Good Sound, Bass & DSP Modes
Good Even without 5.1 channel support

Rear & Front channels are not having equal power

I am quite happy with for What i paid. I am using it with TDL RTL-3 fromt speakers & yamaha rear & centre speakers. I found it excellent for music.

Powerful, clean sound. Great digital effects on dolby prologic

none

I've found this receiver to deliver clear, clear, and powerful sound. The digital surround fields are great (and useful) vs other brands I've used. I highly recommend yamaha for quality and reliability.

Similar Products Used:

smaller yamahas, kenwood, harman kardon

This amp has been around for a few years now. It has Dolby Pro-Logic, 2 good Pro-logic DSP modes and a number of other less useful HiFi DSP modes.
It has very powerful amplification with 80 watts to front channels and 25
to the rears. It is very well made and a very useful feature is the ability
to connect 2 centre speakers.
HiFi performance is pretty good, with very powerful presentation and decent
detail and balance which i think compares well to my former 40 watt Rotel
stereo integrated amp. You need capable speakers though as the amps have
such brutal power.

Pro-Logic performance is also powerful, with the centre channel being
particularly clear. I think performance is 4/5.

A warning would be that this amp does not have 6 channel inputs and is not
compatible with dolby digital decoders.

I have had the Yamaha 870 for six years now and am throughly satisfied with it. The remote is excellent. Main problem is it only handles Pro-logic and doesn't have 6-channel inputs for upgrading.

I like it has pounded out good sound for the last 4 years I’ve got it hooked up to bose 901's 6 series as the front speakers a pbs sub energy centre and infinity rears and also upstairs I’ve hooked up some chiwin Vegas what a sweat system for a 14 year old to play with.

I have owned a Yamaha RX-V 870 for about 6 years, the rest of my system is Morduant Short MS 20 Classic mains, T1000 Centre and Bose 301 sIII rears, with Celestion AD15 H sub, Marantz CDV 400 and Rotel RB 960 power amp.This amp has served me very well since I purchased it in 1994. Its full pre-outs and main ins have allowed me to connect a sub amp with high and low pass filters which means my fronts don't get any bass below 80 hz and make it easier on the Rotel amp that powers them. I have routed the rear channel outs into the RX-Vs' front (main) ins which means that its power supply only has to run the centre and the (restricted bandwidth)rears which has really improved its performance.

I have been tempted by the upgraditis to get DD/DTS for some time now and have taken home a number of different receivers and amps to really see if it was worth my while to move to the new surround formats.

My most recent trial was of the Sony STR-DA50ES, DTS DD receiver. This amp represents good value in the current market but its sound was hard and bright compared to the 870. Indeed the surround decoding was better in DPL, no argument there, but the sound it made was like razor blades to my ears. My Sony CD player sounds full and rich in my current system, but was unlistenable with the 50ES,which I found highly fatiguing.

I have also tried the highly awarded Denon, AVR 3200. This is a very good amp with smooth sound. It was better in all respects to my 870. A little sweeter at stereo and more expansive in surround, not at all fatiguing like the Sony. But again the 870 was so close in all these areas I simply could not justify the outlay, after a week with the 3200 I was still just as happy with the 870.

To sum up, the RV-V 870 still is a great amp, held back by its lack of 5.1 channel inputs. I would recommend it to any one as a second hand purchase if the discreet surround formats aren't of interest to you.

I give it 4 speaker boxes (stars), one off because of no 5.1 input.

Has worked flawlessly since 1994. Have no intention of upgrading just because there is some new technology. Fact is it has tons of power, excellent clarity, rich tones.

None. Idiots who haven't tried the product should not be allowed to post reviews.

Excellent product, reliable, rocks my house without a hitch. AV setup is unparalleled for quality. Yamaha is right up there for quality performance.

ATTENTION MORONS: If you haven't USED this product, don't post one-star ratings for it. By the way, H/K is the biggest waste of money for what you get. The 310 is nothing but cosmetic enhancements for the 300. Same overpriced receiver as ever. It's even overpriced when you buy it open-box or b-good. I haven't used the Yamaha RX-V870 either, but I'm giving it a 5 just to offset the idiocy that has infected this board.

Great amp, has served me for years with no problems. I've got it hooked up to Boston Acoustics CR7 front end and it's sweet.
Now all I need is the modification from MSB so I can put DD through it.

As a second or play room system it's great but due to it's age you can get better for your money.

Tim
http://www.mypages.co.nz/~timbo

Cross-over of the receiver signal when the volume is cranked up.

Good value for money. At the time it was purchased (mid-1994) nothing came close to the features and quality. A massive number of inputs on the back and great sound.

One of the best Dolby pro-logic amps at the time. Has served well through incremental purchases of stereo VCR, rear speaker, new fronts and centre.

So happy that I will upgrade to the 995 without question.