Hi everyone!
I own an Dsp-z9 from more than 10 years.Is one of the best receivers for stereo audition.
Now in HDMI era, i buy an Oppo BD103 (2x hdmi in and 2 x hdmi out) and my Yamaha is updated. I connect 7.1 analog out from Oppo to preamp section in of Yamaha and i can watch movie in dts hd master to.
In stereo i'm using Denon 3910 like transporter, connected true I-Link cable to the Yamaha and the sound is outstanding.Is really the best AV Receiver for stereo.

The best Yamaha AV receiver ever... awe-inspiring design, terrific build quality, astounding performance and expensive. One-off product.

The DSP-Z9/ RX-Z9 was Yamaha's last US $4,500 legacy Uber AV amplifier/ receiver that was primarily devoted to sound quality. With this model Yamaha made a quantum leap in terms of sound quality with respect to its previous model DSP-AZ1/ RX-Z1. It was the first receiver in the world to support video up-conversion (720p/ 1080i) and provide a GUI display for easy operation.

The later HD ready DSP-Z11/ RX-Z11 was more about home theater than stereo/ multi-channel audio performance. The DSP-Z9 flagship model incorporated a "pure direct" circuit designed for ultimate audio sound quality and "HD Cinema DSP," which boasted an impressive live feeling with 9.2 channels.

Pros of DSP-Z9:

1) The DSP-Z9 is built to last forever with the types of materials and build quality you expect from a significant investment in your home theater system. The DSP-Z9 is built like a Panzer tank and runs like a Swiss watch. Terrific build quality and a robust feature set make the DSP-Z9 a class leader among the competition. It is about the most trouble-free, easy-to-use, intuitive AV amplifier I've encountered.

2) The casework on the DSP-Z9 is gorgeous, comparing with the best in the business. The faceplate is formed from a 10 mm thick piece of beautifully machined extruded aluminum, finished in a striking brushed titanium treatment reminiscent of Krell amps. The faceplate & side panel quality are above reproach and beyond anything I have seen on an AV amplifier. In fact, it felt much more like a handcrafted high-end component than a mass-produced one.

3) The DSP-Z9 internal amplifiers are so good and so musically right, that unless you're willing to fork over some major dough one wouldn't look to separates if you can afford the DSP-Z9. I found the DSP-Z9's power on tap to be bountiful and robust, making it one of the best-sounding AV amplifiers in the game even today, with overall audio performance not unlike what I heard from many high-end integrateds. In Pure Direct Mode it has a smooth, rich textured sound that is rife with air and possesses striking dynamics that bring songs to life. In Straight Mode a slightly warm midrange and solid bass impact make the DSP-Z9 one of the most musical solid-state AV amplifier ever made.

4) Incredible power output, capable of powering any speaker on the market today with juice to spare making the DSP-Z9 a very versatile amplifier for a variety of system and needs. It has the power and headroom to be able to drive even tough impedance-load speakers to beyond-cinema levels, even from the most demanding sources. THX's Ultra2 certification backs those claims up with third-party verification that you can trust.

6) During auditioning setup the most stand out & appreciated feature was DSP-Z9’s unexpectedly large gold plated 2-way extruded speaker terminals. Frankly speaking the plain jane speaker terminals of Denon & DSP-Z11 was a real pain to use where as I was really impressed with DSP-Z9’s binding posts as they easily accommodated those rather heavy speaker wires for the nine channels. DSP-Z9 has a genuine upper hand here.

7) The DSP-Z9 except for HDMI, possesses more features and customizable options than even the most fanatical home theater enthusiast is ever likely to need and/or use.

8) The DSP-Z9 possesses a natural, lively and energetic sound that adds a bit of swing to music and punch to movies. It simply excels as a multi-channel listening device, be it for music or movies. The bass on DSP-Z9 was the best in comparison with DSP-Z11 & Denon AVC-A1SRA. Low, fast and tight only start to describe the sound.

9) Yamaha's various DSPs sound remarkably good for an AV amplifier. To find significantly better surround sound DSP modes, you need to look at AV preamps costing 200 percent more or higher than this Yamaha DSP-Z9.

10) 1080i video quality is topnotch with the Faroudja processing and up-conversion actually improves the look of legacy video sources, although it is important to note that the video processor is no miracle worker.

11) The DSP-Z9's dual subwoofer outputs, are nice features that more users are bound to employ.

