- 5 HDMI Input and 2 HDMI Simultaneous Output
- Extensive video calibration capabilities
- 6 Video presets
- Zone Control via Ethernet web browse
- Network Receiver with Ethernet connector, Internet Radio, PC music streaming, USB port, Web Browser Control
Product Features |
Product Specifications
Brand NameYamaha
Color NameBlack
Product Details
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Product Description
From the Manufacturer
The RX-Z7BL Provides An Enormous Range Of Multimedia Features
Expanding on the highly acclaimed Z-Series, Yamaha introduces another benchmark: the RX-Z7BL, a 7.1-channel Network AV Receiver. The RX-Z7BL receiver provides an enormous range of exciting multimedia features, extensive custom installation capabilities, video adjustment features and cutting edge technologies. The RX-Z7BL performance provides great enjoyment for the home theater experience.HD Radio Tuner and iTunes Tagging
HD Radio provides much better sound from AM and FM stations, and also offers new HD2 multicast channels. The RX-Z7BL display various HD Radio data on the front panel and on the TV. The RX-Z7BL also provides iTunes Tagging, which "tags" desired songs so they can be accessed later via iTunes (transfer songs to an iPod, then connect iPod to computer).Advanced YPAO
Yamaha’s YPAO system uses a small microphone and sophisticated equalization to automatically set the best sound for any room, no matter where the speakers are. First it checks the speaker connections and phase of each speaker. Then it sends out tones which are captured by the microphone to analyze the room acoustics and sets a variety of parameters, such as the speaker size, the distance of the speakers and even the sound pressure level, etc. Until it achieves the best sound conditions for your room and you don't have to do anything! Advanced YPAO is superior to other systems because it uses parametric rather than graphic EQ and can be set for eight different listening positions.
 Zone control over your home network |
The RX-Z7BL has a built-in Web server that offers a simple and intuitive zone control solution for use in a home network. To use this feature, simply connect the receiver to your LAN and enter the unit's IP address from a full web browser on a PC, touch panel controller, or even a PDA (choice of two display sizes). The browser will display the top menu, allowing control of power on/off, volume and other settings for all zones. It also allows access to detailed Zone information pages with meta data from HD Radio, internet radio, iPod, XM/SIRIUS or PC music files. By utilizing this powerful feature, multi-zone configuration is no longer a time consuming task.
Enhanced Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control)
Yamaha's Adaptive DRC technology automatically adjusts the dynamic range of the sound according to the volume that is selected. Enhanced Adaptive DRC refines the dynamic range parameters to make low volume sounds easier to hear (narrower dynamic range) while retaining the massive feeling of high volume sound (wider dynamic range), because our ears lose sensitivity to low and high sounds as volume decreases, it continually adjusts these frequency ranges according to the volume and to the input signal level. In addition, speaker volume data obtained by YPAO measurements is reflected in the dynamic range parameters, ensuring that these settings are optimized when YPAO is set.
 Yamaha network functions connect you to your music |
Using a network connection and Windows Media Player 11, the user can stream PC music content (MP3, WMA, WAV), listen to internet radio (MP3, WMA), and access the Rhapsody™ and SIRIUS* streaming services. Rhapsody requires a paid subscription (30-day free trial period is included). The user can search by track, artist, album and genre, and add songs and albums to a "My Library" section. When a track is selected, the album art is displayed, and you can also select Channels for constant streaming music. The RX-Z7BL can also function as a Client in Yamaha's MusicCAST home audio network, seamlessly integrating with the MCX-2000. There is also a USB terminal on the front panel, and of course an iPod can be used via the optional YDS-11SL dock.
