Plenty of power, clean sound, the remote (I might be the only one who likes it), great price.

No 5.1 stereo for music.

I was looking for a Yamaha to replace a natural sound amp from the 80s. Mostly use the system for music, but thought I'd get the whole 5.1 capability in case I decided to go in that direction. Turns out, the rx-v496 works great with movies with just the two speakers attached. For music, it's great too. Planning to add a sub this month and gradually get up to 5.1. Not a huge fan of the different fields, mainly b/c the music sounds great w/o the gimmicks. And I must say, I actually like the remote a lot.

(1) Price to sound quality. (2) Front input. (3) Easy to setup.

(1) Digital inputs/ouputs. (2) DTS decoding. Not working on some DVD. (3) Bad remote. To thin and too small to for guys. Kids or woman (small hand) okay.

My pervious digital receiver was a Kenwood which I used for about 2 or 3 years. The Kenwood is fine but it lacks DSP, S-video input, and DTS decoding. So, I brought a Yamaha to replace the Kenwood. Overall, I feel the Yamaha is much better than the Kenwood (or Pioneer). The sound quality is more natural. DSPs are good. The set up menu, despite not on-screen, is simple and easy to use. For the pirce I paid (clearance due to old model), I'm very happy. Overall, for around $200 budget, it is a good deal for the money. Yamaha makes good receiver.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood, Pioneer (low end stuff)

Great quality sound. Relatively easy to use.

None found so far.

My first ever foray into the world of Home Theatre, with the decision made after reading the many good reviews on this site. Set it up fairly easily, after a few trips for more rca cables, an it absolutely rocks!! Should have done this ages ago. The AUD $469.00 (after reduction from marked price of $599.00)would translate to about $235.00 US.

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Also picked up a Sony SAVE525 speaker package at the same time for AUD $679.00 (120w X 5 + 120w sub-woofer), and connected to an existing sony Stereo VCR & Omni DTS DVD Player. Now I''m Smiling !!

Price, convenience, good remote, flexibility

Sound Quality, no pre-outputs, crappy speaker cable connectors

First of all, if you are looking for a heart to a decent home theatre system, Yamaha represents good value. There are many systems out there today at a much lower price, providing you with a home theatre in a box (Sony, anything sold at Costco), but the quality is terrible. If you really enjoy home theatre this is as low as you want to go. The surround decoding is adequate, the amps are ok, and there is a lot of flexibility. This receiver however is not designed for music! I have tried using equipment from my audio-only system with this receiver and the sound is unbearable, being flat and lifeless. For home theatre however, it seems to be able to pull it off. If it''s within your budget, give it a try. If you can afford better...get it. Associated equipment: KEF Q series main and centre speakers Mission surrounds JVC XV 721 DVD Audio/Video player Toshiba 6-head VCR

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Denon, Arcam, older Yamaha

Lots of inputs

No 5 channel stereo, but then again I''ve only seen that on Marantz.

In hind site, I should have bought the 596.

Power, clean sound at small to medium rooms, good options.

remote can be confusing, No led on volume control. I got the RXV 596 remote in my box????

I love this unit. Good clean sound for the price and great options to get one started in home theatre. DTS as well.
Only thing strange was the remote control was from the more advanced model (RXV 596), make it hard to learn because the book and reference card relates to the correct remote for the RXV 496. Strange????

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None..

great, natural sounds, price, Low impedance drive capability, 2 s-video inputs.

None so far

I have hooked this up with PSB Image 4T, and Technics Center and Surround speakers. Played Eric Clapton unplugged and the sound was amazing. Just natural sound. I could hear instruments I never heard before. This is a good buy. With my Pioneer when I had Dolby Digital the highs would fade drastically in the front speakers. I had to use an EQ to boost the main speaker highs. But with Yamaha I have disconnected the EQ. The PSB Image 4T has contributed a lot too. Just amazing speakers as well.

Similar Products Used:

Technics SA-DX940, Pioneer RX-V496

Excellent sound quality

If I had to find one weekness with this receiver, it would have to be the lack of an LED on the volume control knob.

Well, after living with my Yamaha RXV-980 a/v receiver for ten years and geting a new DVD player, I felt it was time to move up from 'Pro Logic' to a receiver that has full blown Dolby Digital/DTS surround sound.

After researching this for quite a while, I narrowed my choices between Pioneer's VXD-509 and the Yamaha. My dealer recommended the Yamaha over the Pioneer even though it had only 70 watts per channel as opposed to Pioneer's 100. They're 70 true powerful watts.

Since I've been very satisfied with the performance of my previous Yamaha, I decided to go with the RXV-496. And man, I couldn't be happier.

Hooking it up was a snap. I used an optical cable. And all I can say is I was blown away by the sound.

I played Armageddon and just couldn't believe it. My jaw actually dropped. I was amazed at the full rich sound. Channel separation was excellent with hardly any crosstalk. I played this movie using Yamaha's default settings. I didn't even set up the balance for my listening room. Imagine when I fine tune it.

If you think that it's 70 watts is not enough power, think again. For an average size living/family room, you'll never use more than 1/3 the volume. And even at that, it's room shaking. And then again, we're talking Yamaha power.

This receiver may not have all the bells and whistles of some other receivers in it's class but if it's quality sound you're after, look no further that the Yamaha. You won't regret it.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RXV-980

Much power for 70watts

Remote

I was so amazed at how much power this receiver had. I have a pretty good size great room and this receiver totally rocks the place at only about 35% volume. Great DTS and Digital sound, and a hell of a buy for an entry level Home Theater receiver. And not to forget the THD rating at only .06% which sounds so much cleaner than the other household brands. You won't regret the purchase :-)

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Pioneer

The sound, the sound, the sound

I do not like Yamaha's remote layout--but the receiver NONE

If this were a review of remotes, I would rate it less than the receiver itself. It does operate everyting, however, it is necessary to read the manual (and like all audio enthusiasts, I try to get by without reading the directions). I find the sony and denon remotes more user-friendly. BUT, this is a review of the receiver. As for it-I can not think of a better sound in this price range. I liked the Denon AVR1601 also (for my living room HT), but I really prefered the Yamaha's music sound. I run it with Infinity speakers and sub, and it just sounds incredible! I also liked the HK AVR310 for music, alot. However, it cost more, and I prefered the Yamaha's theatre sound. Don't get me wrong, all three are awesome, but since my HT serves as a music center 50% of the time as well, the RX-v496 was my clear cut choice.

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Yamaha, Sony, JVC, Infinity