Yamaha RX-V685BL vs Yamaha RX-A4A

If you click a link on this page and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Votes 1 1
Rating 5 5

RX-V685BL vs RX-A4A comparison chart

Yamaha RX-V685BL vs Yamaha RX-A4A review

Yamaha RX-V685BL
vs
Yamaha RX-A4A

To get informed with the specs of the receivers, we suggest you read the Yamaha RX-V685BL and Yamaha RX-A4A review. According to the results of our review, Yamaha RX-V685BL received 7.4 points out of 10 possible, and Yamaha RX-A4A was rated 8.7 points. The release date of RX-V685BL is 2018, and RX-A4A is 2021. This review shows us that the RX-A4A is a better choice as a home AV receiver than the RX-V685BL.

Main advantages Yamaha RX-V685BL over Yamaha RX-A4A

  • We do not know advantages

Main advantages Yamaha RX-A4A over Yamaha RX-V685BL

  • 110/8 W/Ohm RMS makes it more productive compared to 90/8 W/Ohm RMS in another receiver in the review.
  • The Spotify support is an exclusive advantage.
  • 8K/60Hz signal pass-through is available.

Amplifiers

For the built-in amplifier, the models have rated 8 points out of 10.

RX-V685BL
8
RX-A4A
8

The number of channels is equal to the number of possible connected speakers. Both receivers can handle the 7.2-channels configuration.

RMS stands for the actual power of the receiver. The higher this value, the louder the sound can be produced. The differences between the models in terms of RMS power are significant - for the RX-A4A this value is 110/8 W/Ohm, and for the RX-V685BL it is 90/8 W/Ohm.

RX-V685BL RX-A4A
Channels7.27.2
Stereo power (RMS), W/Ohm90/8, 150/4110/8
Output impedance, Ohm8, 48
Frequency response10Hz-100KHz10Hz-100KHz
THD in stereo, %0.060.06

Audio features

The score for audio features is 9 of 10 for both receivers.

RX-V685BL
9
RX-A4A
9

Most receivers now come with a microphone included. It is with the help of this microphone that the auto-calibration system functions, which adjusts the sound of the receiver to the room.

RX-V685BL RX-A4A
Digital to analog converter (DAC)Burr-Brown 384 KHz/32-bit384 KHz/32-bit
Bi-amping
Pure direct (straight)
Auto speaker calibrationYPAOYPAO
Speaker A/B switching
Other audio featuresCINEMA DSP, Compressed Music Enhancer, Virtual CINEMA FRONTCINEMA DSP 3D, Compressed Music Enhancer, Virtual CINEMA FRONT

Connectivity

The connectivity of competitors in our comparison is markedly different, Yamaha RX-V685BL scored 8, and Yamaha RX-A4A scored 9 out of 10.

RX-V685BL
8
RX-A4A
9

Bluetooth connection is now one of the main communication protocols for the receiver's control or even music broadcasting.

RX-V685BL RX-A4A
Wi-Fi2.4/5GHz2.4/5GHz
USB1 (USB 2.0)1 (USB 2.0)
Bluetooth
Ethernet (RJ45)11
DLNA
MHL

Streaming services

Now music streaming services are gaining more and more popularity. They allow users to listen to millions of songs by subscription.

RX-V685BL RX-A4A
Apple Music (AirPlay)AirPlayAirPlay, AirPlay 2
Amazon Music
Spotify
Other streaming serviceshas notDeezer, TIDAL, Pandora, SiriusXM, Napster, SoundCloud

Extensive connections

The presence of many connectors makes the receiver more versatile. But there are also narrowly targeted models, the number of connectors which are limited to a certain area of use. And when choosing their own receiver, users need to consider exactly your goals for using the receiver. For extensive connection, Yamaha RX-V685BL got 7 points, but Yamaha RX-A4A received 8 points.

