct is the best, only if you own good speakers, Pure direct is enough, you get it how the studio is needing you to hear it.

[@robertrobski1013]

I'm wonder if is any company who make receiver with outputs to external equalizer like they were selling in old time i really miss that rich sound back then

[@alfredoosorio1721]

I always use pure direct... sadly, I haven't been able to turn it all the way up it its very loud. I got a pair of bose cube speakers, pair of 12" mtx with a horn tweeter, another pair of 12" speakers with a lot of bass.... they are meant to be, it sounds beautiful.

[@MegaStlblues]

Would like to see a video on how to set up scenes and one to explain how to use the HDMI OUT 3 (Zone out) jack.

[@MrJjburgess11]

I've had Yamaha recievers since 2012 . A1020 and a A2080. Never tried pure direct lol. Never knew what it did. Now I have a marantz processor. I think it has pure direct also. Maybe I'll give it a shot .

[@excxflyr]

Great work Gene, hope the latest YPAO version holds up to scrutiny.

[@bryanp4827]

Hey Gene, I'd like to bring to your attention something I discovered whilst using an external amp, and also using pure direct...IT IS HORRIBLE!! I don't know why, but using an external amp on my Yammy avr sounds much better NOT using pure direct, so much so that I'm considering taking out my NAD power amp and going back to standard so I can use pure direct

[@tony9554]

I use the analog inputs on my RX-A1080 to take the feed from BlueSound 2i streamer. After watching Gene’s video I compared both Pure Direct and Straight and did some listening tests. I prefer Straight, to my ears it sounds better.

[@MrHeHim]

I have a much older Pioneer A-35R that used to be paired with some SP-BS22-LR, and they sounded slightly "better" with direct off. I upgraded my speakers to the Elac Uni-Fi UB5 when they came out and quickly started fiddling with every setting i could adjust. These sounded much better with Direct on, compared to the SP-BS22-LR's which didn't really sound better either way and was more of a preference

[@CharleyClose]

Good to know! I always wondered what Pure Direct did AUDIBLY. Looking forward to your upcoming Aventage videos! And, I still can't find an A8A. Everyone is saying they're coming in November now.

[@prasanthgn]

Hi gene, excellent review with in depth details. I have a question, I own a yamaha rxa1000, pretty old av receiver, planning to buy yamaha rxa6a, and planning on 7.2.4 setup. Can I use the old rxa1000 for 10th and 11th channel? If yes should I put the rxa1000 in pure direct mode with 12v trigger from rxa6a?

[@mikegemmati8658]

Did you ever measure the preamp out voltage of the RX-A3080 or 2080 receivers? Are they only 2v rms out?

[@Raidz-448]

I'd love to see more on this too, my yamaha puts out way lower volume than a separate DAC I run to my amp.

[@stephenjacks2785]

I have wondered about this as well as i know my primare a32 had def got grunt but what i did find was a slight difference if i went into amp assign and set the yammy to 7.2 config with an ext amp for the mains rather than leaving it in basic config, i have a feeling by telling the yam i have an ext amp it increases the voltage on the pre out

[@Bobklijn]

Thanks, very informative! Unfortunetly my current Denon AVR 4310, although being a great receiver for my setup, has a little bug which actually forces me to use PD while playing simple CD or Records. When I use Straight Mode, there is soms occasional audio dropout, which for me is absolutely unacceptable especially when listening to music...this seemed to apply only for "audio only" inputs (CD & Phono) but not solely related to either analog or digital, which made it even more confusing. In the end, I eventually learned by trial and error what was causing this: Straught mode for CD and PHONO and TUNER always sends HDMI stream (DENON logo for the first, tuner interface for the latter) even when I don't need that and rather have my display switches off. Using Pure Direct for these inputs completely illiminates that problem and keeps the HDMI section in the AVR itself cool. Maybe someone can use this info! Yours sincerely from a Denon fanatic from Holland..

