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Review 2 of 3
Price Paid:
$999.00
from Best Buy Summary:
The first thing that truly impressed me by this receiver was when my wife asked me if I had purchased new speakers. She never notices that kind of stuff. The YPAO auto-config is especially nice, and I found it to need very little tweaking, it will even tell you if the wires are backwards/out of phase on each speaker. I have this set up with 7.1 and it is absolutely remarkable. The DSP selections are a little confusing at first, but quickly become 2nd nature, and listening to CDs has never been more fufilling than with the 7 channel stereo option. Pink Floyd's "Time" absolutely blows everyone away who listens to it (and I make everyone listen to it). I confess to not buying this at all for the music listening features, but its outstanding performance has renewed my interest in listening to CD material. I have not found the "pure direct" mode to be beneficial because the DSP enriches CD material to such a degree as to render the original 2 channel mix boring and flat.
The unit operates at a fairly high temperature, requiring adequate ventilation. Setup could not be easier, but there are so many manual options that if done manually vs. the microphone YPAO routine, a new owner may get frustrated. I suggest letting the YPAO do its thing and then tweaking after you understand the manual better.
One of the primary reasons I bought this was for HDMI switching - not upconverting. At first I was displeased with the picture, but then read the manual where I learned that upconversion should be turned off if your sources are already 720p or 1080i - this would result in picture degradation. Sure enough, I turned it off and everything is crystal clear.
My Harmony remote controls this unit flawlessly as well.
I am very happy with this purchase. Strengths:
HDMI switching
OUTSTANDING DSP!
Auto configuration (YPAO)
numerious Input and outputs
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