The RX-S601 is only 111 mm high and 327 mm deep. It will fit nicely in narrow AV racks, without jutting out from the front. This makes it easy to place your system where you want it, and gives it a neat appearance.

Delivers audio performance at the head of its class, thanks to a revamped ground and power supply pattern, as well as meticulously selected and custom designed parts, such as the transformer and heat sink. Features analogue discrete amplifier construction, a low jitter PLL circuit and high power output. Other top-grade features include an aluminium front panel and high-grade, large screw-type speaker terminals.

This AV receiver completely supports with the latest HDMI standards. Thanks to transmission of 4K video at 60 frames per second pass-through, you can fully enjoy the high definition video quality of 4K without degradation. It also adheres to the HDCP2.2 copyright protection standard for 4K video transmission.

3D means the receiver can handle 3D signal data. The Audio Return Channel function enables data to be sent and received via the same HDMI cable, so you can hear the sound from the TV via a single HDMI cable, with no need for an extra optical cable.

The 21:9 aspect ratio support is designed to show films recorded in the Cinema Scope format. When these films are viewed in the usual 16:9 ratio, you see black bars at the top and bottom of the screen; 21:9 eliminates these bars. By supporting 21:9 resolution, this model will be able to pass it through so that movies and games feel much more immersive.

*This feature is not supported with some PC monitors with specific IT specification design.

This AV receiver lets you use the Yamaha AV Controller app that is downloadable from the iTunes App Store or Google Play to control power on / off and volume, select input and DSP modes and operate other functions from an iPhone or Android devices. You can also use in as many as 23* different languages and customise the interface by hiding unused icons and renaming functions. A tablet version is also available.

*As of spring 2014

This AV receiver is equipped with a variety of sound programmes that utilise Yamaha’s original DSP technology. They allow you to easily create sound fields like actual movie theatres or concert halls in your room and enjoy natural stereoscopic sound fields. Now you can use the AV Controller app to adjust DSP parameters to your preference to match the type of music / movie or the mood you want to achieve. There are two modes, Basic and Advanced, that you can choose according to the type of adjustments you want to do.

Use your smartphone or tablet together with the MusicCast CONTROLLER app to operate the speaker and change settings quickly and easily. The same Controller app functions as a remote control for all your MusicCast-compatible devices too.

Many live and classical albums have no gaps in the music. Gapless playback ensures that there are no pauses between audio files. This provides playback with no interruptions, the way it was meant to be heard.

* Compatible with WAV, FLAC and ALAC file formats, and input from USB / PC / NAS.

The Total Purity Concept, which Yamaha has been cultivating for many years, encompasses high drive amp technology, high purity pre-amplification, anti-vibration technology and independent pure power supplies. All models have a fully discrete power amplifier that helps to minimise distortion. They also adopt independent pure power supplies, allowing dedicated power supplies for the analogue and digital circuitry to prevent digital noise from affecting analogue circuitry. The anti-vibration heatsinks are designed to suppress vibration from transistors and sound pressure. Independent power supplies for the DACs are designed to further eliminate noise on certain models. Down to every detail, these AV receivers are designed with full emphasis on the highest possible sound quality.

This AV receiver supports AirPlay, which means they can accept wireless music streaming from iPod touch, iPhone or iPad, as well as from iTunes on Macs or PCs. This makes it easy to enjoy music from your mobile devices or computer on your home theatre system. You can use view metadata such as song title, artist name as well as album art* via AV receiver’s on-screen display.

*Some models don’t support album art display.

With the Spotify app on your smartphone, you’ve got instant access to millions of songs. And now you can stream those songs to your Yamaha system by using Spotify Connect. Just hit play to start streaming music. What’s more, when you’ve been listening on your smartphone outside and come inside, the song immediately streams to your AVR—like magic, you enjoy uninterrupted music. You can also personalise playlists and receive phone calls while listening to music.

*The Spotify app and premium account are required. Visit spotify.com for more details.

