Power, sound quality and formats supported, lots and lots of I/O options, A/B speakers, preouts, better remote than I expected Front design (panel to hide some things, manual bass/treble adjustments)

would be nice to have a fully powered Zone2 (tough at this price though)

Loving it. Lots more to learn about all diff dsp modes, speaker settings, learning remote, etc. But I love the power/sound for music and HT. Put Star Wars I, race scene on -- wow!! So much cooler than the Prologic sound I replaced.

Similar Products Used:

Sherwood Prologic A/V Receiver, circa '97 Listened to comparable priced Onkyo, Denon and Marantz models

High power, excellent and crystal clear sound - I run my Klipsch reference series speakers now with bass & treble totally flat and it is perfect! Workmanship, appearance and finish of the unit is first class. Excellent Remote & owner's Manual (especially compared to my old Denon 2802's remote & manual which in comparison were awful). I used to be a "Denon" man, but after my experience with this unit am 100% sold on the mid & high end Yamahas. PS"The Yamaha to me sounds significantly clearer than last year's Denon 2802 that I had before. PS: The model year for this unit is actually 2002, not 2001 but that section of the pull-down gave no option for 2002.

None that I have found so far.

I just bought the RX-V1300 and it is awesome! I don't pretend to be an audiophile but I am an audio enthusiast. Much of this review will concentrate on what I like about the Yamaha but also will contrast it to my old Denon 2802. My old Denon was great but this new Yamaha BLOWS it away in many respects. I've put together my overall system for BOTH high quality music (+ DVD 5.1 music) listening as well as home theater. I started a couple years back with a lower end Sony STR-DE975, then moved to a Denon 2802. The Sony was adequate as a starter receiver but it is not even in the same league as either the Yamaha or the Denon. I actually bought the Yamaha RX-V1300 with the idea of probably returning it once Denon's 2803 comes out in early 2003 - however I absolutely love the Yamaha and will be keeping it. I paid a bit more buying it from a local authorized dealer mostly for peace of mind with the factory warranty and the fact that the store has a very liberal 60 day return policy so long as you keep the box and all packaging intact. I won't go through all the specs here but the RX-v1300 has ample power at a true 100W X 6 channels with THD of 0.04 and damping factor of 80+. It also has a grpahic equalizer specifically for the center channel which is a nice feature. The Yamaha also has multi-zone capability. This compares to 90WX6 and THD of 0.05 on the Denon 2802(don't know the damping on the Denon). I imagine the Denon 2803 will be similar in these specs as last year's 2802 model. A SUPER important feature to me was that the Yamaha also has 5/6 channel stereo (like the Denon) did but it has ALOT more DSP modes. I initially got the Denon in large part based on the 5/6 channel feature and was thrilled that this series of Yamahas now does too. The Yamaha has plenty of audio/video inputs including additional FRONT S & Composite Video & Analog & Digital Optical inputs. The front inputs are very nicely concealed behind a flip-down panel. That panel when closed makes the unit very attractive and sleek. For some reason, the mid & higher-end Denon's do NOT have any front inputs. That for me was a real negative since I occasionally hook up my digital still camera and video to it. the Yamaha also converts Composite Video signals to S-Video so I have fewer cables to run to my TV. I don't use the Yamaha's Component video IN or Out connections on the Yamaha since I hook my DVD's component OUT directly to the TV. I've always done this with all my receivers thinking I get a better component video signal direct to the TV - maybe I am wrong? The remote on the Yamaha is very sleek and intuitive - although the buttons and lettering are a bit small but not too small. It has a back-lit LCD, and controls ALL of my other components (TV, DVD, VCR, SAT reciever) too - either via the manufacturer codes stored in the remote or via the learning mode. One of the things I HATED about the Denon 2802 was the god-awful remote. A buddy of mine bought the newer Denon 1803 recently and it does have a much better remote than the older models, so I expect the 2803 will have an improved remote too. The owner's manual on the Yamaha is very clear and user friendly. The manual is FAR friendlier and more effectively and clearly explains ALL operations than my old Denon's manual. My speakers are all Klipsh Reference series (RF-3II fronts, RC-3 center, RB-3 bookshelfs as my surrounds and the totally awesome RSW-12 subwoofer - separate reviews to follow on those) This Yamaha RX-V1300 drives the Klipsch's CRYSTAL clear, deep and with NO distortion that is perceptible to me even at EXTREMELY high volume levels. Overall, the Yamaha to me sounds significantly clearer than last year's Denon 2802 that I had. While the Denon was a very good quality unit this new Yamaha is CLEARLY better to me in virtually every respect and cost only about $50 more than what I paid for the Denon!

Similar Products Used:

Denon 2802 Sony STR-DE975 (not in the same class as either the Yamaha RX-V1300 or the Denon above though) Denon 1803 - a friend's and it is very good albeit with less power but about $275 less.