Versatile Zone Control
The RX-Z7BL allows the creation of four separate zones, so people in four different rooms of the home can enjoy music or movies. It features assignable amplifiers for multi-zone control (Zone 2 and 3) and assignable zone (2, 3, 4) component video out for creating a high quality home theater in addition to the one in the Main Zone. There are also a number of other zone control functions. A Party Mode permits play of the same audio source in all zones in 7-channel stereo, great for background music at parties. Zone Mono (Zones 2 and 3) provides compatibility with one speaker or three-speaker installations, for example when speakers are installed in the ceiling. There is an optical digital output for Zone 4 for sending a multi-channel bitstream signal to a room where there is a separate receiver or YSP unit (volume cannot be controlled via the RX-Z7BL). The sleep timer is functional for all zones and users can input their own zone names using the soft keyboard on the GUI. An RS-232C interface is provided, as well as remote input/output and programmable dual +12V trigger outputs. The I/O assign chart on the GUI is very easy to use.
 Upscaling to 1080p from any video input |
HDMI enables the receiver to accept and output digital video and audio signals to maintain the highest signal quality. The RX-Z7BL receiver has two HDMI outputs and allows Dual Simultaneous HDMI Output. HDMI provides the benefits of x.v.Color and Deep Color (30/36 bit) and means the receiver can handle the high 1080p/24fps resolution of Blu-ray Discs. They also provide an Auto Lip-Sync function that automatically adjusts the lag between video and audio, and can transmit 120Hz/24Hz Refresh Rates.
Upscaling to Full 1080p and Upconversion
Upscaling is a technology that increases the resolution of video signals. This receiver can upscale video signals (depending on the capability of the TV or projector), all the way up to 1080p (Full HD). The RX-Z7BL supports HDMI to HDMI upscaling so any incoming HDMI signal will be upscaled to a higher resolution. Customers will benefit from upscaling if they have an HDTV capable of 720p, 1080i or 1080p resolution. Upconversion means that the receiver will convert an analog input signal from a composite, S-video or component input to HDMI so it can be output from a single cable. Downconversion will also be performed if necessary.
Pre-Amplifier Mode
The Pre-amplifier Mode designates the 7-channel power output for Zones 2, 3 and 4, while the Main Zone signals are output from the preout terminals to an external amplifier (or amplifiers). The 7 channels (980W of power) are freely assignable, for example, they can power 2 speakers in Zone 2, 3 speakers in Zone 3 and 2 speakers in Zone 4. This provides much greater flexibility for distributing audio throughout the home, as well as providing high quality sound with low power consumption. Setup can be done through the GUI.
High Quality Second Zone Home Theater
The RX-Z7BL's Zone Component Video Out (assignable to Zone 2/3/4) allows the creation of a high quality second zone theater that offers HD video pass-through, upconversion of Composite and S-Video signals to Component 480p, crystal-clear audio bitstreams, stereo PCM. The receiver also has Multi-Tuner/Multi-Media source capability with Zone On-Screen Display for Zone 2 to meet the needs of custom installers. There is an optical digital output for Zone 4, for a room where there is a separate receiver or YSP unit (volume cannot be controlled).
Cinema DSP 3D
This is an upgraded version of CINEMA DSP that uses the two presence speakers in the 7-channel configuration to give the sound field an enhanced vertical dimension. Hi-Fi DSP programs sound more natural, closer to the feeling of being in a concert hall with a high ceiling or a club where the sound seems to bounce up from the floor. CINEMA DSP programs have a greater feeling of height that gives sounds coming from above more precise localization.
Video Adjustment Memory
The RX-Z7BL provides seven different types of video adjustment for extremely "fine-tuning" of the picture: Mosquito Noise Reduction, Block Noise Reduction, Fine Detail Enhancement, Edge Enhancement, Brightness, Contrast and Saturation. Once these adjustments are made, they can be stored in a preset memory. There are six memories, so six different patterns can be stored. You can have different patterns for different input sources (including a digital video camera, connected to the front panel HDMI terminal), or several different patterns for the same source.
