added features over DSP A1

fixed 90Hz LPF on subout

Don't think all italians are ignorant because of the review written below. I am italian and had to write a counter review in defense of all italians out there.

1) Wide band amps: The amps are identical in the DSP A1 and RXV1. However, the amps in the RXV1 are rated to their 3dB points to give the illusion of wider bandwidth to the unknowing customer.

2) New 96/24 burr brown dac's: These dac's are nothing special and cannot be utilized for MLP or DVD audio since you still need a decoder to decode these newer technologies. You will use the 6 channel inputs of the RXV1 in conjunction with the internal decoder in the next generation DVD players.

3) Rear Center Channel: Marketing scam. It is a non discrete channel and will do more harm than good for imaging and soundstage of the rear channels in a home theater enviroment. Rear center channel is a maketing ploy to sell new technology and have you the consumer buying another speaker.

The only advantages to the RXV1 over the DSP A1 are as follows:
1) Integrated tuner
2) More DSP modes (Is that really an advantage?)
3) RS232
4) New remote
5) Rear center channel (see comment in #2)
6) Copper chassis (marginal advantage)

DD and DTS 5.1 channel decoding is not improved as both the DSP A1 and RXV1 perform this operation to the already standardized process which is unchanging.

Similar Products Used:

DSP A1

Sound quaility, looks, functionality

None

If you are looking for the best intergrated amp, RV-X1 is simply the best! I've been shopping around for an amp for quite some time. Last month I finally decided to get the Yamaha RV-X1, I definitely made the right decision. The amp sound quality is superb, powerful enought to push my Celestine SL700. I was never be able to push these speakers with integrated amp except using mono block (Jeff Rowland Model 5). I am extremely please with this amp!!

Same amps as the DSp-A1. Yamaha decided to use Burr-Brown DACs just like the Denon 5700. Rated at 110 watts and only capable of 104 with all five channels driven. Denon 4800 is rated at 125 watts per channel and was capable of 148 watts with all five channels driven. No I do not hate Yamaha. I owned the DSP-A1 and the thought it was the best on the market. Then I listened to the Denon 5700 and like the sound of it better. Then the Denon 4800 came along. It sounds better than the DSP-A1 and the 5700 and costs $800 less than the 5700 did and $1200 less than the Yamaha RX-V1. Denon switched to Analog Devices DACs and the sound changed on the 4800 resulting in more detail, clearer dialogue. That is how it goes in the receiver buying game. Soemthing better comes along. However, Denon seems to be the improving at a faster rate than the competition and the competition seems to be only able to copy Denon and stay one step behind. Even Pioneer Elite started using Burr-Brown DACs after the success of the Denon 5700. So why have a copy when the original is better? Go with Denon.

Overall value and abundance of features.

Mediocre speaker connectors; remote backlighting for limited number of control buttons. Do we really need a tuner and so many DSP modes - I'd rather have more watts per channel? Still fails the Star Trek "First Contact" Borg attack scene.

I recently, and luckily - given the recent price reduction, had to replace my Yamaha DSP-A1 (unluckily, stolen) and noticed a clear improvement in sound with the RX-V1 (although the DVD source was also from a newer player so more than one variable was changed.) Be it from the new Burr-Brown DACs or whatever, the sound has noticeably more detail and ambience as heard through my Martin-Logan CLSes. To use the old cliche, it really is as if a veil has been lifted between me and the sound source. Subjectively, the amp section sound more powerful and detailed. But, unfortunately, the RX-VI, like the DSP-A1, shuts down when I play it loud (we're talking 90+ dB plus) with higher frequency sine-wave like signals as found in the attack by Federation ships on the Borg cube in Star Trek "First Contact." This may not happen to most people because the CLSes present a difficult impedance load to any amp. These shutdowns may save my hearing over the long run, but lead me to agree that the amplification section is more or less the same as the DSP-A1. I would have liked another few watts per channel instead of more DSP settings and a tuner. The remote is also improved vs. the DSP-A1. For example, it's easier to program the remote to control other components. I also find the equalizer functions found in "Cinema EQ" function indispensable. While I have not compared this unit to the comparable Denon product, and probably should have, I am very happy with it.

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Yamaha DSP-A1

Great sounding,one of the best receivers i have heard to date

Remote.I cannot wait till yamaha pronto comes out

I love this product.It has a clean design,sounds great and has the latest and greatest features.People who put this receiver down are just jealous dennon fanatics.

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rxv-496,dennon-avr5800

Excellant reciever. Built very solid, all metal everything looks and feels well built, 20 lb transformer. Very quiet, no backround hum. After reading the manual and making some adjustments I am very happy with the sound quality. Using a digital coax cable vs the analog left/right rca plugs made a HUGE improvement in the sound over pro-logic. I was not sure I would appreciate this unit as I traded in my old system which had 3 pairs of adcom amps. The adcom amps always had a backround hum and hiss even with proper grounding. The rxv1 is dead silent. I keep it on top of my sub behind a armoir so I have to sometimes check to see if I left the reciever on after my television is shut off.

the remote is not great, I wish it had a pronto style rf remote. I try to keep my equipment hidden so if would be nice to have a rf set up. The unit is very heavy, though this could be seen as a plus for quality build.

I have only had the reciever 2 days but the few dvd movies, one which was a concert that I watched was great. Listening to jazz cd's in the jazz hall mode is unbelievable. I have 4 inwall b&w speakers, velodyne 16 inch sub., velodyne center channel speaker. This room has 20 foot ceilings and sounds great. I have another room with magnepan 3a's with harmon kardon 200 watt amp/preamp and I can honestly say that the room with inwall speakers, sub and the rxv1 sounds better.

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adcom separates, harmon kardon citation separates