Amazing strength, clarity, features, connection possibilities and everything else under the sun. There really isn't enough space here...

Size/Weight... It's bloody huge and freaking heavy. But all that adds up to some serious quality.

Sorry I didn't put a price but let's just say it's probably less than you're going to pay. The store made me promise not to publish it on the net and I am a man of my word... The staff was by the way amazingly helpfull and friendly. (Thank you Ian at the Seymour store)

The sound is amazing, ease of use (for the amount of features/settings) is impressive. Dvd's have never sounded better, movies like Gladiator, The Matrix, Fifth Element etc. really kick you in the you know what. The remote's not as terrible as some reviewers have stated but I can't wait for the free backlit, touchscreen lcd remote. I have had it up pretty damn loud and it's never sounded strained...not even remotely. Just keeps going with incredible clarity and depth.

Now I just have to save up for my B&W 600 Series II speakers and I'll be in Home Theatre/Audio Nirvana. Or at least the non Bill Gates budget version of it.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer...auditioned Denon, Harman Kardon etc..

Movie Sound, remote, # inputs& outputs

A tendency to be overly bright?

I have given this piece plenty of time now and am extremely pleased with it's overall performance. It is slightly weaker than my all-time favorite Amp (the DSP-A1000) in the area of music reproduction - as it tends to a slight harshness in older, badly EQ's CDs. In other words it is not as forgiving - this is probably due to the fact that it is all digital whereas the DSP-A1000 is mostly analog. I have found that better recordings eliminate this as a problem however, so I think the blame should be placed at the correct feet - ie, the recording or recording engineers, and suggest to some of the previous reviewers that they explore that avenue if they notice a large difference between this piece and their previous systems. Also, a reviewer earlier stated that there is no sub output for 96/24 recordings.... ...WRONG! I really wish people would explore these things before they run their mouths off. I use the sub out for diaphragms attached to my listening furniture (for base emphasis) and can tell you that there definitely is output from every source I own even with the effect completely turned off.
As to things that could be improved - in all fairness I have to berate Yamaha for the build quality on this, their flagship piece - I had only had mine for approx. three months originally when I started to lose channels, Uncle's Stereo replaced the original though and I've had no futher problems. A word of warning - I found out through this process that Uncle's is NOT an authorized Yamaha dealer (does that mean this is grey-marke?) and Yamaha would not cover it themselves - although Uncle's has completely honored their own warranty, but somehow I am still left with an uneasy feeling. Anyway, my advice to buyers out there is be sure the dealer is an authorized dealer, whatever the piece you decide to purchase.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha DSP-A1000, Yamaha RV-X795, Marantz SR-14

Almost everything, DACs, Inputs, quality, I like the remote

Yamaha AustraliaJapan, Couldn't buy a black one, the champagne colour turns pink in some light, no 8 channel stereo like RX-V3000, won't convert DTS to analog for sub room

I want to start off by saying that this is truely a remarkable bit of gear and I am very pleased with it for the 9 months of owning it. So much so that my best mate also just bought one (even makes his Bose sound good). Value for money this is excellent . At A$3800 (Australian) or US$1900 this is a steal. At the time of purchase it was A$2100 cheaper than the Onkyo 989 that I was considering.

I listed the weakness as the parent company and the Australian distributor. This is the only blemish with owning this product and the reason why I am writing this. This model, and as far as I can determine the DSP-A1 also has the same problem. After some use 1 or more channels will drop out and as I have read here this has been the case of some dis-satisfaction. The reason for this is faulty pre-out switches in the unit and they need to be replaced (under warranty). Yamaha knew of the problem, continued to ship the units, did not do a voluntry recall and neglected to inform most of their dealers and customers causing a lot of heartache. If anyone has a unit that suddenly drops a channel take a single RCA lead and insert it a couple of times into all of the pre-outs on the back of the unit and normal function will resume. This is where the handy onboard speaker test mode comes in to play. I might add there was no problem fixing it except the shop was 100km away and it took over day to do so 2 trips at my expense!

