Build Quality, Sound, Power

None

Ok, Never thought I would own a Yamaha. I'm using Klipsch La Scala's for mains. If you know these speakers you know they don't take well to most solid state receivers. I tried all of the receivers listed at home withs the Scala's. I kept the Yamaha. This receiver is very percise and accurate. The 5 channel stereo mode is the best I've heard. People who think it is under powered aren't use to digital volume controls. Enough said.

My stuff:
Yamaha RX-V620 receiver
1976 Klipsch La Scala's
Klipsch KSW12 Sub.
Klipsch SC1 Center
Klipsch KG 3.5 rears
Panasonic RV31 DVD
Sharp 32" TV

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, JVC, Technics, Kenwood, Denon, HK, Sony

I purchased this unit to replace a 15 year old Yamaha R9 Stereo receiver as my first entry into AV. I expected to hear the same quality that I had been used to over the last 15 years. I was tremendously dissapointed. It is definitely weak at low volume, and the overall sound was best described as muddy. After an extensive effort to see if there was anything I could do to make it better, I gave up and returned it. I immediately picked up an Onkyo receiver and the Onkyo sound is crisp and clear. In looking at other reviews on this Yamaha receiver, it looks like my experience is very close to what others have experienced.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Onkyo, Sony

Very powerful, great detailed and crystal clear sound, great punch in the sound.

Absolutely NONE!

I don't agree at all with the prevoius 2 writers. My RX-V620 has crystal clear sound and it is VERY powerful! It really sounds great and it has a lot of inputs/outputs.
I really don't need a subwoofer for this amp, my whole room is shaking when I listen (and I don't have a subwoofer). And how the hell can you say that a Denon is better ?!?!?! They really sound flat compared to this one! No bass at all and you really have to turn up the volumeknob to hear any sound. I had a Denon AVR-1801 before I returned it, because it was so weak! I had to turn up the volumeknob to maximum to get a descent soundvolume... WEAK is the word for the Denon AVR-1801.
After I had returned my Denon I bought the Yamaha and I am very pleased with this one!

Thanks for me.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-1801

I have not used this product yet, but I have demoed it and will probably get this receiver. Anyways the purpose of this "review" is to inform people that the RXV620 and the HTR5460 are NOT the SAME RECEIVER. The rxv620 does have 6 channel inputs the HTR540 does not. The rxv also has the yamaha digital topart whereas the htr does not. Also the 620 is rated at 100 watts per channel with .06%THD whereas the htr is rated 100 wpc with .09%thd. All the differences are pretty minor except for the 6 channel external input for the same price get the RXV620. Plus you don't have to deal with the meatheads at BestBuy which has probably (at least the store I go to) the least informed emplyees I've ever met. I will rate this as 5 star value and 4 overall as to not skew the ratings of people who have used the receiver more.

Crisp treble and bass, well defined sound, brilliant seperation, great stereo, high power, universal remote control, on screen display, 32bit dsp modes, tones of s-video, optical ins outs.

None yet discovered.

this review is actually for the Yamaha AX620, which is the RXV-620 without a tuner built in.
I have used various recievers so far, which I have had to take back because of their inability to reproduce good stereo with good surround sound as I was looking for a 50/50 audio/movie amplifier. I havebeen using this amplifier for 3 days now and I haven't found a weakness so far. It is a joy to use when listening to music and even more brilliant when watching ac3 or dts dvd titles. I am able to use the range of s-video inputs to hook up my dvd and video and other sources whilst there is an offering of 5 optical inputs and a cozxial input for future digital sources. The amplifier packs 90Wpc rms at 8ohms, which is more than adequate for any home cinema system. this amplifier really packs a punch and delivers the right sounds to each channel with great precision. The dsp modes are fantastic, i didn't think I would use the dsp modes at first based on previous experience with poor dsp modes on other recievers but the 32bit dsps on this unit sound great and i have found myself using them all the time. I am so impressed with this yamaha product that i have decided to purchase a new yamaha cd and turntable to go with it. I purchased this unit at richer sounds, costing only £299.95, £100 off the normal selling price. I have used a sony 1070 reciever, which cost £500 and the yamaha wins hands down for music, dts and ac3, the only disadvantage being the exclusion of a dts ES mode, but this amp really makes up for that with outstandng 2 channel surround mode anyway.

