Yamaha switcheroo? (1 Viewer)

[Brad Russell]

I am currently remodeling the basement for a front projector and also putting together a theater for my parents. I just bought my folks the RX-V659 and I have a DSP A-1. I'm wondering if I should give the parents the A-1. I know the A-1 is a flagship pieceand has a better build quality but this is what I'm wondering:

If I take the 659 I get 7.1. (my room is 13 x 28, with seating at 12-15' back) Right now I have two subs but I'm planning a large IB sub. Also I have been thinking about adding some outboard amps and using the Yamaha as a pre/pro. Then in year or two replace it with an updated piece and move the 659 to the living room to replace the old RX-V870 (pro-logic). I'm thinking the 659 with the enhanced mode for mp3s (which I stream to my living room) along with the multi zone capability would be a better match for the living room than moving the A-1 there where it might seem like an aging dinosaur not able to take advantage of its strengths. My folks theater is only for the grandkids and they are not sure they want to bother with 7.1. (why do we need the extra speakers?) This seem like a logical win/win. They get a better 5.1 set up than they would have and I have something to meet my needs now and an upgrade plan in the future. Am I missing something?

Thanks!

Brad

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Sounds like a pretty good plan, as long as you don’t mind moving from a flagship to a lower-end model. But then, the 659 had more bells and whistles than the A1 did...

The only downside I see is that the stock remote can’t be programmed per-button, nor does it run macros. But if you’re using an aftermarket remote, that’s a moot point.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Brad Russell]

So I went for it and put it into my system. I haven't really hooked all the way up yet - I'm still waiting for a Oppo 970 but a quick listen on an old Yamaha changer using the pure direct and the YPAO settings sounded pretty good. The amps don't seem to be a capable as the ones in the A1 but I'm planning to by-pass those soon. The 659 doesn't seem to have as many different DSPs as the A1, in fact some of the club ones I like are gone, but how many of those do you really need? One thing I did not realize is that you have to choose between the front effects and the rear surrounds. Even if you add external amps you cannot use all nine channels. My guess is that you have to go to the Z9 for that. After I get it all set up and calibrated I'll post my impressions