future proof with many digital input/output, component video switching(2 in 1 out), bindingpost for all speaker, 6channel input, YAMAHA Digital Top Art gives excellent sound,great remote(albeit not backlit), a 5 channel stereo mode for listening to music in 5 channels

yellow display impossible to read in daylight(anywhere near sun=cant read), remote not backlit(can buy a backlit one though it probably will be harder to understand/use)

my plan was to get avr 310 since its last years model being replaced by 320 BUT
i got this receeiver half off!!!
it equals the h/k and has more inputs, though i believe the h/k has a higher current amp(explains why it can equal in power the yamahas 100*5 even though the avr310 is 50*5)

plusses:
great sound,features, remote, easy to use overall, quality construction(metal front panel not plastic...for example)front panel inputs and a front panel that isnt cheap feeling like pioneers...
digital top art produces clear room filling sound,....cant wait till i get my 12 or 15 inch velodyne or klipsh subwoofer....

the main fault is....

the yellow display is a bad choice for color-it cant be read in daytime!!!
but really i dont need to be able to read the display more than once or twice a day anyway(to turn on and change settings) so this turns to be a minor nuisance as is the remote not being backlit.(the remote otherwise is excellent!)

overall an excellent music receiver (i have yet to test out home theater(dont have tv or dvd player YET-im sure its great in that also)

this receiver will grow with me as i upgrade my system:
2 kenwood kl-777a floor speakers(excellent for old speaker)
2 bose 2.2 Bookshelf speakers(very good)
1 Akai st-200 bookshelf speaker serving as the center channel(its okay at best--to0 dull, not dynamic at all)
BUT regardless of what i may think of the above speakers ill be replacing all of them because they are not mine:) dads speakers.
1 yamaha rx-v800

this receiver is excellent for ANY person who enjoys music and movies-regardless of price though since its last years model, you should be able to find it at clearance prices (myer-emco,ubid.com,ebay.com,and any other electronics website)...
BUT even though I like this receiver PLEASE DONT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT...PLEASE go LISTEN YOURSELF to all the recievers you can because its whats pleasing to YOUR ears that should make the decision....

Similar Products Used:

yamaha,kenwood,denon, h/k, marantz, onkyo, pioneer,jvc,sony,nad

Beautiful front panel. Attractive sound for movie and variety of DSP features.

Lack of tonal balance for music. Rather bright on the high and lack of mid freq.

I tested Yamaha against Denon when I upgraded my 2 channel stereo to a 5.1 home theater system (all on B&W speakers). It was a hard decision. While Yamaha sounds more attractive when you watch rock concert DVD, it really lost to Denon when it come to music like Eagle or the Corrs. The opening guitar solo from the Eagle DVD sounds better with Denon. Yamaha's mid-frequency just doesn't come out. Its high-frequency is bright, revealing more sparkling detail from the average DVD/CD sources.

For movie, Yamaha sounds a little more exciting while Denon sounds more solid and powerful. Channel separation from Yamaha sounds more distinct, but lack of harmony. Denon produces more realistic voice from center channel which blend well into the front speakers. I ended up taking the Denon home.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 2802

Sound

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The sound is very rich and detail. It need trials to get the right set up, but once you get it right, you'll enjoy it. The 5.1 Stereo is good for watching VCD or even music. I find it better then Prologic since it equally power the main and rear speaker.

Speaker used: Klipsch quintet and Klipsch KSW-10

Similar Products Used:

Nakamichi AV-10

very good movie watching,wow, i stay at home now and enjoy, very good everything, stereo and audio fans will appreciate the on screen speaker adjustments, some of the sounds can come off as to high if not adjusted, but then again it could be my B A's 950's

had some signal problems while switching componenets, but it could have been my unknowing doing. the power of the remote requires a lot more explantion in the manual.

never buy a whole Home Theater system. one component at the time will make your headaches less intense. I am in my 2nd week of my 800 and things get smoother as I learn. I feel like i should have attended some AV hometheater class beforehand. Everytime (nightly) i seem to discover another great feature on the beast! I bought mine at Brandsmart for $599 and that my friends I think, is value!
set up:
Boston Acoustics: main 950, center 910, sur VRS, Klipsch sw8
Sony dvd ns 700, sony hdtv ready 43hs, jvc s-vhs

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo tx 717 which i still use and love in my office

a/b speaker switching, true 100wx5 power, 6.1 phantom for those who don't want to spend more on a sixth speaker for the rear and more wire or those who know it is not worth it right now because there are hardly any EX or ES DVDs out there antways. Plenty of realistic DSP modes and my favorite the 5 channel stereo. Clear sound and low total harmonic distortion at 0.04%

I've got it in my apartment right now. Can't use it to its
best ability. (my weakness)

Very good! Audio playback on dvds are wonderful. Plenty of power and keeps clear and clean even if you want the volume really high (only when I can). Plenty of features and connections. Won't be needing a upgrade for a while. I sugges buying one online. It's cheaper. You'll get ripped if you pay the price of a Yamaha RX-V800 at a Circuit City or a Good Guys store. If you get it under $600 you did a pretty good job.

