Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Yamaha RX-V660 is awesome bought it in 1991 have never turned it off except for power outages. It is still going strong!!!!!!!!! would highly recommend you get one if you can find it.....

Price Paid:  $135.00 from Second hand

Summary:
Since I submitted my 1st review (above), I thought I would give a further word or two now that I have owned this receiver for a good while now, long enough to really give it a good workout and evaluation.

This revceiver, although about 10 years old, has proven that Yamaha have been right ontop of their game for many years. It has proven to be trouble-free and a great, great performer. Everything I quoted in my 1st review can be confirmed now as this unit looks good for its age and sounds excellent. I am using it only as a stereo receiver and coupled with a few other audio only devices, and it has lived up to Yamaha's reputation of being a solid performer. It is effortless to operate and basic enough in its outlay, so that even a newbie could operate it with ease...

I have two other Yamaha A/V devices in my room - a Yamaha AX-396 amp and a Yamaha RX-V540 A/V HT amp/receiver, and the RX-V660 can stand proudly alongside either of these two with its head held high. The quality of sound is right up there with its younger cousins. I am so glad I bought this one when I saw it...

This amp has audio and video capabilities but I haven't given the video side a try as I never bought it for this reason. If you want an older unit for a second or backup unit to be used for simple audio applications then I can fully recommend the RX-V660, if you can still find one. It has only 65 watts RMS/ch but makes damned good use of them. It's more than enough to blow the walls apart in a smaller room...

Strengths:
Everything - It's Yamaha...

Weaknesses:
Can't really pick any, again, because it's Yamaha

Price Paid:  $135.00 from Second hand

Summary:
I already have a Yamaha amp, an AX-396, which seems to be "just what the doctor ordered" for my room. It has served me for the past 5 months from new and it's amazing what 60 watts rms/channel can do. In a single word it's "beautiful"... I am now a true Yamaha believer,, so much so that a short while ago I saw a Yamaha RX-V660 Receiver/Amp for sale secondhand and I quickly made up my mind that I must have it.. All I have heard and read about these amps is nothing but good,, so even if I bought it for no more reason than to just own it, I went out and did the deed..

The RX-V660 is a little older than the AX-396 so at the time I expected something a little less but I am quite amazed at what it gives in the way of performance. Audio is equally as good as the AX-396 in every detail - good crisp, clean audio. I would also describe the V660's audio in the same way as the 396, in that it puts out a neutral type of sound - in other words - what goes in, comes out,, only a lot louder. Mixing and matching components, leads me to believe this to be absolutely true. The 2 Yamaha amps sound vastly different to my Technics amp when used with the same components such as a tuner, tapedeck, DvD player, VCR. The Technics amp tends more to push out the sound - right in your face - so to speak, whereas both the Yamaha's, as I said before, merely amplify the sound. Draw from that statement what you will but that's the way I see it. Sound also tends to vary from speakers to speakers, whereas the Technics is not fussy. I would suggest using good quality speakers with either of the above Yamaha's...

The V660 is still a good looking amp and has lots of features, although some of them I will more than likely never use, such as the echo effects etc. It is easy to configure and program. You don't need the manual, just a basic knowledge on how most things electronics work nowadays. Simple..!!!

In my opinion, like the AX-396, the RX-V660 would be highly complimented with the addition of a graphic equaliser to tailor the audio output to your personal taste. This is like the icing on a cake..

Buying an amp of this age and seeing just how good it is, suggests to me that Yamaha has been in touch with quality audio equipment for some time now. Dollar for dollar, this is no doubt, one of my better purchases...

Strengths:
Looks good and solid. Sounds great. Easy to program. This unit also has a great mix 'n' match set of source buttons which enables you to copy from one source or more, to, another source or more. Most important, it has the name of "YAMAHA" on it. This is a great unit for its age...

Weaknesses:
To date, like the AX-396... None...!!!
You have to remember though that this unit is 10 years old and doesn't have all the latest electronic sound enhancements made for true digital sound surround. What it "does" have though, is great...

Price Paid:  $600.00 from Stereo Center

Summary:
I've had this A/V receiver for nine years without any problems at all! The pre-out is very important as my main speakers are B&O Beolab 5000's and have their own amp, same for my Velodyne sub so the receiver only powers my B&W DM302's(surrounds) and B&W CC3(center channel.) This receiver sounds excellent whether the source is video or audio, I've even had friends comment movies sound better at my house than at the theater! I'm looking to upgrade soon but I'm gonna have to look long and hard to find something that out performs the RX-V660!

Strengths:
Pre-amp outs,great DSP settings, very reliable.

Weaknesses:
Lacking AC3 or DTS or newer Dolby systems

Similar Products Used:
Luxman,Technics

Summary:
Dollar for dollar, this is Yamaha's best receiver. Its 65W to the front channels and 25W to the center and surround channels may not make it the most powerful kid on the block, but it still packs a punch. It has full Dolby Pro-Logic decoding with multiple DSP surround modes that produce remarkable ambiance. Yamaha, with their incredible in-house digital expertise, are the world leaders in DSP technology. The RX-V660 is the embodiment of that expertise. Although it lacks S-video and component video terminals, its RCA video terminals carry wonderfully detailed signals suitable for DVD. Since it doesn't have Dolby Digital or DTS decoding, DVDs are played in the classic Dolby Pro-Logic mode, which has exceptional spatial clarity. I bought my RX-V660 back in 1993 for about $500US. I'm sure a used one can be had for a couple hundred dollars now. Take my advise, and don't get a fancy new DD/DTS receiver with a gazillion watts of power - you don't need them. The RX-V660 comes with more power than you'll ever need, and it's made by YAMAHA, the BEST consumer electronics company in the world. It doesn't get any better than this - five stars!