This model has nice functions such as CD Direct and Pure Direct which allow to bypass the tone/bass/loudness/etc. controls and amplify any sound from a CD or an other source. It sounds are rich. The bass is excellent and the highs are clear and deep. The sound picture is quite complex and pretty real. With the receiver I used a Marantz CD46 with PSB Alpha speakers with MIT interconnect cables T6S08.
I am quite satisfied with the receiver. The remote control does not allow to desactivate CD Direct and Pure Direct functions, so if you activated them, you cannot change the source with the remote (you have to change it manually).

On the plus sides, this receiver has a lot of connexions at the rear : a phono stage, two sets of speaker (a & b), one tape deck, one CD, one TV, one LD player or TV tuner and a second tape deck or a VCR.

Given the price of the 596 (1998's version of the 595), you get great performace. The mid and high range are clear and crisp. Bass is OK. Soundstaging can be excellent with the right pair of speakers. I liked the Pure-direct function. I would say the 770 is a better receiver, but for the casual listener, I don't know that you'd notice a difference. If you have an excellent CD player and decent speakers / cabling, it might be worth the extra $100, if not go with the 596.
If you don't listen to the radio, check out Yamaha's AX line of Natural Sound integrated amps. The sound will be comparable or better at each price point, and the price less (but not much).

my feelings are that yamaha products are amoung the best. i have a 595 in my dorm room and i just piss the hell out of my neighbors with it. i have it teamed with paradigm m3 and an m&k v-125 powered sub. it gets its music from a yamaha cd player. altogether it gets the job done nicely.

Could someone let me know a good mail-order place to order the Yamaha receiver?It is very good for movies, but Denon 2700 is better for music.
Thanks,

I bought this receiver a year ago, when I realized that my two-month old Yamaha CDC-765 cd-changer needed a good receiver to match its performance. I am very satisfied with its great sound quality and ease of use. The tuner section works great. The adjustable loudness control is a very good idea of Yamaha. The remote control is quite easy to use. The only drawback is that you can't turn on/off the cd-direct amp from the remote control but that's a minor disadvantage you get use to. Overall, you can't find a better receiver in its price range. I strongly suggest you to give it a try.

OOPs, I posted my review for RX-V595 here in RX-595. Sorry about that. Well, maybe Yamaha needs to name their models so they don't confuse people like this.

I also think this is an excellent receiver. I spent a great of time researching the "bargain" dolby digital receivers and think this is the best bang for the buck. Comparable Sony's and Kenwood's were my other candidates, but when I found a sale on this new receiver ($425) I couldn't resist. Connected to my B&W 302's and CC3 with a Paradigm Sub, it sounds great at a budget price. The negatives for this system, no S-Video, low wattage (70 watts/channel on paper) do not really matter in my opinion. In my case, the S-Video cable goes straight from my DVD player to the TV (to give the best picture) and the wattage is more than adequate to produce clean loud audio. The remote control is pretty nice, after reading the owner's manual it now makes sense, and it looks too similar to a "Star Wars" light - saber to be coincidence (very cool). I highly recommend this unit, especially if you can find one on sale to make it on par price-wise with the other "budget" dolby digital receivers.

A couple of years ago when I wanted to build a surround sound viewing system, I compared a number of Prologic receivers. Sony had the lead in price at the time and came with alot of features, but sound quality wasn't quite what I was looking for so I opted for the Yamaha RX-V395 instead. From the moment I set it up I was very pleased with its abilities, despite only 50W in front and 20W from the surrounds, I was never dissatisfied with the quantity or quality of the sound. So, when it came time to upgrade to AC3 I naturally chose a Yamaha. The Yamaha RX-V595 had all the features I wanted in a receiver, AC3, Prologic, DSP modes such as hall, rock and disco, coax and digital inputs and 6 discrete inputs for future expansion.
I was very happy with my 395 but the 595 was an order of magnitude above the 395. The first Prologic broadcast I caught on TV was incredible. The sound field was more spacious and brighter than I was used to with the 395. The seperate LFE channel made my bass response clearer and crisper, gone was the constant rumble that often came from the subwoofer when it was getting its signals from the front speaker wires. Since the bass input was cleaner, the output was too, I no longer feel I need a bass trap. A quick run through with Video Essentials and my speaker balance was perfect. DVD surround sound effects have been outstanding.

