I was considering two other receivers along with this one in my search for HT/Music setup. The other ones being the HK AVR-65 and the Sony 30ES(didn't consider the 50ES because of remote problems. I eliminated the HK 65 because of many posts of various problems. I actually ordered the Sony 30ES twice but it was backordered and I couldn't wait any longer. So...I've now had this receiver for just a week now. I am driving a pair of Paradigm Studio 20's with LCR-450 for the center and a pair of Atoms(temporary) for the rear. Since I got the speakers/receiver it is hard for me to distinguish if this receiver is a tad bright on the high end or the speakers. When I first played music the highs were just too much for my ears. I had to adjust the tone control on the yamaha to help alleviate this. Well after a week of playing I now have the controls back to flat frequency and really like the sound that comes from this combo. I think it may have been a combination of break in on the receiver more so than the speakers as I bought them used. Ok to the receiver. Although a bit more pricey at my local dealer than the Sony ES mail order it will probably be worth the cost in the long run. Inputs, Inputs, Inputs. An abundance of them including 5 S-video including one on the front panel which is really nice IMHO. One thing this receiver had over the Sony was the 6 channel input for future decoder or DVD audio. As for the digital inputs there are 4 optical and 2 coaxial. This receiver doesn't have a lot of what I call 'play with' features such as the sony except for the DSP's. But I don't really get into those or features that sell the product. I just wanted powerfull clean sound and that is what I got in this receiver. It has pre-outs for all the channels as well but I don't see myself using those but its a nice feature to have. Who knows it may serve as a pre-amp down the road when I can afford it. I think this receiver will be lasting me a long time as long as it keeps running.I only have a few negatives to comment on. The remote as stated in other posts isn't the greatest. It does feel very fragile as one has said earlier. Why they felt the need for a door covering all the buttons is beyond my comprehension. It would have been so much nicer because the door is so cheap and I feel like It will fall apart. The buttons are layed out very nicely however and that is probably its best point. It is supposed to be a learning remote but it sure doesn't learn many functions(much like the learning function on the Denon 2700). One other thing that I didn't like about the receiver was when adjusting speaker levels. Maybe I haven't figured it out yet. But it seems that the default is 0db and you can only decrease the volume and not raise it. Although I haven't tried it yet nor do I really intend to you could probably adjust the speaker levels through the test tone control. The only thing that is bothersome about this is the subwoofer adjustment. One has to turn the sub volume control to max than adjust the -db to achieve subwoofer control. Anyways these are very small complaints. I am very happy with my purchasing decision and its the best sounding receiver I've ever had. I will never be able to afford seperates and this is as good as it gets for me! :)

CAN SOMEONE TELL why all u guys hate teh remote? - whats wrong with it? i would like to hear from u people either from email or posting messages. thanks
gabe

After returning Kenwood's 2080 receiver for poor sound quality, I purchased the Yamaha 995 for an additional $200. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! My wife, who thinks Walkmans are fine, even noticed the difference. CRISP, CLEAN and CLEAR is all I can say about an awesome DD/DTS receiver. However, I could go on all day about the cra*$y remote. Yamaha should be ashamed of themselves for even enclosing this piece of s@*t in the same box.
Two options: 1. continue to juggle all of your existing remotes; 2. buy one of the universal remotes like the HK TC1000 for about $400.

BUY THE RECEIVER AND LOSE THE REMOTE!!!

After further review I would like to repost on this receiver. After setting the ohm switch and getting the sub set properly I must admit this really is a very nice sounding reciever. Durring the past 2 weeks I have owned this unit I have noticed how much better DD decoding the 995 has over the H/K unit it replaced.Smoother and flatter in responce it gives a much improved sound field over my past receivers (avr55 avr65). When it comes to coverting digital to analong its hard to beat Yamaha in this price range. Nice tuner,,great track record for dependability,,powerfull,future proof,I think Ive been converted.

I went over to Magnolia Hifi here in Seattle to get a chance to listen side by side with the Sony 50ES, both into Definitive BP2002s. The media...the new Dances With Wolves DTS DVD...Buffalo Hunt - Scene 13. I highly recommend the same comparison to get a grasp on what crisp, clear power comes from this receiver. The crack of the rifle shots in this scene were to die for, pseudo doppler effect and all. Two Thumbs up, way way up. The Sony was excellent, albeit not as profoundly crisp as the Yamaha. If you haven't heard DTS DVD, you don't know what you're missing. I found the comparison quite much like Prologic vs. DD. I sure hope the rest of the industry chews on DTS. The more the merrier.

Just set up my RXV-995 last night, watched a few movies, and listened to music almost all night. I have the Energy Take-5 system with just a simple ES-8 sub. And this has to be one of the best systems for the money I have yet to see. I have been all around shopping for the best bang/for/buck, and this HAS to be it in my opinion. If your looking for a GREAT receiver this is the one to get. The remote does need some work, but compare this to the sony 50ES, and it won't seem so bad =]

I just replaced my Yamaha 992 about 3 weeks ago with this year’s model. Sounds a lot bigger and clearer than the 992. They added and additional 3 toslink and DTS processor. Power is 100 watts to all speakers.Current running Kef Q55 as my mains, Kef Q30 as my rears, Kef C100 for my center and a Cambridge Soundworks power subwoofer 2. The 995 in my Opinion is lot smoother with the bass response than the 992.