I would highly recommend this amplifier to any audio enthusiast seeking an amplifier for both audio and home cinema witha budget of under £1000.

My system setup consists of the following:

Eltax Symphony 6.2 fronts (bi-wired)
Mordaunt-Short 905C centre channel
Mordaunt-Short MSW20 Subwoofer (10")
Gale Gold Monitor Rear Speakers
Toshiba SD100E DVD player

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood 5030D, Technics AX700, Sherwood 6106, Sherwood 8090.

Clear sound, DSP, separate volume control for each channel

Front panel (what the hell the 'jack' doing there in front, remote

I sat the whole of half-day at the dealer shops and make sure he serves me well by tweaking various component available in his shop. Initially, I listened to RV-420 with Mission Cinema 7 with Energy Subs club in. This thing rocks from music and movie playing 'Patriot', the sound reproduction really good with the 420's but power, where's the power, besides 420 seems limited in capability but still good enough. Then, I asked the sales guy to show me the Onkyo 797 with Mission Cinema 7, same impact as 420's again my mind switches back to Yamaha. Then, I decided to toy a little bit with combinations, I went for RV-620 with Whafedale Diamond 8.1 as front, with Wharfedale center, a wall mounted rear and 10" subs. After listening intently for a few more minutes of music and DTS movie, my decision has arrived. Go for it! Why RV-620? well, I like to tweak the volume up separately for each channel, that way I can optimized gaps around my living room, which is L-shaped and not square as what most hi-fi enthusiast would recommend. Crystal clear sound, DSP (you got to have that for movies) and the 'package' (with Wharfedale Diamond 8.1 club in and for $855.00 + home installation) its a steal!!!

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Cambridge Soundworks,

Warm sound, excellent sound across full frequency spectrum even with simple two speaker setup

None that I've found so far

During my lengthy search for a replacement for my 12 year old Kenwood, which I was only retiring due to a ground hum it recently developed, I narrowed down to two products:

1. Onkyo TX-DS595
2. Yamaha RX-V620

For some reason I took the Onkyo home, but it was back in the shop within a few days to be replaced by the Yamaha. Reasons for this are discussed in detail in my separate review of the Onkyo but let me say that IMO there is no comparison between these two products, the Yamaha wins hands down.

At present, due to financial and spatial (small unit) restraints I am only running a simple two speaker setup (JBL) and I mainly listen to music. I have plans on expanding this system at some time in the future but the Yamaha sounds excellent as is and does not need a sub to give great bottom end sound support, even at low volume. If you are in a similar situation, check this amp out. It produces a fantastic warm sound, which is important to me as I found that so many of the modern amps that I looked at really lacked any warmth at all. My old Kenwood set the bar pretty high in this department and it was hard to find an amp that could match it. But match it I have with the Yamaha.

If you are in a similar situation and want an amp that sounds good now, not when you can buy all the additional speakers, check this amp out.

On to technical aspects...

In terms of features for dollar it is hard to match the Yamaha with component video suppport, pre-outs, bass extension (a winner for big sound at low volume) a remote that supports ALL my equipment, more inputs/outputs than you'll ever need etc,. The only glaring omission is Pro Logic II (it does have Pro Logic). The main difference: PLII gives you stereo rear speaker whereas PL is mono in the rear. Being predominantly a music listener, this was not important to me. You can decide on this one. For a good explanation see the following URL:

http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_8_1/dolby-prologic2-3-2001.html

Whilst a lot of fuss has been made about the remote, my purchasing decision is based sound and features, not the remote. I incidentally, have no problem with it, and it supports a huge range of equipment.

