Clean power. Versatility. Listening customization. Wonderful Sound!

Haven't really discovered any yet except maybe my own slow uptake on all the features and functions that this unit offers. Takes a little getting used to after years of just flipping the power on switch and then turning the speakers on!

After 23 years with a trusty and excellent Yamaha CR-1020 receiver decided it was finally time to join the digital age. Looked and listened for about six months. Like most folks would like to be able to afford being an audiophile (it's that champange taste with the beer budget thing!). Auditioned quite a number of different brands. One frustrating aspect when shopping is wanting to drive your own speakers when auditioning so everthing sort of becomes 'relative'. Ultimately came to the conclusion that Yamaha has not lost their focus. Clean, Natural Sound. Like another reviewer said, I also miss some of the versatility that my old receiver had, i.e., midrange attenuation, however, the RX-V995 more than makes up for that in a lot of other ways. I especially appreciate the ability to tailor the sound to the room via the presence, delay, etc. controls. This new unit is driving an old pair of ESS Amt1b's that were purchased at the same time as the CR-1020 and I was concerned about any replacement unit doing justice to the ESS's. I firmly believe that no matter what speakers you may be driving that as long as they are reasonably efficient the RX-V995 will give the clean powerful neutral sound that you are looking for. This unit does not add any coloration and absolutely no 'noise'. First time hookup is a little bit of a challenge for us old folks still in the 'stereo age' and I am still learning all the features and functions that this unit has, but I can say that I believe that in this price range that you would be very hard put to find anything that exceeds the performance of this unit. Thanks Yamaha.

Similar Products Used:

Current system.
Mains-ESS Amt1b
Surrounds-Definitive Tech BSP2X
CD-Denon DCD1500
Tape-Nakamichi 480
VCR-Panasonic 4569
Wish List-Add center channel, subwoofer, but next on my list is a DVD player. Considering the Pioneer 626. Appreciate all the other reviews as they are very helpful in trying to formulate a final decision. Thanks to all the other folks that submit their opinions.

Quality construction,great in the low hz area,no gimmicky features,easy to operate (not the remote)

Remote is very cumbersome, high and mid hz range seems to be a little bright.

Unlike Richard Cranium below, I found this unit to be extremely simple to learn and operate. I bought the RX-995 to replace my piece of crap Sony 915. The RX-V995 has all the a/v connections I will ever need. I really wanted to go with the RX-V795A but it lacked the connections I needed. It is good to have the good ol' bass and treble rotary knobs back, but I do miss being able to adjust the tone of the front,center and surround speakers separately. The first thing I noticed when I played a dvd was the bass was so much more cleaner and stronger than the Sony, Saving Private Ryan never sounded so good. Music sounds very good also but needs some treble adjustments for certain cd's. I can't comment on the various dsp modes because I never use them and don't care to. When it comes to music I prefer the "effect off" mode (2 speaker stereo). The remote on the other hand is a horribly designed monstrosity. For such a large remote, it has tiny little buttons and are very hard to fine in low light conditions (I keep a small flash light on my coffee table for this purpose) and the flimsy door is just waiting to be broken off. Other than the remote, this is the best receiver I have ever owned especially for the price I paid for it ($690 including shipping)

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer,Yamaha,JVC,Sony

Price, value, flexibility, inputs, outputs

Tuner is a bit weak

Sorry James, I am not only an engineer but I am also fully capable of reading the units alpha-numeric designation! I said that the RX-V995 does not accept DUAL banana plugs on the center and surround posts (the spacing is wrong). I did not say that it does not possess binding posts at these connection sites (like the old RX-V795 before the 'a' model upgrade). At least the back panel does not accept them on my unit so I suppose that I made the assumptions that other mass produced units are the same. Regardless, it is still a great unit at a good price.