[@Bobklijn]

I realise this is actually about Yamaha, but I think for a big part this story applies to other brands too😊

[@Novilicious]

🧬 Gene my friend, Do you have educated me it again!! In my Yamaha 5200, I never put on the pure direct mode because why else did I pay for this machine if not to use it’s DACs? LOL. Alas, pure direct through Apple TV 4K does sound the best. Thanks for the lessons!

[@donalddeorio2237]

I have a Marantz AV preamp that has the feature and when critical listening i use pure direct, i like what it does

[@josesolano1300]

I care about SiriusXM. I bought a 1060 when it came out. I can say that it handles SiriusXM pretty trashy. When the connection works it sounds pretty good as it transmits at AAC 44.1khz. Makes me wonder how a Roku box makes a better connection with XM, anyways nice to hear that they are addressing the issue. Waiting for your review to see if the A6A is worth the upgrade. Thank you very much for your work.

[@brettus9115]

Hi Gene, I know you said at the end of your video that there was no difference with Pure Direct screen off and on (unsure if you said or meant measured?) but have you tried it with the DSP engaged or is this no longer a feature? I haven't tried this with my RX-V2085 but my old RX-Z7 (2008) had a ridiculous amount of DSP/room correction modes that were able to be saved and that included room correction of all channels on the Pure Direct setting... That receiver boggled the mind! lol

[@frozenpod]

Hi guys what happened to the rest of the review?

[@damianw6863]

There was mention of some issue with distortion and going back to yamaha, Gene did yamaha get back to you?

[@Audioholics]

@@damianw6863 Yes. Working on the report now. stay tuned.,...

[@lesbellon6497]

Hello i have recently found yur chanel great by the way...i recently picked up n older aventage receiver the Ex a710 do yoou guys have the best overall settings for this receiever..thanxxx appricate it

[@nicholashaggkvist2905]

Hey man, 4:04 your comparing Straight Mode VS Straight Mode according to the audio. Not sure if it matters, thought I’d let you know though. Also, thanks for your info on this receiver! This is going to be my first AVR, so I started watching all your videos on this receiver when I saw you were reviewing it.

[@Audioholics]

Yep I gaffed. Pure Direct is the trace that has wider bandwidth and lower distortion.

[@ekimandersom4478]

So am i correct in assuming the pure direct mode disables the subwoofer output and sends full range signal to the front speakers?

[@billa5542]

i thought "straight mode" was zero "DSP" - around thre 4:20 mark there is reference that straight mode is DSP

[@Duake1]

My Sony has a Direct button as well. That doesn't do ANY processing and passes the audio purely through. Meaning, no EQ or balancing or surround modes are applied. Its just how it comes from the source.

[@nsday1]

so, I have a question for anyone who sees this (love these videos, and your site, btw). I have a Yamaha RX-A3050 and an Onkyo TX-SR876. The Onkyo supports 'bridged mode', meaning it can take two pairs of speaker outputs and make them a single pair with supposedly twice the power, and I'm using that as an external amp for my fronts. That means I'm using the Yamaha for my main system, with the speaker setup 9.1 plus Front, giving me a 7.1.4 setup. I was using the stereo out from the multi-channel out from the Yamaha to one of the inputs (CD I think. It's not hooked up at the moment), setting the volume to 0.0dB on the Onkyo, and using Pure Direct. Sounds great to me, and so much better than when I was running the fronts off of the Yamaha (please don't suggest me getting a new/different amp unless you're buying it for me. I have what I can afford). So, my question is, is that the best way to go about this? It seems like sticking with the analog is the way to go, but these are different receivers, too. So many the digital of HDMI or Optical may be better?

[@Audioholics]

No Onkyo AVR supports "bridged mode". They have Biamp mode like everyone else. Big difference.

[@nsday1]

@@Audioholics please take a look at the manual for the TX-SR876. It's still available online for download, and you can use the search tool to look up the word, "bridge", where it explains it as well as how to set it up on the AVR.

