Is Yamaha Cheapin' out on their new receivers? (1 Viewer)

[Scott Strang]

I just visited onecall.com and found that the only receivers that are still using metal faceplates are Onkyo and higher-end Sony's.

None of the Yammy's seemed to have metal faceplates.

Surely this is an oversite on the part of Onecall. If not, maybe this explains Yamaha offering componet switching on $400 receivers.

 

[Jason Wilcox]

The older Yamaha RX-Vx20 and HTR-54x0 series receivers also had plastic faceplates. The plastic is very sturdy though (moreso than the metal top and sides).

 

[Ned]

Would you rather have $50 put into a metal faceplate or better amplifiers?

 

[KevinCa]

I have an RX-V430 and I could care less about whether it has a metal or plastic faceplate.
What I do find annoying is the amount of hiss that the lower end Yam's produce, i checked the 396, 496, 420 and 430.
All of these have this, so what i'd consider to be a huge improvement for Yamaha to work on is lowering the noise floor on their entry-level receivers !
The reason that I chose to go with Yamaha anyway is that i couldn't find a receiver in that priceclass that even came close to the Yamaha's power (though it only sports 65W) and overall quality.

 

[KyleRoussel]

My old 5560 had a metal faceplate. I think. I'm about 95% sure.

 

[ChrisAG]

Mass produced, a metal faceplate doesn't cost anywhere near $50.

A metal faceplate can also help in shielding.

 

[Evan M.]

all i know is that yamahas last forever no matter what their face plate is made out of. if it sounds good to my ears, which yamaha does, and has a good reliability history than that is what i buy.

 

[ChrisAG]

I agree Yamahas are reliable, but I also think the lower models have cheap amplifier sections. Many reviews have stated the RX-V620 and below are harsh and un-musical, while the newer RX=V1200 and above sound OK.

 

[Mike Veroukis]

Not sure what you guys are talking about but I know for a fact that the RX-V1200 and higher models have a metal face plate. I know this because I own an RX-V2200 but I also checked to see if the RX-V1200 had a metal face plate as well. Not only that, my Yamaha CD player also has a metal face plate.

However, my older HTR-5450 had a plastic face plate. So the lower line which is targetted at economy shoppers might cheap out on the face plate, but at less then half the price of the RX-V2200 you'd expect something(s) to be cheaper. To be honest I never noticed this until the salesman pointed it out to me.

I take it onecall only sells the HTR line. Not sure if the RX-V equivalents have metal face plates, but I'd doubt it.

- Mike

 

[StephenL]

"The RX-V line and the HTR line feature the same high quality metal front panel construction."
http://www.yamaha.com/yec/customer/f...vers/faq00.htm

 

[JackS]

On appearence, I think the high end Yamahas and Sonys exhibit a quality that is most pleasing. HKs also have a high quality "retro" look that is sort of reminecient of days gone by. Denons and Onykos to me are the least pleasing, but of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I would say, and many others would dissagree, that Denon and Onyko have a more "down to business" utilitarian look that many people do prefer. I would enjoy reading more opinions from others. What do you think are the best/worst looking receivers?

 

[JackS]

How could I have posted the above without mentioning the beautiful Pioneer Elites. For me, It would be like trying to decide weather to buy a totally chromed out Harley. The look of the Elites are going to appeal to many, and turn a few of us off. Still have to admit, these are pretty receivers.

 

[Mike Veroukis]

JackS,

I agree that Yamaha does make some good looking units. What's more is that all their units match the same style, from entry level to flag ship, from CD/DVD players to receivers.

I also agree that Denon units have a very un-appealing style to them.

Pioneer Elite's look pretty sharp but the highly polished "piano black" must be a real bitch to keep clean.

As for HK, at first I thought they were very cool, but I quickly got tired of it and now consider them to look quite cheesy. I think I'd get tired of all those lights pretty quickly.

Generally I like a very clean interface with few buttons and knobs. Those can be hidden away under a panel or something. I think Yamaha's new RX-Z1 is pretty sharp.

Outlaw on the other hand seems to be the worst of the bunch (unfortunately). What's with that horrible lime green button? The first thing I'd do is paint it black or something.

Rotel also makes some nice units. I'd never mind having one of those in my "rack". Same goes with Nakamichi, Moon and Anthem.

And then there's Marantz. They've made some pretty cool looking units (not to mention remotes), but their current line of receivers are a bit lacking. Same goes for Onkyo/Integra. Still better then the Denon's though.

- Mike

 

[Charles M]

JackS,
Have you seen the new Kenwoods? . I not referring to performance. Looks do have a lot to do with decision making sometimes. Although performance and quality will win the battle all the time. I prefer to see less buttons, but easily accessible. I like flip plates and round wheels(knobs). I don't think it should takes so many buttons to control everything. My list of good looking receivers:
Yamaha(1200 and up), 3200 and new Z-1 are a beauty
Onkyo 898, 989
Marantz 8200, 9200
Denon 4802, 5803
Newer high end JVC's are nice too
I hope all newer Pioneer Elites stay the same
Here's my list I would like to have had a flip plate:
Denon 2802, 3802
H/K 520, 8000
Onkyo 797
There's others too. I hope the replcements for the ones I mentioned will get a better appearance. I would like too see your list JackS .
Charles

 

[JackS]

Kenwood and Outlaw should fire who's ever in charge of their design department. For me it would be hard to purchase either one of these receivers regardless of proformance. I wouldn't want to have to look at either one on a daily basis even though total quality may be more than adiquate. For the rest, it's difficult to make an exact list, and most people can be satisfied with whatever their choice. I think I'll stay with the Elite as the best looking receiver on the planet and everything else falls somewhere below. I guess the question for me would be, "would I ever be inclined to buy an Elite?"

 

[Mike Veroukis]

How about the cheesiest units?
I nominate JVC for making the cheesiest looking mini-systems I've ever seen!!! Are all those tubes and "air-vents" for hamsters to crawl around in?!? And what were they smoking when they made that portable CD-player back-pack thingy?!? I've yet to see anyone lugging one of those around, which is good because I'd probably keal over laughing my ass off.
I also nominate Panasonic/Pioneer for making the cheesiest head units for car audio. They make some good stuff, but they sure do make some high quality fromage too!
And as for Kenwood? They pick up the slack where JVC leaves off.
- Mike

 

[Charles M]

Don't you wish you could be there for a lot of design decisions? I must admit, that's one of the first things that I look at is the look:b .

Charles

 

[JackS]

A couple of years ago, I installed a Kenwood cassette and matching CD player in my car. The face of the CD player puts on a digitally syncopated light show with all sources. Strange to think that what we find acceptable and pleasing for the car would not be welcomed in the living room.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I don't know, I had a Kenwood cassette deck a *long* time ago, and an MD deck a little while ago and liked both of them a lot. The new Sovereign series? Kind of looks like they're on steroids. Too much like the (older too curvy) Ford Taurus. Not good IMO...

 

[Marty Lockstead]

Hello All,
I currently own (and love) my RX-V3200 receiver. It does have a metal face-plate by the way. Figured I should confirm that if someone else on this thread hasn't already done so. I din't realize that the new line of lower-end yammie's weren't all that great. I guess there's something to be said for spending the extra money on one of the
RX-V models. In terms of how a receiver looks on the outside, it doesn't matter much to me IMO. Personally, I never cared for any SONY audio components. Their VIDEO products like tvs and dvd players seem fine though. Just my 2 cents.