Versatile A/V switching, strong, stable, and clean audio power amp section

None so far

As one who works in the consumer electronics industry (former engineer, now marketing and sales), I found it a bit of a tough choice between Onkyo and Yamaha, but I chose Yamaha. I needed five (5) S-VHS inputs, since I have 5 S-VHS video sources, and the RX-V800 met this minimum requirement. Overall, I am very pleased with the performance of this unit.

One question that always seems to "raise its ugly head" among Yamaha enthusiasts is the difference between the RX-V line and the HTR line. Again, since I've worked the past 35 years in both consumer electronics engineering and marketing, it comes down "primarily" to one word: marketing! As per contacts within the industry, and on Yamaha's RX-V website itself states, both lines of A/V receivers are built within the "same factory" with the "same parts" and design criterion. They are a bit different cosmetically, and electrically. For example, the RX-V line offers some I/O's that the HTR line doesn't, however, the HTR line also offers some I/O's that the RX-V line doesn't.

I've had may hands in the "guts" of both these lines, and they are identical as to chassic design, printed circuit layout and build, component quality, etc. The HTR line is sold through discounters and various internet sources through the "discount channel." This marketing channel offers very little pre-purchase advice, and little post-purchase surport, thus very small margins. On the other hand, the RX-V line is sold primarily through authorized "brick and mortar" Hi-Fi dealers, which are expected to provide pre-purchase advice and post-purchase support, thus the required higher margins.

Remember, the name of the game in marketing is positioning your product to have a "higher perceived value" against others of like quality and price. I bought the RX-V800 from a local dealer who I've done business with for over 25 years. Otherwise, I would have certainly seriously looked at the HTR-5280 from Best Buy for about the same price.

Similar Products Used:

NAD, Onkyo

DTS, Inputs and etc..

Sound reproduction in stereo mode, music

I agree with the previous comment.. I changed many speakers to match my receiver though they all sound "muddy" in music.. my car cd plays much cleaner..it is actually not bad for a movie to simulate surround but for music especially high frequencies are not there.. In my "desperation" I bought a hated and overpriced Bose lifestyle 30 system.. yes it is not serious and lows are not great there and no dts and inputs sucks.... but believe my ear the music reproduction and movies sounds are like waking up after Yamaha.. I am returning it back to store.. By the way I noticed many Yamaha speaker packages are 6 Oms.. Yamaha produces good motorcycles though :)
Still will give 3 stars.. maybe 3.5 to this receiver

power; tons of hookups; price

as usual the remote its unbelievable that yamaha doesnt know that their remotes suck this bad

i finally got my rxv800 and i love it. i can hook up everything but the toaster to this thing. i love the sound of it, and i havent given it much of a work out yet, but i dont hear any hums or noise that shouldnt be there on any channel. lots of options to personalize the sound. tons of dsp sound fields, which some people dont like, but i like to mess around with them. menu on a video monitor option is a plus. i previewed some onkyo and denon before this purchase and i dont think you can do much better than the rxv800 for under 1000 leafs of cabbage. just like everyone else i wonder why yamaha cant spring a few extra pennies and backlight the remnotes on the receiver models that cost less than 2 or 3 thousand dollars.
i dont want to start one of these petty fights on a review page so dont bother. but as far as i can tell the htr series and the rxv800 are the same. the yamaha website even says so. a gentlemen named don allen was kind enough to correspond with me, and after returning from the CES a couple weeks ago posted his findings on this website. the head of marketing at the CES confirmed that the htr 5280 and the rxv800 were the same. my point is if you are stuck between the 2, they are the same. and if you can get the rxv800 for 600 online, dont buy the htr 5280 at best buy for 800.00.
anyway i am very pleased with my rxv800 and it drives my klipsch rf3's pretty well. i will be keeping this receiver for a while.

Similar Products Used:

yamaha htr 5240

Excellent sound. full-featured. clean looking face. very versatile. great sound. binding posts for all channels. pre-outs on all channels. price is right.

None really. But if you want to be picky: Slightly noisy video pass-through. fixed cross-over point of 88Hz.

The reason:

I bought the 800 because it looked like the best value for cost:features Yamaha has on the market right now. I had my old 590 for 6 years without one single problem, was pleased with the sound, and liked the features--so I figured buying Yamaha again was a pretty safe move. This machine will probably last even longer as it is a little higher up in the yamaha chain than my older receiver.

Why I like it:

The 800 sounds great, no leanness in the bass, harshness in the treble, or anything too objectionable anywhere else. I love the video switching (my old receiver did not do this), the bass management (almost--more on this later), the ability to rename inputs, the great clean look of the front panel, and the sound. This is a really nice receiver, anbd considering it can be had for far less than its MSRP of $800, it is an absolute steal.

Why I don't like it:

The video pass-through is slightly noisy, I notice rolling bars/fuzz every now and then that had never shown up before.
I do not see this on DVDs or even VHS but is always shows up on the blue screen before I have begun rolling my movie, so I figure it is probably always there and I just do not notice it very much during a movie. This is o.k., though, as I have a large projection display and any major problem would be very noticeable. Also, the fixed crossover point of 88Hz is goofy. It should be adjustable or at least set to the accepted (THX, etc.) value of 80Hz. Yet, 8Hz is really not much difference and the bass management is otherwise very good, so this is not really a problem either.

