Yamaha has announced the R-N803D, a lavishly equipped stereo network receiver built to the company's ToP-ART (Total Purity Audio Reproduction Technology) concept. Fundamentally, this means the R-N803D has been designed with a symemetrical left/right circuit layout and the straightest, shortest signal paths possible.
In what the company says is a first in a two-channel receiver, the R-N803D features the Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Optimiser. Long utilised in Yamaha's multichannel equipment, YPAO measures the shape of your listening room, takes into account the material of the walls and positions of your speakers, then adjusts electronic parameters to create what ought to be the ideal sound for a given environment.
And there's plenty more going on. Under the bonnet the Yamaha includes a SABRE 9006AS 24bit/192kHz DAC, a custom-made power transformer and eight power transistors (four for each channel). Yamaha is claiming 145 watts per channel (at 8ohms) as maximum power.
It's a similarly expansive story where connectivity is concerned. As well as analogue line-level RCA inputs, the R-N803D is packing a phono stage, ethernet socket, digital coaxial and digital optical inputs, wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity, along with AirPlay, and a USB input. There are a couple of line-level outputs alongside a subwoofer pre-out and headphone socket. Spotify, Deezer, Tidal and Qobuz are all integrated, and there's DAB and DAB+ radio reception on board too.
Control is via a remote control handset or Yamaha's MusicCast app, so any MusicCast-enabled equipment can join in to create a multi-room system. And Alexa control is in the post as well.
The R-N803D is on sale now and costs £700. We our currently putting our review sample through its paces and will report back in due course.
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