[@Audioholics]

@@nsday1 you're right! I'm blown away by this and need to test it. I suspect they current limit to avoid overloading the power supply. Thanks

[@nsday1]

@@Audioholics yea, I'm not sure about that part. In the manual they talk about it being able to be used in a 5.1 setup. But I'm using it as purely a 2 channel amp, in Pure Mode. I was using it that way with my Yamaha in an 7.1.4 with the Onkyo powering the front 2. But we moved into a new place and about to build a new theatre room, so most stuff is packed away, and just have it out alone for music before the drywall arrives. I did notice a really big difference in dynamics, depth, and power when I first added it with my Yamaha. This video just made me wonder if I should be using the analogue or digital lines from the Yamaha to the Onkyo

[@SwirlingDragonMist]

As an Airplay user, I’d love to see a cross comparison between flagship receivers in terms of their Airplay performance. It would also be interesting to see a comparison between the built in Airplay and the optical input, as an old (discontinued) Airport-Express can be used as an Airplay end-point utilizing it’s optical output. Which is fantastic for anyone with an old receiver they want to include in their whole home Airplay setup. Likewise does the built in Airplay outperform a modern Apple-Tv on HDMi that is being used as an Airplay endpoint, now that’s a question normal people might even be curious to know lol

[@DrChawz]

Good question, my understanding is that it is a lossless protocol so I would imagine the quality would be as good as the receiver out noise. I also use a 1st generation AppleTV optical connection to an old receiver and it works great for airplay.

[@classiguitarist]

I had a question about about the 4K/120hz update that was promised in February 2022… it’s March now and there hasn’t been an update… do you or anyone else on this feed know when Yamaha is going to actually going to release the update?

[@diablo676]

I have the A2080 and A8A and rarely use Pure Direct on either. All my speakers are low efficiency so get no hiss on Straight - cannot detect any distortion either. Better with the sub on. Pretty good results though. :)

[@KenjiCL]

Hi friend, do you feel an improvement in music and film quality between the 2080 and the A8A? I currently have the 2080 and I want to change to the A6A, I still don't know if it's worth it.

[@arashjahn]

@audioholics Gene, you should do these great tests on the Marantz AV7705/6 or 8805.

[@ubacow7109]

The Straight mode measurements are audible seemingly. Seems like Yamaha needs to work on the DAC section. Feels like they're wasting the DACs if they aren't making full use of the potential dynamic range. Questionable if the SOC can improve on it.

[@tonyt.5771]

Yamaha does not need any DAC enhancing, your ears are the problem.

[@Dondee1983]

I have the Yamaha RX-A6A with all Klipsch speakers plugged to my Apple tv newest version question the i have is movies with Dolby Atoms receiver shows Atmos/PCM so is that true dolby atmos? Please help

[@mikelazur3607]

Gene. I have the RX2080 and running a Emotiva XPA DR3 to drive my front 3 channels. Is there a pre amp gain control to turn the pre amp up or down or is it just straight power with no control over the amp. If you do. How do I access it?

[@jakkedtide]

Another great video, thanks gene

[@mnrodriguez]

Nice video! I am starting to learn about my RX-A4A. I really don't know how to calibrate test tones. If you can give me an idea I'd really appreciate it. A new subscriber here! Thanks!

[@wa2368]

Do you plan to put a flagship Trinnov, Arcam, etc through all these tests? It should quickly reveal if these guys are competent and worth the price tag or not.

[@LarsonChristopher]

And different impedance loads. A lot of receivers fall flat on their face with lower sensitive 4ohm speakers.

[@geneferraris6964]

Hi Gene my pure direct mond in not available just light only

[@msoles30]

Hey Gene do you where to find the bitrate information on these units

[@sebulbathx]

If we say Yamaha is the reference for "pure direct" I would be curious to see how "pure direct" compares with other receivers like Marantz, Denon and others. I mean it would be interesting to see if the others are just gimmick or if they make a difference as it seems with the Yamaha. I always use "pure direct" when playing 2ch music and I think "pure direct" sounds better with Marantz in my ears which is the thing that matters in the end but it would be interesting to see their differences compared too.

