Price Paid:  $1600.00 from Singapore

Summary:
This is one of my best buys ever and I have bought and sold many audio and video equipment. I bought this to replace my previous Yamaha receiver which was one of their entry level products. I fell in love with their products ever since. And to jump from their entry level receiver to this giant-killer is quite a leap!!!! This beauty was Yamaha's flagship product before they introduced the A1.

When I bought this home theatre amp, DD5.1 had just come out. There were not many software that came encoded with DD5.1 either. But this one was promised to be future ready and man!!! is it!!! Okay, fine, DTS emerged soon afterwards, but who needs DTS anyway???? And how many LDs or DVDs can you get hold of that offers DTS???

The Yamaha DSPA 3090 has CD, LD, 2 tapes, DVD, tuner, 2 video and phono connections. It has both optical and coaxial digital inputs for CD, LD and DVD. And this came out in 1996!!!

The sound is tremendous. I was using Bose 2.2 with this and currently have Definitive Technology's Cinema 80 connected. I have not used it with real quality speakers yet (which is a temptation I have been resisting for quite some time due to the lack of space in my apartment), and I shiver at the thought of how rich it would sound if I did that. This is the amp that has tought me to listen to music and movies without turning the bass and treble knobs or even hitting the loudness button. It can give any product a run for all its worth, whether listen to music or enjoying home cinema. I can crank up the volume as much as I like and the sound does not distort a single bit. The amp can be connected to external power amps as well if you fancy that sort of thing.

Last year when I moved from Bangladesh to here in Dubai, I considered selling it off and getting a new amp. But my brothet talked me out of it. I realise now that it would have been a stupid stupid mistake.

I have just one complaint: the speaker connections are not banana plug compatible. This makes connecting cables quite difficult.

Although this product is now obsolete, if you can get your hands on one and if you are contemplating on upgrading to home theatre or your current AV reveiver then go for it with your eyes closed. You will not regret it a single bit.

Strengths:
Great build, sound, look/feel, future-readiness

Weaknesses:
Speaker connectors at rear panel

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha, Philips, Kenwood, Pioneer

Summary:
Probably the best purchase I have ever made, apart from my Rega Planar 3 turntable 17 years ago! I bought the unit second hand (first owner had it for only two weeks) but had done enough research before the time to know that this is what I'd want and what I'd want to stay with for a long time.

No problems driving my Missions, although they aren't too hard to drive anyway. Even my wife, knowing nothing about good sound said: "Now that's good sound!", so it should say something.

Solidly built, no platic feel to it at all. Pity about the remote's silver color. As for this monster, I have had no problems using it or to get it to now control the TV, DVD player, VCR. Just cannot get the satellite decoder to work from the remote. But then I like playing with remotes and knobs - to my wife's utter frustration...

Strengths:
Amazingly powerful with plenty of reserve in hand

Weaknesses:
Speaker cable connections

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha DSP E492

Summary:
Good digital section and preamp, medium analog amps. Good value. I use a Technics A1000 MARKII amp for L/R front channels, which helps provide a good to very good stereo listening experience (classical music). Won't hurt for AV either ;-). The combination provides a good HiFi and AV setup for a modest price tag.

Strengths:
cheap, features, preouts, low decoding noise in DD modes

Weaknesses:
not very high-end amps (resolution with classical DD recordings), no separate equalizers for speakers

Similar Products Used:
Technics digital amp, ReVox 250B

Summary:
I chose this amp because it is cheap! That is, for one which can do all the cinema formats including DTS and has pre-outs. It was important for me to be able to continue using my main stereo Myrydas to drive the main speakers.

I biwired my center speaker which was a real problem though, as the amp only has spring-clip connects for the centre and rear speakers. I had to bodge something together to effectively make a big cable into a small one. Not too clever. I was peaved because the main speaker terminals are binding posts but I wasn't using them (see above)!!!

In use, I can't complain at all about this amplifier. I am astounded by the way it responds to some of the more demanding DD 5.1 soundtracks although I haven't tried a DTS DVD yet.

As well as using only three of the six channels (I don't use a sub or the mains), I really underuse the amp in other ways too. I ignore all the DSP effects and don't use it to amplifiy anything other than TV. The point I'm getting to here is that, even though I use only some of its features, the £295 I paid was still cheap!!

So, for those of you who want to use it as their main amp for everything you'll get ten times the use from it as I do.

However, I would not be happy with the sound quality for, say, CD playback. I strictly keep my hi fi and my AV separate!

Strengths:
The best value-for-money, DTS/DD5.1 capable amp there is. Has pre-outs for all channels.

Weaknesses:
Surround speaker connects and a remote control that must have been invented by someone who was drunk.

Summary:
a great first time buy, that won't hurt your pocket (too much!!!)

Strengths:
fine musical sound for a budget price tag.

Weaknesses:
centre and rear speaker clips - poor!!!

Similar Products Used:
sony 930, & other yamaha AV amps