The Official Yamaha RX V663 Owners Thread

[Robmx]

Hey everyone just wanted to share after a fair amount of time and waiting I have decided on the receiver I want to buy. Yamaha RX V663..... Not a big fan of Onkyo.... and I have been waiting for more Yamaha receivers to offer HDMI 1.3 and DTS-HD and DOLBY-HD....

It meets my budget and gives me what i need for the future !

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/p...TE&VNM=WORKING

RX-V663BL 7.1-CHANNEL DIGITAL HOME THEATER RECEIVER
High-Performance Home Theater Receiver features full support for HD audio formats, HDMI video up-conversion and de-interlacing, iPod and Bluetooth audio compatibility, improved YPAO, Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control), multi-zone custom installation facility, and four SCENE buttons.
MAIN FEATURES
High Sound Quality
HD Audio format support: Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio
7-channel 665W powerful surround sound (95W x 7)
Digital ToP-ART and High Current Amplification
Pure Direct for higher fidelity sound reproduction
Burr-Brown 192kHz/24-bit DACs used in all channels
Assignable amplifiers for bi-amp connection
Advanced Features
4 SCENE buttons offering greater operating ease (with 18 preset SCENE templates)
XM ready with XM HD Surround powered by Neural Surround
SIRIUS Satellite Radio ready
Improved YPAO for automatic speaker setup
iPod compatibility via Yamaha Universal Dock
Bluetooth (A2DP) compatibility with Yamaha Bluetooth® Wireless Audio Receiver (YBA-10)
Superior multi-zone control compatibility
High Picture Quality
1080p-compatible HDMI (2 in/1 out)
Supports Deep Color (up to 36 bit), x.v.Color, a double speed Refresh Rates of 120Hz and 1080p/24Hz transmission, and Auto Lip-Sync compenzation
Analog video to HDMI digital video upconversion and deinterlacing with TBC

Surround Realism
• Fine-tuned CINEMA DSP and Adaptive DSP level
Improved Compressed Music Enhancer
Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control)
Other Notable Features
XM Satellite Radio ready with XM HD Surround powered by Neural Surround
SIRIUS Satellite Radio ready
40-station preset tuning / Auto preset tuning
HD Audio LPCM 7.1-channel reception (up to 192kHz)
High dynamic power and Linear Damping
Low Jitter PLL Circuitry
Assignable amplifiers for bi-amp connection
Initial Volume and Maximum Volume Setting
iPod song titles displayed in English and Western European languages ISO 8859-1 (Latin 1) on the front panel and on-screen display
SILENT CINEMA and Virtual CINEMA DSP
Dialogue Lift for dialogue to screen center
Preout terminals for front, center, surround and surround back, and dual mono subwoofer out
9 selectable subwoofer crossover frequencies
Subwoofer phase select
8-channel or 6-channel external input
Speaker A, B, A+B selection
Preset remote unit

[ArkGuy]

Soooooo, speaking of Onkyo .... Would it seem fair to charactorize this model as something midway between the 605 and 705?

Two HDMI inputs and 95 watts but it has a preouts and the ipod display options described above.

Basically the same as the HTR-6160, I think.

MRSP of $550 but ElectronicWarehouse has it for $500

What else does it have over the 605 for the extra $100?

I could have sworn I read somewhere it hd a phono input but apparently not.

[prerich]

Originally Posted by ArkGuy

Soooooo, speaking of Onkyo .... Would it seem fair to charactorize this model as something midway between the 605 and 705?

Two HDMI inputs and 95 watts but it has a preouts and the ipod display options described above.

Basically the same as the HTR-6160, I think.

MRSP of $550 but ElectronicWarehouse has it for $500

What else does it have over the 605 for the extra $100?

I could have sworn I read somewhere it hd a phono input but apparently not.

The RV series are in another class (the HTR series being the lesser) - similar to the way Pioneer Elite is to regular Pioneer. Onkyo has placed its old quality into Integra (Radio Shack even sells Onkyo now). The sound quality is different - worth the extra $100.00 to me. But I am a biased Yamaha owner and fan.

[crackinhedz]

Certainly does look impressive.

I'd buy one over the Onkyo 605.

Originally Posted by ArkGuy

What else does it have over the 605 for the extra $100?

Burr-Brown DAC's for starters

[ArkGuy]

Originally Posted by prerich

The RV series are in another class (the HTR series being the lesser) - similar to the way Pioneer Elite is to regular Pioneer. Onkyo has placed its old quality into Integra (Radio Shack even sells Onkyo now). The sound quality is different - worth the extra $100.00 to me. But I am a biased Yamaha owner and fan.

I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear. I was referring to the $100 difference between the projected street price of this unit for $500 vs. the Amazon (and others) price of $400 for the 605.

