yamaha receivers (1 Viewer)

[Shiu]

Shaun, I think as a "mass market" receiver manufacturer, HK has succeeded in their advertising strategy by specifying both two channel and all channel driven power output ratings.

Since HK is just about the only mass market receiver maker that specifies the all channel driven output ratings, some (not all) HK owners tend to emphasize it all the time, and may not pay as much attention on other factors such as Watts/dollar, the fact that multi channel source materials just don't drive all channels equally high, the ratings of the amplifiers versus the power supply(example: does the lower end Yamaha receivers really have weak amps, or in fact they have more powerful amps but just "weaker" power supplies, than the similarly priced HK products)....... the list can go on.

If the original poster can get the 5660 for less than $400, he should not worry too much about its lower all channel driven output rating. At 85W per channel, (for anyone who wants to claim that this is for 1kHz only, please read first at http://www.yamaha.com/cgi-win/webcgi...R00010HTR-5660), I would say that its amplifiers are not weaker than those in the HKAVR225) I would not worry too much about the perhaps weaker power supply because very few, if any, 5.1 or 6.1 movies will drive all 5 or 6 channels at very high levels for any more than a short moment, and I think the 5660 does have reasonable dynamic/transient high current capability. To summarize, I suggest the original poster based his decision on what he likes, rather than this honest rating thing.

If it does boil down to which product has a better specifications, than I suggest he reviews the overall specifications, not just the all channel driven power rating.

 

[RussellB]

all of your advice and suggestions have helped me out immensely. after reviewing all of the post i went ahead and ordered the 5660. i did consider the hk however it didnt seem as tho it had all the features that i was looking for. i guess what i was looking for was encouragement on the yamaha. i have visited other forums as well asking basically the same thing.

thanks again

 

[ChrisLazarko]

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[Lee M T]

Russel, I chose the 640 for two reasons. 1.) The 640 is, in a sense, the "real" model Yamaha intended to make. It sounds corny, but basically that is true. 2.) The amps are rated differently. One would assume the amps are identical though. But the HTR models are rated with a measely 1Khz test-tone and the RX-V models are rated with full bandwidth. I felt more comfortable with full bandwidth (which is what H/K, Denon, Marantz, etc use).

I was also looking at H/K, Denon, Marantz, and Onkyo but chose the Yamaha. While listening to all of these recievers in demo's, power/volume never came up as an issue. I was also pleased with the type of sound I was hearing out of all of them, even though some sounded different than others. But it really boiled down to connections. I had to have a certain number and kind of connections and the RX-V640 was the only one that offered them at the price I could afford,

 

[Dalton]

The 640 has one very important advantage over the 5660--it has pre-outs which will allow you to add an external amplifier later on.

This is exactly why i would choose the 640 over the 5660. I use the RXV1400 as a pre-amp with great results. The added flexiblity of being able to add an amp later on is well worth the small price difference between the 640 and the 5660 IMO.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

I recommend the 640 to all my friends that want to get into HT on a budget. I tell them it's about the cheapest you can get without regretting it. It's got enough inputs for most people's needs, nice processing capabilities, and with the pre-outs it offers upgrade options other receivers don't have. All in all it's a great package.

 

[Jay W.]

The HTR 5660 has preouts. I looked at the back at best buy.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Yamaha's web site also list the 5660 as having preouts, and the specs on the amplifiers are exactly the same as the 640, rated from 20Hz to 20kHz at 85 watts. Plus they say that the 5660 also handles the extended IR controls. It definitely looks like the same receiver in a different case.

 

[Lee M T]

Russel, here is info from Yamaha about the differences of the HTR and RX-V line.

"The amplifiers in the HTR and RX-V units are identical but rated differently to comply with the accepted measurement standards of their respective channels of distribution. Both ratings are FTC approved and are designed to handle the dynamics of today's audio and video sources. The RX-V line has the power amplifiers rated from 20-20000 Hz. The HTR line has the power amplifiers rated at 1000 Hz. Both lines can reproduce the full frequency response of 20-20000 Hz."

More Info

 

[James W. Johnson]

That may have been true in the past but it is not longer true, Yamaha should update their site.
The HTR and RX-V lines are both rated the same now.

 

[RussellB]

thank you much

 

[Cahyo Wicaksono]

From Yamaha Canada website:

What is the difference between Yamaha's HTR and RXV Series?

Yamaha’s HTR and RXV series offer many parallel models. The two are comparable in terms of aesthetics, warranty and technological features. Our HTR Series receivers are sold through Mass Merchandisers (Examples: Future Shop, Best Buy, The Brick) and our RXV Series are available through authorized independent dealers.

 

[Mark Romero]

50W to 100W is a 3dB increase. To effectively double the sound level, you would need an increase of 10dB. 100W is not twice as loud as 50W.

 

[RussellB]

just an update. i have pulled the trigger too early on the htr 5660. mostly because i have seen a few post about it not being truly hdtv compatible. i am returning it and looking for the rx-v1300 line of recievers. will cost me about 125 more dollars but it is fully hdtv compatible,thx, and a few other things that i think i like.

later

 

[RussellB]

ok now i think im leaning more towards the rx-v1400. seems to be a little more future proof. what do you guys think?

 

[Cahyo Wicaksono]

agreed!

 

[John Brill]

Where, on-line, can we get one of these "comparison tests" that measure real wattage? I know I saw one a while back, but don't remember where...

JB