12) The onboard GUI display is essential, not only for making adjustments to the DSP-Z9, but because it is hugely beneficial and easy to use.

13) While the DSP-Z9's initial price was on par with a mid-fi separates system, its performance is more high-end than that of most AV amplifiers in almost every conceivable way.

14) The DSP-Z-9’s pre & power amplifier circuit design architectures & PCB layout are exotic in nature and are found on US $10,000 plus separates. The pre-amplifier section uses a fully balanced wiring for audio signal transmission with high quality gold plated relays to achieve low noise & distortion and feeds the symmetrical driven fully discrete push-full power amplifier circuit configuration having a complementary FET input stage. This ensures fully balanced power output with no signal interference and highest slew rate (rate at which signal changes; affects high frequency response) and balanced clipping.

15) From 1990 onwards to this date, Yamaha has released eight Top Of The Line (TOTL) AV amplifiers ranging between US $2,000 to US $5,500. From a technical standpoint and purely in terms of internal circuit design architecture & layout I found six of them namely DSP-A1000, DSP-A2070, DSP-A3090, DSP-A1, DSP-AX1 & DSP-AZ1 follows the same design philosophy/ architecture/ pattern as laid out by Mr Izumi Ozeki back in 1990 with his award winning DSP-A1000. I reached to this conclusion after critically analyzing all of their service manuals. With time they successively released newer models which were just a gradual evolution of the former with some more refinement & added features. On closer inspection I found though Mr Masaya Kano designed DSP-Z11 (an engineer working under Mr Ozeki) having a very different circuit design layout & positioning, have abundant traits that clearly sticks to the same design philosophy of DSP-A1000 chalked out by Mr Ozeki back in 1990. DSP-Z11 is more or less like the same candy in a different & more shineier wrapper.

However, DSP-Z9 is an exception to this case, having absolutely nothing in common in term of design philosophy to the rest of the bunch. DSP-Z9's design philosophy & architecture is completely different being far more exotic, pure, unadulterated & performance oriented than its counterparts and it seems to be designed from a completely new ballpark with no relevance to its sisters to achieve never before attained performance levels. Mr Ozeki wanted a revolution for his masterpiece rather than an evolution of his previously designed models. This was also evident when I auditioned DSP-Z9 & DSP-Z11, the DSP-Z9 being a clear winner as far as performance goes.

Cons of DSP-Z9

1) Heafty price. The Yamaha DSP-Z9 is an AV amplifier in the traditional sense, but follows the lead set by the separates camp as well. For starters, it's not cheap. At US $4,500 retail, it was one of the most expensive AV amplifiers one could buy back in 2004. Weight is always a consideration with an amp at this level. DSP-Z9 weighs a hefty 30 kilos.

3) It was found in terms of natural heat convection the cooling fins situated at the center of the top of this heat sink is almost contributing nothing, since they are starved of air. Even though DSP-Z9 came with a pair of cooling fans situated below these heat sinks like PA power amplifiers, due to stringent audio performance standards calling for minimal chassis vibration, they only kicked in when the going got really tough inside due to extreme high temperature buildup. However Mr Ozeki and Mr Maegaki (DSP-Z9 developers) were not bothered about this heat built up. Using top class PCB circuit boards along with selected high quality electrical/ electronic components.

Hi. I just got hold of a DSP-Z9 (Brand New-one of the last pieces available). I wonder if my decision is right in this age of HDMI et al. Mr. Johndts4ever has returned his Z-11. It has reinstilled my faith in Z9's sound quality.
Mr. John, can u get in touch with me directly on my E-Mail ID: atulg7@hotmail.com ? I would like your guidance in setting this Z9 to the optimum. I also want to connect Multi Ch Analog Input for Dolby True HD Master Audio.

Should I have bought a Z7 or Z11? I still wonder.

hi im new at this
i have had the yamaha rxz9 for 4 years now and i loved it so i thought i should update to the rxz11 i bought it 2weeks ago and have played with the setting for hours to get the same or greater sound than the rxz9 but failed so i packed the rxz11 back in the box and took it back to big picture people for a full refund i had no trouble getting a refund i hooked up my yama rxz9 up again and compared the sound from rxz9 & rxz11 and the rxz9 won hands down so i saved 6000 dollars i love the yamaha rxz9 much better amp than the new rxz11 (just because rxz11 has hdmi it does not mean its better)