Brett Gideon: 11.2 Home Theatre?

An 11.2 home theater system??

Every time I mention this concept to certain colleagues who aren’t AV junkies, their eyes start rolling, then there’s a sharp intake of breath before they launch into a scathing lecture about how silly the whole thing is. Their response is usually so harsh, you’d think I was suggesting that John Banks be sworn in as our mayor for life.

I can understand that reaction at a certain level – home theater systems are pretty common by now and even the luddites understand 5.1 but what on earth would 11 speakers and 2 subwoofers bring to the party? How can all the extra cost and effort be worth it?

After spending a few hours with the new flagship Yamaha RX-Z11 11.2 home theatre receiver this morning, I can say that 11.2 definitely does bring something to the party, in the same way that a mate who brings the entire Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad to your barbeque “brings something to the party”. There’s a real and very noticeable difference in the way it sounds in 5.1 as opposed to 11.2, the 5.1 is great – just what you’d expect from a grunty high end 5.1 system but 11.2 adds a serious cinema feel with the flick of a switch. Once the extra speakers kick in, especially the front and back presence speakers (which were just little satellite speakers in this case, the soundstage opens right up, the walls disappear and it feels like you’re sitting in a much bigger room. The extra sub doesn’t hurt a bit either.

This demo was held in a room that was very much less than ideal and I was still well impressed. In a nicely set up home theatre room, the RX-Z11 would be mind blowing. If anyone out there buys one, drop me a note – I’d love another listen.

Gary Pearce’s full review of the RX-Z11 will be in TONE 69 – on sale in early April.