Tons of features to tweak all connected components to bring out the best in them. (and I so mean it)
Excellent sound production,Superb DSPs,lots of I/O.
Definitely the price, build,looks and oh the remote.

No amplification on the rear center out (but then probably it wouldn't have been the same price )
the speaker connector terminals for stranded wires could have been better.
Doesn't get loud enough for movies unless the volume control is way up till almost 3/4th the max. capacity.

First of all , HUGE thanks to all the reviewers and to JandR music for their "as always" prompt shipping and excellent pricing and packaging of the product.

This receiver packs more things to share than I can ever mention in any single review. I have jotted down the ones that are jumping at me right now.

Decibel level control per channel:
The way my surround speaker wiring is set up, it would have been a real pain to replace the horrible 24gauge wires with anything decent like the 16 or the better 12 gauge ones. But with the ability of this reciever to manage the decibel levels of individual channels, I could totally compensate for the power loss in my rear speaker wires. (though this might not be the way to go, but it works GREAT!!)

Programmable DSP and Speaker delays:
Another excellnet feature is the programmable DSP on top of the existing DSPs for different room sizes and audio environments. I specifically like the way I can virtually place my rear surrounds and the centers farther or nearer to me.

User defined Low Frequency Effects(LFE)/Bass channeling:
Using just my single exisitng sub to simulate the boom of loud speakers from my wall mount Mission surrounds is absolutely incredible.

The center channel equalizer : I can almost match up the tonal qualities of my existing kenwood speakers(now using them as dual centers) to my mission front and rear speakers. Saved me a couple hundreds on the center channel.

OnBoard AC outlet:
Saves me the clutter of yet another extension board. My VCR and DVD - players plug right into this receiver!!

Superb Remote :
I am blown away by the learning capability of the remote in absence of any manufacturer's code. Also with the manufacturer's code, sometimes the special buttons for a specific brand on the remote doesn't get transferred, BUT now finally I could totally eliminate all of my other remotes.

It also comes with a RS-232(serial) interconnect, though
I don't really get the point of having it when everything is going towards IEEE-1394(the firewire).
The volume control for movies has to be turned way up to get any serious gain, but that was the story with my previous kenwood system as well. It still leaves enough room to bring the whole house down after reaching the level of rattling it, so no big deal. As long as I can crank it up just about another notch...

The performance and features of this receiver is way beyond and far superior to what I had bargained for. I will be visiting this site again if and when I am ready for the RX-V1

Till then,
Enjoy the magic of sight'n'sound.

My Rig:
Yamaha RX-V1000 (a/v receiver - of course)
Mission 773e (fronts)
Mission 77ds (surrounds)
Sony mini surrounds.
Yamaha SW-320(subwoofer)
Kenwood XD-750 mini system(which I blew last week and so I am using the speakers as centers)
Sony Wega KV-27FS(TV)
Sylvania DVL-100 (DVD player)
Sharp VCR

Similar Products Used:

None

POWER, CLARITY, GREAT OPTIONS.

REMOTE NEEDS TO HAVE A BACK LIT FEATURE.

I RECENTLY UPGRADED FROM A KENWOOD VR-4080B RECEIVER TO THE YAMAHA RX-V1000. OVERALL I AM PLEASED WITH THIS RECEIVER AND KNOW IT WILL TAKE YEARS TO OUTGROW ALL OF ITS FEATURES AND OPTIONS. THE REMOTE COULD BE ALOT BETTER BUT I GUESS THAT IS WHY THEY MAKE AFTER MARKET UNIVERSAL REMOTES. IT REALLY LOOKS GOOD AND IT IS BUILT SOLID WEIGHTING IN AT 31LBS. GOOD CHOICE FOR UNDER 700.00 WITH DTS EX, 6.1 MATRIX ETC.

Similar Products Used:

SONY, KENWOOD

It sounds great!!! Well, and, I'm too much of a casual listener to appreciate any finer details... ;)

There are no fast buttons for the tuner.

I love it. My daughter loves it! She plays it with a lot of DSP effects ("Disco" notably). I love the "Church" effect on classical music. Especially violins sound smoother; ok, so I'm a non-connoiseur... Sex Pistols in a Jazz Club is sooo cool. Poor old Marilyn Manson sound even more obscene now (Get out of my chair! Now!!! What?! He is not in the room?). My wife hates it - Why pay so much when we could have yadda-yadda-yadda? I just love the Matrix' bullet scenes! Wooooosh. I'm there. I'm Keanu!!! I am the DSP king.