Both the 663 and the 6160 have, according to Yamaha's website, an MSRP of $550. THe specs seem the same except for showing the 6160 with an HD radio input, which appears to be a typo, and a rated difference of 10 watts / ch. An emerging view on AVS is that actual bench testing will show no difference in actual watts delivered. How or why some think that I don't remember.

[Moefiz]

I was set on the 605 but now after seeing this i might end up changing my mind.

How are Yamaha recivers compare to other model out there.

[BStecke]

I had a Yamaha receiver for about six years before I got my Pioneer. Never had any problems with it. One thing that's generally accepted about Yamaha is that they have more of a bright sound to them . . . which is why people generally don't recommend you pair them with Klipsch speakers, due to their horn design. I can vouch for this, as my Klipsch speakers were a little in your face at times, but my Pioneer has smoothed them out quite a bit.

Overall quality though, like I said, my old Yamaha never skipped a beat. They're a proven brand for receivers, I don't think you could possibly go wrong with it.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by prerich

The RV series are in another class (the HTR series being the lesser) - similar to the way Pioneer Elite is to regular Pioneer. Onkyo has placed its old quality into Integra (Radio Shack even sells Onkyo now). The sound quality is different - worth the extra $100.00 to me. But I am a biased Yamaha owner and fan.

In all benchmark tests the Onkyo's have bested the Pioneer Elite receivers for power supply.

The 805, 875 and 905 also have better DAC's than any of the Denon, Sony, Yamaha and Pioneer Elite receivers with the exception of the $5000 Denon 5308CI and $5000 Yamaha RX-Z11.

The 875 is rated at 140w/ch and pushed 128w/ch with all channels driven.
The Pioneer 94 is rated at 140w/ch but only pushes 100w/ch with all channels driven.

[Blu Falcon]

OP, nice set of features for the price. The RX-V663 is sure to be a success. I elected to go with the Yammy RX-V1800 instead.

[dialog_gvf]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

The 875 is rated at 140w/ch and pushed 128w/ch with all channels driven.
The Pioneer 94 is rated at 140w/ch but only pushes 100w/ch with all channels driven.

I just ordered an 875. The price is amazing for a Realta HQV equipped receiver.

I can't wait to see what that does with various video sources.

Gary

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by dialog_gvf

I just ordered an 875. The price is amazing for a Realta HQV equipped receiver.

I can't wait to see what that does with various video sources.

Gary

It also has PCM1796 DAC's with 123dB of dynamic range and will convert DSD straight to analog with no PCM conversion.

Me thinks with Blu-ray audio you'll be pretty happy.

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

In all benchmark tests the Onkyo's have bested the Pioneer Elite receivers for power supply.

The 805, 875 and 905 also have better DAC's than any of the Denon, Sony, Yamaha and Pioneer Elite receivers with the exception of the $5000 Denon 5308CI and $5000 Yamaha RX-Z11.

The 875 is rated at 140w/ch and pushed 128w/ch with all channels driven.
The Pioneer 94 is rated at 140w/ch but only pushes 100w/ch with all channels driven.

I'm sorry, but the Onkyo 805, 875, and 905 DACs are the same 192kHz / 24 bit Burr Brown DACs found on all channels of the Yamaha receivers, including the lower end 663. These were first introduced in Yamaha's line on the RX-Z1 flagship receiver, and they've been used throughout Yamaha's line for years. Onkyo's 605 doesn't have them. Yamaha amps also have cleaner power ratings than Onkyo's.

Onkyo makes good receivers and components, but my preference is with Yamaha. They originated as a musical instrument company in the 1800s, carried their love and expertise of music and instruments into their electronics. Tonal accuracy has always been their primary objective, and that is why their logo is made up of tuning forks.

[ryoohki]

I owned a lot of Yamaha Receiver... never had a problems with them. I upgraded to a Denon 3808ci because it had more feature and i like Audyssey Multi Qx equalisation more than the Yamaha Solution... but that's the only reason. If they where a Yamaha Receiver with the same feature (Audyssey, Overlay Gui on HDMI, Net Radio, Firmware Updatable) i would have gone with Yamaha again..

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by kingofgrills

I'm sorry, but the Onkyo 805, 875, and 905 DACs are the same 192kHz / 24 bit Burr Brown DACs found on all channels of the Yamaha receivers, including the lower end 663. These were first introduced in Yamaha's line on the RX-Z1 flagship receiver, and they've been used throughout Yamaha's line for years.

I'm sorry but you don't know what you're talking about. The sampling rate of a DAC has nothing to do with which DAC is being used. There are lots of 24/192 DAC's made from various companies, including several models from Burr Brown. Their specifications are all different.