Any one that is going to buy one of these units you MUST ask if the pre-out switches have been modified.

Some people have said this is lacking power and I would have to disagree. I am running AR7 front (A$2900), AR92 rear, AR4C (A$650) centre front, Jamo100(piece of junk) centre rear and just some cheap surronds (for the time being). Sub is a local brand. This puts out more than enough volume and you can drive this thing to max with out any distortion. Where as most other amps start gasping just after half way this is where the difference is with the RX-V1 it just keeps going. At -5db on the attenuator playing Fleetwood macks Tusk track on The Dance DVD my sound meter reads arround 115db and my ears start to hurt! This is when the wife and kids go outside and listen at the back fence. So my question to the volume knockers is "How loud do you want this" and "By how much do you want to damage your hearing"?

I also praised the DACs they are excelent and there is no noise (hiss, hum) from this unit at all. If there is noise it is already on the disc.

It takes a while to set up nicely and you have to live with it for a time just to find out all those little tweaks and adjustments you can do.

I also know some US guys are getting free RAV 2000 (pronto look alikes) in my country Yamaha laughed at me when I asked for a free A$1000 remote!

Would i buy another one? Yes, in black. But my wife does like the colour of this one though.

Similar Products Used:

JVC, Sony STR-930 (not in the same league)

Everything

none i

Puts everyone else to shame .nothing wrong with dpl they just are not hi tech enough to figure it out.great dsp can creat or recreat any sound field i wish ,in other words the walls just dissapear.

Similar Products Used:

Denon5800,BK,sunfire,dsp a1

Sound quality, relay component video, Yamaha

Not as upgradable as current high end receivers (from Denon, Onkyo/Integra, etc...), only one set of multichannel direct ins, making you have to choose between DVD-A and SACD/Multichannel SACD...or keep upgrading/combining

I brought my decision down to the AVR5800 or the RXV1 and I went with the Yamaha because it just sounded better to me. It may be colored slightly, but the Denon had an inherent harshness I couldn't deal with. I'm a movie buff, but really enjoy my music (have a seperate music only system, but the Yamaha runs the main stuff in the house). I have DefTechBP2002TL, CLR2500, BPVX surrounds, and a Sunfire sub (yeah, it goes boom).

I got to audition the two main receivers side by side with the speakers and they both performed well with movies...more power/capabilities than I'll ever use. It was the music side that won me over. DefTech's can't be beat for movies, but they need a little love with music and the Yamaha seemed to give it to them.

When I played some cuts from Santana's "Supernatural" CD (specifically the Lauryn Hill track), the sound from the Yamaha had more breath and air, as though the speakers and the room had no limitations. The AVR5800 made the music seem speaker height and the wall suddenly reappeared.

In movies, while the Denon had the slam advantage, the Yamaha was way better than many other receivers and the vocal timbre from the center channel (through several speakers just for kicks) was the cleanest and most clear. In the "Hell Unleashed" chapter of "Gladiator", when the cavalry is charging from behind and Russell Crowe is yelling "HOLD THE LINE", it came through beautifully with the RXV1, and was slightly (very slightly, but it was there) obscured in the AVR5800 playback.

I also didn't like the remote from Denon. I got a Philips Pronto and put the RXV1's remote in a little box in case I need it someday.

I give it 4 stars in value because it was originally priced nearly as much as the Denon, but didn't offer nearly the same lump sum of features/expandability. I give it 5 stars over all because I bought it and think it's great.

Similar Products Used:

Gave extensive time to Denon AVR5800, Sony 777ES, Onkyo piece, and some seperates (Rotel, Adcom, etc...)

Sound Reproduction.
Versatility, Versatility & Versatility.
Number of inputs/options galore.
Sound Quality.
Sounds really good.
Integrated perfection.
Beats most dedicated separates at twice the cost.

Can be outdone with really good separates.

Best all in one bar none.

