Yamaha DSP-Z9, Bravo Yamaha!

A much-needed update

• With the DSP-Z9, Yamaha has taken the crucial musical side of things very
  seriously.

• Price: €4,799

• Specialists' rating: 6

• Text: Luis Llana

The DSP-Z9 we bring to these pages is a machine designed on a grand scale, with impeccable construction and finish, sober yet beautiful styling and a clean front panel that does not even remotely hint at all the potential our friend hides within.

It is when we remove the top cover that we realize we are dealing with something really serious, although the most important thing cannot be seen at first glance: the ToP-ART (Total Purity Audio Reproduction Technology) design philosophy that Yamaha has been constantly refining for decades. It starts with the design of the chassis itself, aiming for maximum isolation to prevent vibrations, and continues with a circuit topology based on a low-impedance design which, according to Yamaha, improves channel separation and makes it easier to use a wider variety of loudspeakers, while ensuring the best and shortest signal path. The finest components are used, in many cases made in-house, such as the famous chips whose names begin with the letters YSS, mounted on four-layer boards. Or the two formidable filter capacitors of no less than 28,000 microfarads each in the power supply, with a more than respectable toroidal transformer located in the center of the enclosure guaranteeing an adequate energy supply.

Considering the DSP-Z9's 9.1-channel configuration, with power stated by Yamaha at 7x170 watts RMS for the usual 7 channels plus 2x50 watts for the front presence channels, we can agree that this is no joke. To help the two heat sinks in their task of dissipating heat, it has two fans mounted horizontally at the back of the enclosure.

The term Audio Video integrated amplifier takes on its true meaning with the DSP-Z9, as it is a genuine control and switching center for audio and video signals, far exceeding the needs of most enthusiasts. It has no fewer than six component video inputs and seven S-Video and composite video inputs, with two monitor outputs in each of the three formats, plus three recording output loops in S-Video and composite. It can convert composite video and S-Video signals to component, so the best possible signal will always be present at that output, and it also offers progressive scan, entrusted to a Faroudja DCDi processor with TrueLife Enhancer technology (more vivid images), enabling scaling to 720p and 1080i signals. For digital-to-analog conversion it uses a 10-bit Analog Devices video DAC with a 108 MHz sampling frequency and NSV (Noise Shaped Video) technology, taking the effective resolution beyond the converter's limits and increasing the signal-to-noise ratio. To improve the picture quality of videotapes, it includes a time base corrector (TBC), synchronizing the signal so that each line starts at the right time.

To bring the incoming analog signals into the digital domain it has 24-bit/96 kHz AD (analog-to-digital) converters, while the reverse function is entrusted to 24-bit/192 kHz Burr-Brown PCM1792 DACs (digital-to-analog converters) on all channels. It decodes the Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital EX, Dolby Pro Logic II, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS, DTS-ES Discrete, DTS Neo:6 and DTS 96/24 formats, handled by four 32-bit Yamaha YSS-930 LSI (Large Scale Integration) processors, which are also responsible for processing no fewer than 51 DSP (Digital Sound Processing) sound field programs. It is THX Ultra2 certified, including the new specifications for 7.1-channel systems plus others called THX Music, applicable to multichannel music listening.

Instead of using matrixing and signal-steering techniques to create the usual DSP modes, Yamaha's DSP technology is based on digitized real venues, following measurements taken in those same places using a technique developed by Yamaha. Purist music lovers should obviously steer clear, but for those who like to listen to music in multichannel, some music-specific modes, properly set up, can create a very believable ambience. But this is no trivial matter, as it requires careful matching to the listening room, with reverberation, early reflections, delays and a long list of other parameters to adjust, which can be a real challenge, and I say this from first-hand experience with other Yamaha components. On the other hand, certain DSP modes designed specifically for movie soundtracks, which Yamaha masterfully blends with Dolby Digital and DTS decoding, are brilliant. Silent Cinema mode allows private multichannel listening, even with Dolby Digital and DTS, through conventional headphones, with a good sense of surround sound. This mode is activated simply by plugging in the headphone jack while one of the Cinema DSP modes is active.