Vrooooom. Was that a car?! No it was my Yamaha! Did I wake you up dear? Sorry dear! (He-he-he-he) Yes, it did sound like a Jumbo flew by! No, it was my new Yamaha!

Power savings? Well, that's for next year.

What's next? Now I want a decent sound card for my pc, with 5.1 output! No decoder, please! I'll let my RX V1000 RDS take care of that. Silly? 38 years old? Well, DooM3 will be out by next Christmas and they will support surround sound. I'll be there if nothing foolish happens.

Great! New Equipment! I looove it! My old (noname) and new (Sony; bought a year ago) speakers really really needed that boost. The old (22 years) Technics (2x35) receiver couldn't feed or match them. This new beast can, does, and top them.

Wow! Feed me to the lions!

[Exuberance. Yes, and probably I would have felt it with any system. But I read at least two dozen reviews of A/V receivers and this one came out on top in nearly every one of them. I interpreted what was called "a metallic harsh sound" as a quality mark; the same was said about the CD versus Vinyl in the early 80s. And, seriously I experiment a lot with the DSPs. Some music benefit from them, but most music don't. The videos do indeed benefit from 5.1!!! The 6 channel stereo is what I use most for music, however.]

If you can, try it.

Similar Products Used:

Never ever

Great Sound, Upgradable, Improved remote

Seperate amp for 6th speaker

Great improvement over the 995. The ability to add a 6th speaker is an added plus. I originally purchased the 995 to replace my Sony. Let me say that this was a huge step up. The 995 did everything that I asked of musically adn for movies. The scene from Xmen the movie where Magneto uses his power shock the whole house. My mom came running from downstairs to see what was going on. I purchased the 995 in a close out and recieved a good deal. teh problem was no 6th channel adn crappy remote. Yamaha should be shot for releasing the thing. To remedy this problem I returned it for the 1000. Nice improvement. The ability to add a sixth channel nice. I have yet to add it, but soon. (DOes anyone have a good suggestion for a preamp for this channel?) The sound from the 1000 seems to be softer and more well rounded than the 995. The 6ch stereo is amazing. Feels like I am in my car. I have yet to really fire it up on a good DVD movie, and cant wait. The Remote is outstanding. I was able to program my sony CD player, Cable box, VCR, and JVC TV. No need for the pronto, another 350 that stays in my pocket. It is true that it would have been even better if back lit, but you cant have it all. Wanted to try a Denon, byut the price for the 3801 was a little steep. Overall very happy with my recent purchase. Cant wait to add sixth channel. If abyone is in the market buy this reciever.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha rxv-995, Sony STRDE825

versatile, all purpose receiver

remote a bit complicated and not backlit

After dismal experiences with the sony db940 and the much more expensive sony v555es, I've promised myself never to look at another sony receiver again.

My Yahama on the other hand has been a truly pleasureable experience. No humming, no hissing, no over-heating, no major complaints whatsover. For my casual listening ears, both cd and dvd quality sound has been top notch. Gladiator is a great movie to test out the receiver's DTS capabilities.

Overall, a great mid-range receiver and highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

sony str-db940, sony v555es

DD/DTS decoding is FABULOUS, looks and build quality, reasonable remote, lots and lots of connections

huh?

I love this machine. It crushes my old JVC receiver. When I cranked the volume of my JVC up, my ears got hurt very fast (very harsh sound). Not to mention all the hiss coming from the surround and center channels. Just read the review of the JVC RX-774 at homecinemachoice; basically the same receiver. The conclusion was that the JVC is a piece of trash. Listening to this Yamaha receiver proves that. I hooked it up and I was shocked on how different (read: better) the Yamaha sounds. In the beginning sound was a bit bright, but now, two days later, it lost this brightness and sounds warmer. Guess this is what they call breaking-in. When I tried The Matrix, a big big smile was on face... wow! I could really hear sounds circling around me and bullets flying from front right to rear right. On my JVC you could easily locate the speaker where the sound was coming from, but now it sounds much more "as a whole". Way better positioning and detail. When it's idle, the top gets 33 degrees celcius, my JVC 45 degrees(!!). Prologic also sounds way better; the sound is nicely spread over the three front speakers. My JVC put most of the sound on the center channel. The frequency response is also wider. My JVC started to drop off at 30Hz. On the Yamaha, when I did a freq.response test I had to press the mute button because my subwoofer sounded way too loud. I didn't know my sub could produce 20Hz that easily. :)

This thing is so much of an improvement over my old JVC receiver and I just can't think of anything bad about it, so I give it five stars. I give it 4 stars for value, because I had to pay $200 over the RX-V800 model which is basically the same, but without the rear-center pre-out. Ok, the remote is better than the 800's remote. But for the $200 they could've easily added the extra amplification onboard.

