Summary:
This Amp has alot of kick. I don't see how anyone has been
able to capture the sound as precisely as Yamaha. From day
one that the system was installed with my Boston Accoustic
9000 speakers, I came to understand complete clarity. The system comes with a Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) of .004.
Where most systems come with .008 or high, giving less of a
performance. I highly recommend Yamaha for the price and quality. If you are looking for unbeleavable sound at a great price, and not fall for a system just because of its lable (i.e. SONY), I strongly suggest Yamaha. I have seen the reaction too often when friends come to my house and realize that my Yamaha HTS give better sound than there SONY HTS. (Home Theater System)

Strengths:
Very pure sound

Weaknesses:
In the US model I seriously don't see any problem and the power plug in the amp system itself has a standard US electricle plug

Summary:
This is basically a quality Dolby Digital AV amp (no built in tuner). I went to my local hi-fi store and auditioned this A-595 alongside with the Sony STR-DB925 (£500). I must say that in a blind test, I could not tell the two apart. The gist? This amp will be the best £300 you spent on home cinema! It's rated at 65W across all 5 channels, but I'm sure it's louder! I've got a pair of Acoustic Energy AEGIS 1 speakers hooked up and Sony centre and surrounds, and I'm sure they'd blow if I turned the amp all the way up.
Even if you don't have a DVD player or any other DD source, this baby decodes Pro-Logic very nicely thank you very much. I use it mostly with Satellite broadcasts, and the Yamaha sings with energy and clarity, driving the Aegis 1's effortlessly. Bass is punchy, treble is clear yet not harsh. The DSP enhancments are quite good, and on my VHS copy of Star Wars, the 70mm DSP mode makes the whole experience feel 'bigger'!

It has 5.1 inputs for adding a DTS decoder later and 5.1 pre-outs for adding more amplification; but for most UK living rooms this understated RMS of 65Wx5 will fill the room with ease! Front A/V inputs (great for the N64 and Goldeneye!), Coax and Optical digital inputs, and remote control buttons that glow in the dark are all present.

My complaints are that the remote isn't true learning design, and that the 100W AC outlet on the back of the A-595 is some strange bastard socket I've never seen before! It's not US or European.....anyone have any idea what plug it is (UK model).

However, I'd recommend the A-595 to anyone - on a budget or not - it has bags of power, an accurate, controlled sound and above all it's CHEAP! It does much the same as receivers priced £200 more - the lack of tuner is no problem as I picked up a good Sony tuner with this for £75. buy it you will.