Uncompromising connectivity



As for digital audio connectivity, it has three coaxial inputs in S/PDIF format, seven in EIAJ-TosLink optical and one labeled AC-3 RF, since our friend includes an RF demodulator to ensure playback of LDs (LaserDiscs) with Dolby Digital-encoded audio tracks. It has three outputs in EIAJ-TosLink format and one in S/PDIF for Zone 2. On the analog audio side, we find eleven line inputs, one Phono input (turntable) accepting MM (moving magnet) and MC (moving coil) cartridges, five recording output loops and those corresponding to the 7.1 inputs. With purists in mind, Yamaha has included two "Pure Direct" inputs intended for connecting high-end stereo audio sources, whose signal is sent straight to the output circuits to guarantee the highest audio quality. There are preamp outputs for all channels, including the two front presence channels and two subwoofer outputs, plus another for Zone 2. The rear panel is completed by two i.LINK (IEEE1394) connectors, various remote control connections including an RS-232 port, and a set of superb binding posts for connecting the loudspeakers, accepting bare wire of considerable gauge as well as bananas, once some protective caps have been removed. European Union regulations require it. The power cord is detachable, via an IEC socket.

Despite the technical complexity of our guest, installing, configuring and calibrating it should present no major problems, thanks to an excellent manual translated into Spanish, a friendly graphical user interface and two remote controls. The main one, very well designed, offers learning capability and backlighting. Perhaps because of its great profusion of keys, Yamaha supplies a second, smaller remote exclusively for accessing the setup interface, volume control and power on/off.

However, with those who truly dread setting up any equipment in mind, the DSP-Z9 includes an ingenious and effective automatic calibration system, which Yamaha calls YPAO (Yamaha Parametric room Acoustic Optimizer). Among the standard accessories we find a small microphone which, when connected to the unit and placed at the listening position, allows the DSP-Z9 to configure itself in a few minutes. To do so, it checks the phase of the loudspeakers, sets the distance for each of them as well as their size (Large or Small), applies equalization according to the room acoustics, calibrates the levels for all channels and finally displays the results. All of this sequentially or running only the options chosen by the user. And I can assure you it does it really well, having made only two perfectly forgivable mistakes in my tests, both easily corrected through manual setup. It indicated that the surround speakers were connected out of phase, which is understandable given that in dipole speakers one side radiates in opposite phase to the other. It also placed the subwoofer farther away than it really was. But given how complex it always is to calibrate a subwoofer manually, Yamaha's YPAO system deserves a 10.

In any case, manual setup holds no surprises, with the usual settings plus others that are becoming standard, such as a subwoofer low-pass filter adjustable to several frequencies or the delay of the audio signal relative to the video, known as Lip Sync. We also find some very specific features, as befits a very special unit like our DSP-Z9, such as multi-level DSP calibration (room size, reverberation, reflections, delays, etc.), a parametric equalizer and a whole battery of settings for the video processor, such as resolution and scaling, output aspect ratio, brightness, contrast, color saturation, etc.

For the listening tests I put the DSP-Z9 through a tough task, pairing it with a series of loudspeakers known for being hard to drive which, despite their sonic qualities, makes them ill-suited to the vast majority of multichannel integrated amplifiers on the market: B&W's 800 Matrix series, now discontinued and replaced by the Nautilus series, which is more modest in its demand for amps from the power electronics. With that said, I connected two 802s as the main channels, an HTM as the center channel and two SCM8 dipoles for the surround channels. For the surround back channels I connected two Sonus Faber Wall speakers, which are very easy to drive. As a subwoofer I used an active model, the ASW800, also from B&W. But far from any scares or loss of composure, the DSP-Z9 handled the B&Ws with singular mastery, never short of energy at any point, even at high sound pressure levels. With the 4-ohm nominal impedance of the demanding 802s and SCM8s, the position of the DSP-Z9's impedance selector (6 or 8 ohms) made no difference, which gives a good idea of our friend's magnificent current delivery capability. As a signal source I used only an Arcam DV79 DVD player.

