Summary:
I bought 2 of these from JandR for $99 ea. The price has now gone up to $139. I don't know whether the first reviewer got a dud or just expected more than he should from this type of unit. This unit has a fairly clean 50wpc across the front with an adequate 20wpc in back. It won't blow you away but it plays well if you have reasonable expectations. That you can even buy a Yamaha at this price is pretty amazing. The feature set is basic but again, this is a price point unit, not a top-o-line $1000. receiver. Nice features: motor drive volume control, sleep timer, decent FM w /strength meter, decent remote, phono input.
Again, as long as your expectations are realistic this unit performs (at least) as well as others at this price point. I will say that at $99 I feel it was a steal, while at $139 its simply a good deal (after all that does equal a 40% price increase!)
For performance relative to the price I paid - 5 stars
$139. - 4 stars

Summary:
Bought this for my office for $139 from J&R. Great receiver - dunno why the other reviewer hated it so much. I'm driving a pair of NHT SuperZeros and a small Yamaha powered subwoofer. Sounds absolutely great. There's a couple of nifty digital surround modes for use with a third (rear) speaker. Plenty of inputs, and the remote is quite satisfactory. Not suitable for a main receiver in a home system, but no $139 receiver is. For a second small office or bedroom system, this is probably as good a box as you can get for the price. All it needs to be perfect is a "MUTE" control on the remote for when those pesky customers have the nerve to call!

Summary:
If you are a music lover as I am, don't buy this receiver. I was looking for an inexpensive unit with decent sound, so when J&R Music World recommended this product for $99, I went for it. What a mistake! Based on Yamaha's seemingly great reputation and the sales persons praise, I got ripped off. Shame on Yamaha for producing such a piece of junk, and shame on J&R for recommending it. Don't buy mail order unless you know exactly what you want. I learned the hard way. I replaced the "Yammy" with an old J.C.PENNY receiver I found at garage sale for 5 bucks. It blows the Yamaha right out the door! Anyone looking for a receiver? CHEAP! 1 star, for looking good.