PReP (Progressive ReProcessing)
Anchor Bay's PReP™ (Progressive ReProcessing) is the industry's first video processing method that significantly improves progressive video signals and removes artifacts caused by inferior interlaced-to-progressive conversion. Video signals that originate in an interlaced format are often degraded by artifacts incurred when the signal is converted from interlaced to progressive formats by general purpose chips in DVD players, AV receivers, and set-top boxes. Until now, there has been no way to improve these signals to optimize images on high-resolution displays. Poor interlaced-to-progressive conversion is especially problematic with large-screen HDTVs, as upscaling to higher resolutions often amplifies artifacts created in the conversion process, making them more noticeable. As a solution to this problem, Anchor Bay has introduced PReP™, an advanced video processing technology that reverts the progressive video signal output from source equipment to its original interlaced format. PReP™ then converts the interlaced signal to progressive format, this time applying the source, edge, and motion adaptive algorithms in its Precision Deinterlacing technology to eliminate jaggies, combing, and other degrading effects. PReP™ technology allows 480p, 1080p, and other formats to be processed by this method. PReP™ is especially good for lower quality video sources, where the improvement in quality will be very noticeable.
RX-Z7BL Accessories
The RX-Z7BL is compatible with the following Yamaha accessories:
Technical Specifications
- Power Output: 140 watts x 7 Channels
- Tuners: AM/FM, HD Radio, XM/Sirius (with subscription)
- iPod Compatibility: Yes (with optional YDS-11SL)
- Bluetooth Compatibility: Yes (with optional YBA-10WH)
- YPAO System Calibration: Optimizer Microphone Included
- HDMI Up Conversion: Scale to 480p / 720p / 1080i / 1080p
- Dolby TrueHD: Included
- Dolby Digital EX and Dolby Pro Logic IIx: Included
- DTS-HD Master Audio: Included
- DTS-ES Discrete 6.1: Included
- DTS 96/24 and DTS Neo-6: Included
- HDMI Inputs/Outputs: 4 inputs back, 1 input front/ 2 outputs back, version 1.3a
- Component Video Inputs/Outputs: 3 inputs / 1 output
- Digital Inputs/Outputs: 5 optical and 3 coaxial inputs / 2 optical outputs
- Network Connection: RJ-45 LAN Terminal
- USB Inputs: (2) 1 front, 1 back
- RS-232C Interface: Included
- IR Ports: Yes (2)
- +12V Trigger Output: Yes (2)
- Pre-Outs: All Channels
- Remote Control: Learning and Macro Capability
- Zone Remote Control: Included
- Product Dimensions (W x H x D): 17-1/8" x 7-11/16" x 17-3/8"
- Product Weight: 40.6 lbs
Product Description
Expanding on the highly acclaimed Z-Series, Yamaha introduces another benchmark: the RX-Z7, a 7.1-channel Network AV Receiver. This new receiver provides an enormous range of exciting multimedia features, extensive custom installation capabilities, video adjustment features and cutting edge technologies. The RX-Z7 performance provides great enjoyment for the home theater experience.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Thomas Wilde
I've had mine for a couple of months and am completely pleased with the purchase. At first I had my doubts, since I've always had much more expensive component systems. This is my fourth Yamaha receiver, but the others I used for the kids, and for the whole-house stereo system.
I had just switched from a 9" crt projector to a Panasonic 3000 LCD projector, and decided that going fully digital was in order. I spent weeks reading reviews, downloading both user and service manuals for about a dozen brands and models. When all was said and done the decision really was quite easy. This thing has virtually everything a person could want.
I have a large dedicated theater that is designed for both reclining and listening to music, or for viewing movies on a 120" screen. I have carefully assembled a system that does both flawlessly, and I didn't want to mess it up when it came to this purchase. This came as close as I could have hoped for. Mind you, it isn't as good as my old system when it comes to sound. But then my power amp alone was $4500, and could power a normal full-sized movie theater's speaker system.
This does have plenty of power for my nine-speaker setup. It just has a hair less detail in the sound. Before I could hear if a pianist hadn't fully trimmed his or her fingernails, because you could hear the ends click when they hit the ivory on the piano keys. This doesn't quite get there.
That being said, my wife likes this much better because she hated hearing every tiny detail, especially the bad mixing and mic placement on so many recordings. She especially hated listening to Midori play the Paganini caprices - hearing Midori slide her fingers into position when my wife had spent years believing that to be one of the best performances ever. She is back to loving the performance, and I have to say I like it better too. Detail can get a bit overrated, because you get the bad with the good.
