Yamaha RX-V2700 - AV network receiver - 7.1 channel Review

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(More customer reviews)The RX-V2700 has more features than any receiver I know of in any category. The main features that distinguish it are:
* Play MP3s (off PC running the proper software)/Internet Radio
* High Power (140x7 - One channel driven into 8ohm from 20hz-20khz)
* Handles 7.1 multi-channel PCM over HDMI, helpful for Blu-ray and HDMI
* YPAO (Automatically adjusts levels, and bass management features; I believe it also has some basic equalization features)
* Three HDMI inputs (not a common feature of AVRs)
* Can pass 1080P
Cons:
* Remote control longer than usual; controlling network features a pain
* Clunky GUI for network capaibilities
I connected a number of component video sources and audio sources and ran a single HDMI cable to my display. I have no video issues with this setup. I used YPAO to do the initial setup. When that was done I set all speakers to small and the LFE/Bass crossover to 80hz. There's no good reason to let your speakers handle bass if your subwoofer can do it. 80hz is what THX has reccommended. Everything worked fine. The diagrams in the manual of the back panel were hard for me to read. This made it harder for me to try to wire it up with less than two feet between it, and the back wall. There are some photos online of the back panel that might be easier to use.Sound quality is good. If you already had a good receiver, don't expect amazing improvements. Amps tend to sound very much alike. Processing modes are typical. Select straight mode, and it should do the right thing most of the time. I prefer 7-channel stereo for normal music listening, though.
As for video, because I have a plasma, and I feel it does a good job deinterlacing (480i -> 480p) and scaling (to it's native 1024x780,) I only use HDMI conversion. I did play around with the 2700's deinterlacer and scaler options. I saw no improvement. I also see no degradation, which is what I expect. I use the 2700 to convert component to HDMI for a DVD player/Tivo box and my XBox 360.
The network features work ok. I see usual problems with disconnects, etc. To stream MP3's from your computer to the RX, you will need Microsoft Media Connect, or Windows Media Player 11 (which comes with Media Connect.) You don't need to run Win Media, Media Connect will run as a background process, which is nice. Setting it up was easy enough, but I have spent my life working with computers. You will need to go into Win Media Player or Media Connect and add the 2700 so you can share music to it. The ability to play internet radio is one I quite like. You can't add stations, and are limited to MP3 (I think.) The 2700 uses the vTuner database, which is extensive, and you can suggest stations to it. The GUI for the network capaibilities is painful. It's slow for one thing. It will stop displaying with no keypress in 5 seconds or so. However long it is, it's not always long enough forcing you to hit the display button on the remote again. Very dissapointing for a product with a suggested retail of $1700.
As mentioned above sound quality is good. It's powerful enough that I can turn it up as loud as I want without audible distress, and I can't say that about other receivers I have owned. Like most receivers, it's only rated with one channel driven, but don't let that concern you. If it's not loud enough for you, you either have a big room, inefficient speakers or a need to damage your hearing. As for it's sound quality being better than other receivers, I can't say that it is. Most receivers sound pretty close (in tests, even trained listeners have trouble picking out one amp vs. another.)
A brief note about Blu-ray and HD DVD. This receiver will handle 7.1 multi-channel PCM at 96khz/24bits. That allows you to take advantage of the lossless audio formats available on the new high def media formats, such as TrueHD. You will need to set your player to output multi-channel PCM over HDMI. Some people have reported diminished LFE (low frequency channel) when PCM was used rather than bitstream. I don't have room for a full discussion of this alleged issue. It is unconfirmed by any formal review, and some people have reported that LFE over HDMI/PCM works fine. This is only a potential issue if you want to hear the best quality from uncompressed audio on Blu-ray or HD DVD. You always have the option to let the player convert to DTS or Dolby Digital and send that via bitstream over HDMI (or S/PDIF.)
As for video quality, all I asked of it that was it converted component to HDMI, which it does with no obvious degradation.
Why would you spend over $1000 on a receiver? Probably for the feature set, and high power. Yamaha also has a reputation for quality. It's my fifth Yamaha receiver, so I am obviously a fan.

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Offers the highest levels of sound and video quality and convenience for total home theater enjoyment. Features 1080p compatible HDMI, up-scaling, iPod compatibility, XM Satellite Radio Ready, upgraded CINEMA DSP programs, and zone control and Network Receiver functions.