My system:
Yamaha RX-V1000
B&W 305 (bi-wired, Van Den Hull cable)
B&W 302 (on stands)
B&W CC3
REL Storm III (yes, about two times more expensive than all the B&W's together, but a good investment for the rest of my life)

In the future I will add the center rear speaker and the amplification needed.

Similar Products Used:

JVC RX-884VBK Dolby Digital receiver, Pioneer VSX-407 Dolby Prologic receiver

Clean, crisp sound with a dynamic presence.

None that I've noticed

Oust the Onkyo, smash your Sony, ditch your Denon. Yell for your Yamaha. This receiver is truly awesome. Bar none, this receiver outclasses almost everything in it's price range.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TXDS 787

See below.

This is a very nice amp that provides excellent bang for the buck. Great sound, great remote, sturdy build quality. Music surround modes are pleasant for a change instead of novelty features.

Now the raison for the review:

Periodally (anywhere from bi-hourly to daily), I get a 'glitch' on all channels. A simple 'click' noise. This happens regardless of input selected (tuner, CD or DVD) and whether or not there is actually music playing. The CD and DVD are connected via co-ax to the digital inputs of the amp. I've already exchanged the unit once and the second one is now doing the same. Both amps started this within 1 month of arrival. The weird part is my Dad has had the same amp for several months longer than I've had and hasn't had any problems.

I've listened to Yamaha gear for a long long time and I've never experienced something like this. I think if it were from a company I hadn't had such good experience in the past with I would probably be asking for a refund. In between clicks though, I'm in heaven so I don't want to give up on it yet. Is it possible the amp is sensitive to noise on AC? (I have no idea what the co-tenant downstairs that shares the circuit is up to.) Any other ideas?

Similar Products Used:

None.