As to video, this thing leaves nothing to be desired. One of my DVD players is an Oppo 981, which always gets great reviews, and is an excellent player, especially for upconversion of older DVDs to 1080p. At first I was just going to have this pass the signal straight through without any alteration. After going back and forth a bunch of times I actually chose to have this receiver do the conversion on everything, from the analog sources as well as the digital ones. It does a top-notch job and I have no complaints.
That being said, there are so many choices and possibilities it almost gets to the point of being frustrating. As you pop through the possibilities of hearing the music in a cathedral in Munich or a church in Freiburg it is pretty easy to lose focus on finding what sound you really like. My suggestion is to relax in an easy chair, close your eyes, and have someone else do the changing of settings so that you really do select the best setting.
For those building their system up from something of lesser quality (meaning most of the units out there), or for those who have been like me and have gotten tired of lugging around massive components that take up lots of room and generate lots of heat, this has something for most everyone to like.
The possible negatives of the unit are: needs at least a couple of inches of ventilation on the top for air circulation (could just hook-up a 90 or 120mm computer case fan if things are tight); like most of these receivers the remote (there actually are two remotes that come with (one full function and the other a stripped down model)) could be better and might take a little trial and error; for those like me who are used to having more than one subwoofer this is designed for just one (although my Supernova Earthquake 15" nearly knocked marble off the wall in the master bath when I was watching the newer version of War of the Worlds).
1/29/2010 Just wanted to say that I have installed the firmware updates and have yet to have a single negative thing occur concerning this receiver. Originally I screwed a few things up and Yamaha support always got back within a day. Turns out I was at fault, but one interesting item is that I had an audio CD in the player and thought it was a DVD. The output gave me a green screen, and that really had me scratching my head, and that of the Yamaha engineer, until I checked what was in there. Otherwise, I have been using the PS3 for the Blu-ray movies, Oppo for standard, and absolutely everything has been superb. Odd to have not one complaint.
12/15/2010 Not really anything to add except it works flawlessly. I still wish there were fewer choices in terms of shaping the audio output. When I find a setting I really like with one kind of music it might be a month before I come back to it again. It might help if I kept a notebook by it and just made notes as to the combinations I like. I still mostly keep it on seven-channel stereo unless I really don't like how it sounds. Other than that I haven't even looked at my old equipment for months now. As stated before, there has not been a single issue with this receiver. I'm 100% satisfied.
I had just switched from a 9" crt projector to a Panasonic 3000 LCD projector, and decided that going fully digital was in order. I spent weeks reading reviews, downloading both user and service manuals for about a dozen brands and models. When all was said and done the decision really was quite easy. This thing has virtually everything a person could want.
I have a large dedicated theater that is designed for both reclining and listening to music, or for viewing movies on a 120" screen. I have carefully assembled a system that does both flawlessly, and I didn't want to mess it up when it came to this purchase. This came as close as I could have hoped for. Mind you, it isn't as good as my old system when it comes to sound. But then my power amp alone was $4500, and could power a normal full-sized movie theater's speaker system.
This does have plenty of power for my nine-speaker setup. It just has a hair less detail in the sound. Before I could hear if a pianist hadn't fully trimmed his or her fingernails, because you could hear the ends click when they hit the ivory on the piano keys. This doesn't quite get there.
That being said, my wife likes this much better because she hated hearing every tiny detail, especially the bad mixing and mic placement on so many recordings. She especially hated listening to Midori play the Paganini caprices - hearing Midori slide her fingers into position when my wife had spent years believing that to be one of the best performances ever. She is back to loving the performance, and I have to say I like it better too. Detail can get a bit overrated, because you get the bad with the good.
As to video, this thing leaves nothing to be desired. One of my DVD players is an Oppo 981, which always gets great reviews, and is an excellent player, especially for upconversion of older DVDs to 1080p. At first I was just going to have this pass the signal straight through without any alteration. After going back and forth a bunch of times I actually chose to have this receiver do the conversion on everything, from the analog sources as well as the digital ones. It does a top-notch job and I have no complaints.
