Price Paid:  $990.00 from Athens, Greece

Summary:
I bought this product upgrading from an Onkyo TX DS 494. I always thought that the Onkyo was a good product for its money (almost half the amount I paid for the Yamaha) but it lacked the extra "quality". This one on the contrary is an extraordinary receiver. The improvement in sound (especially in music which I listen to most of the time) is enormous. The sound has more depth (surely a lot more Wattage), more bass and better soundstaging. Even my old Dual turntable sounds significantly better now! The many available DSP programs are really incredible. Particularly the DP II is excellent but others such as Concert, Rock etc constitute a vital improvement in sound. There are many inputs available (especially digital ones) for all kinds of connections; you can also rename the inputs according to your choice. A universal remote is also included.
I use it with a pair of B&W DM 602s S3 in front, B&W DM cc6 S2, B&W ASW 600 subwoofer and a pair of old Magnats for surround. Rest of the system consists of Marantz CD 6000 OSE LE cd-player, Pioneer DV-444-s dvd-player and Dual CS 508 turntable. If you already own a low level receiver and think about an upgrade or want to buy a reveiver for the first time the Yamaha RXV 1200 is the product guaranteed for perfect sound without spending a fortune to buy it.

Strengths:
Incredible sound in both music and movies, many DSP programs, more than enough Watts, 6.1 supported, Dolby Prologic II, lots of digital inputs and outputs, universal remote, input renaming, good look.

Weaknesses:
Remote could be better but does its job anyway.

Similar Products Used:
Onkyo TX DS 494.

Price Paid:  $499.00 from The Wiz

Summary:
I use this system with Energy 5.2 speakers, and a Paradigm subwoofer.
The room is a 24/16 room, insulated with acoustic tile.

I was torn between the 1200 and 1300 model but could find no difference except for wattage for an extra 250 dollars.
Took it home - set up was easy, but intricate, and soon realised that power was not a problem.

HT - Has all the essentials - DD EX ( not officially listed as such - called DD 6.1 ), DTS-ES, DD, and the auto function works really well with DVD's -

Listened to Star Wars, LOTR, etc and the sound of these is amazing, full sounding theatre, however you need to be very careful on the bass, found it very overwhelming so adjustments had to be made.
The DSP modes are really good - and they really know their stuff when it comes to sound fields...so movies are better at home than in the theatre...more depth and clarity.

Music - Regular stereo is good on here - but after you use DD PL2 - regular stereo is out of date - music takes on a whole new meaning with this - Neo 6 has more channels, but not quite as clear and powerful as PL2. For example, God Part 2, on the U2 album, rattle and hum, brings enveloping guitar sound all around the room -simply jaw dropping.

Be sure to use the DSP modes for music - ie club, church etc - they sound excellent and should be chosen acording to your preference.

Strengths:
Power, clarity, inputs, visual flow, quality of workmanship, display, range of processors

Weaknesses:
Remote a little clumsy
Set-up - the manual is good - could be clearer - especially on the higher level delays etc as I had to go find explanations of this elsewhere on the internet.

Similar Products Used:
Looked at

Denon - Onkyo etc in similar price range - Yamaha had better overall power,the Denon and Onkyo had nice color screens and bells and whistles - Yamaha has one color screen - but you spend

Price Paid:  $690.00 from Tweeter Etc

Summary:
This is for the RX-V1300.
Just adding to my previous review (under V1300). I love the way music sounds on this receiver. But the MOST FRUSTRATING part is there is no way to set the crossover frequency. Why ???? I just dont get it. Even low end receivers let you set this.
Luckily there is a work around for me as my fronts are good. Turning ON the bass extension sends down to 60Hz to the front mains. My fronts have a range of 50Hz-20KHz. If your fronts have a low end of more than 90 Hz, you are screwed because The RX-V1300 has a fixed output to the sub (20Hz - 90Hz). I just like to have control over my receiver.

Actually there is an advantage to bass extension. With its turned on, you could send some low freq. to both the mains and the sub - exactly what i like. The crossover will split the range up and you cannot overlap (unless the overlap overrides the crossover).

You may NOT want to demo at Tweeter Etc (if thats your nearest dealer). They demo 6.1 receivers without a rear center speaker - WOW !

