Yamaha RX-V1300 A/V Receivers
Yamaha RX-V1300 A/V Receivers
[Mar 31, 2003]
khellandros66
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
DSP modes are very realistic and not echoy like my older Sony DTS ES, Dolby Digital EX, Prologic II Music, DTS Neo 6 Cinema 100w x 6 0.04% THD
Weakness:
90Hz Only for Bass Management ( not a big problem) No RS-232 port The intelligenge used to design the 1300 is genious. The main processor board is hidden behind an alminum plate to shiled against heat, dust, and any electrical interference. Besides having massive heatsinks the 1300 also has a fan right next to the power transformer blowing the hot air out the side of the receiver. The fan must be temperature triggered because it doesn't run all the time. I have lots of time to listen to the receiver and test it out, I now have three Definitive ProMonitor200s across th front for timbre matched sound. I tested out and set up the Cinema DSP modes with test tones (i used a sine wave at 7khz pink noise on a home made DTS 5.1 CD, and a 24bit/44.1kHz Stereo CD) This cut back the amount of time if I used a movie. Similar Products Used: Sony STR-DE845 Pionner VSX-D608 |
[Mar 01, 2003]
RIchard Piliguian
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Power Surround Sound capabilities SACD support
Weakness:
None Just bought the Yamaha RX-V1300 after a long and arduous analysis. I tested this product playing a wide range of music and DVD's hooked up to a home theater system and was amazed at the quality of sound it pumped out. This will be a system I will be using for some time to come. |
[Feb 19, 2003]
Dredal
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
re: above
Weakness:
none thus far This unit is replacing my Yamaha RX-V1000 which replaced a Sony STR-DE925. In a word wonderful. It is all I expect from Yamahas mid level amps. Great sound management, strong functionality, good flexibility, and of course it sounds sweet. I have it hooked up to a pair of Paradigm studio 100's front's and the rest paradigm rears and centre. (Centre the Canadian spelling ;-)) I had no issues with the remote as I am migrating from the RX-V1000. Although it does not have a Macro capability, it still does the job. I am surprised that Yamaha removed the rs-232 port and down graded the remote... but I was not willing to throw in an extra $500 for those features. I might be bias as I am now a faithful Yamaha audio enthusiast, but there is a reason for that. If your looking for an amp with great features and sound, not cheap but no overly expensive, then put this on your list of research. It's worth a listen. Similar Products Used: Yamaha RX-V1000, Sony STR-DE925 |
[Feb 16, 2003]
Delon Chao
Casual Listener
Strength:
Before I purchased this receiver, I did not check my DVD audio out. It has only the coaxial out for the digital audio. There are only two coaxial input in this receiver and they are asign to CD and D-TV/LD, however, you can reasign it to my DVD, which is a very good feature. I am not sure the lower end model has this feature to reasign the coaxial input. I have not purchase my center rear speaker yet, but the 5.1 will already blow you away. I only need to turn it up to about 20% of it's volume, and it will already rock my house.
Weakness:
No weaknesses so far. But the unit get kind of hot fast. Manual is some what hard to understand I upgraded from Yamaha pro-logic to this digital receiver, and the result is unbelieveable. The reason why I buy the RX-V1300 is because of it's power and it has a learning remote. I was considering Denon receiver, but Yamaha is a little brighter and sound better. The 6.1 is a nice feature to have, but I did not set it up yet. The 6 channel stereo is good when you listen to music. Similar Products Used: Yamaha Prologic RX-V6900 receiver I use Definitive speakers front main BP-10 rear surround BP-6 C-1 center PF-5 subwofer Apex DVD player Yamaha LD player |
[Feb 07, 2003]
Michael Mitchell
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
*Best sound for the price. You cant beat this without spending a grand or more and chances are your only going to get more wattage than you need. *High Bandwidth Component Video switching. *Did not overpower background sounds that interfear with dialog scenes. Giving you a great experience of being there.
