Yamaha RX-V667 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I own a rx-v663 and upgraded this past weekend to the RX-V667.
Skipping the 665 model was a good thing.
This one has a great on screen GUI for changing the settings.
It's an overlay, so you don't lose the video in the background when changing settings.
It pops out from the left side and then you scroll up and down to pick the setting
to change. Then those options are popped up from the bottom of the screen and you scroll
right and left.
6 HDMI is more than enough for me, in fact I have 3 left over after changing out things.
Biggest advantage is I am now able to plug in everything in to the receiver and able to change
the label that shows up on the receiver and the tv screen when changing sources.
My components running into the receiver are as follows
Oppo BDP-83
PS3
Computer with HDMI interface
(radeon 5770 so I get sound and audio)
These next two are connected via Component video (R,G,B)
Xbox 360 (optical out for audio)
Wii
To run all these the Remote has 5 HDMI buttons and 6 AV buttons.
I can actually choose each source independently with one button, kind of nice.
I also have the YDS11 Ipod dock, it works great with the new receiver. Interface is greatly improved
with album art being shown to the left of the song title on the screen and browsing capabilty. This really looks a lot better than it did on the RX-V663 and is another overlay screen. Now they just need a good screen saver to go with it.
This would all be worthless if the sound quality did not match up with the 663.
Big one for me was continued support of DSD across HDMI. The Oppo BDP-83 plays SACD disks and so does
my PS3. The 667 has a signal information selection and from the PS3 it reports PCM as it should since
the PS3 converts it to PCM before sending the signal to the receiver. The Oppo using the same disk reports
DSD back on the receiver.
and yes the sound quality equals the 663.
Sidenote: There is an audible difference in the sound when switching to Pure Direct Mode.
I played John Hiatt's "Master of Disaster" which is a Hybrid SACD and switched between
straight and Pure Direct. Pure direct seemed to have less bass, the straight mode was obviously
making adjustments to the bass in the background. Honestly though this could be due to my
speaker setup as I do not have a sub-woofer. IT's a 5.0 setup on mine. Try Pure Direct Mode and see if
it makes a difference with your DSD/SACD disks. I thought the clarity was better.
Setup was easy, hardest part was undoing everything I had done to get everything to work on the 663.
YPAO mic setup for sound, seemed to have not changed from the last time I did it, so don't expect anything
new here.
I have not tried setting up the remote to control any other components. This did help in the end
as it cut out 2 remotes and I am down to 3 now due to eliminating a switch box I no longer needed
and the HDMI switch I bought that also acts as a fan for my PS3.


Click Here to see more reviews about: Yamaha RX-V667 7.2-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)

Enjoy a revolutionary home theater experience with the Yamaha RX-V667 Audio Video Receiver. With 90 watts per 7 channels, 6 HDMI inputs (including a front input), multizone support, and the latest hi-def audio and HDMI specs for upscaling to 1080p, this receiver plays well with all your home theater equipment. Enjoy more than just your movies with SIRIUS-ready and yAired compatibility, as well as iPod support for album art (when connected via supported dock, sold separately). There's also a full-color GUI for controlling all the action when connected via HDMI.

