Specifications

9
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Returning back to where we started, the
Function menu is what lets you set the front
panel dimmer level, scrolling mode, trigger
functions and the wallpaper for the menu.
While Yamaha gives you 4 options for the
wallpaper, none of them is custom - and odd
thing since they have both USB access and
networking functions as a means to grab a
compatible file.
Aventage iPhone/iPad App
Speaking of apps, Yamaha also released
an Aventage iPhone/iPad app which allows
user control over features like Zone volume
and source selection. It even grants control
over the tuner and Internet radio sections
of the receiver. We have to be honest, the
App was a bit of a dog in our testing, with
slow feedback and a quirky interface, but
it’s a great start - and for free it’s hard to
complain. Particularly with respect to using
multiple Zones, it’s almost a life-saver. Near
the end of our review Yamaha added some
new functionality to the App - namely a
cursor or menu control system whereby
you can use your iPad or iPhone to control
the GUI menu system of the RX-A3000.
(It should be noted we tested ver 1.0.1 at
the time of this review, and there is now
a newer version 2.0.1 app which Yamaha
claims to have improved interface options
and speed.) We are starting to see more
and more of this and, as such, it’s going to
be surprising if we don’t eventually see the
end of remote controls entirely - at least
as we know them to be today. Let’s face
it - as receivers become more complex,
our complaints about remote controls go
up. You just can’t sufficiently add enough
functionality on the face of a remote with
such limited real-estate. Add an LCD touch
screen, however, and you now have the
ability to configure modes and much more
ergonomic control functions. The future is
coming, and Yamaha brings it partially here
with its App.
Audioholics Bench Testing
Summary of Test Results
Since Yamaha touted its use of the
HQV Vida chip and the RX-A3000
has such a wide variety of settings
and video processing capabilities, we
thought we’d give it a thorough testing
and see what it did in terms of our
performance benchmarks. While we
typically run it through a series of
practical DVD ad Blu-ray tests, the use
of a few benchmark discs allows us to
at least have some sort of objective
baseline for comparison.
HQV Perfect Score is 130
Yamaha RX-A3000 Benchmark total
score: 130/130
HQV HD Perfect Score
is 100
Yamaha RX-A3000 Score: 100/100
Remote Control
OK, on to the remote control... Look,
we hate the Yamaha RX-A3000 remote.
It’s a standard Yamaha remote and the
company seems to have a knack for making
things over-complicated and just difficult.
Remember the RAV 172 remote? These guys
make an art form out of unusual interfaces.
The new RX-A3000 remote doesn’t have
an unusual interface, it just features a ton of
buttons on the front face and a flip up panel
at bottom to allow even more functionality
- like a number pad
for tuner control.
Aesthetically, it looks,
at first blush, like an
inversion of the x67-
series remotes, but
with more buttons.
But the real problem
is that the Source
buttons all have
useless labels... like
AV1, AV2, and AV3...
Um, that’s descriptive.
Like the unusable
nomenclature on
the rear of the
unit, Yamaha shoots
users into oblivion
with their label-
free alphanumeric
designations that
will be sure to drive
anyone (except