Exeptional stereo performance, excellent Dolbi 5.1 Decoder, great features- 4 optical and two coaxial digital audio inputs.

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I was looking for a sub $1000 receiver to upgrade my stereo system to a Home Theater level.
The natural choice was to go with Yamaha, Marantz or Denon. One particular feature I was
looking for, was the A/B switch for the front speakers. The Marantz 6200 did not have this
feature and their higher model(7200) was priced at $1300 CAD, so the only two receivers that were within
my budget were Yamaha RX-V800 and the Denon AVR 1802 . Both of them had the same price tag
of $800CAD at Kennedy HIFI in Markham, Ontario. I am a stereo fan, so the most important thing for
me was the stereo sound performance. I took my reference CD's and went to Kennedy HIFI.
You cannot imagine what a difference in sound performance I heard. The Yamaha's sound was so smooth
warm and clear. It was a real pleasure to listen to this receiver. The sound picture was undistorted and very well balanced. The sound of Denon was not bad, but the mid/high frequency range was too bright even in "Tone Defeat" Mode. By the way this is how I tested the receivers: Yamaha set to "Effects OFF and Processor Direct" and Denon set to "Tone Defeat and Stereo" mode. I had the CD Player connected via coaxial cable to the receivers (digital PCM audio), so the internal 24 Bit DAC's on both receivers were used to convert the digital signal to analog stereo.
Now why are the receivers so different? I think that there is almost impossible to get a receiver, which is going to perfectly match your speakers or the other way around. That is why the bass and the treble potentiometers are provided, to touch and change the overall sound to your liking, but without changing the overall sound picture dramatically.
Here is where the big difference comes. I think that this is a matter of sound philosophy employed by the
two companies.
What Denon does is: Bass correction +/- 10dB @100Hz, Treble correction +/- 10dB @ 10kHz. By increasing the bass and treble we are adding too much mid frequency gain to the overall sound picture, thus changing the original sound image too much.
What Yamaha does is: Bass correction +/- 10dB @ 50Hz, Treble correction +/- 10dB @ 20kHz. Adding a 1 or 2 dB of bass or treble will only underline the two extremes of the sound picture, without changing the amplitude of the mid range spectrum at all. The human ear is very sensitive to the frequency range of
1kHz to 5kHz, so any change in the level of this frequency will increase the level of the presence you feel, but it becomes really unpleasant to listen to for a long time.
I listened to the Marantz 6200, but at different location and with different speakers. The sound was not good at all, but the speakers may be to blame for that.
I recently tried the Dolby 5.1 feature with my DVD player. The sound quality was excellent.
In my opinion Yamaha has done an excellent job with this receiver. I cannot stop listening to my CD collection. The sound is perfect. I think that,Yamaha VR-X800 is the best sounding receiver I have heard in a long time.

My system consists of:
Yamaha VR-X800 Receiver
HPM60 Main Speakers(4 way)30Hz to 24kHz
Full Range(3 way) Surround Speakers
Pioneer PD-F606 CD Player
Apex AD-700 DVD Player
Sony 36V27 TV

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR1802

Tight clarity and performance love all the inputs and the decoding doesn't stop for listening in headphones!! makes for one hell of a experience

nothing

Haven't seen or heard a downfall yet... I love this piece!!!

Very good Dolby Digital and DTS decoding. 6.1 Phantom.
Actually very nice DSP. Even the remote is good, altough it needs some practicing.

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I also looked Denon, Rotel and NAD AV receiver´s and compared it to Yamaha. Rxv800 was winner, no doubt. It´s also easy to use.

Yamaha gives good, crisp and clear bass. Receiver is accurate in both music and movies´s. It can handle difficult speakers.

This is a piece of Art. I just love it.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha rxv-390RDS

Music and Movie can be enjoyable

Yes, the remote and the clarity of the treble not good as Yamaha RX-V995.

