YPAO is quick, but it measures whatever you give it. A few minutes of preparation makes the difference between a good result and a confusing one.
Buying hardware
Compatible YPAO hardware
Yamaha receivers from entry level to flagship, with the YPAO features each one has.
Before you run YPAO
Beginner
- In the receiver’s speaker setup, set which speakers you have: fronts, centre, surrounds, heights or presence speakers, and subwoofers.
- Check every speaker is wired correctly and plays.
- Find the YPAO microphone. It plugs into the YPAO MIC socket on the front panel.
- Unplug any headphones. They stop YPAO running.
Set up the subwoofer
Switch it on, set its volume knob to about halfway, and turn its crossover (low-pass) knob to the maximum. The receiver then does the crossover instead of the sub.
Make the room quiet
Turn off air conditioning and fans, keep your phone away from the receiver, and make sure nobody stands between the speakers and the mic. The test tones are loud and can’t be turned down.
Source: Yamaha’s manuals and Yamaha Hub.
The different versions of YPAO
Advanced
Every Yamaha AV receiver has YPAO, but higher models do more:
| Feature | What it does | Found on |
|---|---|---|
| YPAO | Measures and equalises each speaker and sets distances | All Yamaha AV receivers |
| R.S.C. (Reflected Sound Control) | Corrects for early reflections from nearby walls and furniture that make sound boomy or muddy | Mid and higher models |
| Multi-point | Measures up to 8 positions instead of one | Most current models |
| Angle and height (3D) | Adds a measurement to work out where height and Atmos speakers are | Top AVENTAGE models |
| 64-bit EQ (Precision EQ) | Higher-resolution EQ | Top AVENTAGE models |
Yamaha doesn’t publish one table of which model has which, so check your receiver’s manual.