Features, price & excellent sound

None at this price range

I was searching for a new A/V amplifier to replace my old Harman Kardon Dolby Pro-logic A/V amplifier model AVI 100 after I moved into my new home in late June 2000.
First of all, I purchased Sony DVD player model DVP-S745D & when Sony launched its latest A/V receiver model STR-V555ES (comes with virtual matrix 6.1), I was delighted. The good thing about this virtual matrix 6.1 feature is that I do not have to install an additional rear center speaker for the latest DVD movies featuring Dolby Digital surround EX & DTS-ES. Of course, having an additional rear center speaker is perfect, but sometime condition does not allow one to be installed.
Other manufacturers launched its own A/V receiver featuring the latest multi-channel decoding modes. By early Dec 2000, I compared the following A/V receivers in term of the price & the features -
Denon's AVR3801, Sony's STR-V555ES, Yamaha's RX-V800 & RX-V1000, Onkyo's TX-DS787 & Pioneer's VSX-D939TX.
I love to audit the sound side by side (AB comparison) but unfortunately none of the shopkeepers here are helpful. Based on my budget & needs, I eventually selected Yamaha's RX-V1000.
It is value for money. It comes with virtual Dolby Digital surround EX & DTS-ES decoding. Has the option of connecting an additional amplifier & speaker for the rear center channel.
It comes with a built-in AC3 RF demodulator for connecting to my old Pioneer LD player with an AC3 RF output. I do have a small collection of LDs thus this feature is useful. Not many new mid-price A/V receivers come with built-in AC3 RF demodulator.
It comes with silent cinema for headphone play. It's great since I watch most of the movies late at night. Even though the surround sound effect may not be that great with the headphone ON but still it's a nice feature to have.
Great remote control, has the ability to control many other types & brands of components including my 10 year old Sharp VCR whose remote control is long gone.
Mine is in gold finish. The flip down front panel door conceals those lesser use buttons making the front appearance neat. It will be great if it also hide away the bass & treble control knobs since I hardly adjust them. I just leave them at 0 dB. By the way the front panel controls duplicate most of the functions offer by the remote control, particularly the surround mode selection. This allows near complete operation of the amplifier without its remote. Cool.
It does not run hot & comes with a protective circuit for over temperature & wrong speakers' connections.
Its onscreen setup & control is an attractive graphical presentation & also in a logical sequence of menus. It's pretty easy to understand the onscreen setup & the manual.
Yamaha's dealers are also very helpful in replying my questions. U can even download the operating manual from their web-site. Check for all the features that this receiver can offer.
Now, how does it sound for movies?
To listen to more detail, I push the amplifier (rated at max power of 140W x 5 into 8 ohm) to higher volume (more than half-way). The sound stayed crisp & defined & it is also free from harshness or congestion. It has a wide sound field especially with some of the cinema DSP modes (process in 32 bit). My limited LD collection comes alive. "Air Force One" (AC3 encoded), "Toy Story" (AC3 encoded & THX certified) & "Predator" (Dolby Pro-logic encoded) all sound fantastic in their respective surround sound format. Low noise, outstanding dynamic details & impacts in "Air Force One". Clean, clear & smoothly panning surround effect in "Toy Story". The old Dolby Pro-logic format maybe on its way out (in come Pro-logic II?) but still there is a convincing envelope sound effect behind my seat.
This amp comes with auto detect surround mode in which I could slot in a DVD & immediately see the decoding mode it is running in. Fed in DVD "The bug's life" (Dolby Digital encoded), I experience the full cinematic effect. The soundstage is wide & the dialogue is focused. But I have a distinct preference for DTS material. Watching "Saving Private Ryan" (DTS encoded) & "Gladiator" (DTS-ES encoded) was sonically breathtaking. Turn ON the cinema DSP mode & my room seems much larger, the wider sound field helps to fill in those gaps between the speakers especially the front & the rear. The virtual rear center sound effect sonically sound real in the DTS-ES encoded "Gladiator". From some of the reviews that I have read, none mentioned about this virtual 6.1 effect but counter check with Yamaha, they said it does exist. So I would like to request owners of the RX-V1000 to send me an email (wong_teck_hong@hotmail.com) if u experience this virtual 6.1 effect. By the way u can switch ON or OFF 6.1 manually but I recommend to have it ON only for Dolby Digital EX & DTS-ES encoded material.
For those old LD releases with only Dolby stereo sound, I recommend 6-channel stereo for better distribution of the sound. In the plain Dolby Pro-logic mode (without any DSP mode), the sound was heavily centered in the front.
Now, how does it fair for music?
It's like I am there when I played Eagles' "Hell freezes over" (DTS encoded), so are DTS encoded music only disc. Channel separation is excellent among the 5 speakers.
Turn OFF the effect mode & u have 2 channel stereo. A long time ago, one of my ex-colleagues (he always listen to 2 channel but wants to know more about 5 channel) was deciding between a 2 channel & a 5 channel amplifier. We did a comparison & without any doubt the 2 channel amplifier outperform the 5 channel amplifier for stereo performance. I bought myself a tube amplifier (about the same price as the RX-V1000) & therefore I have the opportunity to compare both amplifiers for 2 channel stereo performance. It may not seems fair since it's a 2 different world between the tube & the solid state amplifiers. But to my surprise the sound from the Yamaha receiver is clear, with adequate bass though not as musical, as smooth & as sweet as the tube amplifier. The vocal is well center, detailed. Plenty of power when come to Pop/Rock music. Movie soundtracks & orchestral music is great too. I'll leave the Jazz material to my tube amplifier. Bottom line is RX-V1000 is not bad at all, I could have save the money I spent on the tube amplifier. I have yet to test out the 24 bit/96 khz DAC (I'm looking for some good DVD music to test it out, any recommendation?). By the way it comes with a processor direct switch in which u can by pass the bass & treble control to achieve a purer signal output. One note to mention - if u are using a pair of satellite speakers & a powered subwoofer for 2 channel stereo with the effect OFF, u need to configure the subwoofer setting to "both". This will allow the speakers & the woofer to be used. Since I'm using a pair of floorstanding speakers, I prefer to set it to "main". In this way, I leave my subwoofer at rest. However when I'm playing 5.1 surround, I set it to "subwoofer". How I wish there is a one button control. I guess this is the only complaint.
FM reception is clear without any distortion though I prefer not to have a built-in tuner.
This receiver has pre-out for all channels in case 140W x 5 of power is insufficient.
It also has 5.1 channel external decoder input for other future formats (SACD? DVD-audio?). I know some other amplifiers come with 7.1 channel input, do we really need that many?
I had a great time with my new A/V receiver - Yamaha RX-V1000. It is attractive, easy to setup, easy to use & delivers great surround sound. It offers the latest multi-channel decoding modes (namely the Dolby Digital EX & DTS-ES). It comes with a large number of tasteful, fun to use ambience enhancement modes for music & movies, all performed in the digital domain. 2 channel stereo may not be as perfect but it is acceptable for an A/V amplifier whose main function is to excel in surround sound application.
Perfect solution for the future & a great bargain for this price range.