First: it is extremely versitile. I don't know how else to say it. My God Man! look at the back panel! Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby 6.1, DTS ES, it does it. The DSP stuff is cool. Theres almost too much. But Yamaha has some of the best DSP models around and they're proud of them. Turn 'em off, it still sounds great. It has a lot of options for matching the sound output to your room and speaker configuration. Allowing even a neophyte to be able to dial in the system.

The RX-V1 also has a 'front effects' channel that I have played with a lot. It's semi-cool too. It works through two surround sound type speakers (you could use more I suppose, but I haven't) wired into the front effects channel. So for a typical 5.1 set-up, you have front left and right, main l & r, and surround l & r channels, center channel and LFE or Subwoofer channel. Did I mention I have too many speakers. Is there such a thing?... Hook this up and use one of the DSP modes with a good Dolby Digital or DTS DVD. And everthing else being equal, a large room for this set-up will give you better results. You will be surprised at how it sounds. In this configuration is where the excellent DSP models really shine through. I recommend the Fifth Element in 70mm Sci-Fi mode (excuse me, I need to go clean myself up!).

Ok I'm back: The sound quality of the RX-V1 beats the crap out of the onkyo and denon 'equivalents'. I mean even on my mediocre 'mid-fi' system (paradigm sub, B&W 600 series 2s all around) it sounds wonderful. I hooked up a pair of my buddy's Vandersteens (which I now must have) to this baby and it was incredible. The clarity and definition were what you'd expect from much more expensive 'audiophile' gear. What I mean is (this is also a trademark of any good gear) you can turn the volume to '11' and all you get is more creamy goodness with no harshness. It richens the sound you always knew was there and brings out definition you didn't. In fact the only gear I've heard that sounds better are mostly systems costing multi kilo-bucks: krell hts, with krell, amps. theta cassablanca with theta transports, and high power monoblock amps etc...

Buy this if you want an audiophile quality home theater, but you don't want to spend $20,000 or more (true audiphiles will laugh and then reluctantly agree you did well; especially for the money). My krell wielding buds scratch their heads in wonder sometimes 'is this really an integrated amp?' Don't misunderstand me you can do much better, but to do this you must get so far past the point of dimishing returns that you better make at least six figures, be single, and have plenty of time to spend listening to gear at the hi-fi store. Well go spend time listening to gear at the hi-fi store anyway. It's good for you.

Back again:
Use good cables and good speakers and you will be very happy with this machine. Despite what some say about the power of this unit (LOL, I said unit!) if you have good speakers this machine has plenty of power. It will reward you when you turn it up by bringing out more sound, definition, and clarity without the harshness typical of most integrated amps at the higher power settings -- I think I have said this before... If you have refidgerator-sized Cerwin-Vegas, the biggest sub that Best-Buy sells, the stereo in your car has more power than the engine, and your favorite pastime is driving your neighbors crazy with your 'killer system'; you will not like this unit (paging Dr. Freud).

And for all you THX mooks... Get over it... The RX-V1 more than beats the specs. A little fact, THX was introduceds as a minimum standard a few years back. Most really good gear now (not Best-Buy stuff) meets this standard. Yamaha didn't spend the money to get THX certification for the RX-V1. I am glad they didn't because it didn't cost me extra for a tiny sticker that is supposed to make me feel better about other um... well... shortcomings.

So unless you have lot's of cash I don't see that there is much to decide. Well everybody is different so go listen. But, I believe that until you get into the nutzo mega-buck land of hi-fi gear, you can't do much better. Also, prices vary. The dealers I've been to want full retail: ~$3000. Look around, I got mine for more than $1k less. Don't pay full retail! -- Leave that for the mook with the Cervin-Vegas, mullet, the tube-topped, tatooed, and over-pierced girlfriend who's 'showing her a good time' by playing air-guitar in the "hi-end" room at Best-Buy.