High quality, great sound, great expandibility

Remote control- feels kind of flimsy (although I must admit its held up for a year now), also the lack of memory for memorizing other remote codes (I've read that you can send it in to Yamaha to get it upgraded, but what a pain in the ass to use this reciever without the remote for a month!), and also that the first two spots will only control Yamaha products (which are just too much money compared to what you get with other brand names)

BEFORE I START on my RX-V995 review, I'd like to make a plug for the Pioneer DV-F727 DVD megachanger (300+1 discs). It is a really great unit that lists for $1100 and is going for $900 at Crutchfield and others, and as of a couple of weeks ago was $650 at Costco. (I got the Good Guys to price match this, and I bet other places would too.) The reason I mention it here is that I have not seen any mention of it in any reviews, and it is a really great unit. If you are considering the Sony 200 disc DVD changer I would HIGHLY recommend you consider the Pioneer long and hard (if it is around the same price as the Sony) and not give the Sony a second thought if you can get the Pioneer for $650 like I did!
Sorry for that sales pitch :) I really like this reciever quite a lot. As you can see from my previous amp (not even a full reciever) I don't have a lot to compare to, but I researched this purchase heavily and am very satisfied with it. Rather than go into great detail I'll just say that I pretty much agree with any positive comment you see written on this page.
A few comments I do have for some other reviewers, though;
-to the previous poster; If you don't have binding posts for ALL of the speaker connections, then I'm pretty sure you do not have the RX-V995. Specifically, if the surround and center connections are spring clips then it sounds like you got the RX-V795.
-to all that say they are getting the 995 for around $600; I question that you are actually getting the 995 and not the 795 (or the RV-1105, which is the same thing as the 795 but sells for even cheaper since it is the "mail order" version). Giving you the benefit of the doubt, it is possible that you got a really great mail order deal (maybe they "fell off the back of a truck" somewhere?), but WATCH out!! From all sources that I've talked to or read (especially including the big disclaimer in Yamaha's warranties), if you do not buy from an authorized dealer (which mail order companies are not), Yamaha will not touch your reciever when it comes to warranty claims. As with any quality electronic product, this reciever will probably never need repair, but if you are getting it mail order, who knows where it came from and what it has been through?

Similar Products Used:

RCA stereo amp (figured I'd go ALL the way on the upgrade!!!)

DSP, relative value for what is offered.

Remote. Alot of options could be combined on the various navigation buttons.

Have had this unit about a month now. Couldn't be happier. I had a Sony STR-DB930 that was defective and decided to upgrade to the Yamaha. I can't say it is better than the Sony, but I cannot find anything sonically to criticize about the 995. This unit is totally awesome. Sure, it costs about $300 more than the Sony, but from what I've read, I don't think I could do much better for the price, $690 delivered. The sound is crystal clear, no hum, no hiss (unless you are right up against the speakers), just pure music and sound. My speakers are Polk RM7500 and this combination is incredible to hear. A pure joy. I couldn't belive the separation and placement of the sounds from DVDs. Sound from DSS is equally impressive. Watched Armeggedon on Starz and was totally shocked by the sound. American Werewolf in London was also very realistic. Never knew what I was missing. Both of those were in Pro Logic, or so the receiver said. I can hardly wait to try some DTS and AC3 DVDs. My wife kept asking "What was that?" behind us. Our home theater sounds just like the theater, but without the hiss and static normally associated with their sound systems. Music is equally clear and, with the various DSP modes, realistic spacially with the environments selected. One minor complaint. I basically hooked it up and ran with it. DSP modes are not real clear for movies. There are options that seem to overlap or are contradictory. Guess I have to read the manual more closely. Not real intuitive.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DB930

The RX-V995 sounds GREAT, plenty of punch, lots of detail and the noise is very low. The remote is a pain to learn but after starting over once on the Macro's and once on the Learning functions it is getting easier. Yamaha could have done a lot better. I used the info from this site to my advantage at Ultimate Elecronics. Just in case they didn't take my word about the going price ($799 plus shipping) from mail order, I called up this site on thier own Web TV to show the salesman. They had it for $999, on sale for $939, and I paid $799 plus tax. Looks like they pay a little over $560 (caught a glimps of the inventory screen,) or so for each unit, so they still made money. But I gave the salesman the option to take my bussiness or I would shop by mail. After an OK from his supervisor/manager, he did try to get me to by everything from speaker wire to a service contract (no dice) but I will have to go back as they have the speakers I would like to own. Gotta lose a star for the remote. Good luck.

