The reproduction of both music and video. Multiple USABLE DSP modes. Extensive configurability.

It's really heavy.

I'm sure the folks who have expressed less than favorable opinions about this receiver have their reasons. I've read them all and just can't agree. There's nothing out there, that can be purchased for anything near the price, that even comes close. I've had very good service from Yamaha components, including some that have been in use for over 10 years.

The audio reproduction that this unit delivers is truly excellent. Not overly bright just clear. Power is more than adequate for an 8.1 system in a 20 x 24 room. If you biwire the Main speakers to the A&B outputs make sure to adjust the impedance properly - an incorrect setting can make the output close to nil.

The multiple sound fields available make it possible to experience music that feels alive. I understand that purists don't generally agree with that perspective, but if you enjoy it, there's nothing quite like Yamaha DSP. And even though the unit is not THX certified, I haven't heard a certified unit that sounds any better on DVD sources.

If you can pick one of these units up for around $1500 I don't think you'll ever be sorry.

Similar Products Used:

A variety of Pioneer, Marantz, Denon and Yamaha receivers and amps.

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same as below

in response to brybabes the very casual listener (hopeing some day to be a audiophile). it's funny someone who ehhmm! disagrees with you, but ends up agreeing with everything you said at least what he could understand. if and i mean if you had this so called flagship for more than 1 year ( at $1600 i don't think so that sounds like a new price) but that aside you know that when i say (you can't adjust the subwoofer level) i mean using the internal pink-noise test. the rx-v1 has this test for all the other channels BUT NOT THE SUBWOOFER, yes you can adjust it in other ways but it should have this adjustment also THX and THX ULTRA are not the same. thx ultra is new by the way and thx ultra II is comming. that rx-v1 is geting more and more outdated as we speek. for us who can understand what we are reading i put the dsp in the strengths not the weaknesses but i would trade them in a heart beat for a class a amp. I read some where that yamaha was not known for good sounding amp's that's the truth if the amp dosn't sound good then the receiver dosn't sound good folow me brybabes or am I going to fast ( read slower} the 44 bit is not higher then two 32 bit chips 2x32 is 64 and thx or lucas soundtracks are superb get a thx ulta receiver, play it in thx then tell me all about it. to say this unit has total upgradeability is not true I talked to yamaha not only is it not upgradeable, I was told that there was no plans for a new flagship but that was in june. like i sad do not buy this amp for $1600 to $2200 it is outdated and has problems you can do better. also specifications and tests don't mean much if it is not up to par with the other amps in the $3000 to $4000 price range that's why yamaha dropped the price $1000 so maybe the outdated rx-v1 can compete with $2000 amp's i don't think so.cute names like beefed,amazing and monster don't quite fit this inferior flagship how about titanic and she's going down fast i knew when to jump off,hopefully no one else get's on. poor brybabes going down with the flagship he will be at the bottom for the next twenty five years enjoy I mean ahoy lt's the upgradable denon 5800 were saved!

Similar Products Used:

same as below

Looks, versatility, VERY well constructed, powerful DUAL 44 bit DSP processors, OOOOOOH the inputs on this thing!!!

Should have came with Yamaha's new RAV-2000 touchscreen remote; too many DSP soundfields; should have had at least 200w per channel (x7); uses only 24 bit (YSS-918 LSI) decoding for DTS & Dolby Digital; should have included a 4 or 5.1 channel stereo (NOT DSP) mode; should have had both CD-R and MD input/outputs; and should have had DTS ES Neo:6 decoding

