Yamaha R-N800A

A history of excellent audio quality

Yamaha is synonymous with audio excellence. More than half a century ago, they were the first company to label an audio component "hi-fi", and they've been building solid home audio gear ever since. They continue the tradition with the new R-N800A. Fans of old-school stereo music will feel right at home with this receiver, from its clean sound to its front-panel bass and treble controls and rotary volume knob. Of course, with its versatile connections, you can still hook up your TV. But this receiver was built from the ground up for an awesome music experience.

You get plenty of wired and wireless options for playing your favorite sources (including vinyl), plus a built-in AM/FM tuner for listening to radio stations. Rediscover old favorites or new obsessions from a world of streaming or traditional sources.

High-end elements

The R-N800A features elements that have trickled down from the company's higher-end R-N1000A and R-N2000A receivers, like vibration-resistant feet to minimize resonance, a high-end ESS SABRE DAC that handles your digital music sources, and plenty of power to drive most speakers. If you prefer your music as close to the original recording as possible, Pure Direct mode bypasses the receiver's tone controls. Plus, source selection, radio station frequency, and more is displayed by a high-contrast OLED display built into the bottom of the faceplate.

Physical connections galore

This receiver has you covered when it comes to inputs and outputs. There are three pairs of analog stereo RCA line-level audio inputs for components like CD players and outboard DACs, plus a dedicated phono input for connecting a turntable with a moving magnet cartridge. There's a mono RCA output for adding a powered subwoofer for the bass-heads. And there's a preamp output for sending the signal to a separate power amp, in case you want to boost volume and clarity with more demanding speakers.

There are plenty of digital connections, too. There's an Ethernet port for connecting to your home network, plus a Type-B USB input for streaming high-res music from your computer. Additional digital sources like a TV and Blu-ray player can be connected via a pair of optical inputs, and two coaxial inputs let you use the high-quality built-in DAC with compatible audio components.

Streaming and control options via Yamaha's MusicCast system

The R-N800A has handy built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for streaming music from a computer or mobile device. Apple AirPlay® 2 lets you stream directly from an iPhone® or iPad® and ask Siri to play Apple Music. And built-in MusicCast provides access to your local files as well as popular streaming services like Amazon Music HD, TIDAL, Spotify, and more (subscription required for some services). Plus, voice control using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices makes it easy to control all MusicCast connected devices.

Room correction

Your listening room is unique, and Yamaha has developed Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer (YPAO) automatic speaker calibration to help you fine-tune your sound system to suit the space. During calibration, a series of tones are played through your speakers, and the included microphone listens to the room and tweaks your settings accordingly. It's an excellent way to customize your setup for maximum performance.