Yamaha RX-397 100 Watt Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)Despite the current fad for multi-channel audio/video receivers, the majority of people still listen to music with two speakers and only need a two-channel stereo receiver to drive them. As fanatic audiophiles with excellent stereo speakers, my wife and I recently purchased this receiver because of very good previous experience with Yamaha electronics products. This is a superb receiver in all respects. Some people may think that they need more than this receiver's rated power of 50 watts per channel, but Yamaha's power ratings are extremely conservative and this receiver will drive virtually any speakers to deafening levels (which I don't recommend doing). More important than it's ample power is its very low distortion. Yamaha specializes in low distortion products for very clean sound. In addition to robust power and ultra-low distortion the RX-397 has a full complement of controls, plus an easy to use remote. But as a fanatic audiophile another feature, typical of Yamaha, which I particularly appreciate is a button which sends the signal from our CD player (or any other non-phono cartridge input) directly to the amplifier -- bypassing the preamp circuitry, which is not needed except when playing LPs (which most people rarely do these days) -- for the lowest distortion and best signal to noise ratio. There are plenty of slighty less expensive -- and less good -- stereo receivers available, but if you want suberb performance at a moderate price I highly recommend this Yamaha.

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Onkyo HT-RC370 7.2-Channel THX Certified Network Audio/Video Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using the HT-RC370 receiver for 3 days now. I read a lot of reviews for many A/V receivers before buying this one. At first i decided to buy the Onkyo TX-NR609 because it had the most positive reviews in the mid-range receivers and it was in the my budget range, but the Audyssey 2EQ was one of the things i didn't like in the NR609 model because i wanted to equalize the subwoofer. Then i read that Onkyo's HT-RC360 was the same performance but lacking the THX certification and the PC-In and is almost 150 dollars less. That was the reason i looked for a cheaper version of the TX-NR709, and thank god i found the HT-RC370 with an Audyssey MultiXT (more than i wanted) and just 100 dollars more than the 609 model.
The installation was really easy and the setup as well. Replacing my 2003 Sony's STR-DE995, i ran the calibration on 3 positions only because i was so excited to wait for all 8 :) I played Inception Blu ray on the PS3 and i was really AMAZED of how well my same speakers sound, especially the wonderful CS10 Polkaudio Center and the cheap RCA rears. i never experienced a clear dialogue like that before and crisp clear high frequency effects and last but not least a damn realistic low frequency. When you increase the volume you'll pass by a THX reference at 82.0 it was really loud but i said i should give it a try. I must tell it is the closest theater like experience you'll ever get especially with this price range.
Video quality is also great.
A thing that i didn't really like (but trivial) is the receiver consumes a lot of power while in Standby and allowing HDMI pass through. It was warm after 4 hrs in standby. I didn't check yet exactly the power consumption on stanby.
Bottom line, this is an amazing piece of art and i recommend it for any one who's looking in the same price range.

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To really get your home theater connected, hook up the ultra-versatile HT-RC370. With seven HDMI inputs including one on the front this THX Select2 Plus certified receiver offers unlimited scope for high-definition thrills. Along with lossless audio from Dolby and DTS, the HT-RC370 supports 3D video, an Audio Return Channel, and video up scaling to 4K resolution via Qdeo technology. Other inputs include a front-panel USB port for direct digital connection of iPod /iPhone , and a wide range of digital and analog inputs including S-Video and 7.1-channel analog inputs to handle legacy components. The HT-RC370 employs advanced Odyssey room-calibration and equalization technologies to optimize audio output, and a seamless graphical OSD and navigation GUI for browsing your content and adjusting settings. As a network receiver, the HT-RC370 also adds internet radio and PC audio to your entertainment options. Audiophile features, such as bi-amping capability and 7.2 multichannel pre-outs, help make the HT-RC370 an irresistible choice for the serious home theater fan.

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Marantz SR5006 AV Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)This is by far the nicest receiver I have ever owned. The sound is great and the design is elegant, with only two knobs, one row of buttons, and a small "porthole" LCD on the front. It projects a sort of confidence, "I don't need to show off with rows of glowing controls; it's all under the hood." That said, the design entails certain compromises -- some aspects of the receiver are difficult to configure unless it is attached to a TV by HDMI. If you don't plan to connect it to a screen in that way, this probably isn't a good choice for you. The same holds for debugging; if it doesn't do what you expect, you're going to have a hard time figuring out what's wrong without any sort of diagnostic output on the unit itself.
However, if you do plan to connect it to a screen via HDMI, you're home free. It connects to audio sources via component cables, TOS-link, HDMI, ethernet, USB and bluetooth (with RX101 adapter, not included). It connects to video sources via HDMI and component cables. It can send two different audio streams to different sets of speakers, if you are watching TV in one room and somebody wants to listen to music in another. It comes with a microphone, which it can use in self-configuration to optimize its setting for the room in which it is placed.
Issues: Though the device has Airplay, which allows it to play music from iTunes over the local network, I haven't yet been able to get it to work correctly. The remote that comes with it is a very old school slab of buttons, but Logitech has not yet updated its database for Harmony universal remotes to work with the SR5006. I figure they'll probably do it soon. Finally, and this is not a Marantz issue I think, the box arrived from Amazon looking as though it had been kicked open, taped up, then kicked open again. The cardboard was shredded and the styrofoam was crumbled. I was surprised the receiver was unscarred. Amazon should have put another box around the Marantz shelf box.
The real test will come over time, and I will update this review if I run into problems.

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The SR5006 is loaded with numerous convenience features and tremendous sonic capabilities. Features include a 7-channel discrete amplifier (100 watts x 7), network/streaming of Internet radio, Napster, Pandora and more, up-scaling HDMI to HDMI 1080 video, multi room audio, six HDMI inputs, plus it's certified Control4, Crestron and AMX compatible.

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