Review: Yamaha R-N1000A Network Receiver

It’s a great time to double down on stereo sound. Multi-speaker formats like Dolby Atmos get all the headlines, but if you’re building an all-in-one stereo or 2.1 system to elevate everything from your turntable to your TV, there have never been more options.

With stereo streaming amplifiers and receivers popping up all over the audio sphere (not to mention tons of powered bookshelf speakers), it can be tough to know where to start. The R-N1000A makes things easy. Sitting a step below Yamaha’s flagship R-N2000A, the R-N1000A is pricey yet approachable, with a hardy mix of versatile connectivity, superb performance, and rocksteady usability.

You might expect any legacy audio brand to provide consistent performance across inputs in the streaming era, but as our extensive testing has borne out, juxtaposing traditional audiophile components with conveniences like Wi-Fi and HDMI ARC is no cakewalk. The N1000A proves you can have it all in one box, showcasing uncommon stability in a powerful and downright fun package tailor-made for the modern stereo era.

Old School, New Curriculum

Pulling the hulking yet sleek R-N1000A from its packaging, my first question was, where is the display on this thing? Don’t get me wrong, I love the receiver’s sparkling front face with its tactile selector knobs, especially in the silver model I reviewed, but even the coolest retro design demands modern concessions.

It wasn’t until I fired the unit up that I realized the demure black strip along its base is the display, offering a small but legible guide for source, volume levels, and other settings. It's not as handy or as versatile as the large screens on pricier streaming amplifiers like Rotel’s RA-5000 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) or Naim’s Uniti Atom (8/10, WIRED Recommends), but it gets the job done without disturbing the vintage aesthetic. It helps that Yamaha’s MusicCast app, necessary for Wi-Fi setup, displays conveniences like album art and digital file resolution.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

While the R-N1000A doesn't get the giant toroidal transformer found in the R-N2000A (and other pricier rivals), its capable custom transformer and block capacitors provide potent A/B amplification at a claimed 100 watts per channel of continuous power at 8 ohms and 140 watts at peak power. Yamaha doesn’t publish continuous power specs at 4 ohms but claims 220 watts per channel of peak power. A 384-kHz/32-bit SABRE ES9090Q DAC provides topline high-resolution digital transference for hi-res sources with support for WAV and FLAC files up to 384 kHz and DSD files at up to 11.2 MHz.

Locked and Loaded

Even with stereo network receivers and amplifiers seeming to spring up autonomously, you'll have a hard time finding one with better connectivity than the R-N1000A. The back panel is loaded with three dedicated digital inputs (two digital, one coaxial), USB-B connection, AM and FM tuners, three RCA line inputs (one for a CD player), HDMI ARC for your TV, a subwoofer output, Ethernet, and stereo pre-outs for a second amplifier. There’s also a solid phono input, though I actually preferred my Orbit Theory’s built-in pre-amp. Up front is a quarter-inch headphone out.

A handy second speaker zone set below the gold-plated A-zone stereo terminals allows you to connect two pairs simultaneously, designated for 8-ohms only. One other note on impedance: If you’re connecting a single pair of 4- or 6-ohm speakers as I did, Yamaha recommends you navigate to Advanced Setup and change the impedance. It’s a minor pain, but takes just seconds.

If you have other MusicCast devices, you can create additional playback zones from any connected sound source wirelessly in the app. There you’ll also find loads of built-in streaming services, including internet radio stations, Pandora, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Sirius XM, among others. The wireless suite finishes with AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth 4.2 in a pinch. Chromecast is notably missing, though with so many supported services, including both Spotfy Connect and Tidal Connect, Android users should be in good shape. The receiver is also “Roon Tested” for Roon’s dedicated server system.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

Other notable features include a Pure Direct mode to bypass the internal buffer amp and EQ (as well as the display) for an undisturbed signal, and a mic for Yamaha’s YPAO room correction software. After running the test twice, I found the YPAO-affected sound too synthetic and flat. You may find it more useful if you add a subwoofer, and it's required to change the crossover point.

Without YPAO, you’ll need to adjust EQ with the onboard knobs. I didn’t feel the need to make any adjustments, apart from the volume control on my pre-tuned SVS 3000 Micro. The app performed flawlessly for other adjustments like checking settings or switching the input/source without the remote on hand

As for the remote, it’s fine. It’s got all the controls you’ll need, including settings, inputs, and speaker zones, but it'd be nice to get a backlit model at this price.

You may not need to use it much anyway between the app and HDMI ARC, which lets you control power and volume with your TV remote. That’s especially true with the R-N1000A because it's so intuitive for TV commands. For example, turning on the TV automatically swaps the sound to that input if the receiver is on, but if you decide to switch to a separate input with the TV on (while your wife plays video games, for instance), turning off the TV later doesn’t shut the amp down. That’s clever design and it worked perfectly across multiple TV models.

While it’s true that most folks won’t experience the ever-turning TV carousel that is my living room, it provided a very thorough test for the R-N1000A, which passed with flying colors. When coupled with its excellent audio performance, it’s a formidable facilitator.

Power Meets Poise

From the moment I connected the R-N1000A, I was pretty well smitten. It’s dynamic and powerful enough for the vast majority of speaker pairings, it’s silent as a ninja and stays cool for hours of playback. (Don’t worry about the “Warming Up” message you may see on the display, that’s just telling you the system is nearly at peak performance.)

The tonal color is clear yet resigned, offering a relatively neutral accentuation of your speakers’ best traits without getting in the way. I spent most of my listening with the SVS Evolution bookshelf speakers (9/10, WIRED Recommends), and adored the pairing. Bass felt somehow bigger and more rigid than with my pricier Uniti Atom reference amp, while providing similarly clean definition and a wide stereo image.

Comparing the two units back to back over multiple hours, the R-N1000A isn’t quite as rushingly clear as the Naim. The Naim’s more forward and intimate presentation can feel slightly more lifelike and dimensional in instruments like piano, buzzy electronic synths, and reedy saxophones.

Even so, I had no complaints with the R-N1000A over several weeks, whether calling up hi-res tracks on Amazon Music, fresh vinyl jazz on the Orbit Theory turntable (9/10, WIRED Recommends), or a litany of TV shows, films, and video games. More than once, I found myself enamored with the detail in video game and film dialog to the point of distraction.

Swapping in the Polk L100 bookshelves, which lean more forward in the upper midrange, I had a blast as the speakers seemed to step up a notch in the bass while showcasing their shimmering upper register. Unlike the Technics SU-GX70 (8/10, WIRED Recommends), which can sometimes accentuate brighter speakers in lighter mixes like TV sitcoms, the Yamaha mostly keeps things neutral. Its smooth yet transparent powerplant helped carve out stunning detail for everything from chocolatey bass grooves in Caroline Polachek’s “Bunny Is a Rider” to long-hanging vocal reverb in The Smile’s “The Smoke.”

While I didn’t have any large towers on hand, the R-N1000A should have no trouble pushing even challenging speaker options with its 100 watts per side at 8 ohms. Alternatively, I love the idea of connecting a second pair of bookshelf or outdoor speakers for the patio, something no other stereo streamer I’ve tested can offer.

Not everyone needs this much power, precision, or connectivity. Those with more basic TV setups could certainly go cheaper with stripped-down options like the Wiim Amp or Sonos Amp, but Yamaha’s R-N1000A provides way more good stuff without going into the “crazy” price zone. If you’ve been eyeing a dynamic and full-featured audiophile hub to handle everything in your arsenal, the R-N1000A is a fantastic choice.