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Yamaha RX-V3900BL 7.1-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this unit a week after it went on sale. I had been investigating the device for some time prior to the actual release. I used this to replace a Yamahe DSP-A1 purchased about 10 years ago. I wanted to simplify my cabling by switching to an HDMI capable receiver. The availability of 4 HDMI inputs was a big selling point for me.
After initial setup I put the unit through it's paces with SACD recordings of Elton John's Madman Across the Water and the Alman Brothers Eat a Peach. The SACD 5.1 sound from my PS/3 over the HMDI was exceptional, wonderful depth to the soundfield. The video upscaling in this unit is far superior to that included in my 50" LG Flat Panel and has made watching non-HD signals much more palatable. Using blu-ray DTS HD and DD Pure HD both sound amazing. I also purchased a Rhapsody subscription account to use with the unit and love the virtual library of hundreds of thousands of CDs at my fingertips through the remote. I have found several albums on Rhapsody that result in a "unable to play" error, I am not sure if they are encoded in a format other than MP3 or if this error also occurs when using Rhapsody on a PC, these were usually extremely obscure recordings.
The onscreen Ipod controls are great and the album cover display is a great addition, now if they could only get the album, flip view from the iPhone or iPod touch working for scanning through and selecting albums/songs that would be truly fabulous.
The lack of inclusion of wireless networking is a big mistake in my view, how many people would have their ISP drop right next to their stereo system? I overcame this easily with the purchase of a "Wireless Gaming Adapter" which attaches to the Ethernet port on the receiver and connects it to my wireless network, this solution has worked well and runs about 50-100 dollars.
My biggest concern with the unit has been the adaptive sound leveling. This is a great feature to make sure you don't get blasted out of the room when commercials come on at twice the volume of your show. Usually this feature mutes the sound and makes the adjustment very quickly but every now and then it has difficulty setting the volume accordingly and drops the audio for as much as 10-20 seconds, very annoying when using DVR functions to skip commercials then having to go back 2-3 times to get the audio enabled again at the end of the commercials. Once the unit could not seem to set the audio at all and it required selecting a different source before sound was enabled again.
Overall I am quite happy with the unit and hope that a software/firmware upgrade may alleviate the audio level drop issues at some point in the future, while sometimes annoying this issue comes nowhere close to outweighing the great benefits of this receiver.
Pros:
Exceptional sound quality
Great video upscaling
Extensive features listing
Amazing array of device connections
Cons:
Not in everyones pricing range
Initial configuration not for the inexperienced
No built-in wireless networking (could have been a design decision to reduce potential degration of the audio signal)
Infrequent extended audio drop outs when relevelling the audio between programing and commercials or when changing stations
Some CDs visible through Rhapdosy cannot be played

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Yamaha's next generation 7.1-channel Network AV receiver offers unsurpassed versatility, access to today's most popular music sources including Internet Radio, Rhapsody online music service, music streaming from PC, HD Radio with iTunes tagging, XM and SIRIUS Satellite Radio ready, USB, iPod and Bluetooth compatibility, as well as extensive multi-zone custom installation and convenience features, plus a Web Browser Control.

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Yamaha RX-V2065BL 7.2-Channel Network Digital Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I just received this receiver (no pun intended) yesterday. I spent around 2 months researching this purchase and finally decided to go with the RX-V2065 because I have always owned Yamaha receivers. I'm amazed at the sound quality!! This unit replaced my old Yamaha HTR-5140 and there is a world of difference in the sound. The internet radio is amazing. It sounds great and there are thousands of stations to choose from. I was listening to a radio station in India earlier. The HD radio is also a very nice feature and the few stations that I do get sound great in HD. I did have some trouble getting connected to my network because for some reason I had my router only assigning 11 IP addresses and they were all taken, so the 2065 wasn't being assigned an IP address. Was an easy fix once I discovered it. So if you have any problems connecting to your network, be sure to check your router settings first, as the Yamaha should just connect with no intervention.
CONS:
As some people have stated in other forums, Yamaha has cut some corners on their new receivers. My Yamahas have always had two power outlets on the back and I have always used one of these to plug in the subwoofer. The 2065 has no power outlets which I did not notice until after I bought it. I'm going to have to get a power strip in order to plug everything in and I won't be able to power on and off the subwoofer simply by turning the 2065 on and off.
The FM reception is not very good at all. I cannot get the two local stations that I listen to (and I could easily get them on the HTR-5140). If you go to the AVSForums and look in the 2065 thread, you will see that others have complained about this as well. With all the choices I have with the internet radio, this isn't going to be a big issue for me, but it might for someone who listens to the radio a lot.
The speaker connectors are very close together. I spent way more time than I should have getting the wires connected. If you do not already have them, I highly recommend getting banana plugs for the connections to the receiver. As soon as I get the chance I'm going to order some banana plugs and cleanup the connections.

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Yamaha RX-V2065BL 7.1-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver

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Yamaha RX-V665BL 630 Watt 7-Channel Home Theater Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I chose the Yamaha V665 after careful comparison with other units, and was very impressed with ease of setup and features. The sound quality is excellent, and while I had initial concerns with power output, at 90 watts it demonstrates more useable power than my previous NAD unit at 100 watts. I particularly like the four "Scene" buttons which allow linked input sources and sound fields and switch the unit on with one action. Contrary to other reviews on Amazon you can easily assign whatever input you wish together with a preferred sound field and assign it to any of these buttons. On the downside, you cannot assign different tone adjustments to these four "Scenes" which means I have to manually attenuate the bass to listen to spoken radio broadcasts which tend to create disturbing bass reverberations at times.
However the one big disappointment, which because of its nature I only discovered too late to return the unit (and I would not have purchased this unit had I known beforehand) is evident when a TV input from some (possibly all?) cable boxes is connected to the unit and passed through using the receiver as a switching unit (one of the key features of any modern receiver after all). In this mode the signal is subject to frequent dropouts of sound and video. Some days these dropouts are hardly evident and only for a fraction of a second, other days they are frequent and last long enough to leave the screen blank for a second or two or to delete entire words on the audio track. This happens with every possible connection I have tried, whether HDMI or component video (I have also tried monster cables to no avail). I have since seen other reviews reporting this same problem on other Yamaha units. My cable box is Time Warner but there are similar reports with Verizon Fios, so the problem seems endemic. Updating the current Yamaha firmware seems to have no effect.
There are always so many variables that it is difficult to track down the source of the problem, and I would hate to criticize Yamaha unfairly, but as the problem apparently occurs throughout the Yamaha product range, it would seem wise to hesitate on purchasing Yamaha until this problem is resolved.