Amp, front AV, DTS, 6-Channel input, 5 s-Video, multiple Digital ins, pre-outs, etc...

Remote, no banana plugs for surrounds, and center.

Great receiver, solidly built. Was going to get Denon, but heard of the fan problems. Onkyo had the Hissing problem.

The amp rated @100 W/Channel, but live in an apartment, so will never use to capacity. Paid $750 retail, but still worth it. I know people have been getting it for a little over $500, but still too risky to me.

No problems yet.

If you are in the market for a good receiver in this price range, Also consider the Marantz.

Similar Products Used:

Tested Sonys, Pioneers, Denon 3300, Onkyo 777

I replaced my RXV 850 with the RXV 995. It is a superb unit running though Boston Acoustics (Front & Center) and NHT rears. It is quieter and much more accurate. The remote is truly intimdating and the instruction manual a little light on the navigation. One problem I cannot figure out is when playing a DVD Movie with 2 channel and 4 channel Dolby Digital Surround, I cannot switch the unit to "Digital Surround". I can only switch it to "Dolby Pro Logic DSP and Enhanced"?? Why can't I get "Dolby Digital Surround" in program "10"? Terrific unit!

Excellent clear sound, especially the "No Effect" feature

The remote is pure crap, DVD/LD coaxial input is RF

I think I'm gonna marry this reciever, the best I've ever heard.
I listen only to classical music therefore I do not compromise on sound quality, and believe me this baby delivers the goods.
I don't like the DSP modes so much, eventhough I give them a try from time to time.
But what pissed me the most is the RF LD/DVD coaxial input.
I just couldn't hook my DVD player into this unit, and since I don't have a toslink output I had to buy a coaxial-optical converter, but I can blame only the salesman who "forgot" to tell me about this flow.
For conclusion - I think I'll stick with this one for a long long time.
RECOMMENDED for the music fans among you.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-2700
Luxman
Sansui

Brilliant HT receiver. Good power. Lots of connections. Bass goes very low in HT with floorstanding speakers. Effects.

Could sound a little bit better in music, but that is compared to an A1. Volume knob a little flimsy.

This is my 3rd Yamaha receiver, after having 2 already stolen. My previous receiver, DSP-A1, was excellent, but decided this time to buy something a bit smaller because I moved to a secure townhouse with a smaller living room.

Reviewed the Denon AVR3300 for 2 days and the Yamaha sounds much better in both HT and music.

The RXV995 sounds nearly as good as the A1 in HT, but you can definitely tell the difference in music, where the A1 has a more fuller and detailed sound (But A1 is twice the price). But this does not mean the RXV995 doesn’t sound good in music, its still excellent, but imaging and bass could sometimes be better.

When listening to music, especially rock and rave, the "Rock Concert" and sometimes "Disco" DSP effects sounds actually better most of the times than normal stereo, but that is with the settings altered.

In HT this baby rocks. I am using it without a sub and the main speakers produce enough low end bass in my living room that I need to turn it down sometimes. It gives a real punch and I can sometimes feel the air moving from the speakers. The centre channel can be a little bit harsh sometimes but it may be my centre speaker (Paradigm CC-350). I am using small dipole speakers at the back and the rear effects sound brilliant.

Only real build quality I have seen that didn’t compare so good with other Yamaha receivers is the volume knob. It doesn’t seem to be so rigid compared to the A1.

Well, like I said, this is an excellent receiver, sounds much better than the Denon AVR3300, looks better, and performs excellent.

Great buy.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR3300, Yamaha DSP-A1092, Yamaha DSP-A1