This sound come from receiver is different from the yamaha old model like RX-V 995, RX-V 795a, especially in music. There is no harsh and the bass little more have power.
But I notice that the menu - L/R speaker balance - (with digital or analog connection) if I full set to right speaker, the left speaker still sounding. And it happened too if I full set to left speaker, the right speaker still sounding ( I hope someone can describe it to me ).
But after all, I am very happy with this unit.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V 995, RX-V 795a

Functional, uncluttered design; clean, powerful performance on music/movies.

Remote slightly awkward, until you get used to it.

After owning “mid-fi stereo” systems for the last 25 years, I finally decided to upgrade to an AV system about two years ago. I researched on the Internet and in magazines for at least a year before I decided on the components that I wanted. My biggest priority was to get the best sounding system I could for a reasonable amount of money. Another factor that was involved was that my wife wanted me to wait until we had moved before I bought anything. The reason for this was that we were moving about 3000 miles, from Ontario out to B.C. The system that I would have gotten in Ontario would have included the Denon 3300 AV receiver, but they are not available within reasonable driving distance here. Having checked out a few of the audio stores I decided to buy at Sound West in Trail, they carry Yamaha and Paradigm products*, which I had also been researching. They had a demo Yamaha RX-V995 on sale as well as the Paradigm 90P speakers that I was wanting. Due to a mix-up I ended up getting the RX-V800 instead of the 995 and I now think that I’ve ended up with the better receiver.
The system that I had before this one was composed of a NAD 7240 receiver, NAD 5340 CD-player, Technics HX-Pro dual tape deck and Polk 5B speakers, connected with Monster cable and Audioquest Jade interconnects. This system gave me a lot of pleasure for at least 10 years, and I could have stayed with it if Audio-Video hadn’t taken over the marketplace! Now, after experiencing my new system, I wouldn’t go back to the old one. Although I loved the sound of the NAD/Polk combination, the Yamaha/ Paradigm sound is fuller and more vibrant!
Setting up the system took somewhere in the neighbourhood of 3-4 hours after reading the manuals and having to change some connections; I have an older 21” Hitachi TV (one reason why I didn’t get a CC) so I couldn’t use the optical outs on the receiver or the DVD player. Finally after getting everything hooked up and positioned properly (speakers), I played CD’s and the tuner for about a week to burn everything in. I didn’t do any “critical” listening until after this period of time, but to my ears it still sounded pretty fine during burn-in. I normally listen to music most of the time and watch the occasional movie or sports event. The music I listen to ranges from good old R&R to Classical, Jazz, Reggae, Blues and a little bit of Country. A band that I just recently got turned on to is called Big Sugar, their “Heated” CD is a fantastic combo of Rock/Reggae and playing through my system, it makes me get up and dance! I’ve read at least one review here that questions the volume capability of the RX-V800, and I would agree that you have to turn it up to get the best performance. I normally listen at around –50 db for casual listening, but I have cranked it to –15 db (testing) and was pleasantly surprised at how good it sounded. The only slight criticism I would make is that when you do play it very loud, there is a touch of “brightness”, which is one reason I’m looking at tubed CD players.
One thing I have found is that if you play it at –15 db for more than about 15-20 minutes the receiver kicks out, although normally I don’t listen to it at that volume. Right now the only upgrades that I would like to make are, getting either a good quality DVD-A (Toshiba 9200) player or a tubed CD (Njoe Tjoeb 4000) player and bi-wiring my speakers. My current DVD player is the Toshiba 1600, which is adequate for now, but I knew when I bought it that it was only a stopgap item, until DVD-A players became more affordable or I found something else.
In my opinion you would have to spend a lot more money to get a better sounding, more functional AV receiver. I think I’ll be happy with this setup for another ten years, once I’ve gotten a better source! Five stars all around for this beauty.
While I’m here I would like to say to future reviewers that I don’t think it’s fair (IMO) to downgrade a product for anything other than its performance or reliability.

*They also carry other lines!

System: Yamaha RX-V800
2- Paradigm 90Ps
2- Paradigm ADP 370s
Toshiba 1600 DVD player
NAD 5340 CD player
Technics HX Pro dual tape deck
21” Hitachi TV (50” HDTV in future)
GE VCR
beyerdynamic DT531 headphones ( awesome!)
Monster cable speaker wires/ Audioquest
Jade interconnects

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300, Nakamichi AV-10, Marantz 7000, Yamaha 995