If you want a quality receiver in the > $500 range then this is the one for you. It has many of the bells and whistles found on the higher priced units but more importantely it truly sounds great. Even if you want more of the fancy stuff I'd strongly recommend hearing a Yamaha. Yamaha has earned a reputationf for quality sound reproduction and the RX-V series lives up to it.

I bought this from the local GoodGuys for $425(+ tax), and am using it to drive Carver 5.2 HT speakers (all 5 channels 4 ohm). Also in the system is Philips/Magnavox 815AT DVD player for playing DVDs and CDs.
The sound quality leaves no room for complaints. I tested this side-by-side with a Yamaha RXV992 demo model I'd bought for $447 . I switched back and forth between the two several times, and TRIED HARD to find a difference in sound quality. Tried DVDs and CDs, Dolby Digital and all..Both were excellent. Even the specs in the manuals seemed to be identical for the most part. Sounds crazy, but I returned the 992. It was a close call, and I'd be happy either way.

Pros for RXV595:
* 6 channel input ( was the tie breaker, I don't care about DTS now, but I love the multi-channel DD, so would like to be able to play any new multi-channel audio that really takes off)

Cons:
* Badly designed Remote. The dial selector was designed by a moron. Has 10 positions, and you might have to go thro them all each time. Drove me crazy for the first few days, but now I'm familiar with the positions, so it doesn't bother me much anymore.

The manual says the rear speakers should be > 6 ohms, but it doesn't seem to matter that the Carvers are 4 ohms. All Yamaha literature seems to talk of all Yamaha receivers' low impedance drive capabililty, so it's probably okay.

The 992 had:
* S video switching (one can always buy a manual switch that Sony makes.You can get up and use this if you want to switch Svideo, and just switch composite video if you want to sit on the couch and use the remote)
* More capable/intelligent remote (but I still think it's bulky and could be broken if handled without utmost care.)
* preamp outputs ( but I have no plans of adding an outboard amp.)
* NO 6 channel inputs ( kind of not futureproof.)

It's loud as hell with the volume at 30% , so it's powerful enough.

It doesn't have binding posts for rear and center (even the 795 didn't seem to), but what the hell..

It's got one Coax digital and 2 optical inputs. I wish it was 2 coax and 1 optical. My DVD player has just a Coax out. The second digital device (Satellite?) hopefully has an optical out when I buy it. If not, I'll have to get one of those $60 gizmos that convert Coax Digital.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with this receiver.

I bought this from the local GoodGuys for $425(+ tax), and am using it to drive Carver 5.2 Cinema speakers (all 5 channels 4 ohm). Also in the system is Philips/Magnavox 815AT DVD player for playing DVDs and CDs.
The sound quality leaves no room for complaints. I tested this side-by-side with a Yamaha RXV992 demo model I'd bought for $447 . I switched back and forth between the two several times, and TRIED HARD to find a difference in sound quality. Tried DVDs and CDs, Dolby Digital and all..Both were excellent. Even the specs in the manuals seemed to be identical for the most part. Sounds crazy, but I returned the 992. It was a close call, and I'd be happy either way.

Pros for RXV595:
* 6 channel input ( was the tie breaker, I don't care about DTS now, but I love the multi-channel DD, so would like to be able to play any new multi-channel audio that really takes off)

Cons:
* Badly designed Remote. The dial selector was designed by a moron. Has 10 positions, and you might have to go thro them all each time. Drove me crazy for the first few days, but now I'm familiar with the positions, so it doesn't bother me much anymore.

The manual says the rear speakers should be > 6 ohms, but it doesn't seem to matter that the Carvers are 4 ohms. All Yamaha literature seems to talk of all Yamaha receivers' low impedance drive capabililty, so it's probably okay.

The 992 had:
* S video switching (one can always buy a manual switch that Sony makes.You can get up and use this if you want to switch Svideo, and just switch composite video if you want to sit on the couch and use the remote)
* More capable/intelligent remote (but I still think it's bulky and could be broken if handled without utmost care.)
* preamp outputs ( but I have no plans of adding an outboard amp.)
* NO 6 channel inputs ( kind of not futureproof.)

It's loud as hell with the volume at 30% , so it's powerful enough.

It doesn't have binding posts for rear and center (even the 795 didn't seem to), but what the hell..

It's got one Coax digital and 2 optical inputs. I wish it was 2 coax and 1 optical. My DVD player has just a Coax out. The second digital device (Satellite?) hopefully has an optical out when I buy it. If not, I'll have to get one of those $60 gizmos that convert Coax Digital.

I don't think you'll be disappointed with this receiver.