High Performance Audio, CEDIA 2011—Part 4

Posted by: Chris Martens at 9:09 am, September 16th, 2011

For example, the RX-A3010 sports a double-layer chassis bottom, H-shaped internal reinforcing beams, and a critically positioned 5th foot to help fight mechanical vibration/resonance. Similar, the 3010 is fitted with a beefy and also critically positioned power supply and enjoys ultra low-jitter digital audio circuitry with very high quality DACs. Even small details are attended to, such a the practice of using cable-harness zip ties that are tied directly to ground to help minimize noise.

On the convenience end of the spectrum, Yamaha offers a remarkably flexible yet still easy to use A/V Controller App for Apple iDevices, with an Android version coming later this fall. Yamaha say that when Aventage models are connected to PCs via local network, users will enjoy the ability to control the receivers from the Web in a variety of popular browser environments such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Safari.

Though not an "audio component" in the usual sense of the word, one of the coolest music-minded demonstrations in the Yamaha booth featured the firm's fascinating RemoteLive system. With this system, performers can play Yamaha pianos fitted with MIDI detectors in one location, while MIDI data is sent to MIDI-equipped, servo-controlled Yamaha pianos in remote locations (typically accompanied by video feeds from those original concert venues). At the remote locations, listeners hear the servo-controlled Yamaha pianos seemingly "play themselves"--complete with all the attack, decay, sustain, and expression elements of the original performance. It's a wonderful system for expanding the reach of live concerts, though it is a bit eerie to see the piano giving a spirited performance entirely on its own, with no human pianist in sight.