This is the first Japanese component in my hi-fi and I was afraid that it would be too bright for my system. Gladly, this is not so. It isn't the clearest amp (although my DVD player has a lot to do with it) but is very good for atmosphere and spacing. Prologic decoding is good for the centre and front speakers, but rear information is not very defined. Swithcing to the 6 channel (Dolby Digital from the DVD player) makes a huge differance. I run the unit in this 6 channel mode always. I found the front a little subdued, so a pair of Cable Talk monitor interconnects from the DVD player in and out to the Audiolab have helped. You can calibrate the front, subwoofer and rear from your chair (and a test function is included too).

Many reviewers mention the volume control LED, but I don't think this is important (I use my ears not eyes to set volume). You can't power on/off from the remote. Other than that, you can't go wrong. I have followed the setup instructions but I find the centre volume to high, running it at -12dB to get equal to the rest. I think the set up in the manual is wrong for this.

I replaced an aging 2.1 Celeston unit with the (2nd hand) E492. For the price it has been perfect for what I want. I run my main Tannoys via a Audiolab 8000A and did not want to detract from this; so the 3 channel "add-on" of the Yamaha suits me perfectly. I use an active Kef subwoofer, so that amplification if taken care of too.

Good sound, nice price, simple to integrate with existing system.

No DTS, no volume indicator, internal/external switch is analog and not able to switch from remote.

Had this unit for about 2 years. Like another Dave, I have mine connected to a NAD (304 integrated amp). Though I am using the pre-out/main-in loops on the NAD for connection to the 492. Very nice sounding processor for the money ($250 at American Sound of Canada). I have all my video products (DVD, VCR, SAT, TV) connected to it. All analog audio get's connected to the NAD direct. For the price, sound quality, and ease of interfacing it with my equipement, I can't complain. Until I can afford a Rotel RSP-1066/RMB-1075 combo, this is a good enough system for me.

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None

price , flexibility

no volume indication , No DTS

This is a follow up on my earlier post now that I have incorparated AC-3. That's why I wanted this unit in the first place (ac-3 ready) So the Yamaha 795 DVD with built in AC3 hooks up very easily and away you go.It's quite flexible in that i can adjust speaker volumes from the menu of the player and or from the 492. The rear channels are nice and clear , as before no center used. But with the 1/2 dozen disc's I have watched I am not all that excited about DVD.Letterbox eats up size on my TV(26"), and you have to crank the volume compared to VHS.Rear channels are slightly more prominent than with Prologic but is it worth it? Plus all the menu setting you go through just to get the movies going. Half the time it starts with the wrong language and or subtitles on! Oh yes the newest weakness in this unit , no DTS !!! Oh well I guess I can start shopping for another box now.

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none

Has inputs that will tempt you to bring some of that equipment out of the closet and hook it up to this unit ( if you have room dor this extra equipment ).
Very flexiable connection options.

Can't power on by remote. Can't switch between internal & external by remote.

Very unique and flexible component. All important function are on remote. The weaknesses stated -- Gee we've gotten lazy -- ( no wonder americans are so overweight ). Best system upgrade component I've seen yet. Six new components or those stored in the closet can be added to current system. Many options to include the use of it amps for years to come. I have two of these units, one in main system and one in bedroom. Great units to have.

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None

Excellent price for the value ($250 CDN). Versitile remote that is universal for most Yamaha Products. Will not inconvenience you if DSP requires service. Extermnal amp is still usable alone. Front pannel is simple and practical without relying on too many knobs and buttons.

Lacking in visual LED display. Could have larger lettering. Missing additional pre-in/out on DSP for EQ hook-up. Must use tape monitor for EQ.

Excellent addition to existing stereo systems without Dolby Pro-Logic capabilities. Currently using Yamaha AX-570 as main driver for front channels and easily integrated with all source inputs as well. Saved hundreds! in upgrading instead of replacing current integrated amp with newer Cinema DSP AV Receivers. Very clean sound as the power sources for the right/left and sub channel are separate from the rear left/right and center channels. External amp still offers the ability to add on additional speakers to your front left/right channels. System is rich in sound quality while in use with Mission speakers of various sizes.
Invest in this product if interested in upgrading instead of purchasing a new home theatre unit. Get it before there are now more. Product is now discontinued.

Pleanty of ins/outs for expansion, good amp section, excellent digital domain Pro Logic processor

