Yamaha RX-V381

Yamaha RX-V381
Brand Yamaha Number Of Channels 5 Signal-to-Noise Ratio 110 dB Weight 16.3 pounds Manual rx-v381.pdf USB has not
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About

Yamaha RX-V381: 5.1-Channel Receiver with 4K and HD Pass-through

Yamaha RX-V381

The Yamaha RX-V381 is designed mainly for movie lovers and gaming console owners. This 5.1 amplifier passes 4K and HDR that is a solid feature for a budget-friendly receiver made by such a respected brand.

Design

The unit’s classic square shape, sharp corners, conventional round buttons, and large volume knob give some retro vibe. It comes in an all-black casing and has a small size (12.38 x 17.13 x 6 inches). In fact, Yamaha didn’t provide any noticeable design upgrades in comparison with the previous RX-V371 model, so they basically look the same.

The design is just as I've been expecting from Yamaha, so I give it a 10/10.

Features

Although the power level of this receiver is basic (140W per channel), it offers many top-quality features. For example, the superior picture quality is delivered not only thanks to the 4K/HDR pass-through: the HDCP 2.2 support eliminates the image degradation and the BT.2020 pass-through reproduces a wide color gamut.

In terms of sound, the receiver incorporates the Cinema DSP technology that creates a natural stereoscopic sound field, providing a real movie-theater sound.

The Compressed Music Enhancer feature is on board for playing digitally compressed music formats.

Talking about the drawbacks of the RX-V381, firstly, I really don’t like the fact that the firmware updates aren’t provided for this receiver. Secondly, it can’t be connected to Spotify and doesn't even feature Yamaha's MusicCast multiroom technology. Plus, as I've found out from the Yamaha RX-V381 manual, the unit supports 4K but not HDR by default. Hence, you have to activate this feature manually dealing with the advanced menu settings.

Although the provided features are okay for everyday use, I believe the device lacks some up-to-date functions, so I rate the receiver at 8/10.

Performance

The Yamaha RX-V381 AV receiver has many modes available (Spectacle, Sci-Fi, Action Game, etc.), so I recommend switching between these modes when noticing the performance issues—in 9 cases out of 10, your problem will be solved.

As for gaming, I didn’t notice any input lags when connecting the receiver to my Xbox.

The RX-V381 performance is fully satisfying for the price. Thus, I estimate it at 10/10.

Sound Quality

Although the demanding users may require tweaking the receiver (fortunately, they have multiple setting options), the overall sound quality is great. The unit also features a nice level of detail detection, allowing you to hear even the quietest sounds.

It doesn’t have Dolby Atmos support but can offer a couple of the digital processing modes, designed to simulate the surround sound (Virtual Cinema and Virtual Cinema Front).

The sound performance of this receiver is impressive: it gets a 9/10.

Connectivity

Here is a list of the connectivity options you'll receive:

I was happy to find out that the 4K pass-through is supported by all 4 HDMI ports. The Bluetooth feature is also available.

The connectivity options are basic. Hence, I estimate them at 8/10.

Setup

Setup is intuitive thanks to the integrated YPAO capability, which automatically detects all the connected devices and calibrates the sound accordingly to the room’s acoustic. For the Yamaha RX-V381 Bluetooth setup, you need to perform pairing by turning on the Bluetooth function on both your device and receiver.

As you can tell, there is nothing difficult about the setup process, so it receives 10/10 from me.

Conclusion

After reading this Yamaha RX-V381 review, you've made sure that numerous features are offered for the price. I would definitely recommend the receiver as a budget solution for the 4K gaming and 4K HDR TV. However, it doesn't offer Dolby Atmos support, MusicCast multiroom technology, and Spotify connectivity, which may be disappointing for the customers looking for an advanced model.

Specification

Audio Formats

FLAC

Apple Lossless

DSD

AIFF

AAC

WMA

WAV

MP3

Built-in Decoders

DTS-HD Master Audio

Dolby True HD

Dolby Surround

Dolby Digital Plus

Dolby Atmos

DTS:X

DTS Neural:X

Sound Features

Sound Output Mode

Surround Sound

DSP Preset Qty

17

Digital Content Protection

HDCP 2.2

Surround System Class

5.1 channel

Surround Sound Effects

Virtual CINEMA DSP, Virtual CINEMA FRONT

Audio D/A Converter

24bit / 192kHz

Digital Sound Processor (DSP)

Signal Processing

Video Conversion/scaling

HDMI Pass-through

up to 4K

Upscaling Via HDMI

3D Pass-through

Connector Type

Optical Digital Outputs

has not

HDMI Outputs

1

HDMI Inputs

4

Coaxial Digital Inputs

2

Optical Digital Inputs

1

Phones

1

AV Inputs

3

USB

has not

Subwoofer Outputs

1

Coaxial Digital Outputs

has not

Radio

Tuner Type

digital

Preset Station Qty

40

Tuner Bands

AM/FM

Additional Features

Auto Power Off

Bi-amplifying

AIR Studios Monitor Certification

Audio Return Channel (ARC)

X.v.Color

Apple Air-play Support

Deep Color

Advanced Sound Retriever (ASR) Technology

MCACC Pro

Three-zone Capability

Smartphone Remote Control

A-B Speaker Switch

Dual-zone Capability

Pure Direct Mode

Amplifier

Number Of Channels

5

Total Harmonic Distortion

0.09 %

Frequency Response

20 Hz-20 kHz

Output Impedance Per Channel

6 Ohm

Output Power Per Channel

140 W

Total Output Power

700 W

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

110 dB

Clock

Built-in Clock

Sleep Timer

Media Content Source

USB-host

Network

Bluetooth

Functions

Amplifier Class

Network Audio Player

Internet Radio

Digital Player

Connectivity Interfaces

IEEE 802.3u

IEEE 802.3

WI-FI

Bluetooth

Dimensions

Weight

16.3 pounds

User Manual

Manual

rx-v381.pdf

Power Device

Standby Power Consumption

0.3 W

Operational Power Consumption

260 W

Built-in Display

Colour

black

Type

fluorescent

General

Brand

Yamaha