This is the BEST reciever that I've ever owned. I bought the RX-V1 instead of the Denon AVR-5800 because it was a better value dollar for dollar than the Denon, and because I already have 6 other Yamaha components in my system. Don't get me wrong, I clearly see the Denon as the "top of the line" reciever today, but the Yamaha RX-V1 is a VERY close second, if not a tie. Things that put the Denon ahead of the RX-V1 are the touchscreen remote, it's upgradable microprocessor, programs and firewire, it's ASSIGNABLE coaxial and optical digital inputs, and it decodes 5 different DTS surround modes. But anyone who owns a RX-V1 can go to bed at night knowing that they have one of the top three recievers in the world. Now then, how does it perform?? Well I can tell you that this reciever performs well----VERY well. I only use the RX-V1 as a pre/pro, so I can't tell you how the amplifier section performs because I use Yamaha MX-1000 power amps. But as a pre/pro, It's marvelous. It has 54 DSP sound fields (too many), which is O.K., but the key to these soundfields is knowing (or remembering) which ones to use with a particular kind of source. I wish it would automatically chose the right DSP program for me like it does with auto decoding detection (DTS & Dolby Digital), but hey, nobody's perfect. So you have to remember (ONLY for the DSP soundfields) what DSP program is best for what DVD. For example, any action DVD would sound BETTER in the Movie Theater 2/ 70mm Adventure program, and Sci-Fi DVD's like Star Wars Ep 1 would sound BETTER when the Movie Theater 1/ 70mm Sci-Fi program is used. What all this means is that in order to "master" the RX-V1, you have to put in some extensive listening sessions with each DSP sounfield. Now you've probably heard a lot about Yamaha recievers' DSP programs using alot of reverb----this is 100% TRUE......HOWEVER, the DSP programs are FULLY adjustable in the on-screen menu. So you CAN dial down the reverb and other characteristics of each DSP program to your particular taste and/or the size of your room. Most people will find all this adjustablity overwhelming, and sometimes I do too. But it's worth it, and once you have it set, you can lock your settings so nobody else in the house tampers with them. Also, you can easily bypass all of this and listen to any DVD's own encoded DTS or Dolby Digital track by turning off the DSP processor. But I paid for it, and I'm using all those DSP programs (except the Church and Hall programs)!! My gripes with the RX-V1 are listed above, all in all, it's still the best I've ever had. Check out the review from Home Theater magazine (check the archives)at: www.hometheatermag.com/showarchives.cgi?23

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-5800, Yamaha DSP-A1, Yamaha RX-V2090, Technics SA-GX910

good sound no hum or hiss all the power you need the best prossecer on the planet for the money

not much

had this receiver for 14 mos not a wimper out of it i run polk rt-7 on top of psw650 polk subs with pedestals for mains; rt20ps polks for surrounds i split rca wires from the 650s to the rt20s off the yamaha r&l sub out put; on the mono sub out put i run a 15" autio source sub; thats 5 powerd subwoofers cs400i center channel cs350 rear; i use 2 energy take 5 speakers for front effects; the yamaha is the best receiver out there for the money you mite get a better one thats a mite if i had to do it over a again i would buy it again the sound of my system will put the high end systems to shame believe me it was real hard to set up i took weeks you got to have the speakers just right your speakers set up is real important for good sound. the software is important to, the better the software the better the sound some of the old cds there no go for sound quaity to bad; i did enough typing for now , but this yamaha rx-v1 is the best thank you joe

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got a onkyo tx-ds939

good sound no hum or hiss all the power you need the best prossecer on the planet for the money

not much

had this receiver for 14 mos not a wimper out of it i run polk rt-7 on top of psw650 polk subs with pedestals for mains; rt20ps polks for surrounds i split rca wires from the 650s to the rt20s off the yamaha r&l sub out put; on the mono sub out put i run a 15" autio source sub; thats 5 powerd subwoofers cs400i center channel cs350 rear; i use 2 energy take 5 speakers for front effects; the yamaha is the best receiver out there for the money you mite get a better one thats a mite if i had to do it over a again i would buy it again the sound of my system will put the high end systems to shame believe me it was real hard to set up i took weeks you got to have the speakers just right your speakers set up is real important for good sound. the software is important to, the better the software the better the sound some of the old cds there no go for sound quaity to bad; i did enough typing for now , but this yamaha rx-v1 is the best thank you joe

Similar Products Used:

got a onkyo tx-ds939

power home theatre audio vesatility
came with a free RAV2000!!!

none found yet

Great piece of engineering! don't miss it not having a THX rating. Lively & true in its presentation of source material and has enough tweek potential to allow for any problems with input source or component quality.
I have it configured with:
Sound Dynamic R-11 L&R fronts
RTS-C-2 centre
RTS-RS-1 L&R front effects
Kenwood THX LS-X1F L&R rear
"" " SW-X1 SUB (powered by a Kenwood THX-X1000)

I am very pleased with this product & glad it is upwards compatable.