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Yamaha RX-V665BL 630 Watt 7-Channel Home Theater Receiver

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Yamaha VS-10 Cinemastation Entertainment System for PlayStation 2 and DVD Review

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(More customer reviews)I was looking for a compact stereo amplifier for $50. The amplifier would drive a pair of Celestion Little One speakers and connect to my cheap Apex DVD player (or my laptop). This amplifier would be for listening to MP3 and watching DVD movies. This mini amplifier/DVD player/speaker combination would be my secondary listening device. I already have a home stereo system on my living room.
I went on the web and did a little research. There are really not many choices for compact stereo amplifiers:
1. Sonic Impact T-Amp ($30 from Amazon.com): There are quite a few good reviews and DIY articles on T-Amp. The problem is I couldn't find any dealers/stores carrying T-Amp in Houston. I also was not comfortable with T-Amp's low 6-watt power output.)
2. RCA/Radio Shack Mini Stereo Amplifier from eBay ($30 plus shipping).
3. Compact shelf systems: A good compact system from Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo, or Nakamichi costs too much for my budget. Even a used unit could cost more than $100.
4. Home audio receivers: I don't need a second home audio receiver. Also, a decent receiver probably will cost me more than $300.
Anyway, I was able to find an eBay seller selling a brand new Yamaha VS-10 unit in Houston for $50. I contacted him and picked up this Yamaha VS-10 for $50 the same day. I did a checking on the Internet and found Yamaha VS-10 is a discontinued model. Some vendors still sell VS-10 with a NXSW-10 speaker system together for around $300.
This VS-10 was made in Malaysia. The package includes a pair of speakers, an amplifier, a remote control, and two cables.
[...]
The amplifier is compact and quite heavy (12" width and over 10 lbs). It's fairly good looking. You can put the amplifier horizontally or vertically. The vertical position is good if you want to use this amplifier with your desktop PC. There is a huge heat sink on the back panel. It can only connect to one pair of regular audio speakers. Yamaha claims it has 2 x 25-watt output power. There is a proprietary connector that allows users to use Yamaha's NXSW-10 speaker system. I am not a big fan of Dolby Digital sound. I simply hook a pair of Celestion Little One speakers to VS-10.
Yamaha VS-10 has five DSP options: Virtual Surround, Game, Hall, Concert/Sports, Mono Movie. (Dolby Digital/Dolby Pro Logic/DTS and Digital Movie Theater/DTS Movie Theater options are available only with NXSW-10 speaker system.) There is a DSP Effect Off option which is basically the standard 2-channel stereo. There is no left-right channel balance control. There is a "True Bass" option which adds some bass to the sound. There are audio/video connecters both in the front and back panels. After just an hour of listening music, the amplifier gets warm. I think the amplifier should be put on a good ventilation location.
How do these DSP options sound? I don't have gold ears. I listen to classic and easy listening music mostly. Celtic Woman DVD was my choice for a test.
1. Virtual Surround option: This option supposedly makes two speakers sound like a five-speaker system. The input source needs to be Dolby Digital/Surround or DTS soundtracks. I put in Celtic Woman DVD. The music sounds very different and very interesting. I did enjoy watching/listening Celtic Woman DVD with this sound option.
2. Game, Hall, Concert/Sports, Mono Movie options: To be honesty, I couldn't hear much difference between those DSP options. They all sound weird to me.
3. DSP Effect Off option: With this option, VS-10 does a decent job to reproduce Celtic Woman music. I think I will use this "DSP Effect Off" option most of the time. I may use Virtual Surround option when I watch DVD movies.
The followings are my thoughts on Yamaha VS-10:
1. If all you need is a compact stereo amplifier for a small room, VS-10 is a good choice.
2. If you are a student living in a dorm, VS-10 is a good choice. Combined with a pairs of decent bookshelf speakers, it will definitely sound better than most fancy but low-quality computer speaker systems.
3. If you need a home theater system, this unit may not be your best choice.
4. If you need a home theater system but don't want to wire speakers all over your house, VS-10 is a good choice. It has a Virtual Surround option that makes two speakers sound like a five-speaker surround system.
BTW, I am very happy with Yamaha VS-10.
Pros:
1. It is a Yamaha product.
2. Good looking and fairly compact.
3. Excellent sound for the price I paid.
4. Front panel audio/video input.
Cons:
1. No left and right balance option.
2. Proprietary subwoofer connector.
3. Low quality speakers.
4. Get warm quick, need good ventilation.