IF you get a chance, try to get your retailer to bring the gear you are interested in to you, so you can hear it on your speakers, in your environment. Sound studios never sound like home and do not give you a good indication of how it will really sound when you get the gear out of the box. When I compared the Onkyo and the Yamaha in my living room it was a different story to comparing in the shop. If you are in Perth, I recommend that you talk to the guys at Surround Sounds, Osborne Park, they were extremely helpful.

In summary, I love this amp and highly recommend it to anyone. But you'll read similar comments for every product so remember, sound is a very personal thing and a lot depends on your other equipment. Take the time to check out all the products available.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TX-DS595, Kenwood KR-930

Everything really

Not as pretty as the Sony Amps

I read the other reviews on this site before deciding to buy this amp. Upon reading them I decided that I simply had to have one. Now that I have bought one I am more than impressed. It is absolutely fantastic. I noticed many people have commented on the remote, but in comparison with the sony, it is sleek, efficient & functional. A year ago I bought a sony DVP 735 with the intention of buying a db940 amp, which would match it. However upon listening to the two, there could only be one winner. Whilst the sony looks ten times better, I think the yamaha wins on sound. Thinking this was an amp, & not a picture meant I bought the yamaha.....

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR DB 940

sound clarity, power

odd, difficult-to-figure-out remote

This is a very good receiver. Those complaining about the sound it produces have no idea what they are talking about. It has thus far done everything I expected it to - music and dvd's sound great and s-video cables make picture quality great as well. If you are on somewhat of a budget (like me), have good speakers and want great sound from a reciever for under $400, you cannot go wrong.

Similar Products Used:

none

This receiver has truly surpassed expectations -- sound is full and rich, and cinema sound is astounding. Hi-Fi inputs are a little wishy-washy with effect speakers turned off (with my little Yamaha speakers, at least) proving that this unit is really more of a DSP show-pony than a big-ballsed Hi-Fi amp. Others may have different experiences with "proper" front speakers: 90W of crisp power should be enough to last me a few upgrades.

I was skeptical about the wisdom of teaming this amp with small speakers (tightish budget), but was blown away by the Yamaha bookshelf units set up at the store. Turning the volume up and up... those speakers pump it out loud, but with no distortion. None. Just loud, clear sound. I snapped up those speakers:the Yamaha NS-P610 speaker set (4 x shielded bass-reflex units, 1 x centre unit + 1 x 70W powered sub). A little tinny when set up in a large and open living space, but great value (A$1100, US$550), and obviously great quality. A pair of bigger front speakers will probably follow some day.

So anyway, back to the amp. This is exactly what I was after: clean, loud sound with genuinely useful DSP effects. For Hi-Fi sources, "5 Channel Stereo" is a revelation to my ears, long dulled by various cheap mini units. Everything in the source music is picked apart and blown up to life size, and there's a fabulous absence of hiss and blur. And that tinniness of my little speakers is forgotten when sitting in the middle of the sound fields. Despite having never really experienced great 2-channel Hi-Fi, I'd go on record saying that 5-channels are a must, especially if you want to drive value out of low-cost speakers. Several of the Hi-Fi modes are so-so, but many harmonise well with certain types of music.

With DVDs, the DSP effects really shine: you forget the speakers and hear sound from all directions. I need to experiment more with these -- it's currently too easy to switch around without really experiencing the film. Sound field localisation is very, very strong in all directions (even immediately left and right of the viewer), and the listening position is large enough for most small audiences.

In terms of value, I'd suggest that you shouldn't be afraid of looking above and below your immediate choice in the Yamaha range -- I was originally considering the RX-V1000, but was much happier with the bang-per-buck of the RX-V800 and RX-V620. Consider that moving from 800->620 loses only 10W per channel and 6.1 decoding, and this unit looks great value. I was reluctant to go cheaper, since that would mean losing another 20W per channel and ToP-ART, but listening at stores didn't expose enormose lossage. Listen around.

Lastly, to any Australians considering AV hardware: always ask for a better price, and show the prices available from online retailers. This unit normally retails for A$1299 (US$650).