Clean power but I don't find this all that strong a performer.

Sound - severely lacks low end. No loudness button to boost low end at low volumes. In fact, the loudness control starts at "flat" and the only thing you can do is reduce loudness - crazy. Even at high volumes (like 65% volume - equivalent of 2:00 on a clock), I leave the loudness at flat. Theoretically that should be too much low end at that volume, but it isn't. Sound generally is tinny and harsh to me. I'm no audiophile, but an enthusiast for 50+ years, musician, and owner of several receivers & amps including vintage Pioneers, other Yamahas and Marantz's. I think the similar vintage Yamaha RX-3300 avr is a much better sounding receiver when run as just a 2.0 receiver. That one is a keeper -- this one...not so much. Tuner - I don't like digital tuners. The ones with a dial allowing fine tuning is much better for reception challenged areas. Remote - nothing special, but does the job.

The power supply in this model AV receiver is too sensitive. The AMP will cut out when light switches are operated around the house.
I had the amp replaced thinking it was faulty, but same happened on the replacement. I returned and replaced with a Pioneer amp, and no issues with cutting out any more.

Raw power Raw bass Has pre out/main in to rid yourself of the bad preamp.

Raw power Raw bass The sharp,harsh and unappealing tonal quality You have to pay for it

A very disappointing receiver! It has plenty of oomph in the low end, but lacks any form of "natural sound" that Yamaha used to have.Voices and instruments sound harsh and have a sharp edge. All in all , just unpleasant to me... and if listening to music isn't pleasant..... I'd rather listen to the sweet sound of silence. BTW, I'm no audiophile ..... but I'm not DEAF either :) It would likely make a fine amplifier on it's own with a decent preamp .... because Yamaha is butchering the sound with their built-ins. A good preamp cost more than this entire unit and takes up more space, however , so there goes the idea of an all in one. Sad , sad , sad. I don't know why Yamaha even bothers making stereo receivers anymore . Oh yes, the tuner..... sigh .......... oh ..... the tuner . Simply .... poor , and that's with a Terk antenna . I've not tried a Rotel or NAD... I simply have no local dealers , and they don't do home delivery ... kind of snobish ... but I repect their choice. All in all , it's nothing special. A vintage receiver, of any brand, sounds better than this. What has happened to the state of stereo equiptment ? I'll wait to try an Outlaw Audio RR2150 .... if that's no good, I'll look for a vintage refurbished receiver or integrated amp from the 70's. ... 2 stars overall only because of the versatility to use another preamp.

Similar Products Used:

Newer Denon,Onkyo,Sony and Pioneer Older Sony,Yamaha and Technics

Fantastic for 2 channel music. Perfect. Loads of power

Remote is very limited. Only 2 channels + A/B. No composite video input Price - at what I paid = great, at 400+..??? other yamaha's may be better

I was using this with Infinity SM82 speakers - it sounded bright and harsh at med-high levels - I was disappointed. I changed the speakers to EFE audioreview DIY bookshelf speakers (http://www.audioreview.com/Learncrx.aspx) - WOW - sounds fantastic - not harsh or bright at all - goes very loud. What a pleasure to listen to. Does not get hot.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer DS1, Onkyo TSX 500

high power, low distortion, high damping factor, tonal control

none

This receiver is my savior in a quest I thought would never end. First, the background story: 20 years ago I purchased what was until 3 months ago the heart and soul of my stereo: An Onkyo TX82 AV receiver (80 watts per @ .049% thd). At the time it was pretty much top-shelf equipment, aside from the McIntoshes of the world. The thing could push a pair of Cerwin-Vega (6ohm/250watts max) speakers to the point that it felt like someone was hitting you in the chest with a 2x4. About 2 years ago, I decided to jump to surround sound, but found that no surround receiver at any price had the push required to drive these speakers. Solution-bought a Yamaha Digital Surround Processor (Dolby Digital) with built in 60 watt amps to power center and rear speakers, and kept my beloved Onkyo for the front mains. Ahhh-best of both worlds. Awesome punch for music, (I don’t consider “satellite speaker systems” very well suited for music), and the beauty of surround for my DVD and digital cable watching pleasure. 3 months ago the Onkyo decided to blow an amp. Got it fixed (150 bucks) got it back & it blew the other channel (100 more) and just reecently it died again. I couldn't justify fixing it again, so I shopped around and found (what I thought to be) an affordable replacement-the Onkyo TX8511. Wrong. High distortion, crappy bass response. Took it back and auditioned a Harmon/Kardon HK 3375. Better, but not much. Then, I came across this review page, and saw the favorable reviews given to this unit. Skeptical though I am, I shelled out the extra dough for the RX-777, and must admit I am thoroughly satisfied with the sound this receiver produces. It drives my power-hungry C-Vegas as nicely as my old Onkyo, with slightly tighter bass response, and better control over the tone thanks to the variable loudness. Generaly, I listen to CDs or use the receiver as a main amp for home theater use (as described above, all source inputs go through the Yamaha DSP), so I may never encounter the weaknesses described in the other reviews here regarding the FM section. I do, however intend on using the second zone feature to feed a Kenwood 103AR that powers ceiling speakers through the rest of the house, an added plus I had not expected. For sound quality, and the power to drive any speakers, you'd be hard-pressed to beat this one for less than twice the price.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TX85 (circa 1982) Onkyo TX8511 Harmon/Kardon HK 3375 Kenwood 103AR

Sound, power, quality, price and convenience.