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The VS-10 Cinema Station Natural Sound System is all the audio equipment needed to enjoy movies, music, and more in a single box. The VS-10 provides an easy way to make PlayStation 2 style systems and other new game machines or DVD players into instant home entertainment systems. The system includes a 5.1-channel amplifier/processor that deliver Dolby Digital and DTS and Yamaha surround modes. The system also includes five matched speakers and a subwoofer.The versatile electronic heart of the VS-10 is an amplifier processor that provides 25 watts to each of its five output channels. The VS-10 module decodes Dolby Digital and DTS signals and can reproduce 12 Yamaha surround programs including Tri-Field Cinema DSP and game modes. The VS-10 is easy to hook up. It has 3 audio and 3 A/V audio inputs, 2 optical and one coaxial digital inputs, and a front panel AUX input with optical terminal. In addition to its five speaker output terminals, the VS 10 has a subwoofer output so the dramatic deep bass, essential for true enjoyment of many games and movies, can be easily experienced. Discrete surround is the most advanced and realistic encoded surround sound for movies. Yamaha's exclusive Tri-Field processing applies Digital Sound Field Processing technology to Dolby Digital and DTS to create a true movie theater experience in the home. It develops independent enhanced sound fields for the front signals as well as for left and right surround. The Tru-Bass function accentuates the bass in two-channel operation mode. The VS-10 comes complete with six speakers. The front pair utilizes a 4" driver in a bass reflex design. The center channel speaker and surround speakers are an acoustic suspension design with 3" drivers. And the subwoofer uses a 6-1/4" driver and incorporates Yamaha's Advanced YST technology for dramatic bass. All the speakers are magnetically shielded so they can be placed near the TV or video monitor without degrading the picture.

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Onkyo TX-NR1008 9.2-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)You know how it is. Take a look at your entertainment area. How many pieces of hardware are sitting there? A TV, a cable box, maybe DirecTV; a CD player, maybe an iPod dock. DVD player? Blu-ray disc player? Old VCR? An Airport Express for AirTunes, perhaps? How about a PS3, an Xbox, a Wii? Apple TV? Slingbox? Hulu player? Mac mini media station? How many speakers you got? 5? 7? 9? Maybe there are speakers elsewhere in the house, and you'd like to be able to watch TV here and listen to music there? Do you like Pandora satellite radio? What about XM HD?
Of course, all your hardware is cutting edge, just bought yesterday, right? No? HDMI, component, S-video, coax analog video, coax digital video - how many formats you got? Your TV - is it 1080p, or 1080i? What about your audio? All digital? Digital optical, digital coax - or do we have some good old RCA jacks? White/Red left/right? Or are we talking about a full surround setup? (Maybe you're like me and have a legacy pair of Tannoy bookshelf monitors, coaxial cones, that sound fantastic bi-amped. And maybe that last sentence sounded like the ravings of a lunatic.)
I don't know what you got. And neither do the good folks at Onkyo. So in this one grand box, they have provided doggone near as many solutions as you could possibly need.
For video, it can take 6 HDMI inputs, and send them to one or two outputs, a main (and if desired a sub) output. Upcoding can be disabled; or everything can be auto-upcoded; or you can force everything to upcode to a certain rez. (Since my old TV only supports 1080i, I needed the ability to force up and downcoding to that format; the lower-line Onkyos only upcode to 1080p and that wouldn't have worked.) There are also about a gazillion other ways to input video into this beast, and you can configure the machine to link any input to any button on your remote. For example, I have my PS3 coded to the 'game' circuit, whereas my DirecTV box is "CBL/SAT". The machine is fully HDMI 1.4a compliant, which means upcoming 3D will work right out of the box; and it supports HDMI audio return, although when you really find out what that is you may not want it.
For audio, it can take 2 optical audio, or 3 digital coaxial audio, or about 1 gazillion RCA-type audio inputs, amplify them, and output them direct to your speakers. If you want a 9.2 super surround setup, with R,L, center, R/L front high,R/L front wide, R/L surround, R/L surround rear, and a powered sub or two: this box gets the job done. However, in that case, there are no amps to spare for zone 2 or zone 3, which means that you'll need a separate power amp to power those separate zones.
If you want powered zones, you have to sacrifice some of your surround speakers. For me, I wanted 5.1 surround with bi-amped front speakers (the tweeters and woofers of the fronts are powered each by a different amp), so I lost powered Zone 2; I still have powered Zone 3. Zone 3 routes to a pair of outdoor speakers on my deck, so I can relax with Pandora Internet jazz (ah, Thelonious my old friend) while my lady is inside watching the cackling buffoons on Project Runway in all their hideous glory.
You do have to hook the machine up to a hub that is gatewayed to your Internet connection, and that has to be a wired connection. (I use an Airport Express to bridge my home wireless network to a cat6 cable that connects to the Onkyo; this setup has the added benefit of AirTunes, which, via a mini-phones cable (or 3.5 mm mini optical to TOSLINK, your choice) serves up my iTunes library to the amp, and that process can be controlled from my Mac laptop or iPhone.)Wow, it gets technical. Thank goodness the Onkyo menu is clear and easy to read. I will say, make sure the Internet is up, connected, and actively serving to your Onkyo before you power the Onkyo on for the first time; or you will have some difficulty getting connected later (you'll have to go into the Network setup area and 'save' the network settings.) The firmware upgrade is highly recommended. It takes 45 minutes; the RHMI setting has to be 'off', and the amp has to be in USB mode for it to work; that was annoying.
Sound fidelity is awesome and the settings are intuitive. I especially appreciate the myriad ways of dealing with power-on loudness; you can make sure you never blow out your speakers, or your eardrums, by navigating the easy to use menu.
One thing I wish I'd known before I bought this unit: the powered Zone 2s and Zone 3s can only accept analog sources. That means that optical audio and coax-digital audio cannot be piped to your zone 2 and zone 3. Luckily, most devices that serve that kind of audio also output analog audio; you can just plug that audio into a separate input and route *that* to Zone 2 or 3 instead. Annoying, but understandable; probably saved Onkyo a few bucks. Internet radio behaves like an analog source for this purpose, and that's a blessing.
The remote, which is backlit and easy to use, can also be programmed as a universal remote, which is handy, although it is IR, not RF, so it will never truly be the Master of All Remotes.
Internet radio on this baby is AWESOME. I can't get over having my own Pandora station outside on my deck; Onkyo also contracted with a company called vTuner that provides about a thousand channels. The Pandora client is full featured, lets you reconfigure and approve/disapprove of music, and even shows the album cover art on screen. Pandora streams to this beast at 128 kbps joint stereo, which is PandoraOne quality - regular Pandora is 64kbps aacPlus joint, which is compressed and tinny - but you don't need to subscribe, and I've yet to hear an ad.
Let's not forget Audyssey DSX: it is a little mike that you put at ear height at each listening area (i.e., chair) in your quiet surround sound field, and the machine automatically configures each speaker level and EQ to preset specs. It works really well, and the task is something that took dozens of hours to do by hand in older surround sound setups.
So yeah, this baby tames the confusion, knocks out its opponents (there is nothing else available below the $5K pricepoint that accomplishes everything I mentioned above) and unifies the audio-video title, sort of like Mike Tyson did to the heavyweight championship. I think you gotta be a little bit of an AV geek to set it up, but my lady, who is not all that geeky, instantly understood the remote - it's pretty much nearly one-touch.