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Thermaltake Level 10 Aluminum ATX Super Full Tower Gaming Station Computer Case VL30001N1Z (Black ) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)There's no denying that this case is chiefly for looks, but like any decorative item, that's the main purpose it serves. It's not meant to win overclocking competitions, nor be the best at air-cooling; it's probably just average in those respects (and so far, I've only seen one site that actually checked out this case's thermal properties; it won some and lost some). I really like this different look; computer cases have been such boring boxes for so long, that on an almost altruistic level, I don't mind "voting" some dollars in this direction, to encourage companies to do more to deliver interesting and unusual, decorative and evolving designs.
On the good side:
(1) It's made of something called "extruded" aluminum, and is highly scratch-resistant.
(2) It's fairly quiet.
(3) The right side provides AMPLE room for stowing cable excess without much fuss (so opposite of most other cases, where one build's cable management can be an all-day ordeal).
(4) The motherboard tray (or just the CPU cooler together with its backplate) are easily removed.
(5) There are 8 PCI slots, allowing you to use that 7th PCI slot on your motherboard for a double-width GPU.
(6) It accommodates larger motherboards than are officially listed; it has no problem with an EVGA Classified 759/760, or the CEB form factor of my Asus P6T7.
On the bad side:
(1) There are no pre-cut holes for liquid-cooling tubing; you'll either have to drill them yourself (under the rear exhaust fan seems the ideal place) or use that 8th PCI slot to allow them out. Mounting a pump inside will require some ingenuity - such as placing it in the forward ceiling of the motherboard area's cover. Instead, one of those complete external liquid-cooling systems (pump, rad & reservoir all entirely outside the case) may need to be considered if you want to use liquid with this bit of eye candy.
(2) The PSU holder is too small for a lot of the top-level enthusiast PSUs (e.g. the SilverStone Strider 1500W or the Koolance 1300W). Contrary to what one reviewer reported at another site, the case is not able to accommodate PSUs of excess length (when I read that I thought I'd be able to simply have the excess sticking out of the back of the PSU holder, before I bought this case - but that isn't possible).
(3) The CPU cooler isn't supposed to be taller than 150mm (and therefore many of the top-level air coolers will be excluded, although my Prolimatech Megahalems seems to be OK, at 156mm). The motherboard cover should therefore be wider.
(4) Those neat red HDD LEDs don't light up if you're using 2.5" drives - they only work with 3.5" drives.
(5) The requirement that cables pass from the point of origin, to the right chamber, and then back out to their destination - means that some cables will be too short, and extensions or adapters are sometimes needed. ThermalTake should provide them in the box, at this price point.
(6) That band of red light on the top and front is actually only lit by LEDs at its ends. They don't light the entire strip, and it actually ends up looking like you have several areas where your LEDs must have burned out (but there were never supposed to be any in those places to begin with). Besides, this should be available in different colors, to order.
(7) As big and heavy as this case already is, it's still too small to accommodate that latest uber-motherboard from EVGA (the Classified 762, which requires 10 PCI slots). Therefore, the motherboard cover should be not only wider, but the whole thing should be taller - enough to have 10-11 PCI slots!
(8) The supplied two fans in the motherboard compartment are mid-quality at best; I'm replacing them straight away with quieter models that move more air.
BUT overall I'm pleased enough to keep it, and for now, every time I see this thing head-on in my office, I'm glad I bought it.

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Thermaltake Level 10 Super-Gaming Modular Tower Chassis is the culmination of performance, design and innovation in computer chassis. The design allows gamers to experience the power of their high-end computers through the design itself. Iconic design combined with optimum functionality and innovative details. By rendering the inside components visible, the design focuses on the architectural aesthetics which are inherent in the computers and result from each individually configurable components. The inspiration for this approach which designers took right from the most basic form of computer itself - expressiveness, virtual townscapes and futuristic game components served as orientation for the arrangement and the look of individual components. For maximum thermal performance, the Level 10 adopted the similar aerodynamic criteria that can be rivaled by Formula 1 race cars. The exposed vertical heatsink with multiple layers symbolizes both the inherent power and excellent cooling qualities. Targeted ventilation is reached by an advanced airflow system with two separate thermal zones and individual fans preventing overheating and increases airflow to specific components as needed. The super-gaming tower is divided into 4 unique chambers, 5.25" devices, HDD devices, power supply and core components such as motherboard, CPU and graphic cards. HDD hot-swapped modules are integrated with a huge aluminum extrusion heatsink, the heat produced by the HDDs are effectively conducted to surrounding aluminum heatsink and therefore do not need additional fans to stay cool. The result is a highly efficient configuration that channels airflow to the maximum. All these appear within the overall design in the form of an open modular structure that is visually appealing to users, but offers them additional functional benefits at the same time.

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