The Yamaha RX-V3800 uses PCM1791A DAC's, which have 113 dB of dynamic range and are capable of DSD conversion and PCM at 24/192. The Denon 4308CI and Yammy RX-V1800 also use this DAC.
http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folder.../pcm1791a.html

(The links are mostly to Texas Instruments, because that's who owns Burr Brown now)

The Yamaha RX-Z9 uses a far better DAC than the 3800, the DSD1792, which is capable of 132 dB of dynamic range and DSD to analog conversion and PCM at 24/192. It doesn't support TrueHD or dts-ma though.
http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folder...t/dsd1792.html

This is the ONLY Yamaha receiver with this DAC.

The Yamaha RX-Z11, Onkyo 805, 875 and 905 use the PCM1796 DAC, which has dynamic range of 123 dB and of course DSD to analog and 24/192 PCM. The Denon 5308CI also employs this DAC.
http://focus.ti.com/docs/prod/folder...t/pcm1796.html

To summarize:

Burr-Brown PCM1791A  113dB SNR  $ 3.00/ea    Yamaha RX-V3800, Yamaha RX-V1800, Denon 3808, 4308 and DVD-2930CI
Burr-Brown PCM1796   123dB SNR  $ 6.50/ea    Yamaha RX-Z11, Onkyo 805/875/905, Denon 5308 and DVD-3930CI
Burr-Brown PCM1792A  127dB SNR  $13.00/ea    ? 
Burr-Brown PCM1792   132dB SNR  $13.65/ea    Yamaha RX-Z9, Denon 5805ci and DVD-5910

Sure if the components surrounding the PCM1792 chip are crap then you're going to get crap out, but usually this is not the case. It's important to know that the majority of DAC's support 24/192 right now and also Burr Brown is not the best name in DAC's either. The new $7,000 flagship Pioneer Elite receiver for example, the SC-09TXH, uses Wolfson DAC's.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.ca/POC...ivers/SC-09TXH

I hope this helps a little for you and others to understand DAC's a little better. When someone is considering Blu-ray or Super Audio CD, where dynamic range can play an important part in your overall listening enjoyment, getting deeper into DAC's and how they work is important. Super Audio CD has a dynamic range of 120 dB, so why would you want to get a DAC with only 113 dB dynamic range if SACD is important?

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by prerich

The RV series are in another class (the HTR series being the lesser) - similar to the way Pioneer Elite is to regular Pioneer. Onkyo has placed its old quality into Integra (Radio Shack even sells Onkyo now). The sound quality is different - worth the extra $100.00 to me. But I am a biased Yamaha owner and fan.

You couldn't be more wrong! The only difference between the RV and HTR series is how Yamaha chooses to market them to different retailers. You'll find the RV series in higher end audio shops (and online as well). The HTR's are sold mostly throught the big box stores, like Future Shop and Best Buy here in Canada.

My Yamaha HTR-6190 is the same unit as the RV-1800....

The Pioneer Elite is in fact a higher -end product to that of their regular consumer line.

Please correct me if I'm wrong. But this is what I have been told be several people.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by prerich

The RV series are in another class (the HTR series being the lesser) - similar to the way Pioneer Elite is to regular Pioneer. Onkyo has placed its old quality into Integra (Radio Shack even sells Onkyo now). The sound quality is different - worth the extra $100.00 to me. But I am a biased Yamaha owner and fan.

I brought this up in another thread and as far as I know that is NOT the case. Yahama markets the 2 series to different retailers. I would love a definitive answer on this and maybe someone could set everyone straight (including your truly, if I am wrong). But lets get this issue straight once and for all.

[prerich]

Originally Posted by John72953

I brought this up in another thread and as far as I know that is NOT the case. Yahama markets the 2 series to different retailers. I would love a definitive answer on this and maybe someone could set everyone straight (including your truly, if I am wrong). But lets get this issue straight once and for all.

Upon further research (gotta remember - I'm an old guy), the HTR and the RX versions ARE the same - just marketed differently - (sounds crazy but true). I don't know why - (doesn't it cost more to do this?) but thats the way it is!

[kingofgrills]

Originally Posted by prerich

Upon further research (gotta remember - I'm an old guy), the HTR and the RX versions ARE the same - just marketed differently - (sounds crazy but true). I don't know why - (doesn't it cost more to do this?) but thats the way it is!

I do a lot of research before buying anything, so I've spent quite a bit of time conversing with Yamaha on this one. Yamaha's RX-V line includes their flagship receivers harking back to the legendary RX-V1. Well Yamahas were traditionally sold in brick and mortar hi-fi specialty stores. When they made the decision to sell in non-traditional channels, i.e. internet and large chain retailers like Sears and Best Buy, they designated the RX-V line for their traditional Hi-Fi stores and introduced the HTR line for the non-standard retailers. At the time I gathered this information from Yamaha, which was in 2006 when I bought my HTR-5960, the differences included the following:

White lettering on the receiver face for the RX-V line. Gold lettering is used on the panel face of the HTR line (my preference is gold on black, so I tend to buy from the HTR line).

