Dolby Digital, DTS,...and everything else

No indicator on volume dial, the remote - it sucks!! (I know, I know)

Just upgraded to Yamaha RX-V595a from my old Pioneer Dolby Pro Logic amplifier. This one kicks ass. Haven't tried DTS on this baby, though. But soon, very soon. So what this one is only 65w x 5? - (Mine's an Asian model. The same US models are 70w x 5) - I think it's an underestimation. This amp can blow! Now I hear sounds I've never heard before. I tried a Sony amp with DD (same price, no DTS, 100w x5 !!), and the Yamaha just stood out ! You just can't compare the sound. Look-wise, the Sony was great - sleek, flashy. But who wants an amp for the looks? If you want the best sound quality, the Yamaha RX-V595a is it !!!!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX-D702S (dOLby Prologic)
Sony (Dolby Digital-Don't know which model)

Stero sound and Dolby Didgital sound is awesome.

The DTS decoder has a few flaws in it. (see my review summary)

I owned the RX-V595 for about 5 months, and then upgraded it for free to the RX-V595a at United Audio in Chicago (great trade in policy there!). I upgraded in order to get a DTS decoder and had it for about 1 month. At first I thought the sound was great. I bought a Poineer DV-414 DVD player with DTS capabilities and the sound was awesome, however, I noticed that in a couple of spots, the sound would cut out very briefly while in DTS mode. One of the movies where I noticed this was Dante's Peak (Chapter 22). So I packed up my DVD player and went back to United Audio and played the DVD for them there and reproduced the same problem using the Pioneer DV-414 and the Yamaha RX-V595a. Unfortunately, they didn't have any other DTS DVD players hooked up in their listening room, but they played the DVD through the SONY DB-STR830 receiver and the problem went away.

So to my surprise, the problem wasn't with the Poineer DVD player, it was with the Yamaha receiver. United Audio let me do an even trade for the SONY STR-DB830.

Overall, this is a really good receiver, but the flaws in the DTS mode warrent the rating of only 3 stars.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V595, SONY STR-DB830

this reciever is great it does everything very well i shoped around and read alot of magazines before buying i went to alot of audio specialty shops and called alot of people i always got good feedback for yamaha it was a tough call between the onkyo 575 and the yamaha 595a i liked the yamahas sound better the transformer is huge way bigger than sonys thats why the reciever has alot of power more than youll need and it sounds so good the unit is very solid with a nice aluminum front cover i also like the remote it works very well i played my first dvd movie on it tonight man it sounds good better than the movies i recommend this reciver for any one who is looking for a quality piece of equipment at a good price i paid 469.00 for mine at a audio specialty store the 5150 is not the same machine it has a different remote and i dont think it has dts on board go for the 595a if you want a good piece i give this reciever a well deserved five speakers.

This unit has it all, and great sound I have owned it for approx 5 monthes and have had no problems no crosstalk that everyone is talking about. The 595a is a great performer plenty of power very clean all the way up to the top, and also has good looks.

Lets face it you guys unless you go out and buy a seperate remote for a few hundred bucks your not going to be satisfied, this remote does the job it was intinded to do it controls enough pieces of gear to keep you satisfied, only problem that wouldnt have cost yamaha that much more is backlighting.

This reciever beats the onkyo575 and the denon1800 both in sound and in features, I have heard them both and niether of them had the sound quality that the yamaha did, this is just my opinion of course but im sure if you give them a listen you will see and as far as features the yamaha has more than both the onkyo and the denon 5stars for a great reciever.

