Yamaha’s YHT-AU series covers everything from a simple AV receiver to a full-blown, 665 watt 7.2-channel home theatre system, with the whole line-up benefiting from HDMI, the company’s automatic speaker calibration system and ‘Compressed Music Enhancer’ technology, which optimises the playback of compressed digital music files.
Just don’t try to make sense of its model naming system. The entry YHT-592AU (RX-V365) is a single AV receiver with HDMI switching, while all other units include HDMI repeating functions for HD audio via bit stream or linear PCM. The first package, the YHT-392AU ($999), is a 5.1 channel, 525 watts pack; the YHT-492AU ($1,499) adds two speakers and 110 watts of extra power plus an iPod dock, whereas the YHT-592AU ($1,299) favours floorstanding front speakers and less power.
The YHT-892AU ($1999) introduces Blu-ray playback with 7.1 HD audio; the YHT-992AU ($3,499) adds binding posts and Pure Direct tech, and the flagship YHT-1092AU ($4,499) is the 7.2 behemoth, providing 665 watts total power, video upscaling to 1080p and second-zone capability.
