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Since it built its first reed organ in 1887, Yamaha has endeavoured to innovate in the world of audio entertainment. The company built the world's first digital surround sound processor in 1986, the landmark DSP1, and more recently rewrote the rule-book with its YSP range of digital sound projectors, which attempt to create full surround sound from a single bar of directional drivers. Now the company is at it again. According to data released by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association, annual shipments of traditional hi-fi equipped dropped to 1.89 million units in 2005 from a peak of 3.03 million units in 2000. Sales of separates are on the decline as interest in portable units, led by the ubiquitous iPod, explodes. The trend is being mirrored worldwide, and traditional receivers and amplifiers are struggling to keep up with the changing face of musical tech.

At an exclusive product briefing at the brand's HQ in Hamamatsu, Japan, we were shown a fleet of new receivers designed to send rivals Pioneer and Denon scurrying back to their drawing boards... and tempt errant audiophiles back into the world of high-tech AV. Says Hiroshi Sekiguchi, the executive officer and general manager of the AV products division, "When it comes to AV, products are evolving every day."

The brand is also targeting the iPod generation with the YDS-10 iPod dock. This cradle plugs into the back of some new receiver models, allowing all the content to be accessed and controlled via the receiver's remote. There's even a USB connection on the front panel for flash memory drives and other USB audio products.  But the revolution doesn't stop there. The N600D has been joined by the RX-V2700, a higher-specified AV receiver. It shares all the network functionality of its cheaper sibling, but adds analogue to HDMI upconversion and upscaling plus 1080p switching via three HDMI v1.2a inputs.

And, waiting in the wings, is the mammoth flagship Network AV Center product (first spotted at the 2006 CES), which aims to do nothing less than redefine the high-end home entertainment market. According to product and marketing manager Hiroshi Kondo, this ultimate unit will "have Ethernet to receive broadband content, and multizone functionality able to distribute audio and video around the house; we are also seeking to implement PowerLine communication (networking and audio distribution via your power sockets), as well as ultra-wide band Wi-Fi."  In addition to multichannel amplification, the monster will also have a hard drive for PVR functionality, although the brand rules out going so far as to have any TV tuner built in. The biggest challenge facing the brand is to keep such a complicated product user-friendly. "The first priority during product development was ease of use," admits Kondo san. "Because the AV centre is designed to communicate with any kind of audio video component, including the PC or other networking device, connection can be difficult. It will be a gateway between the PC domain and legacy audio video electronics.  "It will be DRM-compliant and compatible with Microsoft Plays for Sure, as well as supporting DivX video files, WMA music, MPEG4 HD and more. We also want a lot of cutting-edge connectivity, including the HDMI CC (Consumer electronics Control) protocol." Perhaps the most striking aspect of the prototype unit, outside of its sheer size, is its neon paint scheme and rounded edges. The model seems refreshingly different from the traditionally conservative Yamaha separates design. Disappointingly, Kondo san implies that this is not going to be its final appearance. "This is just the prototype version of the AV server. It looks very different from the conventional AV server, but we haven't decided the final cosmetics yet."

 

The future of AV receivers

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Yamaha RXV559B

While many of its competitors have been quick to adopt digital amplification for AV receivers, Yamaha remains unconvinced of the benefits.

Says Yamaha's Hiroshi Kondo: "One reason is the sound characteristics of modern digital amplification. It does not yet reach our standard. Of course, we continue to study the technology, and we have a lot of choice when it comes to using digital LSIs, but for now (affordable) digital sound quality is not at the level we want.

"We currently have no plans to put digital amps into our AV products."

The head of Yamaha's Australian AV/IT division, Simon Goldsworthy, agrees that local demand is still strong for traditional AV receivers.

"We are seeing a swing back to people wanting pure amplification, rather than synthesised amplification," he explains. "There are a lot of people who are rediscovering their vinyl records and want pure two-channel sound.

"Our models offer Pure Direct as an in-built feature, which bypasses synthesising."