Garth

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $350.00 from Vann's

Summary:
A very disappointing receiver! It has plenty of oomph in the low end, but lacks any form of "natural sound" that Yamaha used to have.Voices and instruments sound harsh and have a sharp edge. All in all , just unpleasant to me... and if listening to music isn't pleasant..... I'd rather listen to the sweet sound of silence. BTW, I'm no audiophile ..... but I'm not DEAF either :) It would likely make a fine amplifier on it's own with a decent preamp .... because Yamaha is butchering the sound with their built-ins. A good preamp cost more than this entire unit and takes up more space, however , so there goes the idea of an all in one. Sad , sad , sad. I don't know why Yamaha even bothers making stereo receivers anymore . Oh yes, the tuner..... sigh .......... oh ..... the tuner . Simply .... poor , and that's with a Terk antenna . I've not tried a Rotel or NAD... I simply have no local dealers , and they don't do home delivery ... kind of snobish ... but I repect their choice. All in all , it's nothing special. A vintage receiver, of any brand, sounds better than this. What has happened to the state of stereo equiptment ? I'll wait to try an Outlaw Audio RR2150 .... if that's no good, I'll look for a vintage refurbished receiver or integrated amp from the 70's. ... 2 stars overall only because of the versatility to use another preamp.

Strengths:
Raw power Raw bass Has pre out/main in to rid yourself of the bad preamp.

Weaknesses:
Raw power Raw bass The sharp,harsh and unappealing tonal quality You have to pay for it

Similar Products Used:
Newer Denon,Onkyo,Sony and Pioneer Older Sony,Yamaha and Technics

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Price Paid:  $280.00 from ebay - used

Summary:
I was using this with Infinity SM82 speakers - it sounded bright and harsh at med-high levels - I was disappointed. I changed the speakers to EFE audioreview DIY bookshelf speakers (http://www.audioreview.com/Learncrx.aspx) - WOW - sounds fantastic - not harsh or bright at all - goes very loud. What a pleasure to listen to. Does not get hot.

Strengths:
Fantastic for 2 channel music. Perfect. Loads of power

Weaknesses:
Remote is very limited. Only 2 channels + A/B. No composite video input Price - at what I paid = great, at 400+..??? other yamaha's may be better

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer DS1, Onkyo TSX 500

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Price Paid:  $599.00 from Tweeter

Summary:
This receiver is my savior in a quest I thought would never end. First, the background story: 20 years ago I purchased what was until 3 months ago the heart and soul of my stereo: An Onkyo TX82 AV receiver (80 watts per @ .049% thd). At the time it was pretty much top-shelf equipment, aside from the McIntoshes of the world. The thing could push a pair of Cerwin-Vega (6ohm/250watts max) speakers to the point that it felt like someone was hitting you in the chest with a 2x4. About 2 years ago, I decided to jump to surround sound, but found that no surround receiver at any price had the push required to drive these speakers. Solution-bought a Yamaha Digital Surround Processor (Dolby Digital) with built in 60 watt amps to power center and rear speakers, and kept my beloved Onkyo for the front mains. Ahhh-best of both worlds. Awesome punch for music, (I don’t consider “satellite speaker systems” very well suited for music), and the beauty of surround for my DVD and digital cable watching pleasure. 3 months ago the Onkyo decided to blow an amp. Got it fixed (150 bucks) got it back & it blew the other channel (100 more) and just reecently it died again. I couldn't justify fixing it again, so I shopped around and found (what I thought to be) an affordable replacement-the Onkyo TX8511. Wrong. High distortion, crappy bass response. Took it back and auditioned a Harmon/Kardon HK 3375. Better, but not much. Then, I came across this review page, and saw the favorable reviews given to this unit. Skeptical though I am, I shelled out the extra dough for the RX-777, and must admit I am thoroughly satisfied with the sound this receiver produces. It drives my power-hungry C-Vegas as nicely as my old Onkyo, with slightly tighter bass response, and better control over the tone thanks to the variable loudness. Generaly, I listen to CDs or use the receiver as a main amp for home theater use (as described above, all source inputs go through the Yamaha DSP), so I may never encounter the weaknesses described in the other reviews here regarding the FM section. I do, however intend on using the second zone feature to feed a Kenwood 103AR that powers ceiling speakers through the rest of the house, an added plus I had not expected. For sound quality, and the power to drive any speakers, you'd be hard-pressed to beat this one for less than twice the price.

Strengths:
high power, low distortion, high damping factor, tonal control

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
Onkyo TX85 (circa 1982) Onkyo TX8511 Harmon/Kardon HK 3375 Kenwood 103AR

Price Paid:  $750.00

Summary:
Though I've had had some expensive audio components and I've listened to the highest caliber stuff like Krell and Mark Levinson, I must say that this Yamaha is a great bargain. No, it's not as great sounding as the other stuff but it's not much worse either. At this point I've gone back to a stereo receiver for the practicality and value. It's great for watching DVD films (I don't like home theatre) listening to music or just using it while you watch your TV. Hook it up and it's ready to go. Has plenty of power on tap for most speakers and is a great bargain. The only true competition are the top stereo receivers from Denon, Rotel and NAD. All these are good and it's just a matter of taste as to which one you buy. One day I'd like to acquire the likes of Mark Levinson and Krell but for now I'll enjoy my Yamaha and save a couple of thousand bucks.

Strengths:
Sound, power, quality, price and convenience.

Weaknesses:
None really.

Similar Products Used:
Marantz 2216B, Marantz SR940, Rotel 870, Cyrus 2/PSX, Cyrus 3/PSX-R, Audiolab 8000s.

Price Paid:  $490.00 from Audio King

Summary:
I really like this receiver. I had purchased a pair of Klipsch RF5 speakers and needed something to power them. I had originally tried a Yamaha 5450 which was nice but I found out after a week that I had no place to hook up my turn table. I drug home a few other receivers and took them back right away. I felt the sound and power I was looking for wasn''t quite right. When I had purchased my speakers they had pointed this receiver out to me but I thought how good could it be with no digital componets. Happy to say that as soon as I hooked it up and turned it on I was very pleased! I know it''s a little bit of money to spend on a system with no extras but if you are like me and just wanted to listen to your music you can''t go wrong with this unit.

Strengths:
Power, ease of use.

Weaknesses:
Haven''t really found any.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha 5450