[@lucasrem]

I use Pure direct to use the receivers as Studio Speakers, getting it without any tweaking. Perfect for testing multi channel streams, unable to test on studio speakers!

[@ricog8209]

I have that feature on my pioneer. It's sounds a little different when the feature is activated but I don't really care for it.

[@anthonymartino9917]

Me either. I prefer just stereo mode.

[@nestleambrosian4931]

I have the Yamaha Aventage 5200 separates. I actually watch movies in Pure Direct. In my opinion, the dialogue is so much better this way.

[@allanjlansangan]

I have a Yamaha AV Receiver RX-V583 and a Yamaha subwoofer SW300. The subwoofer is connected from RX-V583 sub pre out to SW300 LFE input which is working fine except when I use DIRECT mode. In DIRECT mode, there is no audio signal coming from RX-V583 sub pre out to SW300 LFE input. I am thinking of connecting the FR and FL OUT of the receiver to the Line IN of the subwoofer then connecting the FR and FL speakers to the subwoofer Line OUT while keeping the sub pre out-LFE connection. IS IT SAFE TO HAVE THE 2 INPUTS (Line IN and LFE) in the subwoofer connected to the outputs (FR/FL Speaker out, and sub pre out) of the receiver active at the same time?

[@scotty2221]

I have the yamaha a4a. I turn it off with my roku but about 1-2min later the AV turns back on for about 20seconds then shuts itself off again. Kinda like it thinks I turned on the roku or tv but I don't. Any ideas?

[@mondoenterprises6710]

Often it depends on the recording for me. Usually I switch between PD and AFD to achieve best analog sound. I have found that Concert filter can help a poor live recording.

[@michaelmcintyre9179]

it is an a/v receiver , mind you performance can vary from make to make/ Pure direct should mean bypass all tone control circuits . i applaud you for your sincerity , but make it more exciting

[@systemawarrior]

Have an RXZ11 and pure direct makes a big difference.

[@PhillyDjHook]

I wished he explained very clearly what the hell is pure direct. Also wished someone would say, which level of volume to get the surround speakers to be louder? Should you make the front and center speakers very low and surround and back speakers at max? Also also, Why are my Zone 2 speakers super low on my Denon AVR-1200? I know it's old but it ain't that old. I want my Zone 2 speakers to be loud. Not low, like my surround Klipsch speakers.

[@JRob1125]

I have a Yamaha R-S700 that is all analog, does Pure Direct really make a difference if the receiver has no digital circuitry?

[@ericperry72]

So basically these AVR's in pure direct with a good power amp gives me the same performance as if I used a decent preamp with the same amp? I was always under the impression that preamp outputs with AVR was less than desirable.

[@brooklynknightss]

Hey Gene, I have a question? Is it worth the extra 1000 dollars to buy a rxa 3080 or buy a rxa 3060 for a lot less?? The only difference I really see is the AI in surround. Thanks Gene!!!

[@RetroElectroville]

Can you do a Pioneer Elite SC-LX904 review? Compare it to the flagships from other brands?

[@Yashbhatiaaa]

Hi, Been using the pure direct on the A6A with Perlisten r5ts + bluesound node x. Weirdly on pure direct the imaging and volume is higher on the right side tower. Any fix or solution for this since all other signals are shut.

[@glengatt3941]

My avr sounds week in direct, and the power is from a emotiva A3, with the Denon's power is the same,so that it,my avr is midrange the x4700h

[@bigpiranha]

Hi Gene. I’d like to add a separates to my RX-A2050. Will my pre-out voltage be high enough to bring the separates amp to full power? Pat from Canada

[@dennisdickey2267]

I'm keeping my 1990 Kenwood KA-109 and KLH speakers. 250 watts rms. Please don't call the cops when I turn it up. I love vinyl.