The RX-V line was sold in traditional Hi-Fi specialty shops. Large retailers and authorized internet retailers sold the HTR line (management of this seems to have eased up considerably in the last couple of years).

The published wattage measurements were different for both lines. The RX-V line used to be rated strictly 20Hz to 20kHz. The HTR line was rated just at 1kHz. This has changes slightly, with the upper receivers in the HTR line like the HTR-6180 (RX-V863) being rated full range while the entry level HTR-6130 (RX-V363) is rated at 1 kHz. It's counterpart, the RX-V363 is rated at 1 kHz as well. The flagship models - RX-V11, VX-V3800, and RX-V1800 - always remain just in the RX-V line.

Yamaha did assure me that all of the internal componentry, including the DACS, power supplies, etc. remain identical for corresponding models in both lines. Knowing this information, in the past I've had better luck price hunting for the HTR series online, saving substantially on my last two receivers. However, I think the distinction between both lines has pretty much completely blurred today. You might just as easily encounter the RX-V line as the HTR line if you step in a retailer today or shop online. Just don't flinch if you find a better price on the HTR-6160 than the RX-V663, because they're the same receiver. I prefer the look of the HTR-6160 though, because the Yamaha emblem and face lettering are in gold instead of white.

[Alaskankaijudude]

Originally Posted by Robmx

Hey everyone just wanted to share after a fair amount of time and waiting I have decided on the receiver I want to buy. Yamaha RX V663..... Not a big fan of Onkyo.... and I have been waiting for more Yamaha receivers to offer HDMI 1.3 and DTS-HD and DOLBY-HD....

It meets my budget and gives me what i need for the future !

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/p...TE&VNM=WORKING

RX-V663BL 7.1-CHANNEL DIGITAL HOME THEATER RECEIVER
High-Performance Home Theater Receiver features full support for HD audio formats, HDMI video up-conversion and de-interlacing, iPod and Bluetooth audio compatibility, improved YPAO, Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control), multi-zone custom installation facility, and four SCENE buttons.
MAIN FEATURES
High Sound Quality
HD Audio format support: Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio
7-channel 665W powerful surround sound (95W x 7)
Digital ToP-ART and High Current Amplification
Pure Direct for higher fidelity sound reproduction
Burr-Brown 192kHz/24-bit DACs used in all channels
Assignable amplifiers for bi-amp connection
Advanced Features
4 SCENE buttons offering greater operating ease (with 18 preset SCENE templates)
XM ready with XM HD Surround powered by Neural Surround
SIRIUS Satellite Radio ready
Improved YPAO for automatic speaker setup
iPod compatibility via Yamaha Universal Dock
Bluetooth (A2DP) compatibility with Yamaha Bluetooth® Wireless Audio Receiver (YBA-10)
Superior multi-zone control compatibility
High Picture Quality
1080p-compatible HDMI (2 in/1 out)
Supports Deep Color (up to 36 bit), x.v.Color, a double speed Refresh Rates of 120Hz and 1080p/24Hz transmission, and Auto Lip-Sync compenzation
Analog video to HDMI digital video upconversion and deinterlacing with TBC

Surround Realism
• Fine-tuned CINEMA DSP and Adaptive DSP level
Improved Compressed Music Enhancer
Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control)
Other Notable Features
XM Satellite Radio ready with XM HD Surround powered by Neural Surround
SIRIUS Satellite Radio ready
40-station preset tuning / Auto preset tuning
HD Audio LPCM 7.1-channel reception (up to 192kHz)
High dynamic power and Linear Damping
Low Jitter PLL Circuitry
Assignable amplifiers for bi-amp connection
Initial Volume and Maximum Volume Setting
iPod song titles displayed in English and Western European languages ISO 8859-1 (Latin 1) on the front panel and on-screen display
SILENT CINEMA and Virtual CINEMA DSP
Dialogue Lift for dialogue to screen center
Preout terminals for front, center, surround and surround back, and dual mono subwoofer out
9 selectable subwoofer crossover frequencies
Subwoofer phase select
8-channel or 6-channel external input
Speaker A, B, A+B selection
Preset remote unit

Sweet, I'm looking at the one that's one step up from this because I want the three HDMI inputs instead of two. These must be brand new, I thought the cheapest Yamaha that supported the HD audio formats was the RX-V1800. On a side unrelated note, for anybody who still has a dedicated CD player. Does using an optical cable make that much of a difference over the L/R analog cables? Thanxalot.

[Beta Man]

You can't compare receivers based on "specs" you have to audition them just like speakers. The cleaner the power, the better the sound.