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The TX-NR1008 is an upper-mid-range A/V powerhouse designed to give you maximum set-up flexibility in the home. Its 9.2 speaker channels let you enjoy a multichannel source in your main room, plus powered audio in two other rooms. Or you can use the extra channels to take full advantage of the new surround dimensions of Audyssey DSX and Dolby Pro Logic IIz. Other processing highlights include DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD for pristine lossless audio on Blu-ray Disc, and HDMI upscaling of all video sources to 1080p with Faroudja DCDi Cinema. As a network A/V receiver compatible with Windows 7 and DLNA, the TX-NR1008 lets you stream audio from your PC or from internet radio channels such as vTuner and SIRIUS. Set up and calibration are easy and accurate, thanks to ISF video calibration, a new overlaid graphical on-screen display, and Audyssey room correction and equalization. Bi-amping capability and a smorgasbord of the latest connections complete what is an outstanding entertainment package.

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Yamaha MCR-040RE Micro Component System (Red) Review

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(More customer reviews)I originally chose this product for someone else, who tasked me to find a great bookcase stereo to give as a gift. I ordered it and received it within two days via Amazon Prime. I installed and tested it on Christmas Day. It truly exceeded my expectations in every way. Very attractive layout and veneer, intuitive controls, solid feel, great sound quality. I tested the radio first, then the CD player, then the iPod dock. In all three cases, the performance was very impressive for such a small system. I would compare this very favorably to the Bose system that gets so much advertising. I've listened to that system in several peoples' homes and although it's a good system, I feel the sound quality and appearance of this Yamaha system is superior.
I liked it so much that I immediately ordered a system for our home. I ordered the green color for my friend, but I went with red for our home. It's beautiful and looks very sharp. My wife and I both have iPhones, and we use this system to play our music libraries. It comes with a remote control, which is in itself a very nice little unit. Flawless performance and function. I really have nothing negative to say about this system. It is priced very fairly for its performance, build quality, and appearance. I see another reviewer commented that the speakers cannot be placed adjacent to the unit due to heat buildup. I don't get this at all. The unit never gets hot, and the speakers are placed exactly as shown in the product photographs, that is to say "attached" to the main unit. There are zero issues with heat. I love this little system and I'm sure anyone who takes the chance on one without physically seeing one in the store will be delighted. Anyone have any comments on their experiences or questions, feel free to leave a comment.

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Yamaha MCR-040RE Micro Component System In Red

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Yamaha R-S500BL Stereo Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you love classical music CD's this is for you. Power, clarity, timbre and atmosphere; puts my old Marantz to shame. Makes my 30 year old Technics speakers sound like a state of the art system. There's also receptacles for a second set of speakers in another room. Unless you have a really huge house I don't see why you'd need an s-r700.
W/respect to FM reception; if the signal is a bit weak, it'll go on mute rather than play static interference. I may have to hook up an outdoor FM antenna.

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The Yamaha R-S500BL Stereo Home Theater Receiver assures total music enjoyment with 75 watts per channel of pure, clean power, ToP-ART stability, Continuously Variable Loudness Control, 40 AM/FM station presets, built-in port for supported Yamaha iPod docks (sold separately), and automatic power management.

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Yamaha R-S700BL Stereo Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great receiver. I bought this because I wanted a TRUE audio music experience which is something a 5.1, 6.1, 7.1 receiver cannot offer as these amplifiers attempt to recreate a multichannel sound from a 2 channel stream. This is not a true reproduction of the music stream and also introduces distortion. The R-S700 gives a true sound of music while keeping the distortion levels very low at a THD of.019. Most receivers these days do not achieve this high of sound reproduction and the Yamaha is one of the very few that do. Yes, other cheaper receivers are out there that claim 100w per channel and even some at the 100 dollar range, but those receivers aren't intended to last. Although this unit only has a 2 year warranty the amp inside is the same amp that has been used by Yamaha for the past 20 years and most who own a Yamaha with this amplifier get 20-30 years out of them. Not only that other cheaper amplifiers claim 100 watts a channel but do not achieve its claims. The Yamaha is spec'd for 100 watts a channel but actually gives 105-110 per channel. So if your looking for a receiver that offers really clean beautiful sound and plan to keep it for years to come this is the amplifier for you.

