all

remote is weird and hard to figure out until you work with this unit for a while

This unit is the best that can be had for the price. I have been a audiophile for quite some time and have sold and worked with many brands of recievers and seperates over the years. I am a person who believes that performance for the money is a whole lot better than trying to buy the most expensive component just to get a slightly lower harmonic distortion rating that you would probably never hear in the real world anyway. When I sold AV gear Yamaha was the reciever of choice for us to use. Very good build quality. Probably the best amplifier section in the industry for under $1000 dollars. and the best dsp circuitry as well. When I started looking for an av reciever I first looked at the high end shops and their prices for their version of this reciever(the rx line) was alot higher priced and did not offer any more features or power. When I relised that the htr series was the same thing as the high end shops was selling just a different model to differenciate the high end people I instantly went for the htr 5560 for the sound quality, features and build quality yamaha is known for. I run paradigm monitor 7 speakers in my setup and I do use an Adcom power amp for my mains. But when I hooked up the yamaha to my mains just to see the difference between my power amp and the yamaha I was supprised. For all except the highest sound levels the yamaha performed almost on par with my $1000 Adcom power amp. Now a person with the perfect listening room and some high priced monitoring equipment could probably tell the difference but in the real world I was impressed by this unit holdng its own against an Adcom. I love the binding posts for every speaker on the back(hardly seen in this price range) and the fact that this unit has a 2 ohm power rating(means that the power transformer and stiffining capacitors are overbuilt for dynamics) for the price I could not have done better.

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have heard or worked with about every other brand out there

great power at 6ohms with Yamaha speakers at 6ohms. Component video switching.

Horrible instruction manual.

Great receiver, running 120watts per channel at 6ohms. Nice punch lots of head room. I reach reference level with a lot left over.

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Onkyo SX_R500 Denon Pannisonic RP56 Pioneer elite Pro-730 HD

Crisp, clear sound.

Manual could be better, but that's nit-picking

In my opinioin, a tremendous AV receiver. I even use the DSPs! Clear, crisp sound. Plenty of various inputs (Component Video, S-Video, etc.) Price includes shipping.

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Fisher

Features per $$$$, Ease of use! For most people they are not going to notice the weaknesses listed.

The digital processor did not handle my SACD player's ouput in while playing SACD. For most people this is probably not an issue, but for me it was an issue. It played all other formats from the SACD player VCD, CD, CD-R, & DVD. The processor is a little compressed and the high end a little harsh. This was not unexpected in this price range. The processor has an enhanced mode which makes the bottom and mids seem full, but really rounds off the high end. (A lot of people will probably like this sound, but not great for an audiophile.)

If you are looking for Features per $$$, then you have found the right receiver. The big advantage of this receiver is the number of digital inputs, and the audio ouputs if you wanted to use additional amplifiers or different amplifiers. The unit is VERY Easy to use, and was quite easy to manipulate through the DTS selection or the ES/EX selection. Many receivers in this price range are extremely difficult to change the processing once in digital mode. This receiver has an auto button and does differentiate between ES/EX and DTS automatically. (Many very expensive processors do not do this!)

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Too many to list. Admcom, ATI, B&K, Dennon, JVC, Pioneer, Sony, Panasonic, Russound to name a few.

Star Wars Episode 2 sounded *incredible* in Prologic 2 as did Twister and Black Hawk Down. Easily blew the old Sherwood away as far as movie watching goes. Very full and rich surround. The 70mm modes are very nice as well 4/8 Ohm switch makes me *feel* better, even if other quality amps "don't need such a switch" (My CV-DX9s are 400watt 4 Ohm monsters cable of melting a lesser reciever to slag)

The manual blows! I took it to work with me the day I got it and studied it for hours in my spare time. I still don't know how to get "Matrix 6.1" to show when using the "EX/ES" button... all I get are "Auto:---" and "OFF". The remote was also surprisingly lacking codes for either of my two Charter Cable boxes (General Instruments and Motorola). Glow in the dark or backlit controls are a must for a reciever costing this much. This reciever sounds VERY "bright" in STEREO mode and the bass seems somewhat muddied at high volumes compared to my lowly Sherwood. On the flip side there was ZERO background hiss, pops or other noise and the power was very strong from one end of the volume dial to the other! My Sherwood accepted optical IN from my PlayStation2 *and* indicates such on the display. It works fine for Dolby Digital and DTS. The 5560 seems not to be able to recieve optical signals from a PS2 at all, much less decode them.

