Cheap, Clean, Powerful enough!

dosn't support unpowered subs

This was my dad's home theater receiver, and the reason why he gave it to me was because he needed another receiver for his new un-powered sub. So i took it, and i'm using it for my computer system. (college student w/o a tv) This baby works great w/ my Klipsch speakers. Sound is clean and still works w/ today's technology. I bought an Insigma home theater system in 2006 and the Yamaha still outperforms it.

Customer Service

good i guess, never used it because the product never broke!

Similar Products Used:

Klipsch speakers, denon sub

Nothing(except Marantz possibly) beats it for $250. One of
few $250 4 ohm stable units. Not even $1000 sony, aiwa, pioneer, kenwood, etc. compare in stereo mode. 120wx2 at
0.2%thd in 4ohms(1kHz),80-90x2 20Hz-15kHz

20wRearChannels, Super Low 80 damping factor, low 2amp current rating per front channel, -1.5db at 20Hz/15kHz

This reciever is one of the best for $250. It does have several undesirable problems though not found in high end Marantz, Denon, and others for $500+.
The damping factor is pathetic. It has reasonably loud but sloppy bass with tons of hangover on all speakers. It doesn't clip easy like sony crap but it isn't like a dedicated amp with 500+ damping factors. I plugged in a 280w RMS(over 500w peak) subwoofer and it sounded good for 2 min. I suddenly lost control of the cone after that and it nearly blew up.
I heard that same sub on a real sub amp of 125w and it was
amazingly loud, clean, and showed no signs of being under powered. That amp was a high current amp w/about 800 for damping factor.
It's current rating is too low. It still clips easier than a 40-50amp. It does push the speakers just as hard in cone excursion but doesn't sound as loud at the given excursion. Do not use an 8ohm speaker with it! 50-70w is not enough for most good speakers. This reciever is a good match for pioneer and audiobahn 6x9 car speakers but nothing better or less efficient than 93db.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Denon, Onkyo

Best value under $350 both for 2-channel stereo and home theater (Dolby Digital ready)

only 25 Watt for rear channel, no Dolby Digital decoder,

Well, if you can`t decide, what do you prefer: movies or audio - it`s the best choice.
I used Yamaha RX-V393RDS with:
Denon DVD-3000,
Marantz CD-48,
Philips VCR 797/55,
Tannoy Mercury M1 - as front speakers,
Tannoy Mercury Center,
Jamo Surround 100 - as rear speakers,
Sound Dynamics RTS-800 subwoofer

The result is as good as it gets
(for this money, i think :-)

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Technics, Onkyo

Very clear sound, revealing, with decent bass. 6 channel input so upgrade to DVDaudio/SACD possible

a little birght, but that is mostly personal preferance

For the price I paid, I couldn't get a better reciever. These recievers do come up for sale as people upgrade (on eBay etc.) and should be looked into. While they only produce 50W upfront, these are a very clean and controlled 50. The Kenwood I have supposedly goes up to 100W up front, but gets extremely muddy and distorted halfway getting there! The remote could definitely be better, but its not horrible either, just that the buttons are tiny. The sound is very detailed, and hooked up to decent loudspeakers will yield a good soundstage and depth. I listen to all kinds of music and can close my eyes and point out where each instrument/voice is coming from (in stereo mode). I use it only in stereo mode, so I'm not sure how the unit performs in 6 speaker mode.
It would be unfair to compare the RX-V393 to preamps hooked to Bryston amps and such, which cost 1000s of $, but it is a world apart from the usual SONY, KENWOOD and such. Since it can be had for really low prices on the used market, it is an excellent bargain.
Since it only cost me about $100, I cant give it anything less than 5 stars, it was definitely a great bargain.

PS: I am using Tannoy MX2 loudspeakers, bi-wired with TARA labs Prism 2+2 speaker cable. And Grado SR-80 headphones for those times when my housemates hate me for listning to loud music!

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood stereo reciever, aiwa shelf system...

is the better receiver on this price

It possesses robust AV receiver character. Paired with RT7 Polk Audio speakers, music sounds great for contemporary, light ended music. I must have kept my Linn SARA speakers for this receiver and ROCK it all the way...

Value for money, 6 Channel Descrete Inputs, Great Sound, various DSP modes for music & video, compensates for centre speaker usage, variable switch for speaker of differing impedance

20w rear channel, lacks power when in 6ch mode

Magnificent receiver for the price. The sound quality is second to none. Crisp and clean and more than enough power for 2 channel ouptut. You dont notice its a low powered receiver (50w main, 20w rear. Just about any speaker system is compativble witha variable impedance switch. In 6ch mode you notice the lack of total power, as the external decoders require greater output.

For the money it is a more than adeqaute entry level receiver.

Similar Products Used:

Sony NSB-355

I just purchased this receiver for a bedroom system and it is fantastic! The tuner section is top notch and it has plenty of power for my inefficient AR bookshelf speakers. I paid $230 for the unit and comes with pro-logic and a six-channel input!! I would reccomend this unit to anyone getting into home theatre. I still prefer my B&K preamp with Adcom power amps, but is it really worth some much more money? Yamaha is the king of mid-fi!!

Just upgraded from a Sony (CFD-460) Self System to the V393 with KLH 250W 12" 3-Way Main, KLH "Platinum" 125W Center & a JVC 200 CD Player, Gee it's a brave new World !!! The Yamaha sounds great... I spent a couple of hours in the Sound room trying to figure out what to get and the 393 sounded better than most of the higher priced systems.. so for about $250 u can't go wrong...
PS: The KLH Speakers are Great.. giv'em a look, u won't be sorry..!!

I just tried out the 503 which is same as RX-V393. It is a great receiver for the price. The music is smoother compared to my 10 years old Optimus2145. The 2145 has better THD but it sounds a little bit harsh. I believe this is due to not so good frequency response +- 1.5db for 2145 while 503 is +- 0.5db. 503 good frequency response really smooths things out. A good entry level receiver.