My current components are -
1) Yamaha RX-V1000 A/V receiver
2) Houston Mini 1998 tube amplifier
3) Sony DVP-S745D DVD player (multi-code)
4) Pioneer CLD-D580 LD player (with AC3 RF out)
5) Sharp VC-H81 NICAM stereo VCR
6) Mission M73 front L/R speakers
7) Kenwood CRS-15 center & rear speakers
8) Infinity RS-10 powered subwoofer
9) Toshiba 34N9UXE 34" TV

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None

powerful clean amping, ergonomicly sound with sleek looks, ample array of hook ups, see review

Rear center amplification, top heavy remote

To begin I would like to get the bad comments out of the way to leave you with a postive and satisfied opinion which is how I feel about my RXV.
First off I wanted the Onkyo 787 because it had rear center channel amplification and the Rxv 1000 does not, but being on a budget I thought having a rear center channel speaker is going to run me another couple of hundred dollars so settling for a high grade 5.1 surround setup made more since at the time and in hind site I have no regrets. After listening to several movie formats the rear surround speakers in DD or DPL are more for spatial ambience instead of constant play as the front center and L/R channels. So I'll leave the rear center channel as a to do thing for now. Secondly, is the remote being top heavy, a bit bulky and some of the buttons don't light up making one handed channel changing a task. Also at night it's a bit tedious when the light are down low trying to see what functions are what but my memory of what's where on the key pad improves every time I touch it. I believe I have a talent and maybe I should take up brail. I already know what 1st and second floor feels like on the elevator at work. ha ha! Also when the significant other tells you the remote is a peice of junk don't listen she just lacks the patients to learn so pull out the little remote for the cable box and let her have it. Solution: his and her remotes.

Now for the good stuff in no specific order. Yamaha RXV 1000 is definately a great receiver boasting 100w a channel of clean wattage @ 0.04% THD. No hums or anything and the volume level increases at .5 increments for smooth volume control. Next, the DSP effects add a little somthing more to play with that I like. If you're watch a movie a concert or listening to the stereo you'll always be able to find a setting that sounds good. I use sci-fi and spectacle for movies, and mostly 6 ch. stereo for listening to radio, but if you watch a concert or listen to CD's and want to use your imagination you can put yourself right inside a rock or jazz club. The people at Yamaha went to several venues across the world and took specific acoustical readings and somehow put that info in this unit. Put on a little Eric Clapton and you'll feel like your sitting out in the audience at a live jazz fest. On the front of the unit is all your av hook up for games, cameras and so on. I can't wait to get a new playstation 2 or the new microsoft Machine that's coming out. To play games in surround.... ha my heart pounds with excitement. This unit also has zone 2 outs. I have not messed with this feature however when the hot tub goes outside I'm sure I think of something. Maybe one of those speaker rocks. yeah that's a start. Back to the remote, I'm very satisfied with the learning capabilities. I have very different components even an old VCR and this remote not only controls them all but learned the functions of my other remotes by simply pointing them at each other and pushing a couple of buttons and whala! no more plethra of remotes only one. I could go on but I won't. My advice to you is be patient audition as many receivers you can try to get what you want in a HT system. If you have to pay a little more, Do it! with the approval of the better half. If I'm shelling out the cash I better get a lot of bang for my buck. The Yamaha RXV1000 does just that. You can't go wrong with thier products they make to many things not to be good! C-ya and gooluck in your endeavors.
My system: RXV1000, Klipsch reference RF3, RC3, Synergy SB3 rear surrond monitors and a 10" JBL sub. This system will rattle a filling loose. Not to mention the fire extenguisher outside my door

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Auditioned Onkyo, Sony, Pioneer thoroughly