Try Spotify Premium for free on your Yamaha Home Entertainment System for 30 days.

*Spotify service availability depends on regions.

A USB port on the front panel allows convenient connection of an iPod / iPhone, which also charges when connected. Because the digital signal from the iPod / iPhone is transmitted directly to the AV receiver, there is no signal loss or interference, so you enjoy the best possible sound quality. In addition, you can use the receiver’s remote control unit to operate the iPod / iPhone music playback functions.

This AV receiver is compatible with many audio formats such as Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio. It is also compatible with high resolution audio codec such as DSD / AIFF / FLAC / WAV / Apple Lossless. You will enjoy excellent sound quality of various high resolution audio codec from USB and network content.

Pressing a SCENE button powers on the AV Receiver and selects the input source and DSP mode. You can re-set the buttons for different sources by selecting a source and DSP mode, then pressing a SCENE button for more than three seconds.

Another benefit of HDMI is the availability of CEC functionality. When the unit is connected to a CEC compatible TV, it will turn on and off together with the TV, and you can use the TV remote to control the volume. CEC also provides advanced functionality with other components. For example, you can use the receiver’s remote unit to control player functions like Skip and Stop.

＊All connected devices must be HDMI CEC compatible. Some CEC compatible TVs / players may not work.

YPAO analyses the room acoustics and adjusts various audio parameters for optimum sound in just a few minutes. It’s like having a professional installer calibrate your system.

When the AV receiver is in HDMI Standby Through mode, the input source (Blu-ray™ Disc player, game console, etc.) for viewing on the monitor can be changed via the remote control. There’s no need to turn on the AV receiver in order to switch sources.

CINEMA DSP 3D provides a wide, high and dense sound field. HD Audio format decoding lets you enjoy HD Audio sources. Virtual Presence Speaker delivers 3-dimensional sound without actual use of presence speakers.

Even when it is impossible to install surround speakers behind the listening position, Virtual CINEMA DSP reproduces virtual 5-channel surround sound filled with realism, with only two front speakers. With Virtual CINEMA FRONT, you will enjoy virtual 5-channel surround sound with higher quality and resolution by installing surround speakers at the front. You get more flexibility to arrange your speakers inside the room, along with easy enjoyment of high quality surround sound.

Yamaha’ s exclusive low-range enhancement technology delivers richer bass than you expect from the speaker size while maintaining good localisation and sound balance even with compact front speakers. When a subwoofer is used, it improves the volume of the entire low range of the speaker system, not only the front speakers, but also enhancing the bass from the subwoofer. You’ll enjoy video and music with sound that has exceptional power and presence.

When music is encoded into a digitally compressed format like MP3, the frequency response suffers. Yamaha’s Compressed Music Enhancer employs sophisticated digital signal processing using exclusive algorithms to restore what was lost, so the music always sounds the way it should.

The Subwoofer Trim control enhances the low frequencies by avoiding overlap with the front speaker output. This will result in a cleaner, more focused sound stage while providing a seamless frequency response. When subwoofer frequency overlap occurs in conventional systems, the overall sound is “pushed” toward the subwoofer. Subwoofer Trim takes care of this by separating the low subwoofer frequencies cleanly, thus stabilising the front stage while providing a well-balanced enhanced bass sound.

Adaptive DRC automatically adjusts the dynamic range of the sound according to the volume level. This ensures that you hear clear dialogue and vocals, and all sound effects at comfortable levels. There is no need to adjust the volume level as you listen; everything from whispers to big explosions will be heard clearly and comfortably at the same volume setting. It also tones down loud TV commercials, and is ideal for low-volume, late-night listening, when you do not want to disturb others.

Yamaha’s new ECO mode reduces power consumption by about 20%. It can be set from the top of the GUI menu.

* Compared to power consumption when ECO mode is off (Yamaha measurement).

Auto Power Down lets you save energy by selecting to turn off the power after 2, 4, 8 or 12 hours.