Receiver purchase coming... need assistance here !

[crackinhedz]

The Yamaha 863 is a bloated 663. (not worth the extra dough) although Im sure a fine receiver.

Id look at the Marantz or Pioneer.

[Robmx]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

The Yamaha 863 is a bloated 663. (not worth the extra dough) although Im sure a fine receiver.

Id look at the Marantz or Pioneer.

I find the 863 has alot going for it over the 663, lower distortion, more HDMI inputs, video upscaling , low jitter circuitry and I would assume the burr-brown DAC's would be better.

Never heard the Marantz or Pioneer Elite yet.... But i have read tons about them and I think the Pioneer looks beautiful

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by Robmx

I find the 863 has alot going for it over the 663

for a $400+ price difference? ...if that's what you're looking for by all means.

[Robmx]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

for a $400+ price difference? ...if that's what you're looking for by all means.

I agree with you... In canada where I would purchase it, it is an extra 200

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by Robmx

In canada where I would purchase it, it is an extra 200

well hey that might be the difference maker right there.

Yamaha does make an excellent product.

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by Robmx

I find the 863 has alot going for it over the 663, lower distortion, more HDMI inputs, video upscaling , low jitter circuitry and I would assume the burr-brown DAC's would be better.

Video upscaling a DVD to 1080p in an AVR is not very important difference unless you feel that it does a better job than your BD player or your display. I prefer my BD player's upscaling. But you are right, the V663 doesn't upscale to 1080p, only to 1080i. Why not let the BD player or display handle upscaling? Why pay more for a feature that you already have?

The V663 and V863 both have low jitter PLL circuitry, both have the same Burr-Brown 192kHz/24-bit DACs:

Yamaha RX-V663
Product Description
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

Yamaha RX-V863
Product Description
RX-V863BL 7.1-Channel Digital Home Theater Receiver
Full support for HD audio formats ensures maximum enjoyment of all high definition sources. Other advantages include full HD 1080p video upscaling with 3 HDMI inputs, HD Radio™ tuner, as well as exclusive Yamaha features such as Pure Direct,YPAO sound optimization 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 735W powerful surround sound (105W 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

High Picture Quality
Analog video (480i or 480p) upscaling to full HD 1080p
1080p-compatible HDMI (3 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 compensation
Analog video to HDMI digital video upconversion and deinterlacing with TBC

Advanced Features
4 SCENE buttons offering greater operating ease (with 19 preset SCENE templates)
HD Radio™ digital broadcast reception capability
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

Surround Realism
Fine-tuned CINEMA DSP and Adaptive DSP Level
Improved Compressed Music Enhancer
Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control)

Other Notable Features
XM 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
Improved Compressed Music Enhancer with Straight Enhancer program
Adaptive DRC (Dynamic Range Control)
SILENT CINEMA and Virtual CINEMA DSP
Preout terminals for front, center, surround and surround back, and dual mono subwoofer out
9 selectable subwoofer crossover frequencies
Subwoofer phase select
Front panel video Aux input terminals with optical digital and S-Video input terminals
8-channel or 6-channel external input
Phono input
Speaker A, B, A+B selection
Preset remote unit with illuminated buttons

---------------------------------------

Total Harmonic Distortion is 0.06% for both the V663 and V863 at their
rated output 95W X 7 and 105W X 7 respectively. The difference in power output is negligible as is the THD.

Bottom line is this. The significant difference between the two is upscaling to 1080p and 3 HDMI inputs for the V863.

Of those two, the only real difference worth mentioning is the 3 HDMI inputs for the V863. Is it worth the extra expense? I say hardly, because I only need 2 HDMI inputs. If I did need another HDMI input, I would purchase a HDMI hub for a lot less than the difference in cost between the V663 and the V863.

Crackinhedz hit the nail square on the head: "The Yamaha 863 is a bloated 663. (not worth the extra dough) although Im sure a fine receiver."