Price Paid:  $177.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
I have also had good luck so far with this receiver, replacing a Technics 5.1 receiver I needed for another room. The sound is somewhat cleaner than the Technics, you can adjust treble and bass on all the sound processing programs (some of which are good -- Roxy Theatre for music, even the 5 channel stereo for some audio; some of which leave something to be desired but that is typical for even higher end receivers).

There is no phonograph input so you could be stuck if you still listen to your aging record collection. Otherwise great assortment of inputs. And the panel is organized in a simple, readily understood manner.

I have always heard good things about Yamaha receivers and I have not been disappointed so far. Solid for both both stereo music reproduction all the way up to 5.1 surround sound for movies. And it runs very cool (especially compared to my older Technics that you can fry an egg on)

Strengths:
Sound quality
Flexibility with different sound programs
Ease of use
Simplicity of presentation
Remote better than most in this class

Weaknesses:
No phono inputs if that is important to you
I still like black better than silver, but it's still pretty handsome

Similar Products Used:
Technics SA1050

Price Paid:  $179.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
I was very Suprised with the quality of the sound this receiver produced. I wanted a 5.1 surround sound HTR becuase my old yammy was great for music but outdated for HTR. I did not realize I was missing so much! I put the first 5 minutes of Scream on and I nearly jumped through the roof because the caller sounded like he was in my living room. I did not expect to get this quakity sound for 179.00. The system was easy to set up (10 minutes or less) as all of the default settings were my exact specifications, medium room small speakers, sub etc. The optical inputs are a great value for the price and to have 0.9 THD at this price is also nice. The Panny HTIB I was going to buy was 10% THD!

I reccomend this receiver for those of you who love great HT but can't justify (or convince the woman) spending over $200 on a receiver. For the average guy like me this receiver is way more than enough!

Strengths:
110 watts/ channel
2 optical inputs
0.9% THD
Small foot print
Good looks
Easy remote & Setup

Weaknesses:
Spring loaded speaker 0utputs for all speakers except FL & FR

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha RXV 850