If you want a well-rounded and versatile home cinema receiver, the yamaha rx a2040 is the one to look for. It offers nine-channels of amplification, built in wifi and an impressive set of features at a less than flagship price. It supports all of the popular audio formats including Dolby Atmos, which Yamaha is known for pioneering. The A2040 can support Atmos in a 5.1.2, 5.1.4 or 7.1.2 configuration with either ceiling-mounted Atmos-enabled reflected sound speakers or front and rear presence speakers wall mounted near the screen. It also handles non-Atmos speaker configurations ranging from 2.0 to 9.2.
The back panel is generous with a wide range of connectivity, with three component video inputs and nine RCA stereo inputs plus preamp outputs for each channel. All inputs accept up to 4K/60p and upscales HD sources to 4K, and the receiver has a full suite of audio codecs over USB or your network and also supports streaming apps including Apple AirPlay, Spotify Connect and vTuner Internet radio. It has a pair of 12-volt triggers and IR in/out connections for integration with home automation systems.
The RX-A2040 is packed with a variety of surround sound modes, and its YPAO system takes care of room correction, with EQ and acoustic optimization for your listening environment. It does lack HDCP 2.2 for UHD playback, though, which could be a deal breaker for some buyers. Fortunately, you can work around this by routing your UHD sources straight to the display using another HDMI link dedicated solely for the audio signal.