The Verdict:

This receiver is exceptional. Great price, featurs, functionality, and sound all add up to a pretty amazing buy. Even its weaknesses are not very large liabilities. How much better does it get for this price you ask? It doesn't.

The System:

A really fun, and great-sounding system.

Yamaha RX-V800 receiver
Sony DVP-S530D
Sony CDP-XA20ES
Panasonic hi-fi VCR (VHS is dead)
Parasound HCA-1000A on main channels
Sharpvision XV-S55U LCD projector
Paradigm 9semk3 mains
Paradigm LCR-350 center
Paradigm Atom surrounds
Paradigm PW-2200 sub
Audioquest cabling all around
Philips Pronto remote control

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V590 Pro-logic (for 6 years)

Amp section,dsp modes,addressable inputs,ease of setup,setup parameters,center channel eq

remote,faceplate display

I've had this unit for about two weeks and am very happy with it.The amplifier section is powerful and clean sounding even at very high listening levels driving 4 ohm loads.I had initially purchased an Onkyo 777 but it did not drive the 4 ohm load my Ohm Walsh 2's presented to it.The inputs are numerous and addressable.It was nice to get component switching and 2 digital outputs at this price point.The dsp modes are useful especially the movie modes and 5 channel stereo.Setup on the unit is easy and the manual walks you right through everything.The only complaints I have about the unit would be the display size on the unit faceplate which comes into play when using the component inputs no osd in component.The other thing I don't like is the remote while a better unit than supplied with the R-V 905 I had previously it could still use improvement as in backlight the damn thing Yamaha this is used in home theater!While the display and remote are problems the remote is easily solved by going to a universal and the osd display is very thorough and for most people the only time you would be relying on the face display would be for dvd and once the movie starts you don't need much in the way of display.Overall I'm extrenely pleased with this unit and recommend it highly especially at the price I paid for it.

Similar Products Used:

R-V 905,Onkyo 777

Good Sound, Yamaha Quality and Build - Solid piece of equipment.

None so far

Purchased this for the Yamaha quality. I have and old Yamaha AV-75 PRO (Pro Logic) receiver I bought eight years ago and it still performs as good as ever. NEVER had a single problem with it. So on that strength alone I went with another Yamaha unit. I had intended on getting the RX-V596 but then the new models came out with 5 channel stereo (once you go 5 channel stereo, you don't go back).

The RX-V800 is a solid performer. There's absolutely none of the "brightness" some people have written about regarding Yamaha units. Highs are clear and crisp, bass low and tight as it should be. Plenty enough connections, phantom rear center without the hassel of extra wiring and speakers.

I would highly recommend anyone looking for a mid priced A/V receiver to consider this unit.

Similar Products Used:

Old Yamaha AV-75 Pro (Pro Logic Receiver)

Crystal Clear sound, easy to use, component switching

no on-screen in component, main display area usually shows something useless, other display areas too small to read unless up close, can't use my Bose101's outside at the same time since they are 4ohm

Yamaha seems to have kept up with the whole quality look, feel, sound, etc. I purchased without testing and based my decision on an 1105 which is the prior version. I am very happy with it.

The digital volume is new for this series but is done very well. I had to get use to cranking the knob considerably for any significant change in volume. I cannot hear any granularity in volume change (was huge on my last digital volume jvc). I wish Yamaha would put a light on their volume knobs. Based on the electronic display, it seems that this receiver has to be turned up past half volume to get the volume the 1105 (85W) had at 1/3. I chalk this up to the digital volume but I would expect to keep my amp much lower given the higher output (100W). Besides, Yamaha usually is extremely conservative with these values.
The 5channel stereo is really nice, prior to this function, dsp's would have to be used and adjusted to get sound out of all speakers but never this good. Modifying the ohm settings, speaker sizes, speaker level adjustments were not intuitive, but no harder than any other receiver I have set up. The dsp's were not a big selling point with me but give you lots of options to, say, give you a ton of echo from the rear.
I personally don't like the dial used on the remote to select what component to control. Also the buttons may glow slightly in the dark but not really a substitute for a back-lit remote.
I use a 5satellite.1poweredsub polk 7300 speaker setup. Bass is more than enough well below half volume on the sub. Clarity and lack of hiss at high volumes is still a given with Yamaha.
Compared to my old jvc, the fm reception was the same, if not slightly worse.
I wanted the component switching for a hdtv receiver to my Sony VPLW-400Q Projector. I don't notice any loss of picture integrity from my dvd component hookup through the receiver on to my 106" screen. I do wish the on-screen would work with component signal, as I have heard some other receivers are now doing it.
With all controls set flat and bypassed, the sound does not sound too harsh or soft. channel seperation is great, the dts trailers sound incredible on this receiver.

This is a great receiver which gives me component switching, dts, considerable clean power, options for the future, all for a reasonable price for this name and technology. I don't have anything on the receiver which would take from a perfect score.

Similar Products Used:

JVC 807 prologic, Yamaha 1105