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The Yamaha R-S700BL Stereo Home Theater Receiver redefines the elite two-channel receiver with 100 watts per channel of pure, clean power, ToP-ART stability, Continuously Variable Loudness Control, 40 AM/FM station presets, Zone 2 support, built-in port for supported Yamaha iPod docks (sold separately), and automatic power management.

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Yamaha YHT-693BL 5.1 Channel 525 Watt HTiB System (Each, Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As someone who previously did not consider themselves an audiophile, I am very happy to find that my lack of caring about audio was simply because I'd never had a good sound system before.
You see, this is my first surround sound system, and I'm now converted for life.
Installing this system was pretty straightforward but each component had its own instruction set which made things slightly confusing and hard to keep track of. Going methodically kept everything clear, but for someone used to breezing through electronics setup, this took a painfully long time. In the end, I was able to successfully install the system on my own, having never installed a surround system before, and without any errors.
The sound on this system is outstanding, and the volume level is very nice. I have been listening to music, blu-rays, and video games for a couple months now on this system and everything is clear, beautiful, and aurally compelling. The receiver has lots of great options for customizing your sound to your own preferences and is quite straightforward to use.
The build quality of all the components feels very solid and high quality. Nothing feels cheap or skimpy and I was pleasantly surprised to find out just how hefty the speakers are. The front speakers are actually quite large, and the rear speakers are of decent size as well. This is not meant to scare anyone off that is concerned about massive speakers, but mearly to point out that they're not some tiny speakers that you're afraid you'll blow out on the next Michael Bay movie but are instead nice and solid and capable of outputting big sound. The receiver is capable of turning your stereo mp3 (or other format) audio files into an excellent full surround by using a number of output options, most notably the 7-channel surround which will send the audio to the rear speakers as well.
One thing I read in other reviews was that the screen on the receiver was "too small" and hard to read. This is not the case. The folks who have issues seeing the display must be hard-of-sight, because if the display was any larger it would be obtrusive and ugly. From my couch I can read the display just fine and once you get your system set up, there is little need to read the display anyways.
The remote control is quite complicated and a mass of buttons, but once you read through some of the documentation to figure out what everything does, it is very straightforward and very powerful. The only thing it cannot do is turn on my Playstation because it is not a bluetooth remote (but almost no remotes are). It remembers settings based upon which input you're set to and this is very useful!
Unlike most HTIB systems, the Receiver that comes in this system seems extremely good and looks like it would be well worth keeping while upgrading other components of the system to high-end pieces (if one feels inclined to upgrade to expensive equipment). I can't really fathom what a more expensive receiver would provide that this one does not, unless you are running some extremely complicated setup or have an actual theatre installed in your house or something. Comparing this receiver to my brother's HTIB limited-option cruddy one, I am very please with the power output, quality, and feature set of this receiver. The large amounts of inputs also ensures that you are highly unlikely to run out of places to plug in your electronics. I have more things plugged into this than most people probably will and I still have room for more.
Overall, for extreme audiophiles who complain about this little thing or that little thing on this system, to you I say "why are you down in the lower price range equipment anyways?" For the rest of us, this system is awesome and I highly recommend it. If you're using your TV speakers, or little 1.5" speakers that come in most HTIB systems... it's time for an upgrade to this excellent system.
Lastly, the speakers are all equipped properly for wall installation. I had much more difficulty with the installation of the wall mounts that I purchased than I did with the installation of the speakers themselves. I was initially concerned that a HTIB system might have some non-standard installation components/mounts but luckily that wasn't the case, and everything in this sytem appears to be forward thinking in terms of usability with other equipment and/or upgrading components piece by piece down the line.
A++.


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Yamaha's YHT-693BL 5.1-Channel HTiB System is the easy way to enjoy the cinema experience at home. Featuring 525 watts of power, the latest HDMI specifications, and popular Yamaha technologies like SCENE and CINEMA DSP, you'll be sure to get the most out of your high-definition movies and music.