That being said, there are so many choices and possibilities it almost gets to the point of being frustrating. As you pop through the possibilities of hearing the music in a cathedral in Munich or a church in Freiburg it is pretty easy to lose focus on finding what sound you really like. My suggestion is to relax in an easy chair, close your eyes, and have someone else do the changing of settings so that you really do select the best setting.
For those building their system up from something of lesser quality (meaning most of the units out there), or for those who have been like me and have gotten tired of lugging around massive components that take up lots of room and generate lots of heat, this has something for most everyone to like.
The possible negatives of the unit are: needs at least a couple of inches of ventilation on the top for air circulation (could just hook-up a 90 or 120mm computer case fan if things are tight); like most of these receivers the remote (there actually are two remotes that come with (one full function and the other a stripped down model)) could be better and might take a little trial and error; for those like me who are used to having more than one subwoofer this is designed for just one (although my Supernova Earthquake 15" nearly knocked marble off the wall in the master bath when I was watching the newer version of War of the Worlds).
1/29/2010 Just wanted to say that I have installed the firmware updates and have yet to have a single negative thing occur concerning this receiver. Originally I screwed a few things up and Yamaha support always got back within a day. Turns out I was at fault, but one interesting item is that I had an audio CD in the player and thought it was a DVD. The output gave me a green screen, and that really had me scratching my head, and that of the Yamaha engineer, until I checked what was in there. Otherwise, I have been using the PS3 for the Blu-ray movies, Oppo for standard, and absolutely everything has been superb. Odd to have not one complaint.
12/15/2010 Not really anything to add except it works flawlessly. I still wish there were fewer choices in terms of shaping the audio output. When I find a setting I really like with one kind of music it might be a month before I come back to it again. It might help if I kept a notebook by it and just made notes as to the combinations I like. I still mostly keep it on seven-channel stereo unless I really don't like how it sounds. Other than that I haven't even looked at my old equipment for months now. As stated before, there has not been a single issue with this receiver. I'm 100% satisfied.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I would have given this unit 5 stars but I'm waiting on support to get back to me. So far, the person I've been emailing with hasn't impressed...
I got it all hooked up and configured myself, no issues. Except for one... my comcast DVR, when originally connected to my TV via HDMI, would keep the highest output setting it has available (1080i). However, now with the DVR connected through the RX-Z7 via HDMI, the comcast box keeps switching back to its lowest output (480p) whenever I standby the RX-Z7.
I've tried both the "through" and "processing" HDMI to HDMI options the RX-Z7 offers but nothing has stopped this.
Other than this glitch, I'm happy so far. The 1.07 firmware went on fine, no issues (the box had 1.03 in it when I received it).
Anybody have any ideas about the glitch, please let me know.
amcintyre@m-m.com
I got it all hooked up and configured myself, no issues. Except for one... my comcast DVR, when originally connected to my TV via HDMI, would keep the highest output setting it has available (1080i). However, now with the DVR connected through the RX-Z7 via HDMI, the comcast box keeps switching back to its lowest output (480p) whenever I standby the RX-Z7.
I've tried both the "through" and "processing" HDMI to HDMI options the RX-Z7 offers but nothing has stopped this.
Other than this glitch, I'm happy so far. The 1.07 firmware went on fine, no issues (the box had 1.03 in it when I received it).
Anybody have any ideas about the glitch, please let me know.
amcintyre@m-m.com
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By C. Gonzalez
After expending $2500, I contacted my dealer when I found 2 mayor issues with this Unit (Due to Software Bugs), 2 weeks later Yamaha released firmware 1.05 fixing the Power on/off issue, The next month, they released v1.08 which addressed the HDMI Blue vertical noise in its processing circuitry. The problems don't end here, firmware v 1.05 has created another bug with Rhapsody operation, that is why I contacted Yamaha support 1 month ago. Not help having replaced my unit. They realized (Yamaha) about this other problem. I was surprised how Yamaha is not very interested in Keeping the Z series trouble free. This is my opinion, What you should expect when you expend $2500 Dollars in a "Top of the Line Receiver"?. Sonically and other Features this Unit Rock, but not enough for a Z series receiver
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