Price Paid:  $800.00 from Good Guys

Summary:
Phenomenal!

This amplifier is top-notch in all respects. It has all the features and connectivity one needs for the latest home theater, it is powerful enough to drive any speaker, and it sounds as good as other amps costing much more. As with Yamaha's top audio equipment, the design and construction are impressive - much better than the competition. In my opinion, only the Yamaha RX-V4600 and RX-Z9 outperform it.

Strengths:
Powerful
Clean
Easy

Weaknesses:
Remote is not fully backlit. I am also not a fan of Yamaha's rotary input selector.

Similar Products Used:
Earlier receivers from Yamaha, Sony, Pioneer, Technics, and Denon.

Price Paid:  $799.00 from BigOnDigi.com

Summary:
My first A/V receiver was a Yamaha RX-V2095 that I have been using the past 4 1/2 years. I could not have been more pleased with my Home Theater experience, but alas it is time to upgrade to an new feature-laden, more powerful A/V receiver.

As much as I loved the RX-V2095 (great A/V receiver - loved the DSP), it didn't have enough horsepower to properly drive my Klipsch KLF-30s.

I am still using a 23 year old Yamaha M-70 amp/C-70 control amp to drive my 2 channel audio needs. However, they ARE almost a quarter century old, so I am hoping to purchase an A/V receiver that can flawlessly handle both requirements.

I have tested a number of other A/V receivers, but let's be honest...there is reason my Yammy is still looks and shound like new after 23 years. The same goes for the RX-V2095! By the time I was ready for a new A/V receiver, the RX-V3300s had been discontinued and were very hard to find from a reputable dealer. I came very close to laying out $1800 for the RX-Z1 until I found a good deal on a new RX-V3300! The RX-V3300 has all the horsepower of the RX-Z1 minus a few features that, in my opion, aren't worth the $1000 difference in price.

This receiver is awesome. It drivers my monster Klipsch KLF-30s efforlessly in 2 channl audio, suppports all the newest sound fields and processors, and gives me the same chills and thrills (plus more) that I had become so accustomed to while listening to my RX-V2095.

Strengths:
Powerful - the same horsepower as the RX-Z1.
Great 2 channel audio - it drives my Klipsch KLF-30s effortlessly, without distortion, at high levels.
Packed with Features.
Same great Yamaha fit, feel, etc.
Durable - made to last.

Weaknesses:
Good universal remote control, but I quickly replaced with my Home Theater Master MX-700 and SL-9000.
Lacks firewire :-(

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha RX-2095
Yamaha RX-Z1
Pioneer Elite VSX-55TXI (realy liked the firewire, but that's pretty much it)
Denon 3805

Price Paid:  $999.00 from Alterman Audio, New

Summary:
This is a very powerful piece. I was blown away by the power that this thing puts out. It is only a 6.1 piece but with the extra effects channells it mimics the sound of an 8.1. It has been good on all types of music and movies.

Strengths:
Awesome power
Lots of expandibility
Learning remote

Weaknesses:
None so far

Similar Products Used:
Onkyo TX-SR701

Price Paid:  $800.00 from Club Mac

Summary:
A tight budget has forced a slow build up in a complete home theater system. I decided that a receiver was the first logical purchase to anchor the audio. I considered all receivers in the under $1000 range and narrowed it to three. The Yamaha, Denon 3803 and NAD 762. After lots of researching and listening, the 3300 was the clear leader for me. The Denon did not have the power or features of the Yamaha but was a little cheaper. The NAD had the cleanest sound but had few features and seemed a little short on power for a larger home theater.
I was prepared to be frustrated with the 3300 until I could up grade my crappy speakers, but this receiver is so good it made even my cheap pioneer and sony speakers sound acceptable. It does this two ways. First, it allows you to customize every aspect of your set up. Different speakers can all be subtly tweaked to match them to one another. Secondly and more importantly, the multiple DSP programs bring richness to whatever you are listening to. I was accustomed to other manufacturers hall or stadium setting which always sounded like a bad echo effect. When listening to Rush's Exit Stage Left live album on the Roxy Theater mode sounds like I am sitting there. One could almost become obsessed trying to find the right mode for each album, movie or TV channel. I can't wait for a set of real speakers to unleash the full potential of this receiver like I experienced during my demo. It was very lively on Boston Acoustic satelites and absolutely amazing on the B&W's in the store
The back of the receiver is so full of connections that plugging in bare wire speaker cables takes some patients but is doable even without banana plugs. At least everything is well labeled and the manual is more helpful than most I have seen.
I find the universal remote to be okay. It takes some getting used and requires the flipping of switches to utilize all the functions. Only certian keys light up which could be a problem for some.

Strengths:
Power
Value
DSP programs that don't all sound like echoe chambers
front inputs for games or camera

Weaknesses:
just a minor thing but, tuner is a little awkward especially with remote

Similar Products Used:
Denon
NAD

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from Good Guys - San Fran

Summary:
Having the privelage to work at Good Guys, i had a big opportunity to test thoroughly a few receivers of great performance and value...

This is my first AV Receiver so i surely wanted to get I was paying for and of all Denon, Sony and Yamaha products in this price range, the RX-V3300 was the best performer and most functional and easy to use. Sounds great for dvd music performances, and stereo cd's in 8 channel stereo.

I currently use power hungry Energy Speakers [Full Veritas line; V2.4 main, Veritas Center, Veritas Surround, and Energy 12" Sub]

I experimented shortly with the front effect channels and was very impressed for music playback. Definately worth picking up a couple of extra speakers for. Lower priced bookshelf speakers are best for the effect channels since u'r not getting that much power from this channel and it's only an effect. Wouldn't spend more than $500/pair of effect speakers.

Strengths:
Power, easy set-up, dsp modes, aesthetics, 8 channel stereo, Prologic 2, price, easy to use remote. (This receiver has so many dsp modes and you can select exactly which one you want directly from 12 dedicated buttons on the remote.) Number of inputs. 6 channel analog audio input (SACD/DVD-Audio). Has two subwoofer outputs.

Weaknesses:
Cannot tune radio with remote [only switch between presets]

Clustered (many) speaker inputs. Use banana plugs.

Similar Products Used:
Full Yamaha RXV line, Full Denon AVR line and full Sony ES line. Kenwood Sovereign line.