RX-V685BL
7
RX-A4A
8

Yamaha RX-V685BL is equipped with 5/2 HDMI inputs and outputs, and Yamaha RX-A4A has 7/3 HDMI inputs and outputs.

The HDCP encryption protocol is now mandatory for most media devices. This security technology encrypts digital signals from one product to another. HDCP content-encryption protocol is present on Yamaha RX-V685BL in the HDCP 2.2 version, and Yamaha RX-A4A has the HDCP 2.3 version.

RX-V685BL RX-A4A
HDMI input/output5/27/3
HDMI ARC (Audio Return Channel)
HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel)
HDMI CEC
Digital content protection (HDCP)HDCP 2.2HDCP 2.3
Subwoofer output (LFE)22
Headphone output1 x 6.31 x 6.3
Optical digital input22
Coaxial digital input21
Composite input10
Component input/output1/00
Phono (MM) input
Front panel connectorsUSB, phones, AUXUSB, phones, setup mic
Multi channel preamp output

Video features

The AV receiver is the heart of the home theater. And in this case, support for all current video formats ensures the best user experience, so it is very important to consider this when choosing a device. Video features of rivals in our comparison were rated 8 out of 10.

RX-V685BL
8
RX-A4A
8

With the 4K pass-through feature, the AV receiver sends "native" 4K signals to a 4K TV from a video source without any processing. The RX-V685BL works with the 4K/60Hz video, and the RX-A4A has the 4K/120Hz.

The AV receiver passes "native" 8K signals from a video source to 8K TV without any encoding, with the 8k pass-through features. The 8K path-through is available on Yamaha RX-A4A.

RX-V685BL RX-A4A
HDR (High Dynamic Range)HDR10HDR10+
4K signal pass-through4K/60Hz4K/120Hz
8K signal pass-through8K/60Hz
HDMI signal pass-through
3D signal pass-through
HDMI pass-through in standby mode
Video conversion
Analog to HDMI scaling
HDMI to HDMI scaling
Dolby Vision
Other video featuresBT.2020, HLGx.v.Color, HLG, BT.2020, LipSync

Additional features

In terms of evaluating additional features, the RX-V685BL got 7 points, but the RX-A4A has 10.

RX-V685BL
7
RX-A4A
10

Voice control allows you to control the basic functions of the receiver through a smartphone, smart speaker or using the microphone that comes with the kit. The RX-A4A can be controlled by voice via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI.

RX-V685BL RX-A4A
Voice controlAmazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI
App controliPhone, iPad, iPod, AndroidiPhone, iPad, iPod, Android
Displaycolour OSDcolour OSD
TunerAM, FMAM, FM
Sleep timer
Auto power off
ECO mode
Graphical user interface (GUI)
Setup assistant
Firmware updatenetwork, USBnetwork, USB
Other additional featureshas notWeb Control, App Control

Multi-room

As the center of a home media system, each multichannel receiver has an additional set of terminals for connecting the second set of speakers to create additional audio space in Zone 2 or even Zone 3 where audio can have the separate source.

RX-V685BL RX-A4A
Multi-room zones22
Zone audio outputspeaker, preoutpreout
Zone HDMI output
Multi-room controlMusicCastMusicCast
RS-23200
Remote control input/output (IR)1/11/1
DC trigger output (12V)12

Multichannel surround

For the ability to create multichannel surround sound, each of the receivers received 7 points out of 10.

RX-V685BL
7
RX-A4A
7

RX-V685BL RX-A4A
Dolby Atmos
Dolby TrueHD
Dolby Surround
Dolby (other)Dolby Digital PlusDolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
DTS:X
DTS HD Master
DTS Virtual:X
DTS Neural:X
DTS (other)DTS 96/24, DTS-HD, DTS-EXPRESS, DTS-Surround, DTS Neo:6DTS-ES, DTS-HD
Auro-3D
IMAX Enhanced
Multichannel stereo
Add another receiver to comparison
We didn't find anything to show here