None really.

Though I've had had some expensive audio components and I've listened to the highest caliber stuff like Krell and Mark Levinson, I must say that this Yamaha is a great bargain. No, it's not as great sounding as the other stuff but it's not much worse either. At this point I've gone back to a stereo receiver for the practicality and value. It's great for watching DVD films (I don't like home theatre) listening to music or just using it while you watch your TV. Hook it up and it's ready to go. Has plenty of power on tap for most speakers and is a great bargain. The only true competition are the top stereo receivers from Denon, Rotel and NAD. All these are good and it's just a matter of taste as to which one you buy. One day I'd like to acquire the likes of Mark Levinson and Krell but for now I'll enjoy my Yamaha and save a couple of thousand bucks.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz 2216B, Marantz SR940, Rotel 870, Cyrus 2/PSX, Cyrus 3/PSX-R, Audiolab 8000s.

Power, ease of use.

Haven''t really found any.

I really like this receiver. I had purchased a pair of Klipsch RF5 speakers and needed something to power them. I had originally tried a Yamaha 5450 which was nice but I found out after a week that I had no place to hook up my turn table. I drug home a few other receivers and took them back right away. I felt the sound and power I was looking for wasn''t quite right. When I had purchased my speakers they had pointed this receiver out to me but I thought how good could it be with no digital componets. Happy to say that as soon as I hooked it up and turned it on I was very pleased! I know it''s a little bit of money to spend on a system with no extras but if you are like me and just wanted to listen to your music you can''t go wrong with this unit.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 5450

Wonderful sound and excellent specs. (sound will put you in a trance)!!! Dual heat sinks and two soperate banks of output transistors. Nice ideas in construction quality.

REMOTE REMOTE REMOTE!!!! But that''s ok. The sound quality makes up for that!!

This is quite possibly the best sounding receiver ever made. I have had numerous receivers surround and two channel and NONE of the units i''ve ever owned have ever stacked up to the excellent sound that this unit has exhibited. The "fiasco" starts as such...I started out with the 777 and loved the sound quality, but i''m sure that all of you know audiophiles will be audiophiles. I let the "sales associate" at T----er talk me in to a upgrade from my already great Yamaha. (I should have known that my sales guy smoked a good deal of crack because he said the Denon dra-685 was a better receiver than this one) In anycase i let my naieve self be talked into what Mr. Salesman said was "much better" B&K seperates. The B&K units looked much more beefy and durable with their "computer grade capacitors" and their torrodial transformer. I also liked the fact that the units were made in the USA. Lesson learned....Looks aren''t always everything. The B&K stunk. Vrey high distortion levels .09% versus the Yammie''s .019. The B&K to my dismay was a major dissappointment in every way. I promptly returned it to the store for a full refund and after much quarreling they finally shut up and took it back. Then I proceeded to purchase the Harman Kardon AVR 7000. An excellent surround receiver in every way, but it it scared me away with it''s torrid reliability reviews (i''m not a prejudice person, but due to the fact that the unit was made in China didn''t help matters any. The Chinese can put together dvd players ok, but I don''t care for the fact that a $1300 device is made there) Hence it was returned. I liked the idea of a surround receiver, so I purchased the Onkyo Integra DTR 6.2. She was a reasonably good girl but something was missing. I couldn''t return the 6.2 so I bit the bullet and repurchased the 777 and I couldn''t be happier!!!

Similar Products Used:

Integra dtr 6.2 Harman Kardon avr 7000 B&K seperates.

Great clarity, flat response, ease of use. High damping factor.

Tuner just okay, unless better antenna are used. Remote is okay, but controls to many items.

I replaced my RX-750 with this receiver and have been absolutely impressed. I thought my old receiver was very good, but the RX-777 is absolutely outstanding. I have listened to many of my friends Pioneers, Sony''''s, Outlaw, Crowne and feel the RX-777 is a clearer, lower distortion receiver that is very impressive. It does appear that Yamaha has gone out of their way to recreate the quality that they used to have in the 1980''''s, but with upgraded components. I have a Yamaha equalizer that I used with my old system, but have found I no longer use it. The bypass for the CD player gives you great carity, crispness, with a stereo separation of providing a excellent soundstage. I believe this is an excellent buy if you are looking for a great amplifier with tuning capabilities. With a upgraded antenna the FM can be excellent. As with most remotes they usually have something to be desired. But the remote does do its job. I currently use this receiver with a Polk 11tl speakers. I am building a set of sealed 1801''''s that are also reviewed on this site, under Dave Ellis.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-750; Marantz receiver

I''m updating my old review. After living with this receiver for over 3 months, I''m quite satisfied. It does seem to grow on you. Just wanted to report no problems and also add the rest of my system, to get a better idea of what sort of applications this product can provide.

Similar Products Used:

(this is purely a 2-channel system) B&W DM602 S2 Nakamichi DR10 Sony SCD-CE775 AudioQuest wires for everything Pioneer VSX-D702S (tuner)