basic to operate great for its day.pre amp outs

dts

i like this reciever but am now looking for a dts.
it sounds great and for the price its going for now its a steal.


my system
cerwin vega vs 15
klipcsh ksw 12
polk rm 6200 5 channel
panasonic dvd
sony cd
pioneer cd

Similar Products Used:

jvc sherrwood akai

I have some experience with this product. For sound quality, this receiver ranksright in the middle between mid-fi and hi-fi. The build quality is excellent
and the features are excellent for the money. Mid-fi receivers (Technics, Pioneer, Kenwood, and JVC) have slightly more colouration than the Yamaha. Hi-Fi
receivers (NAD, Rotel, Marantz, and Denon) have a much stronger stereo definition and realism. The Yamaha is harse and somewhat unnatural, especially in the upper frequencies. If the bass were turned up a little it may hide the
harsness but we audiphiles know its there.

710 burnt my ears out on the fugitive movie..when the train is trying to stop..the highs to me seemed screechy..but thats just me..took it back and am still looking for some thing with out listeners fatigue( Maybe it was the Jbls), that sound like a $2000 amp for 500 bucks?? hard to do..looking into lower wattage Onkyo, Yamaha, Harmons.. For the 350$ I paid at circuit city is was a great buy but maybe not for the longer term..Liked the remote, better than most..simple and functional. I'm Back in the hunt to match something up with the Alantic Technology 250.1 's. good shopping

though harsh and a little noisy, this cheap amp has amazing powerand dynamics and good stereo imaging,
for it`s price you get lot`s of features plus the best surround
processing available.
Hi-fi products will sound better but this is a great surruond amp,
for use in surround mode.

I purchased the RX-V590 after serious scrutiny of other recievers in that particular price range. It had come down to 2 recievers: The RX-V590 or the Harmon-Kardon AVR-20II. I chose the Yahamha over the AVR-20II for a couple of reasons, one being that the Yamaha was over $100(Cdn.) cheaper, and the Yamaha had more features (more DSP modes, more A/V imputs, and a much better remote). I felt the HK was a slightly better sounding receiver, but I couldn't jusify higher cost/less features in this particular decision. Now, for watching movies, TV, or video games (Sony Playstion games are encoded in Pro-Logic) it is an excellent amp for those purposes, with excellent Pro-Logic decoding and DSP modes, and all the inputs are a neccesity when using multiple sources. As for straight music listening, I admit it does lack somewhat, but if music listening is your main interest you probably wouldn't even be looking into an A/V receiver of any brand.

I purchased this reciever partly because i found it used for $275 and it was in excellent condition. I think the highs and mids are excellent, but this reciever was deffinately lacking in the bass department. I solved this problem buy buying a powered sub. I thought the DSP modes were OK, nothing special though. I usually just used the normal stereo mode or occasionally the concert video for music. The pro logic seemed top notch and I felt it was deffinately and excellent receiver for the price I paid. The learning remote was really cool, and made it much easier to operate my system. I used this system with 2 paradigm atom's in the front, and 2 paradigm micro's for surround speakers. The sub is an audiosource SW15. I beleive it sounds clean and clear with my setup and I am happy with my purchase.

I originally bought this receiver with my speakers from my local hi-fi shop. I have been running a pair of Paradigm 9SEmkIII mains with this thing the whole time I have owned it. At first, I thought it was the best sound I had ever experienced (I moved up from a circa 1970 MCS system). It was, in fact, the best sound I had heard at that point, having no previous exposure to hi-fi. Over the past years my tastes have matured, both in music and music reproduction, and I have liked the Yamaha less and less.
My list of gripes:

The one thing I cannot stand is the Yamaha Natural Sound chip. Why do they find it necessary to alter my signal before I even get to hear it? Give me the goods, not the packaged goods! Also, the DSP modes, which at first were the best thing I could imagine, have come to annoy me beyond my capacity. They serve no purpose other than to muddy the signal and make my music sound horrible. Also, the amplifier section is weak and quite unsophisticated (but what do you expect for $400?!). My advice: Keep this receiver in stereo mode and NEVER use the DSP processing.

My list of likes:
The Dolby Pro-Logic decoding on this unit is very nice. It does as well a job as any processor in any price range on Pro-Logic. The experience is immersive and seamless--very nice. Also, the remote control is excellent. It controls all of my A/V gear with no problem, learns any new equipment controls I may throw at it, and is elegantly simple.

My list of gripes turned out longer than my ist of likes but that is to be expected with a $400 piece of equipment. For the price, it is good. I am currently running it as a pre-amp/processor for a Parasound HCA-1000A Amplifier and a Sony CDP-XA20ES CD player. My speakers are Paradigm 9SEmkIII mains, Paradigm Atom surrounds, and a Paradigm PW-2200 subwoofer. My advice to anyone who is thinking about buying this is: buy it. It will serve you well for a few years until your tastes mature, at which time you will HAVE to upgrade. But hey, for $400 you will be in hog heaven for years.

Powerful for mid-priced AV receiver. Runs cool (barely warm).

Lacks low end. Subwoofer a must.

I owned the Yamaha 590 for approximately 2 years with not a minutes problem. It was never used to listen to music but to watch movies with a stereo vcr. I also have a 12" sub which is a must. Together they sounded great in a room about 13x20. Very quiet and would barely get warm even during long action movies. I passed it on to my son who now enjoys it every bit as much as I did. I used to own a RXV-850 which was also a champ! I've never been displeased with Yamaha AV receivers or amps in any way. Very good and highly recommended. Their stuff just keep getting better.
5 stars here!!!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RXV 850. Klipsch KV-2 center. ACI S2-R mains.

Crisp sound, great value

lacks in the lower frequencies.
The Sound Field processor is crap

Since its my first real reciever im more than pleased with it!
The reciver has no problems to play any sort of music, from classics to trance.
It plays clean and without any distortion when I turn the volume up, the only complaints is from my neighbours...
since I only gave $170 for it Im very pleased.
But a Subbass is a must

My system:
Dali 5005 Main speakers
passive 2*12" boxed sub
Sony cdp-250

Yamaha's RX-V590 delivers everything it promises - well above average performance for a very competitive price.Several previous reviewers mentioned a lack of bass - i solved that problem with an M&K MX350 powered subwoofer. Come on, people, this has only a 75 watt (front channel) amp!!! It is not intended to fill huge rooms with structure-moving bass. I leave that to the subwoofer...
I really can't complain about anything - the unit is well built and very versatile. It performs as well as most receivers twice its price (just look at the specs). Those who don't like the surround sound probably haven't configured their system properly (delay time, rear channel output level, speaker type and placement, etc). All in all, a terrific bargain.