Similar Products Used:

Dynaco SCA80Q, Kenwood KVR-X1000 THX

good sound no hum or hiss all the power you need the best prossecer on the planet for the money

not much

had this receiver for 14 mos not a wimper out of it i run polk rt-7 on top of psw650 polk subs with pedestals for mains; rt20ps polks for surrounds i split rca wires from the 650s to the rt20s off the yamaha r&l sub out put; on the mono sub out put i run a 15" autio source sub; thats 5 powerd subwoofers cs400i center channel cs350 rear; i use 2 energy take 5 speakers for front effects; the yamaha is the best receiver out there for the money you mite get a better one thats a mite if i had to do it over a again i would buy it again the sound of my system will put the high end systems to shame believe me it was real hard to set up i took weeks you got to have the speakers just right your speakers set up is real important for good sound. the software is important to, the better the software the better the sound some of the old cds there no go for sound quaity to bad; i did enough typing for now , but this yamaha rx-v1 is the best thank you joe

Similar Products Used:

got a onkyo tx-ds939

To John Bell:

Before you go into a condescending tirade and crack back on someone who disgrees with you, get your facts straight. The Yamaha RX-V1 has TWO 44-bit processors on board, and no that does not mean that the receiver now has the processing capability of an 88-bit chip! In any case, your additive analogy is flawed at best, because computing power derives from a lot more than just the number of bits.

Yes, THX Ultra is a different spec from THX Select, big friggin deal. THX Ultra got outmoded so quickly and was so flawed to begin with that yes, they've now announced the Ultra II spec. THX is nothing more than a set of specs and a re-eq standard. I have heard it "in THX" and frankly, there are a lot of non-THX units out there that can outperform equivalent THX Ultra units, the RX-V1 included. Rather than paying a royalty to Lucas, they'd rather develop better products and pass the savings onto the customers. Oh, and BTW THX does not always test the actual production unit when they do their certifications. Some receivers certified THX do not meet the specs if you do lab tests on them. Don't let the spinmeisters at Skywalker Ranch delude into thinking that THX is a sound format because it's not. It's a seal of approval and a processing spec, nothing more

You say that the RX-V1 is outdated. I beg to differ. I heard this unit in the same room with a Denon AVR-5800, and the RX-V1 more than held its own, even though now you can buy the Yamaha for about half what the 5800 costs. Good sound NEVER gets outmoded. And if you think 6.1 format support is the end all, just try and find DVDs with discrete 6.1 soundtracks. Good luck because there aren't many of them. Anyway, the RX-V2 is coming to the U.S. pretty soon and it will have all the bells and whistles on board. In the meantime, I have seen online prices for the RX-V1 for under $2,000, and at that price it's an excellent value.

If you hate the Yamaha sound so much, why did you purchase the RX-V1 in the first place? For what you paid, I would assume that you did your due diligence and auditioned the Yamaha compared to comparable receivers. For that kind of an investment, impulse buys are not very smart, unless money doesn't mean much to you. If you just took it home without hearing it, you don't sound like much of an audiophile.

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Note: This is not a review, rather commentary. I've tried grading the product in such a way to minimize ranking impact.

Just wanted to point out to John, that in fact there is a tool for optimizing sub response. Here is a link describing it's operation.

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/SoundAndVision/FrameSet/0,1670,_sl_SoundAndVision_sl_Article_sl_0_cm_1653_cm_103_3630_2_cm_00,00.html

From the description, I would have to say that some sort of "noise", is sent to the sub for calibration.

It's a shame to see people who haven't actually used a product, when I mean this I mean for a significant period of time, bash it and provide opinions that don't provide any helpful information. If the RX-V1 can approach the performance of a Denon 5800 or B&K 307 it may very well worth the $1600.00 price tag even if it is missing DPL II, DTS ES discrete ect...

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Lots

Some

This is a follow-up to my previous review. Well I´ve had some problems with my AX-1. My center channel drops out maybe once every month. The sound mutes maybe 30 db. Then i jack in an rca-cable in and out the center preout and voila! The sound is back. The dealer said the was unheard of and he sold 50 units. I explained that it has happened to owners of the american model (virtually the same but with FM-tuner)I read the RX-V1´s manual and it is just the same. The dealer told me to go to the service center and the guy there said it was a faulty transistor, which sounds strange to me? I would guess it is the contact.
Does anyone know for sure?

I also noticed a peculiar thing with bass-management. When speaker settings is for "small center" and BASS/LFE-out is set to "BOTH", the main channels play virtually no bass. When set to "MAIN" playing bass they play just fine. So switching between SW and BOTH-setting makes no difference.
This seas to apply for Stereo ProLogic sources only.

With My old Yamaha both Subwoofer and Main speakers played bass which is what I prefer(better midbass).
Does anyone have a clue?

/Anders