Similar Products Used:

lexicon dc-2, krell hts, adcom, rotel, pioneer, denon, onkyo

Very attractive looks (GOLD), The name YAMAHA!, It does everything except wipe your butt!, D/PRO LOGIC,DD,DTS,DTS ES, 6.1, 7.1, 8.2, MATRIX did I leave anything out? More digital inputs and analog inputs than you can point a stick at, Room 2 is fantastic! Add amps, subs or what ever your heart desires! And this thing will shatter your spinal cord when setup to it full potential.

Takes a long time to setup for full potential, but once done WOW! WOW! WOW!

I get it home and do the usuall super quick setup because i cant wait to hear what it sounds like in the home invironment, nice but not as good as the price wich i paid, then off to the shop for some monster cable and harmony gold conectors all round, RESULT? AMAZING!!!! Then it was a fiddle with speaker placement and into the RXV1s menu for some differant settings and EQ changes, and the RESULT? I have never in my whole life heard anything that will come close to this machine now that it has been setup to my satisfaction, it just truly blows me away, and everytime i show it off to family and friends they just shake there heads in AMAZEMENT! YAMAHA CAN HOLD THEIR HEADS RIGHT UP THEIR WITH THE CLOUDS, WELL DONE!
DVD is outstanding and it sounds like your in heaven, DD and DTS becomes a differant world and only when you walk out of the sound stage and become part of reality is when you scratch your head and wonder if you have just walked away from a differant planet, the RXV1 will throw the affects around so fast and smooth and smash you with deep tones you wont know what hit you, AWSOME! Also a great idea is the sub outputs, one mono, and one left right, 2 in total and if you hook up one using your speakers in out of your sub thats three subs! What the hell you can put another sub on speakers B thats 4 SUBS and 8 speakers! There is so many provissions with this thing it realy has endless options for the user to experiment with, and the next thing i wish to explore is the computer conection on the back (RS232C connector) in the manual it says for proffesional use? anyone know what this is used for would be appreciated, as you can see i highly recomend this unit for not only does it decode all formats better than all other brands and the sound is awsome, but you will never get bored with its endless possibilities. RXV-1 5+5 stars easy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CURRENT SETUP
RECEIVER = YAMAHA RXV -1.
MAIN SPKRS = JAM0 D 590.
CNTR SPKRS = JAMO D5 CEN.
REAR SPKRS = JAMO D5 SUR.
REAR CENTR = JAMO D5 CEN.
FRNT SUBWF = YAMAHA SW 300.
REAR SUBWF = JAMO SW2010.

Similar Products Used:

YAMAHA 590/992, Marantz sr18, onkyo wich went straight back to were it came from! in short (YUK!)

Strong build, Looks(Gold), Ready for new Technology, Endless amounts of inputs,The name YAMAHA, D/DD/DTS/MATRIX/5.1/6.1/7.1/8.2/ES/EX Capabilities WOW! And front center and rear center chanels have bass mid and treb adjustments for even more improved sound all round as do the rears and front top effect chanels.

The Volume control takes a little getting used to, My previous RXV-992 would bring the house down at half volume and would be near impossible to go past half, But the RXV-1 doesnt start happening untill the volume is past half way, but once past half it all happens big time, wich maybe because the RXV-1 has a DIGITAL volume mechinism instead of anolog with other units, not realy a weakness just a bit to get used to.

This is a follow up from the write up under this one.
I have finally recieved this unit after waiting for 4 weeks.
Hook up of speakers and all external equipment was simple, then it was time to go through the setup menu's wich I tried to do with out instructions (FORGET IT) Then i used the manual step by step and once finished it became logical, their is so many adjustment on this beast its not funny, then slapped in Gladiator DTS and was thrilled, Took some time getting the sub possitioned for listening possition but once done this thing just amazed my ears and rocked my socks off! WOW! Then in goes a CD and OFF with all effects just leaving front L/R STEREO and bang again! WOW! The socks vacated my feet once again, it pumps big time in stereo mode wich was the biggest dissapointment on my previous units, I just sat and closed my eyes and enjoyed! This is a very TOP CLASS RECIEVER and worth every penny paid, I love it and it is a very welcome addition to this family for many years to come, if you want perfect! then this is for you, if you want good theatre sound and thats it then go the YAMAHA LESSER MODELS.
SPEAKERS USED ARE
FRONT : JAMO D590 (7.7replacments FLAWLESS!)
CENTER: JAMO D5CEN (center 200 AWSOME UNIT!)
SURROUND:JAMO D5SUR (VERY NICE SPEAKERS!)
SUB: JAMO SW2010 (BIT GUTLESS BUT NOT BAD)
ALL IN ALL THIS IS A 5star + 5star RECIEVER THAT WILL NOT DISSAPOINT EVEN THE MOST HARDEN OF CRITICS THAT HAS ALLREADY RACKED UP PLENTY OF WORLDS BEST AWARDS.