The Dolby Digital is outstanding. No hiss when turning up the volume and smooth transfer of sound in the rear Effect speakers. I bought a DTS encoded CD but I don’t have a DTS ready DVD player. Just for fun I Tried playing it in my DVD player and did get DTS playback through the receiver. The red DTS light showed up on the display panel. This also worked when I played it though my CD player (which is also digitally connected). I can’t wait for some DTS encoded DVDs. Yamaha also made some improvements with their DSP functions in giving the user some control over the settings. I will agree that the remote was
Downgraded from last year.

The 992’s remote had a self luminating buttons, which was replaced with glow-In-the-darks. The is pretty
Flexible once you get it setup correctly. The other things I miss was the ability to add a 2nd center speaker.
This was replaced with the out board inbound processor.

For the money the 995 has everything you could want and more. There is no finer system to be had for under a grand. Best warrantee price I’ve seen was $850 at J&R Musicworld. You have to buy direct they won’t ship it. According to Yamaha they won’t warrantee it if it is not shipped by them.

Side note – please look at the reviews for the 992, most of the complaints made on this unit were addressed in creating the 995.

Purchased the 995 last week. Replacing NAD preamp and Sumo main amp. System consists of Polk Monitor 10's, Polk RTfx surround, Polk CS300 center, Polk PSW200 sub, and Pioneer 414 DVD. As for the movie audio, WOW, incredible soundstage and imaging. More than enough power, and clean. As for CD audio, I don't feel the 995 performs as well as my NAD and Sumo combination, the bass is somewhat muddier, and the high end is not quite as pronounced. Definately not as definative of a soundstage. Still, it seems to me to be far superior than the Sony ES50 I was considering. The Sony didn't have the clarity the Yamaha did, and it seemed the Yamaha was more powerful, and had more reserve. The movie audio DSP modes (70 mm) seem better than the Sony DSP modes, although there are too many modes that are useless on both. I am very happy with it, and can live with the CD and tuner audio as it is still quite good. Again the movie DD modes are incredible. I have rented Dante's Peak in DTS, can't wait to see if DTS provides even greater definition than DD. Now for the remote review...what the &!@# was Yamaha thinking with this Titanic useless remote. Section A for Yamaha components only!, why, also you can fill the memory too quickly and the key placement is horrible. Macro's are nice, but fill the memory too quickly also. I like the SONY ES50 remote look, but that is even less capabile than the Yamaha. Yamaha, please improve this remote. I almost returned the unit simply because of the remote, $1000 reciever, $50 remote. All in all, for the money, this is the cleanest, best built, most capable unit I listened to, bar none. I highly recommend the RX-V995.

I have an Harmon Kardon AVR65. Bought Yamaha 995 to possibly replace unit. After 3-days of side-by-side comparisons, I must say, the music is far superior on the AVR65. Bass management blows doors on the Yamaha. Also, I used Waterworld DTS DVD on Toshiba 2108 for surround characteristics. Yamaha stock settings are superior for sending signal to surrounds. With minor adjustments to the surround, front and center levels on AVR65, no difference between HK and Yamaha was evident. Will not compare remotes. I decided to stick with AVR65, because I don't feel 995 is superior. As far as the ultra-high end hiss issue. I really can't trun up any receiver that loud or my whole head rings. Anyways....all you Yamaha 995 owners can purchase the same HK AVR65 freindly-clean remote from Audio Advisor for $110.
Imagine if you will, switching from one source to the next and having it remember your subwoofer settings. Also, modifying output to each speaker individually on the fly is an absolute breeze. For example, I may want to turn the front left speaker up a little bit: "Hit one key, Front L Lev appears on screen and on TV. Press SET (located in center of remote, just 1/3 inch from the speaker level set button, then press up and down arrows accordingly), and your done.

Here's to wishin you had a Harmon Kardon like me.

TA Ta

Excellent for HT.
Upper midrange and treble clarity.
Lots of digital and analog inputs.
Best cost-quality relation.

Remote.
When used in stereo mode can be a little bright.

This receiver is great for Home Theater. For music is very good also, but when used with good quality speakers and speaker cable the sound gets bright.

I use this unit 75% for HT and 25% for music, so for me it was an excellent choice. I couldn´t find anything better for the price I paid.

The manual is very good for basic hook up and functioning. However I wish it would have more explanations on things like the right way to biwire speakers (two wires going to one post or using A and B sets) or different methods to connect a subwoofer.

DSP modes are nice, but I don´t use them very much. I miss 5 channel stereo mode for music.

I moved up from RX-V 595 because I wanted DTS, more power, binding posts to use banana plugs for all channels and more S-Video inputs (595a and 795a models didn´t exist then).

I strongly recommend, to those HT lovers who are planning to buy a new DTS-DD receiver, to test this model.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V595