Weakness:
Remote but you can get used to it like any other remote and a little effort or get a pronto and put the remote complaints and problems in the past. Some complain about the speaker connectors being too close together. My thought is you do this once its not that difficult and its done. If you find it too difficult, which it isnt, then buy some bannana plugs and call it the day. Its great. I paired this up with a set of JBL's and a 12" JBL sub and the first time we fired it up we jumped up to turn the volume down because we thought we were going to knock the house down. It was then we also realized how crystal clear it is with so much power. My wife has even got scared on an occasion or two thinking someone was in the house when this was on. The tone of the device is very clean and clear and you will be very happy with it. The setup will take you some time. I highly recommend sitting down with the book and going through it step by step and taking the time to learn the remote and the different things you can do. Otherwise you will be frustrated like others who dont read the manuals. Once you learn it your comfort level will be much better. Also remember some movies arent encoded with audio that will shock and amaze you so its good to start off with something like Pearl Harbor with the bombing run or to my amazement Star Wars Episode 1 with the pod racers really was quite impressive compared to the movie theater and my old system. I now understand what JaJa Binks was saying. Before I needed an interpreter. The Matrix with the bar scene was much improved with the dialog easy to follow and the music not overpowering in the background drowning out the dialog. It seems they got the perfect level of dialog, audio with background sound right on the money. The Matrix is not in DTS either and yet it was excellent. Sound is definately 50% of your movie experience and this receiver will not dissapoint. If it does I would try a different set of speakers or sound source as the problem. I recently had a buddy of mine say he wasnt impressed and something didnt sound right. After all he was used to my setup and expected the same results. When I checked it out he was playing MP3's encoded at 128K connected via the stereo outputs on an 55.00 APEX Dvd player. We quickly put in a regular audio CD of the MP3's and instantly he could hear the difference. After a speaker upgrade from his radio shack speakers, a Good Quality DVD player (173.00 Progressive scan 192k audio encoders) and a optical connection he now is a firm beliver in his purchase. The problem was not the receiver but the junk he connected to it. Garbage in Garbage out. This is a quality receiver treat it with some quality components and you will be impressed. |
[Jan 29, 2003]
Paul
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Power Clarity and cleaness of sound nine 192 DACs lots of inputs / outputs realism, depth, stereo separation, and dynamics on sound quality Built like a tank. Nice remote also easy to use 4.0 V preout for sub (better bass)
Weakness:
None so far at the price I paid for this receiver. This is a fantastic receiver. Hello everyone. Great to see so many people enjoying there RX-V1300s! I've had mine for about two weeks now. I initially purchased the HTR-5590 from Best Buy but when I found out that I could get the 1300 from a local store and get preouts and a nicer aluminum volume knob, I returned the 5590 and actually picked up an Integra 6.3 for a trial before I went home with the 1300. I've used Onkyo products in the past and liked them. However, the Yamaha I found to be more musically detailed. I returned the Integra in two days (I had a week of trial but two days was all I needed). The 1300 kicks so much butt! More dynamic power, better damping factor, 4 V preout for sub versus 1.0 V preout on the Integra. Sub sounds like it hits harder and more precisely with the Yamaha. Also more inputs and outputs on the Yamaha which helps flexibility. Some people find Yamaha receivers "bright". Personally, I just put the treble and bass flat and it sounds great to me. Another advantage is that the 1300 allows the listener to put the main front speakers on Both (sub and fronts) instead of just large or small. This sends bass to the sub and mains and gives a little fuller range on the mains. Interesting test that I did was with no signal I can crank up the Yamaha to 100 percent volume and get absolutely no hiss whatsoever. With the Integra a hiss started at 85/100 and got significantly louder at 100. I know no one will play music that loud but its just an interesting FYI. The RX-V1300 is built like a tank. It weighs 33 lbs versus 26 lbs for the Integra. One has to wonder where all that extra weight is going. I'm not knocking the Integra at all. Its a fine receiver for most people. I just felt lack it was lacking in midrange and highs as far a clarity, depth, and realism. Furthermore, the 1300 has nine 192 DACs (two for each of the fronts) and one for each of the surrounds/center. If you are in the market for a new receiver, give the RX-V1300 a listen for sure. It sounds awesome on my Polks!! Some reviewers complain about the bass management being limited to 90 hz but I don't feel that is a big issue with my speaker setup at all. I toyed with this on the Integra because it is adjustable at 80, 100, and 120 but preferred the 80 hz crossover anyway. Similar Products Used: Integra 6.3 Onkyo Harmon Kardon Yamaha |
[Jan 28, 2003]
khellandros66
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
32bit DSP 100w x 6 0.04% THD, Remote, DTS:ES, ProLogic II, Dolby Digital EX, 90Hz slope for small speakers and what I can't fit.