Similar Products Used:

RXV-495, RXV-992, NEC.

Sound, DSP, Power, Looks and did I say Sound.

None that I have found.

This unit just blows me away. I am running with a set of Klipsch RF-3's and the sound produced, even at low volumes, is incredible. Even with only two speakers and all effects "off", this receiver sounds great. I am by no means an audiophile, but from jazz to heavy metal, I can only say wow !!

I use the "Zone out" to my Sony to drive the speakers in my bedroom "wife can listen to whatever she wants"

I am in the process of building my HT and will be buying the complete set of Klipsch Reference speakers. Currently, my system consists of:

Yamaha RXV1 receiver
Yamaha 765 CD
Yamaha Tape
Toshiba SD2300 DVD (great, despite a few bad reviews)
Klipsch RF-3 mains
Sony 20" (planning on Toshiba wide-screen)
Hughes HIRD-D45 Platinum Dolby Digital SatRcv
IXOS cables everywhere

Sony STR-AV560 (Zone 2)
JBL bookshelf’s (Zone 2)

Similar Products Used:

14 year old Sony STR AV560

Very attractive looks (GOLD), The name YAMAHA!, It does everything except wipe your butt!, D/PRO LOGIC,DD,DTS,DTS ES, 6.1, 7.1, 8.2, MATRIX did I leave anything out? More digital inputs and analog inputs than you can point a stick at, Room 2 is fantastic! Add amps, subs or what ever your heart desires! And this thing will shatter your spinal cord when setup to it full potential.

Takes a long time to setup for full potential, but once done WOW! WOW! WOW!

I get it home and do the usuall super quick setup because i cant wait to hear what it sounds like in the home invironment, nice but not as good as the price wich i paid, then off to the shop for some monster cable and harmony gold conectors all round, RESULT? AMAZING!!!! Then it was a fiddle with speaker placement and into the RXV1s menu for some differant settings and EQ changes, and the RESULT? I have never in my whole life heard anything that will come close to this machine now that it has been setup to my satisfaction, it just truly blows me away, and everytime i show it off to family and friends they just shake there heads in AMAZEMENT! YAMAHA CAN HOLD THEIR HEADS RIGHT UP THEIR WITH THE CLOUDS, WELL DONE!
DVD is outstanding and it sounds like your in heaven, DD and DTS becomes a differant world and only when you walk out of the sound stage and become part of reality is when you scratch your head and wonder if you have just walked away from a differant planet, the RXV1 will throw the affects around so fast and smooth and smash you with deep tones you wont know what hit you, AWSOME! Also a great idea is the sub outputs, one mono, and one left right, 2 in total and if you hook up one using your speakers in out of your sub thats three subs! What the hell you can put another sub on speakers B thats 4 SUBS and 8 speakers! There is so many provissions with this thing it realy has endless options for the user to experiment with, and the next thing i wish to explore is the computer conection on the back (RS232C connector) in the manual it says for proffesional use? anyone know what this is used for would be appreciated, as you can see i highly recomend this unit for not only does it decode all formats better than all other brands and the sound is awsome, but you will never get bored with its endless possibilities. RXV-1 5+5 stars easy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

YAMAHA 590/992, Marantz sr18, onkyo wich went straight back to were it came from! in short (YUK!)