DSP.......too many to choose from burr-brown processing component video switching more digital imputs than you will ever need construction I wanted the black unit, ended up with the gold, and am very happy with it's look can't cook an egg on it.....it is warm, but not hot to the touch

At sixty one pounds, I had to reinforce my living room floor! :-) Wish it was the vx-z1....but I don't have $2500 to spend on a receiver.

In a word..WOW! Tweeters had this unit on say as a floor model. I compared it to a Denon 3803, and the Pioneer Elite vsx-45tx...(they didn't have a vsx-47tx on the floor for testing). First, I stacked this up agains the 3803 both in movie mode and 2 channel mode. I found the Denon to be more muddled in both the stereo and movies modes, as compared to this bad boy. This has a very clear sound, but still warm, like stereo should be. At this price point, you would expect receivers to struggle as you upped the power....Not with Yamaha! We tested it with an action sequence of a Let Li movie, and with everything going on in the movie, it still did an amazing job splitting the channels, plus I was easily able to pick out all sounds instead of having them jumbled together. The sound of silence was just that...silence. No hum or hiss that you might expect with the volume turned up. With the two channel stereo, in one of the many Jazz club DSP modes, I could close my eyes and imagine Jewel standing right in front of me...like that will ever happen! Yes, the Yamaha will bleed your ears, but what is the enjoyment in that. On to the comparison with Pioneer.....It was much closer than I thought it would be. I went in to look strickly at Elite receivers, so I had a bias towards them from the start. The Rx-v1 and the Elite were equals on two channel stereo....I was not prepared for Pioneer to do well (I was wrong). Next we went through the same sequence in the Jet Li movie...To my amazement, Yamaha out did the Elite. Yes, the Elite has THX ultra, but what ever Yamaha did, wow! It was much clearer in separating the channels on the action. I truely stepped into the world of Jet Li. Summary....if you can find this receiver at this price, BUY IT. Sure, it doesn't have THX processing, but do we really want to give George Lucas all that money, for something Yamaha does just as well, or better for a fraction of the price? I can't say enough good things about this receiver.

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Upgraded the Kenwood 4080 and glad I did front speakers....Wharfedale Emerald series center channel.....Warfdale Emerald surrounds.....bose 301 center rear....Cambridge Sound Works DVD....Kenwood