Yamaha is harnessing the power of Surround:AI artificial intelligence in its third-generation AVENTAGE-series CX-A5200 AV preamplifier. Combined with the new 11-channel AVENTAGE MX-A5200 amplifier, the flagship 11.2-channel CX-A5200 delivers audio realism with audio power, creating an expansive, full-bodied sound field capable of reproducing the subtlest details in immersive high-definition 3D soundtracks, according to the manufacturer.
With Yamaha Surround:AI in the CX-A5200, surround sound gets intelligent via DSP technology. The AV preamplifier, in real time, automatically optimizes surround-sound performance for each scene in a movie or any piece of content. Surround:AI analyzes a scene’s audio characteristics, focusing on soundtrack elements such as dynamic range, amount of dialog, the degree of sound effects, background music, and channel balance. Surround:AI then compares the scene’s audio characteristics to a reference database of movie scenes and automatically processes the scene’s sound to optimize performance.
Surround:AI makes dialog more intelligible in scenes with lots of background noise, delivers full-bodied sound for scenes with immersive sound effects, and ensures that you hear softly spoken dialog and soft background sounds.
To deliver high-performance surround sound, the CX-A5200 features immersive 3D Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound decoding with up to 7.2.4-channel processing. With Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, the CX-A5200 reproduces two to four height channels. To further heighten the sense of realism, Yamaha improved its Cinema DSP HD3 signal-processing algorithms to enhance the sound field’s vertical dimension.
The CX-A5200 features of particular interest to AV integrators include three HDMI outputs: two for home theater rooms equipped with a flat-screen TV for daytime viewing and a video projector for nighttime viewing. The third distributes 4K video and audio to a TV in another room.
The preamplifier integrates with installed home-control systems from Control4, ELAN Home Systems, RTI, and others. To AV integrators looking to diagnose issues, the CX-A5200 can be monitored remotely using the Domotz and Ihiji solutions.
