Conclusion
The RX-A1030 paints a large and seamless soundscape that surrounds the listener completely. With movies, the sound is powerful and massive, with fine resolution in the low frequency range and the higher harmonics. The dialogue is solid, rich and well articulated.
With both the height channels, and with a traditional 7.1 system, we think that Yamaha does the best job in the home theater. It sounds awesome and natural at the same time. Music in surround and stereo sounds very good too. Yamaha doesn´t have the same transparency in the midrange as Pioneer, but more warmth and fullness – without toppling over towards the Harman/Kardon’s sprawlyness. The RX-A1030 is a very successful compromise.
In addition, the Yamaha RX-A1030 is easy to use, especially with the remote app on the iPad. And with Music Play and AirPlay streaming is like a dance. Highly recommended!