And then they had these Mirage speakers. I turned the volume up and the Mirage started making this annoying whining noise that made the receiver look like a piece of junk. Take this one home and audition it.

Another thing that worries me is there are only 2 digital co-ax inputs. Why are there more optical inputs (5) than coax ?? Doesn't make sense to me at all.

I am still going to keep the RX-V1300 simply because i haven't heard such clear music ever before at home and this is a good price (as I have come to realize now).

Strengths:
See earlier review under the 1300

Weaknesses:
See earlier review under the 1300

Price Paid:  $999.00 from 2001AudioVideo

Summary:
Thsi is a review of the RX-V1300
Excellent receiver. Yamaha receivers have always provided topnotch surround sound playback for movies so I was not surprised there, what did surprise me was how well it performed with stereo music. It has a rich warm sound that wasn't there with my RXV800 (which I still have in another room). The RXV800 is excellent with movies and while it sounded crystal clear with music vocals alway came over as being a little on the thin side. When I decided to get another receiver I listened to HK AVR520, Marantz SR7200, Denon AVR2802 and 3802, and a few Onkyo models. One store that I was in happened to have the Denons and the Yamaha connected to similar speakers and I was stunned at the open sound of the Yamaha in Stereo mode. It certainly did not sound like the older Yamahas that I had been used to hearing. After going back and forth to several dealers over the course of several weeks and listening to the different models mentioned above I kept coming back to the Yam. Even though I was willing to spend more money I took the plunge when a 2001 AudioVideo said they could let me have it for Cdn$999 (approx US$630)I took the plunge and am very happy that I did.I had heard my PSB Speakers (Image 4T and 8C)mated to a NAD T761 receiver that was excellent with music and average with movies and I had been waiting for the new NAD T752 to come out.The Yamaha gives me the same kind of musicality (to my ears)in stereo and is exemplary with movies. Listen to James Taylor's vocals on Hourglass and Sarah MacLachlan, Diana Krall and Eva Cassidy and then try some Pat Metheny and Lee Ritenour or Larry Carlton. It handles all genres very well, as well as can be expected in this price range and up to several hundred dollars more. Which is why I couldn't justify spending more for the other pricer models I auditioned including its big brother the RXV2300. I have 2 THX certified monos (MA500 that I would normally use to power my L&R main channels but so far I havent hooked them up. I am that satisfied with the sound and power. One note is that the new yams do have cooling fans but I believe they are probably insurance for installations where they are not well ventilated, because I ran mine for 3 days none stop trying to trigger the fan but couldn't. The remote is an improvement over the older models. I am able to control every piece of equipment in my system - Toshiba DVD, Sony VCR and CD player, TV and a Scientific Atlanta digital cable receiver with no problem. I am very happy with this purchase so considering the excellent sound and the low price I paid for it I am giving it 5 Stars

Strengths:
Warm, rich, clean powerful sound. HDTV capable component video switching. 192khz/24 bit DACs.Easy remote.OSD via S-Video and will convert s-video to composite.Clean uncluttered design.

Weaknesses:
Remote not back lit (c'mon Yamaha).Only one crossover setting at 90hz. That's it.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha RX-V800, Denon 1801,2802 and 3802, Marantz SR7200, HK 520 and several Sony models in the DB and ES ranges.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This unit gives a crisp & clear sound, both movies en cd's. Has good,clean sound, a bit agressive, which is perfect for DD & DTS. More than enough power for average livingrooms. Set-up is a weak point of all Yamaha rx-v...'s. Just like remote, but learning-funtion is cool since I use also Sony components in my set-up. This funtion works perfectly. Good match with my Tannoy Profile Plus speakers, great sound even without Sub.

Strengths:
powerfull, clear sound. DSP-Soundfields. Plenty of in & outputs. 6 channel amp.

Weaknesses:
set-up and remote, fixed freq. for bass (90 hz).Hear clicks when changing inputs, even low volumes (don't know if it's in receiver or powerconn.)

Similar Products Used:
Kenwoods, Pioneer vsx-series, Sony QS 930, 940 (can hear radiosignal when played loud on each input) .