I purchased the HTR 5560 when it came down in price to replace my "inadequate" Sherwood RVD-6090R that was purchased as a "home theatre in a box". Equiptment: Sherwood center and powered sub (soon to be replaced) Cerwin Vega DX9s for front Cerwin Vega LS10s for rear The manual might as well be written in sanscrit and an in-depth exploration of your HTR5560 will require more trial and error than anything else and will probably leave you scratching your head with several unanswered questions (no way to force Matrix 6.1 or Dolby Digital? What REALLY is PCM, is it good or bad when it shows on the display? etc., etc.) Surround sound is superb and the most of the DSPs are actually distinctive and useful. Stereo sound (2 channel) seems lacking in depth and vibrance, the bass appears muddy at high volumes and the mids and highs noticably "bright". Lack of remote bass and treble controls make subtle adjustments to 2 channel music even more of a problem. Buy this unit as "entry level" or if stereo music at high volumes are not a requirement, especially if it is locally available (the main reason I bought it). If you can afford the extra $100 and don't mind mail order (such as myself) hold out for the Yamaha V1300 instead which has a much higher "bang for the buck" ratio as it is 110w x 6, has DTS:Neo6, a *learning* remote and several other features the HTR5560 is sorely lacking.

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Sherwood RVD6090R, Sony 685, 805 and 915. Thoroughly tested Onkyo 500 & 600, Sony 985, and others in similar price range. Kills the Sony's, JVCs, Pioneer's, and Kenwood's in the same price bracket

Weird conigurations screens (or am I getting too old... pretty soon I'll be just like my mom and dad with the flashing VCR clock).

This receiver kicks butt. I'm running it with some old BIC speakers from the seventies and I've never heard them sound so good. I just ordered some Paradigm Studio 60's and I can't wait to hear this combination together. I actually like the remote, though lots of users complained about it. I am most impressed with the clean sound and undistorted transitions when going from a soft to loud passage. Amazing box for the money.

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None really.

Everything but 2 channel stereo

2 channel stereo.

The good OK in all the surround modes like all the previous reviewers wrote. Excellent build quality. Good remote. Excellent price for all of the features you get. The Bad DPL II and 6 channel stereo are not that great. The Ugly Not too good in 2 channel stereo (at least to me) which is what any receiver is supposed to do. I tried to buy down from a sony str da777es and move up to the new features available on the yamaha.

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U name it! Sony Es line which I still have and still the best. Denon, thier remotes are ridiculous. Harmon Kardon, serious quality control issues. Pioneer, same as Yamaha, not too good in 2 channel st

1. Yamaha quality 2. Easy to setup 2. Loaded with sound features

Almost everything about the Remote control!!!

Wow, I have always been a hugh fan of Yamaha Receivers, but this unit is absolutley awesome. I use the 5560 for movies mainly, but the ProLogic II feature has changed the way I enjoy music and TV Broadcast. I use JBL speakers for my home theatre surround, with a Sony Subwoofer. The Yamaha 5560 is packed with features and a great value for the price. You won't lose with this receiver.

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Yamaha Receiver 5450 Sony ProLogic Receiver

I think for the price, this unit is really packed with features. The different DSP modes are a big plus for me. Modes such as Jazz Club and Concert Hall make the right music sound very realistic. Plenty of optical audio input jacks for my devices, and their mapping to the input channels is actually programmable which is pretty cool. Sound quality is good enough for me. Even CDs digitized from 1950s' Westminster records sound really clear.

- remote control is not programmable, and doesn't have the codes for my China-made dvd player. - remote control has no repeat button for CD player. - I'm not sure whether the internal LFE filter is doing a great job. With DVDs I see my sub getting signals from the receiver, but with some rock CDs that I think definitely have frequencies below 90Hz, I don't see anything going to the sub .

I have a pair of bose 301s as the main and a polkaudio psw250 as the sub, and the yamaha 5560 seems to be driving these speakers well enough. I mainly listen to music on my system and watch DVDs occasionally, and it has served me well so far.

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Onkyo TX-8511

easy to set up plays very clean and strong quality reputation

need to update the looks. reminds me of a ONKYO.

I originally purchased a HK AVR320 but after having problems with set up I returned it. I then was talked into a Pioneer 711 but never opened it after I thought about it. Coincidentaly I bought a Sony DVD player and was again talked into a Sony Receiver. Hooked it all up and upon advice returned the Sony and got the Yamamha 5560. It was on sale and actually what I wanted to begin with. I liked the looks and features of the HK but I didn't like the complex features. needed something more simple. The 5560 is a great receiver considering I have never had a new one. Previous was an old Kenwood. Plays very loud, haven't maxed it out yet. Actually scared the mess out of me when I was watching a movie and there was an unexpected gunshot. Since buying the Yamaha, the HK I bought 1st was reduced $120 making it cheaper than the Yamaha but I am still staying with the Yamaha since I have figured out half the features and it sounds great. Looks may not be the coolest but if it last thru the next few years it will be fine. I paid a little more than online but I did so for the extended warranty. I should be fine for 4- 6 years.