Weakness:
Bass Mangement only 90Hz for small speaker DTS 96/24 Not RS-232 port Well I have been able to do a lot of listening lately, include DVD Movies, HDCDs, MP3s, and now a DVD-Audio disc. This is by far the most musical receiver I have owned yet. I listened to Meat Loaf Bat Out Of Hell, I was rockin and rollin. Heaven Can Wait was soniclly moving and great in ProLogic II, and For Crying Out Loud was unbelievable and it made have goosebumps. The best was LOTR FOTR the soundtrack especially Amon Hen and The Breaking Of The Fellowship. The DVD-Audio disc passed through the 6ch input was good but through the coaxial input was more open and dynamic. Next came my favorite album downloaded The Who Who's Next which is a 320 Kbps Transparent Signal and AAC version as well (don't ask how they made it but I hade to use Liquid Audio Player) Throught the anaolg out of my computer was ok but burned onto a CD in 24bit/44.1kHz wav and then played on my H/K FL8380 was quite a bargain:) I won't buy this album until a version as good sounding as my dad's LP comes out (DVD-Audio). Bab O'Riely was amazing sounding in ProLogic II, the spatial and 3D sound stage is as I would imagine them in person. The orinal Star Wars soundtracks were superb the only niche was the lack of breathing room that the new EP II sound track has. Similar Products Used: Sony STR-DE845 Pioneer VSX-D608 |
[Jan 17, 2003]
Phil Ciantar
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Style, features, clean power for it's price class, historical reliability.
Weakness:
Speaker connections to tight, especially if you use 12 gauge wire. Owners manual can be more user friendly. I am most certainly impressed with the feature for the buck ratio I received with this unit. The prologicII makes for great 5 channel stereo. I have them hooked up with Mirages new "OMNI" speaker series. Towers 260 w/matching centre and rear plus LF150 sub. They have approx. 40 hours of play on them and they get better sounding all the time. To bad they're not yet listed here on audioreview.com but they can be checked out on the Mirage website. Together they seem to make a perfect match. Similar Products Used: Compared to Marrantz 6300 & 7300, Onkyo 700, Integra 6.3(same as onkyo 700) and Denon 2802 a/v receivers. |
[Jan 15, 2003]
khellandros66
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Decoding, purity, and power.
Weakness:
Bass management I am back with a new review. I have finally put ProLogic II and DTS NEO:6 through the ringer. After careful listening I found ProLogic II more enjoyable than DTS:NEO 6, originally I thought the reverse. I watched several movies and listened to several CDs. The movies I tested were the VCD of Star Wars ROTJ, The Rock (VHS), Last Of The Mohicans (VHS). DTS NEO 6 wanted to put all the surround information to the rear center, where as ProLogic II wanted to have stereo surround information. I next tested the RX-V1300 with my computer, I used an analog input and I then started playing some MP3s (my audio card decodes them) and felt a sesne of spaciousness, but not as much as my HDCD player. I downloaded some movie trailers including the upcoming Terminator 3, Dare Devil, and X2 all sounded pretty damn good. Nexted I put my Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction game in and the 3D EAX surround output was great in stereo but, once I turned on the ProLogic II decoding the game took on new life. I used my Druid and started to tear up some demons and monsters. The magic attacks surrounded me like DVDs do, especially Hurricane attack where a ring of fierce wind circles around me a destroys enemies. Similar Products Used: Pioneer VSX-D608 Sony STR-DE845 |
[Dec 21, 2002]
rvikul
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Clean sound for my music. Nice bass. Discrete 6.1. 5 channel audio input.
Weakness:
Does distort a bit at very very high volumes. Menu system and user-friendliness suck big time. Manual is so bad too. Assumes you already had a Yamaha receiver before and are comfortable using it. Even my old 90s JVC receiever has a better manual. Remote needs to directly point at the receiver. Major deciding point was Discrete 6.1. Not many offer it at this price. Onkyo SR700 is similarly priced, but does not have discrete 6.1. I want my 6th rear center to be worth it (when i buy it). Outlaw 1050 is getting old now and they wont tell me if they will introduce a disrete 6.1 receiver. Good solid bass effect for music on my front mains (not small). Music can do better, but I need more money for that, i guess. But if i want to be really satisfied, i'll need a $3000 receiver. Similar Products Used: JVC RX 6000. Checked out Onkyo and Outlaw. |