New range of £500 receivers or last year's Yamaha A1010 reduced to similar price?
Following the premature demise of my subwoofer, I have decided to upgrade my home cinema kit. I presently run a Yamaha RX-V357 which I have had for a number of years, together with KEF 1005's.
I mainly use the system for sport, music and the odd film, which led to me choosing the old Yamaha due to their reputation for music.
I visited a well-known home cinema retailer recently to discuss my options in the new receivers, around £500, as reviewed in the November What Hi-Fi. In addition to those, I was shown the Yamaha RX-A1010, from the Aventage range, now on sale for £550 because the new model has arrived.
The question I have then is whether I am better going for last year's model which is higher up the scale, or whether there is benefit from using the same money to buy a 2012/13 model? Have things changed that much to justify coming away from the Yamaha, which reviewed well last year?
On the subject of speakers, in relation to the Yamaha amp, I was recommended the Q-Acoustics 2000i and the Wharfedale DX-1's. I don't want anything too large, as I have quite a small room, and was looking at style packages, but was told the Q2000's would out-perform the Q7000's based on their size and I presume the compromises from having smaller style speakers. Any views?
Many thanks.
Do the new 2012 ones offer you anything over and above last years model that you really need
I must admit to being tempted by the RX-A1010, looks like a bit of a bargain. Only how do I get it past the wife?
I have a Q Acoustics set up, though it's a bit more mix n match than buying a complete 5.1 set up like the Q2000 series.
Sounds great though, and I would say the 2020i's are worth the upgrade from the 2010's or 2020's.
Hope this helps a bit.
Thank you all, very helpful.
I don't consider that I need the new features on the 2012 machines particularly. I guess my question was more whether the 2012 machines in the £500 bracket have pushed things on sonically or visually to a degree that it would match or surpass last year's £1000 machine, if that makes sense?!
I'm in the same boat, I'm considering the RX-A1010 at £550 or the RX-A2010 at £675 compared to the equivalent new models costing £1000 and £1500. The only thing that last year's models lack which I would find useful is Airplay, but I believe there is a yamaha app that enables control of the amp from an iphone, but of course this will not allow access to Itunes playlists etc. I don't think the new models will be twice as good as last year's range.
I am led to believe that the Yamaha app actually has its own version of Airplay, allowing you to play directly from your iPhone/iPad etc. So said my friendly retailer yesterday, anyway! I think the reviews of the app in the Apple Store might tell you.
I did just this, paid 580, had it about 6 weeks now, it is ace 
Nice to have DAB finally, works a treat. The sound is brilliant, musically great too. The only downside, and I have a feeling this may have more to do with the room is that the positioning of some of the sounds as they move around are not always placed too well. Mind you, my last Denon coped perfectly well in the same room, but this is far far smoother. Love it.
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Perhaps one of the hi-fi retailers (Nick at Home Cinema Centre, Rick at Musicraft or David at Frank Harvey) can give an authoritative answer. What might be helpful in the first instance is for you to make a list of the new features on the 2012/2013 receivers that the outgoing Yamaha RX-A1010 lacks, such as 4K video upscaling. Only you can decide whether you need these new features or not. But since these new features must have cost some money for the manufacturers to include in the new models which yet still cost around £500, I would be amazed if they sounded better than a £550 model that did not have those extra features. Particularly as the Yamaha RX-A1010 used to cost at least £700. If it were my money, and especially since general 4K video availability is still quite some time away, and also since I wouldn't be using any of the other new features, I would go for the older, now heavily discounted, model every time.
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