Outstanding performance



It is impossible to condense into a few lines the large number of listening tests I carried out, given the unit's enormous possibilities in terms of signal processing modes. So I will limit myself to commenting on multichannel home theater tests with THX post-processing engaged and no DSP, and on stereo tests using an analog output from the DVD player connected to one of the Yamaha's two "Pure Direct" inputs. Listening to excerpts from well-known movie soundtracks can only be described as pure spectacle, with perfect channel separation that places even the smallest sound effects in exactly the right spot in space, as in the ship's interiors in "Master & Commander" or the tense opening scenes of "Rules of Engagement". Formidable dynamics, powerful, controlled bass and great speed of response are excellent ingredients for handling the most hard-hitting scenes in action movies such as "U-571" and "Die Another Day". The finest musical moments of "Chicago" were magnificent, with a very believable front soundstage and voices, all with a brilliance free of aggressiveness, partly due to the action of THX's re-equalization and timbre-matching circuits.

But where a highly A/V-specialized Yamaha pleasantly surprised me was with stereo music through the "Pure Direct" input, offering a rich, detailed sound with a warmth rarely found in multichannel integrated A/V electronics, as I listened to the brilliant performance of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" by the Accademia Bizantina conducted by Ottavio Dantone and excerpts from Mendelssohn's Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 conducted by Peter Maag, both on the Arts label. Thanks to its great respect for all kinds of registers, with very clean, powerful and controlled bass, a precise and clear midrange and crystalline treble far removed from any aggressiveness or harshness, the subjective impression is of a very even response curve. Listening to excerpts from the spectacular version of "Carmina Burana" by Herbert Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony & Chorus, the emphatic dynamics and speed of response reappear, which, together with very well structured soloist and choral voices and an excellent perception of the different sound planes, recreate an utterly believable soundstage. In short, a very capable unit for music listening with a capital M.

To check the quality of the Faroudja video deinterlacer built into the DSP-Z9, I connected it via component video to the DVD player and to a NEC HT1100 projector. Based on what I observed in several crucial scenes, it performs progressive scanning perfectly, with no aliasing (jagged lines) or other artifacts.

For those who do not want to complicate their lives with separate preamp-processor and power amplifier combinations, Yamaha's DSP-Z9 is an absolutely colossal machine for home theater, while for serious music listening it offers performance I had never heard before from integrated multichannel A/V electronics. In terms of price, €4,799, and sheer performance, it is a serious rival to its most direct competitors.

A much-needed update

Proof that Yamaha is an undisputed pioneer in what we now know as home theater is that in 1986 it launched a "mysterious" component called the DSP-1, billed as a Sound Field Processor. It was in fact the first Dolby Surround processor to appear in Spain, coinciding with the slow arrival of VHS and LaserDisc movies encoded in that format. After Dolby Laboratories launched the more refined Dolby Pro Logic version with active matrix, Yamaha marketed a series of models integrating three audio channels, making it possible to turn a stereo setup into a five-channel home theater system, with the formidable DSP-E1000 the flagship of that series.

With the arrival in the home of the Dolby Digital multichannel digital audio format and later DTS, Yamaha began integrating all five audio channels into a single component, launching a large number of multichannel A/V integrated amplifiers. But in parallel, and unfortunately, Yamaha gradually abandoned its range of stereo audio amplification, receiving criticism that was not always positive from some music-loving quarters, who argued that the bright, spectacular character of the Japanese firm's multichannel designs distorted the musical message. Be that as it may, and as a good sign that Yamaha is taking this crucial aspect very seriously, in these pages we present the DSP-Z9 multichannel Audio Video integrated amplifier, the firm's current flagship, which arrives to replace the DSP-AZ1.

Yamaha DSP-Z9, Bravo Yamaha!

Specifications

Power: RMS 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 0.015% THD, 8 ohm. Front, center, surround, 170 W. Presence, 1 kHz, 0.05% THD, 50 W. Damping factor: 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 8 ohms, front and center, over 200. Frequency response: CD input to front L/R 10 Hz to 100 kHz, -3 dB. Total harmonic distortion: 20 Hz to 20 kHz, 85 W, 8 ohms, front L/R, 0.005%. Channel separation: CD to front L/R (1 kHz/10 kHz), 70 dB/ 60 dB. Input sensitivity: Phono, 2.5 mV/47 kOhms. Line, 200 mV/47 kOhms. Power consumption: 1,000 W, standby 1 W or less. Dimensions: 435x211x471 mm. Weight: 30 kg.

Distributor: Gaplasa (917482960).

Price: €4,799