yamaha receivers (1 Viewer)

RussellB · Oct 30, 2003

hi. i am trying to decide between the yamaha rx-v640 and the yamaha htr 5660 for my home theater.the 640 is 25 dollars more but i dont see any real difference between the two. etronics.com has them for $329 for the 5660 and $355 for the 640.

here is what i have.

cerwin vega towers with 12 inch woofers and midrange and tweeter
cerwin vega 4 pc satellite and center rated at 100 watts per speaker
cerwin vega 8 inch powered sub woofer

i have a hdtv and progressive dvd player and an xbox that ill be hooking up.

where could i get diagrams on speaker placement for 6.1 surround sound?

thanks for your help

-russ

RussellB · Oct 30, 2003

i just found yamaha's website and it appears that the only difference is cosmetic. so i guess ill be going with the htr 5660. any input on this receiver would be appreciated. also i am unclear on how to set up my speaker placement.
thanks

Marty M · Oct 30, 2003

The HTR series are basically the same as the RXV models. The HTR series are sold on-line, Best Buy, and Sears, I think. The RXV models are the ones sold at the "dedicated" Audio stores. The specs for both should be the same.

RussellB · Oct 30, 2003

thanks marty.

ChrisLazarko · Oct 30, 2003

Yamaha isn't bad but there amplifiers in the models you are looking at are awful. They may say 70W on the reciever but the real rating is at about 35W. If I can get you to look at a HK I think it would be a nice match, especially for your speakers.

The HK AVR-125 can be had for about $200 refurbished from www.soundcity.com and comes with a FULL manufacturers warranty.

This reciever retails for about $400 but since HK has there new line out the these babies are cheap and going fast.

Check them out, they are some of the best for a lower-end reciever.

Hope this helps.

Jay W. · Oct 30, 2003

"amplifiers in the models your looking at are awful"

Bull. I have a friend who has an HTR5660 and it sounds great. Yamaha makes a solid product, which you cant say about h/k, they have horrible quality control. Why do you think there are so many refurbs? I wanted to like h/k but had to return two 225s because they were defective.

JeremyFr · Oct 30, 2003

Yamaha isn't bad but there amplifiers in the models you are looking at are awful. They may say 70W on the reciever but the real rating is at about 35W. If I can get you to look at a HK I think it would be a nice match, especially for your speakers.

Have you ever even used a Yamaha reciever?? Every Yamaha I've used has been right on par with any comparable H/K in aspect of power. Yamaha rates all the RX-V line just the same as anyone else 20hz to 20khz, they rate there HTR lines at 1khz which yes will give you a higher output number than rating full spectrum. But when you're comparing 50 watts to 65 watts the difference is negligable, remember you need to double wattage for for I believe a 1db increase in volume. (someone correct me on the db on that if I'm wrong) so when you're comparing a 35wpc reciever to a 50wpc reciever theres really not going to be any perceivable difference in sound.

Now on the other hand if you were to take a 75wpc receiver and compare it to say a 200 or even 300wpc amplifier you'd probably notice a huge difference.

In all reality for normal everyday listening at a "comfortable" volume level with semi efficient speakers you'd probably never need more than 20 watt's of amplifier power. Wattage is a very misleading thing when not understood and really is not something I use to guage the quality of a product.

Point is find something with the features you want and like, that is able to drive the speakers you want to use to the volumes you want to listen to and go from there.

Click to expand...

RussellB · Oct 30, 2003

so you think that this yamaha will be able to push what i have listed?

thanks

ShaunLB · Oct 31, 2003

It will push the hell out of em (in a good way). I have a Yamaha RX-V496 (rated at 70x5). Its a beast powerwise.

A lot of judgements based on wattage are either very irrelevant or just plan irrational. A good 15watt amp can blow the doors off a room compared to the same speakers driven by a cheap 100watt amp.

I believe both companies make a quality product, but I've never heard anyone say they had any (realistic, not talking about PA speakers or electrotats) trouble driving their system with a Yamaha...but I've seen quite a few cases where an H/K was gasping for breath with 8ohm loads.

Just buy what you think sounds better. In most cases and price points the differences will be negligble. On a side note...H/K sure does have some nice style on their stuff, but I still prefer the no nonsense performance of my yammie.

Shiu · Nov 1, 2003

Being logarithmic, doubling will correspond to about 3 dB increase. I don't think an increase of 3 dB volume necessarily mean you get 3 dB increase in sound pressure.

