CEDIA 2018: Yamaha Previews Its Future CX-A5200 Pre/Pro and MX-A5200 Amp
“The new CX-A5200 and MX-A5200 represent the highest expression of the AVENTAGE concept which combines fine craftsmanship, innovative technologies, and a multitude of no-compromise design, engineering, and construction refinements to produce the purest sound with unrivaled sonic realism,” explained to Robert Goedken, GM, Yamaha Corporation of America.
The CX-A5200 offers 11.2-channels of processing power, including 7.2.4-channel decoding of Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive sound codecs. And according to Yamaha, it carries improved Cinema DSP-HD signal processing algorithms to help enhance the sound field’s vertical dimension. The company also touts another round of sturdy physical construction designed to effectively suppress sound-smearing vibrations, while housing a large redesigned power transformer and two ESS SABRE ES9026 PRO digital-to-analog converters.
Connectivity-wise, the CX-A5200 offers balanced XLR pre-outs and a multitude of 4K compatible HDMI ports (seven IN, three OUT). It also offers wireless access to the usual streaming services – TIDAL and Spotify included – along with multi-room wireless functionality using the company’s own MusicCast platform.
Yamaha is making a strong push to market its proprietary “Surround:AI” technology, an intelligent DSP that auto-optimizes sound output by analyzing a track’s dynamic range, dialog, sound effects, background music, and channel balance. Those characteristics are internally processed and compared to a reference database of movie scenes, allowing the CX-A5200 to enhance reproduction of dialog when sound effects or background noise is deemed problematic. Alternatively, the processing can also sense and influence louder scenes, lending to a more dramatic reproduction of immersive sound effects and powerful musical scores. Of course, Surround:AI is a menu option that can turned on or off, so purists can still opt to experience movie content exactly as its authored.
The MX-A5200 is designed to be the perfect mate for the CX-A5200. It delivers 150 watts per channel (8 ohms, 20Hz – 20kHz, 2ch) across 11-channels, drawing from a large high-output toroidal transformer and two newly developed high-capacity block capacitors. Yamaha’s engineers endowed the amp with a symmetrical layout, isolating its left and right sides both physically and electrically for superior channel separation and less interference. And much like the CX-A5200, the MX-A5200 is built like a brick house, sporting a rock-solid chassis with a double-layered bottom for performance uninhibited by vibration infiltration.
Both models were on static display at Yamaha’s CEDIA 2018 booth, carrying presences that were stately and substantial. All signs indicate these will be another quality installment in Yamaha’s vaunted AVENTAGE line.