No S-Video, can not be powered up via remote, good A/D but no dgital out

I use this amp with a Marantz PM-68 inegrated stereo amp (superb) and an equally excellent Denon AVD-2000 digital pre/pro. This combo sounds great even though the Marantz and Yamaha amps are voiced completely different. The Sony ES receiver and processor I own are used in a "secondary" system and are clearly a notch or two below my main system. Originally I intended to buy a 3-Channel amp and A/D converter but when I found the 492 for only $250 in January '98, and after looking at the amp specs, I decided to give it a try. I didn't expect much for $250 but I was shocked at how good this unit really sounds! 60 watts doesn't seem like all that much power but look at frame of reference. That is ALL channels driven, at FULL BANDWIDTH, at only 0.04% THD. The majority of A/V receivers rate their amps when all channels are driven at 1 kHz with typically .8 or so % THD. Since in my system the Yamaha never "sees" bass below 80 Hz, 60 watts is beyond what I really need. The sound, like all Yamaha amps, is on the bright side, though very clean and free from harshness. It is 180 degrees from the warm, slightly dark sound (which I prefer for music) of my Marantz amp, but despite the differences, these amps sound great together. The Yamaha provides exceptional detail while the Marantz projects a huge, lush soundstage. The music DSP modes of my Denon processor are excellent and these amps bring them out superbly. The DSP modes of the Yamaha however, are worthless in my opinion. They are much too reverberant in the front channels and the rear channels are limited in bandwidth and are in mono. The Pro Logic proccessing is, fortunately very, very good. In fact, just as good as my Denon and Sony ES processors. One of the reasons why I took a chance on this Yamaha is that it makes my system virtally future-proof. It has pre-out for all six channels including dual (though not stereo) subs and center. And it has two (TWO!) 6-Channel inputs, one bypasses all pre-amp functions while the other only includes relative and master volume control. Plus it has 3 audio inputs with tape loop and 3 A/V inputs with VCR loop.

As you would expect from it's price, there are short-comings. The most serious I think is the lack of S-Video terminals. I think I would have paid perhaps $100 more if Yamaha had an up-grade model with them. All my other gripes are minor. The amps emit a slight hiss at all times. Now, you can only hear it if you put your ear within a foot or so of the tweeter, and fortunately this hiss doesn't increase with volume so from the listening position you'll never hear it. Never the less, my $400 ES receiver is dead silent. The remote only controls Yamaha components, and not even DVD players. I have the Marantz RC2000 Mk. II so this wasn't a concern for me. The unit can only be turned on from the front panel. Small complaint but a bit of a strange ommission. As I mentioned before, I find the DSP modes useless. And despite having a pretty good A/D, there is no digital out.

All in all though, this is an impressive product. Clearly Yamaha put the cost of this unit into what counts the most...the sound. And I think it sounds great, budget priced or otherwise.

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Sony GA8ES receiver/EP9ES processor

Excellent DSP, turns any amp into a cinema by adding its own internal amps for rear and dual center channels and you can add a DDP to it too.

No LED on the Volume knob like the AX-592 amp.

A good DSP to turn any hifi into a cinema.

Flexible, build quality, clean design

no lighted volume indicator

Very nice unit for upgrading an existing dual channel system to surround sound.

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Yamaha

value, expandability

remote, no digital and s-video in and outs

Great cornerstone peice to build on. Cost $250. Pro-logic performance is excellent. I don't use other DSP modes much, however is fun to play around with when watching sports, videos and mono soundtracks. Audio is very clean, a bit thin. I use advents HT in a box setup. I want to upgrade speakers and amp, my taste outpaces my budget. Also not sure if I should buy top shelf stereo amp or 5/6 channel HT amp. I was playing around wih this unit so I connected my AR CLASSIC 18 tower speaker to the center channel and was blown away. Huge difference from my small Advents. (ps. anyone know where I can find more of these AR CLASSIC 18's) I will soon add a Sony or Pioneer DVD changer with Dolby Digital/DTS. Considering a B&K 2 channel amp for music and video playback.I am a bit concerned about the need for lots of patch cables inducing noise. I currently use Digital TV with DMX service. "Nice upgrade from cable TV" COMMENTS ARE WELCOME. smittyv@bellsouth.net

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na

very inexpensive, very good sound

I have a NAD C370 integrated amp and I wanted to get into the home theater scene. But I did not want to give up my NAD integrated so I found this three-channel amp. I am running a DVD player with a built-in DTS decoder directly into my integrated for the fronts while the Yamaha drives the centers and rears. Speaking of which, this unit allows for two centers which I am using Paradigm Micros (1 large center would not fit in my cabinet so I have two centers). Rears are Paradigm Cinemas wall-mounted. Unlike a few of the other reviews, I do not have noise or hiss coming from my speakers. I am running everything through a line conditioner so that may be helping. Also, I think a couple of the reviewers complaining about hiss are in Europe so maybe that is part of the problem as well. Not that they are European but that maybe their power supply is not as clean as U.S. supplies. Who knows, just an observation and guess. The Yamaha rates at 60 watts per channel and is more than enough to play extremely loud. Sound is very good. Not great but very good.
The only complaint so far is that I have a VCR hooked directly to the Yamaha which then sends the signal for the fronts via a "main out" to a "AUX line-in" on the NAD integrated. When playing VCR tapes, the output from the Yamaha does not seem very strong. If I have the Yamaha at about 9:00, which makes the fronts and rears very loud, I have to turn the integrated to about 2:00 to get any sound. Now, this is a minor issue as the fronts and rears are more than sufficient and maybe this is a blessing in disguise so that I'll only use the NAD for DVD and music. Maybe I need to connect the "main out" to a different input. Anyway, this is a great unit especially since it has 5.1 inputs. And if you have a DVD player with a built-in decoder, you can connect the front output on the DVD player directly to your integrated thus by-passing the Yamaha altogether. Slight downside to this set up is two volume controls. But who cares, set it at the beginning and watch the movie. Before buying this item I also considered getting a lower-end Dolby digital receiver (Pioneer, Yamaha, Sony), but when comparing such to the spces. of the E492, the E492 blew them away. For example, low-end Yamaha receivers these days have a slew rate of >60, the E492 is >200. So, if you have an integrated amp that you love for music, check this out and it easily adapts itself to your setup without having to buy an expensive receiver.