Excelent chanel seperation, crisp and clean detailed sound, heavy, in/outputs, quality components, DSP modes, price is correct

It would be nice to have 2 back center chanels.

Bravo Yamaha!!!! Sound is awsome. Crisp and detailed. No heating and overloading. It's hard to describe all feelings when I saw two movies. Matrix and LOTR. House is shakeing. One of the best things are connectors like power connectors and also in/outputs. It's builded like a tank. I really love this maschine.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo 797, 700 Denon 3802, 2802 Marantz 6300

DTS:ES 6.1, Dolby Digital EX, DTS:NEO6 110w x 6 .04% THD 192kHz/24bit DACs

Bass Management limited to 90Hz Dolby Pro-Logic II

Hello there I am back again. I finally had time to write some more about my receiver, I have watched quite a few movies on this thing and must say I am impressed. I watched the extended cut of LOTRs in DTS:ES Discrete 6.1 it is a KO compared to the Dolby Digital 5.1 EX. The reference parts of this movie in my opinion are when the elf witch is tempted by Frodo and the BellRoq. Star Wars was also very impressive as well as Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone was excellent. The most impressive track yet was Gladiator, I think because of the woderful music and just ublievable attention to details such as when Russel Crowe is about to die the woman's earings can be heard! I had the chance to put PLII and Neo:6 through the ringer and found that Neo:6 more accuratly recreated the tracks of VHS and TV shows where as PLII sounded as though the dynamic range compression was turned up.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE845 Pioneer VSX-D608

Handles all of todays surround formats. Plenty of power. Excellent music reproduction.

None. The binding posts accomodate the banana plugs I am using, so I don't have the same complaint others have experienced.

I will admit I'm rather biased when it comes to Yamaha's receivers. I feel they provide the best balance for the combined music and movie lover for the sub $1000 price range. This was an upgrade from my previous Yamaha receiver that I had for 5 years. I wanted to capilize on the 6.1 surround formats, but my main focus was for the full 192hz capability for DVD-Audio. I love this format and the RX-V1300 really brings these discs to life. The resolution is considerably clearer than my previous receiver and the amplifiers deliver plenty of punch so you can really feel the music. The soundstage is quite large and female vocals can easily fill the entire room. I'm far more critical with music than movies, simply because nearly any descent receiver and speaker package with subwoofer can delivery an awesome atmosphere for movies. This receiver certainly gives you everything you need to shake your house apart during full blown action sequences while keeping the dialog very clear and understandable. And, as usual, Yamaha provides a plethora of DSP options for both music and movies. I tend to shy away from DSP modes and listen to the soundtracks as they are mixed, but I have to give Yamaha credit on the fact their DSP modes are better than most and can really add effects for those who like them. Overall the receiver is easy to use and very attractively laid out. Several function buttons are hidden behind a flip down panel, so the receiver has a very classic appearance to it. It has a learning remote that can control your other components and a digital display that shows which compenent your are controlling, which is a nice touch. This unit has easily met and exceeded all my expectations. I honestly didn't think I could achieve this level of sound for the money. I reviewed similarly priced models from Pioneer Elite, Marantz, Harmon Kardon, Onkyo, and Denon, and this unit held an edge over each of them musically. Now I just can't wait to pick up the Pioneer Elite 45A DVD Video/Audio and SACD player I got my eye on!! Equipment Used: Main Speakers: Paradigm Reference Studio 60's Center: Paradigm Reference Studio CC Rear: Paradigm Reference ADP DVD: Panasonic DVD-A7 DVD Video/Audio Player CD: Marantz CC 3000

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-2095, Sony, Kenwood, and Pioneer.

Remote control: easy to use interface, controls all my gadgets and is easy to program. Great sound, excellent tuner on FM (havn't tried AM)

speaker binding posts (but everyone uses them) If I could get enough banana plugs at radio shack I'd put them on all my speaker wires and this problem would go away. more than a two step process for setting tuner presets so its Pain in the neck ;-).

Nice to look at, lots of great features - like on screen display when you are setting up your speakers. Surround sound is awesom (Just saw Starwars Clones). Plenty of power four five speakers and when I get the sixth I'll bet it will be fine for that too.

Music, DTS:ES, Neo:6 (ProLogic II is a waste after Neo:6), amplifier 110w x 6 0.04% THD plenty of ins/out (I talk about that later)

Binding posts are way too close, only 90Hz for Bass management

I know I might not have owned this receiver for very long but I will update it every few months. I bought this receiver mainly because I wanted something that blew me away musically. So I have thrown Diana Krall, Mighty Sam McLain, and Stevie Ray Vaughn at it. The result was just staggering, I had know idea how good my Definitive ProMonitor 200s sounded until I got this receiver. Movies such as Gladiator and Se7en and unbelievable spacious and thats in straight DTS:ES 6.1 w/o the help of Cinema DSP! The sound is very mature and spacial with a spooky 3D Soundstage.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DE845 and Pioneer VSX-D608