No sound from an HDMI source — a console, Blu-ray player, or streamer — through a Yamaha receiver is almost always the input's HDMI assignment, a format the receiver can't decode, or a "pure direct" mode bypassing processing — not a dead amp. (This is for sources plugged into the receiver; for no sound from the TV's own apps over the return channel, see the Yamaha eARC and HDMI guide.) Here's the fix.
Fix it
- Select the right input — and check its HDMI assignment. Choose the input the source is on, and confirm that input's HDMI/audio assignment points at the actual HDMI jack the source is plugged into (Setup > assignments). A mismatched assignment is the #1 silent cause.
- Set the source's audio output to a format the Yamaha decodes. Set the console/player to Auto/Bitstream, or PCM to test. A format the receiver can't decode plays silent — common with a source forced to a surround format the receiver doesn't support.
- Turn off Pure Direct / Straight if it's bypassing audio. Some Yamaha modes route around processing — if you switched one on, audio behavior changes. Set the sound program back to a normal Surround/Straight Decode mode and confirm the volume/mute.
- Check the speaker config isn't the issue — confirm speakers are assigned and the receiver isn't in a headphone/zone-only output.
- Swap the HDMI cable. A marginal cable passes video but drops the audio handshake — test a certified cable.
Isolate the fault
- Only one source is silent: that source's audio output format or its cable. Set it to PCM and swap the cable.
- Every HDMI source is silent (but the receiver powers on): check the master volume/mute, the speaker assignment, and that the receiver isn't on a wrong main-zone setting. If the receiver instead drops into protection or won't stay on, work through the Check SP Wires / protect mode fix first.
- Power-cycle in order: unplug receiver, TV, sources 30+ seconds; receiver first.
FAQ
My Yamaha is silent from a console/Blu-ray. Check the input's HDMI assignment points at the right jack, set the source's audio to Auto/PCM, and confirm you're not in a Pure Direct mode that changed routing.
Only one source has no sound. That source's audio format or cable. Set the source to PCM to test and swap to a certified cable.
Every source is silent. Check master volume/mute, the speaker assignment, and the main-zone output. Then power-cycle the chain receiver-first.
Could it be a format the receiver can't decode? Yes — a source sending an unsupported surround format plays silent. Set it to Auto/Bitstream, or PCM to confirm.