Mike Co · Nov 1, 2003

2 x Power= 3 db increase in SPL, all other factors being equal (speakers, source level, positioning, etc).

ChrisLazarko · Nov 1, 2003

Check the tests on those lower-end Yamaha recievers and you will see what I am saying is true. Yes you may need twice the power to get a 3db increase but if you were to get a HK AVR-225 rated at 55W per channel compared to a Yamaha that would deliver 35W per channel then you are gaining another 1 to 2db more of sound. Why get one thing when you can get something better for the same or less price.

ShaunLB · Nov 1, 2003

Even a tested difference in wattage output does not guarantee more clean usable sound.

ChrisLazarko · Nov 1, 2003

Check the comparison charts... I don't believe it fair for Yamaha to rate a product at a certain spec. but then in real-life values it is much much lower.

For the money, Yamaha could definantly put a little more work into the Amp.. the reciever itself excluding the amp is a very nice piece I won't deny that one bit.

Lee M T · Nov 1, 2003

I love my RX-V640. A significant upgrade from my old Pioneer, which actually costed more. I have had the Yammie since June and so far I can't think of a single weakness. For the price it also cannot be beat on features and conections.

I also think Yamaha may have tweaked the amps in the new line of receivers. I've seen a few test results and reviews of the x20 and x30 models and the reviews were good, but I did notice a slight power problem (although the reviewers still thought they sounded great). But I've seen around five reviews of the new Yammie's so far and have not seen anyone state that power was an issue.

RussellB · Nov 1, 2003

hey lee why did you go with the 640 and not the 5660. was it just the looks of it?

are threy the same reciever besides that?

Mark Dickerson · Nov 1, 2003

RussellB:

I think Chris is giving some good advice. 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.

Yamahas lower end receivers are notorious for having a very weak amp section (lousy power supply) and an external amp added later can allow you to use the Yamaha's strength--its pre/pro section--with a quality amp without having to throw out the whole receiver and starting over when you want to upgrade.

BTW, Yamaha does rate its receivers like most other mass market receiver makers, which is to say they lie. However, they do not rate their power like "everyone else" as some receiver makers are more honest in their power ratings. Yamaha rates their receivers' power two channels at a time, but when running all six channels, they poop out. The Harman/Kardon, however, is one of the few receivers where the power is rated with all channels being driven, so the H/K power ratings are infinitely more honest. As proof, check the April issue of Sound & Vision, which tested the Yamaha RX-V730. Rated at 75 wpc x 6 by Yamaha, it clipped at 37.5 wpc when driving all 6 channels (and the distortion is way up!). The H/K Chris suggests may only be rated at 35 wpc, but it is an honest 35 wpc.

CurtisC · Nov 2, 2003

The Yamaha is not even in the same league as HK,I own Denon but tried Yamaha (on sale)in my bdrm.I took it back and got an HK 125,very nice for cheap,sound is way beyond Yamaha,I have no bias its just what I heard.

ShaunLB · Nov 2, 2003

We might as well go ahead and close this thread. Its only going to continue to follow one trend:

People that like Brand A saying its great for whatever reason and people that dont saying its not for whatever reason. The reasons really don't matter beyond anything that has already been said because really any entry level piece can have similar things said about it. I know a couple of respected companies in particular that have higher "wattages" than most Yamahas but are at the top of the list of companies people have power complaints/shutdown complaints with.

Here's the deal. Take Chevy and Ford (for example only). Go to a Ford dealer and you'll be told Ford is Godly and Chevy is total crap. Go to a Chevy dealer and you'll be told Ford is total crap. In reality both companies have been around and have a multitude of satisfied customers.

The original poster wanted to know if those receivers would power his Vegas. Well, get a demo arranged and you can let your own ears/taste help out, I really don't see any more information coming from this thread that will be a substitute. Good luck and happy listening.

ChrisLazarko · Nov 2, 2003

Well if his mind is set on the reciever than that is his decision as nobody will then change it. As far as other suggestions, it is usually a good idea to go out there and demo as many as you can because it will give you the final decision in your purchase.

I was also looking at a Yamaha reciever, either the RX-V440 or 540. My final decision ended up being the HK AVR-225. It was a very nice reciever with great looks and sounded better.. but of course to each his own.

Good luck with your purchase.

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