Similar Products Used:

yamaha rxv590

Highly underatted power, Solid construction, SUPERB value

remote is a little awkward, treble perhaps a bit overbearingly harsh especially with a metal dome tweeter

This is a solid no nonsense preformer that basically annihilated all competition at its price point (i picked mine up for about $600cdn. or $400U.S.) If you look at the market right now all of the 595a's immediate competition is at least $100 more (Onkyo 575, Denon 1800 etc.) I like the simplicity of the layout on this unit which is pretty much expected from a Yamaha.
Its pretty hard to find flaws in a product like this for $600, but even though the remote is very functional it could be a bit more easy to use, (the glow in the dark buttons kind of look cheap, yamaha should have backlit this remote)and the rotating wheel for selecting sources seems a bit chintzy. Also even though the sound and power from this unit is exceptional, i have found the treble a bit overbearing when hooked up to my Paradigm Monitor 3s, which really have smooth tweets for titaniums. (with my old pioneer the treble was alot smoother) but this is all subjective, since it could be that the pioneer amp's freq. response had roll off. Also its nothing that cant be fixed by easing off the units treble knob.

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20 year old Pioneer SX450, Technics SX-DX930

Powerful and cool remote

Would like the back plugs gold plated, but oh well, I just want it for looks.

This is a wonderful and powerful unit, but I had a bit of a hard time trying to fit this thing into my rack, ended up scratching the sides but no biggy.

Price

DSP Processor, Spring clips not binding posts, sound

Well, I took the Yamaha home because the salesman gave me the weekend to evaluate the unit. I have got to say, it has one of the worst DSP I have heard yet. To top it off, DO NOT even think about playing music through it. This unit simply sounds cheap. The back panel is another great let down. Yamaha _actually_ put spring clips for the surround and center channel. I thought that practice went out with cheap Emerson electronics. Overall, I would not suggest anyone purchase this unit. I don't know about higher end Yamaha's, but if they use the same DSP processor, run and don't look back!

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR3300, Marantz SR-5000/7000

BASS,MID,HIGH....

NONE

I compare this to onkyo 575, harman kardon avr5,kenwood 407
and 307 I only gave 3.5-- still yamaha rxv595a is the best..

speaker that I am use,
bose AM15
polk 35i
cerwin vega e310
b&w dm605


receiver,
nad t760 (for research only)
yamaha rxv595a (currently use )

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ONKYO 575

Solid Construction, clear & powerful sound. S-Video connection(front & back).

Controls, both on the deck & remote.

I got this at uBid for $305(w/S&H) couple of weeks ago.

Compared to Sony STR-DE725 that I owned, it sounds better in every way. Some complain about the music mode, but to
my un-trained ears, it sounds great.

I'm not too crazy about the remote, but those things seems very hard to come by these days, and it's really not that
bad. From the back, it looks like a Jedi light saber!(><)?

My only complaint is the soundfield & speaker control on the deck. When I want to listen to it via/headphones, I got to turn the soundfield off, and make sure my speakers &
subwoofer are not selected.

RX-V595a will sound better than any Sony for the price(which is the main thing), but Yamaha needs to learn
the ergonomics & controls from Sony.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE725

Crystal clean, powerful sound. Affordable, easy to use, expandable (6ch input)

Yamaha could have easily added binding posts for the center and rear channels.

I extremely pleased with the 595a. It has power available that I may need for my moderate sized apartment. The delivery is clean, crisp and noise free.

For sound quality it is on par with the Denon 1800 and Yamaha's RX-V795a. These two offered one or two extra features and a bit more power, but at the volumes I listen to, the 595a sounds just as good as either.

I like the remote, I had it pretty much figured out in a couple days and it controls everything I use. Sure backlit would be nice, but the only time it would be practical is when I'm watching a movie, and that means I'm watching the movie, not pissing around with the remote.

I would have liked to see binding posts for all the channels. With the quality of sound delivery I want to be able to use 14 gauge wire, especially to the rears, since they're farther away. Let's face it, binding posts cost pennies to manufacter (I'm not talking gold-plated here) and should be standard on audio equipment at this price level, even lower.

Similar Products Used:

Auditioned Onkyo 575, JVC RX-888vbk, Denon 1800, Yamaha RX-795a