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Yamaha YSP-3050BL Digital Sound Projector Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Yamaha YSP-3050 is my first soundbar purchase, and I settled on it after reading lots of reviews (both professional and peer) which praised its sound quality. I was interested in a soundbar because I was averse to setting up a true 5.1 or 7.1 speaker system for various reasons, and Yamaha was consistently rated at the top of the field. I took advantage of Amazon's offer of a free Yamaha YST-FSW050BL Advanced YST II Down-Firing Active Subwoofer with purchase.
SOUND: This is the most important factor, in my book. I'm happy to say the reviews I read were accurate, and the sound quality of the device does not disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised at how good of a job the soundbar does at simulating 5.1 sound. My room does not match either of the "ideal" layouts described, and I utilized the automatic calibration function, and the sound is excellent in 5 beam mode and stereo + 3 beam mode. My friend owns a Sony HTC Soundbar, and he commented that the Yamaha seemed to have slightly superior sound. Either way, the audio for my Blu-Rays and video games have never sounded better. I haven't spent as much time testing out "built-in" subwoofers because I have an external one, but from what I can tell the addition of the external subwoofer is a substantial benefit for bass fans. I'm glad I got it.SETUP: Setup was relatively simple, especially for HDMI devices. It should be fairly obvious what connectors go where. However, there are a few potential snags for the unwary. One annoyance was the fact that all the inputs/outputs (except HDMI) on the rear panel are downward facing, so reconfiguring them requires turning the entire soundbar on its side. Another confusing feature was the ability to reassign audio inputs to video inputs. As an example, you can select AUX1 optical as the audio input to associate with your component video input, or you can select an RCA analog input to associate with the same video input. This is an extra level of configuration that is helpful (and by design saves space on the rear panel), but can be confusing to learn. Unfortunately the manual doesn't do an amazing job of explaining this feature either. Generally speaking, the manual is great at covering the basics, but lacking on the advanced features (which I would assume are the ones users would be more likely to refer to the manual for).
For those who are having trouble figuring this out, the confusion arises because the remote control selections are labeled by AUDIO input, but the input assignment menu is grouped by VIDEO input. So although it looks like you are assigning AUX1 audio to Component Video, for example, in reality you are assigning Component Video to AUX1 audio. This is because the mode you will select when operating the soundbar is AUX1, and the soundbar will then know to pass through Component Video to the television set. I'm sorry if this doesn't make sense as written, but it's somewhat non-intuitive as I explained.
So far, my biggest gripe is actually with a technical limitation. The YSP-3050BL only supports up to 1080i input through component, and not full 1080p as it should. (Though some will mistakenly claim otherwise, component video does indeed support full 1080p, and I've been using 1080p over component on my Xbox 360 for a long time now.) This limitation was not made obvious anywhere, and took an e-mail to Yamaha support to determine why my component video was not being passed through. Thus, I have been faced with the choice of lowering the quality of my video to 1080i or sending the video signal directly to the TV and not taking advantage of the receiver-function of the soundbar. To Yamaha's credit, their support was knowledgeable and quick to respond.
PRICE: Let's face it, $1000 is a little steep, especially when major competitors (e.g., Sony HTCs) are in the $300-range. That being said, all accounts point to the Yamaha as offering superior audio. It's probably not $700 worth, and you certainly can find a full 5.1 system for less than $1000. But there are many reasons a full 5.1 or 7.1 setup are not practical, and if you have the extra cash this is guaranteed to deliver a good audio experience.

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The new YSP-3050 Digital Sound Projector offers great new features such as 1080p-compatible HDMI, analog video to HDMI digital video upconversion, XM Satellite Radio ready, iPod compatibility and wide variety of beam settings including My Surround for true multi-channel surround sound enjoyment from a single component.

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Yamaha RX-A1000 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As I write this review, I am listening to my favorite music DVD (Eagles, hell freezes over), and I have the volume cranked to about 70% to match the listening volume of the Yamaha HTR 5790 (50% volume) that this RX-A1000 replaced. The 5790 had 110 watt vs 105 watt per channel for the RX-A1000. It was time to replace my 5790 because I recently purchased a Samsung 8000 series LED TV and wanted to pass 1080p signals from my BluRay player to the TV via the Yamaha receiver. The 5790 did not have any HDMI ports and you can't pass 1080p signals through component cables. The old Yamaha could not process Dolby True HD either. One of the nice features on this new receiver is the ability to pass video and audio to the TV via the HDMI cables even when the receiver is off. How cool is that? We don't always need 735 watts, especially when we are only watching a news channel. Another cool feature is the NET Radio. I connected the RX-1000's LAN jack to my router (via a gigabit switch)and 24 hours later (I could not get it to work imediately), I am listening to 15,000 radio stations. It took 24 hours for the receiver to figure out it was connected to a computer network? I don't understand why it didn't work right away. I checked all my settings over and over and then turned it off when my patience started wearing a little thin. The next day when I turned it on, the NET radio was working. This unit is about a $200 step up from my old receiver, but in my opinion does not match the sound of my older Yahama unit. Gosh, did 5 watts make the difference? Yamaha spent 2 years designing and building the Aventage series from the chassis up. This was not a redesign, (building and improving on an existing chassis), it is a complete new design including the number of feet (5) on the bottom. Well all in all I like this unit, but if I had it to do over, I would have waited a month and bought the RX-A2000. The RX-A2000 has video processing and upscaling that would improve the picture quality of whatever you are jacking into it, as well as 130 watts per channel.

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AVENTAGE is a dramatic, inspired step forward in audio/video component design. AVENTAGE brings studio-grade sound and sophisticated video enhancements to the home as a result of unparalleled attention to detail in design, engineering and fabrication. Details that, at first glance, would not seem to affect the quality of sight, sound, and control, when brought together within an AVENTAGE component produce a work of visual and acoustic art.The RX-A1000 A/V Receiver supports 3D and Audio Return Channel, with 8 in/2 out HDMI, new GUI, new YPAO, network functions, and control via web browser.

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Yamaha RX-A800 7.1-Channel Audio/Video Receiver (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)So I've had my RX-A800 for a few months now, and I can say that I am fully satisfied with it!
I've got it wired to my 5.1 system, main LR speakers are bi-amped, too. I've got it hooked up to my TV, PS3, cable-box DVR, Nintendo, and my computer on occasion. Handles everything like a champ.
Everything sounds great, but more than that, I love how it handles the video, as well. Makes everything so simple to wire, especially with HDMI. I can't say that the video-upscaling has really "wow"ed me, but I have no complaints about it, either (the Nintendo is the only non-HD device I have!).
Likes:
-HD Radio! Cool!
-"Scene" buttons... instead of powering on, switching through all the inputs, just press "TV" or "BD/DVD" or "Radio" and it'll take you directly to that input, and set it to your preferred sound program (7.1, 2.1, etc).
-On-screen display ... makes adjusting and fine-tuning the sound super easy, plus displays all the RDS radio tags for songs, etc.
-Really good price compared to other units (including other Yamaha's!)
-Works well with Harmony One remote
"Dislikes":
-I know this is reaching, but I think there are too many different sound-modes. "Concert Hall Vienna" or "Concert Hall Munich" or "Cellar Club" or "Roxy Theater" ... they all just sound extra reverby to me, and I prefer a clean, straight-from-the-recording sound, so I don't use them.
-Bluetooth, iPod, and Sirius Radio adapters all cost extra.
-The FM antenna needs an upgrade (it's just a loose wire).I highly recommend the RX-A800. Sure, the A1000 (or +) is probably even better, but that small step up would have been a large step up in price for me, so I'm happy with my purchase!

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AVENTAGE is a dramatic, inspired step forward in audio/video component design. AVENTAGE brings studio-grade sound and sophisticated video enhancements to the home as a result of unparalleled attention to detail in design, engineering and fabrication. Details that, at first glance, would not seem to affect the quality of sight, sound, and control, when brought together within an AVENTAGE component produce a work of visual and acoustic art.The RX-A800 A/V Receiver supports 3D and Audio Return channel over 6 in/2out HDMI, CINEMA DSP 3D surround sound, with or without Front Presence Speakers, RS-232C interface for custom installation, and HDMI for Zone B.

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Yamaha TSX-140 Desktop Audio System with iPod Dock (Gray) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Let me start by saying, I'm a music producer that
enjoys a variety of different genres of music, so
when shopping for a stereo system I need for
the unit to be able to have all genres of music
sounding good.
I tested the unit by bringing my phone (with mp3s)
to the store I bought it from and played a few
songs. I could tell right away this stereo was
REALLY good. If you like way your music sounds on
a Bose, then you'll like the TSX-140. It really
sounds great, whether you're playing pop, easy-
listening and even sounds great when playing dance
music.
In addition to the unit being able to play audio
via AUX, I also wanted a CD player and USB input.
This box does it all!~ So, I was pretty much sold~
I actually paid more than Amazon is selling it for,
but I'd buy it all over again. To me, it's that good.
But don't take my word for it, go have a listen for
yourself~ I think you'll be shocked at the vividness
of the music you've been listening to all this time!

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The Yamaha TSX-140 Desktop Audio System plays your iPod, CDs, or digital AM/FM radio, in addition to MP3 and WMA digital audio files via a USB input. Two 15-watt speakers deliver rich, full-range audio to any room.

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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.


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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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Yamaha YHT-S400BL Front Surround Unique Home Theater Package (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Just received from Amazon today... My primary requirements were a low profile, black unobtrusive sound bar to go in the 3 inches of space I have under my wall mounted Panasonic TCP-65S1. Other options from Samsung and other manufacturers that fit my space requirement had fewer features, only 2.1 channels, and reviews indicating sound quality not quite up to snuff. It is replacing a Yamaha YSP-800 that works fine but simply takes up too much space.
I understand there is some doubt out there about the sub combined with the receiver but so far it sounds fine.
In fact the whole setup sounds better than good... very crisp clean surround 7.1ch emulation, louder and better quality/separation than the 5ch YSP-800 it is replacing.
Time (and a bunch of Blu Ray movies) will tell, and I will update this review with further observations as I further evaluate the unit.
Very easy to install and setup, the setup menus are easy to use. I am not a huge picky audiophile so the minimal setup options are plenty for me... and if I were an audiophile I probably wouldn't be getting a soundbar.
I was curious to see how the HDMI-CEC would work with my VieraLink panny, and this was the one area I was disappointed... First off it loses the VieraLink "HD Theater sound control" setting when the TV turns off and back on. Secondly while the input button works to change inputs on the receiver, it doesn't change it to the right HDMI input to match the panny onscreen display. Not sure how much these are the panny's fault and how much the receiver.
On the plus side for controls, since my DVR control can turn the TV power off and on, using the HDMI inputs on the receiver instead of the TV does the trick... I control inputs and volume with the receiver control and am able to eliminate one control (the TV remote) from my coffee table. I know, I know, I should just get a universal/programmable remote but I haven't had good experiences with them, and two remotes is fine for me.
Since the HDMI-CEC wasn't a requirement for me and the HDMI input handling solves my needs, and everything else is great, I'll tip over the edge from four stars and make it five... since this is a subjective review and I am not rating it against higher end solutions, just $500 or lower sound bars.
Anyways, I hope this account helps anyone with similar needs considering this product.
UPDATE 2.11.2010
Still love it, happy with the sound quality but I really like the little remote... just enough buttons not too many, HDMI passthrough works well and let me ditch my TV remote. So the HDMI-CEC complaint is less now, the only reason I cared about that was to ditch a remote... mission accomplished.

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Yamaha YHT-S400BL Front Surround Unique Home Theater Package In Black

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