Five new Yamaha receivers for 2008
Yamaha has announced five new receivers for 2008, ranging from the budget $230 RX-V363 to the $1,000 RX-V863, which features HD Radio and three HDMI inputs.
Yamaha has announced five new receivers for 2008, ranging from the budget $230 RX-V363 to the $1,000 RX-V863, which features HD Radio and three HDMI inputs. As is usual, Yamaha's receivers certainly don't impress from the spec sheet, as they offer fewer features than Sony's new budget receivers and even last year's Onkyo receivers. On the other hand, Yamaha loyalists are quick to chime in that spec sheets aren't everything, and that Yamaha offers more refined sound at these price points. We can't comment on that until we have get them in for review, but with that in mind, let's check out specs.
Yamaha RX-V363
Key features of the Yamaha RX-V363:
- 5.1 channels, 100 watts per channel
- Two HDMI inputs, 1080p-compatible
- Three component video inputs
- Three digital audio inputs (two optical, one coaxial)
- Yamaha's SCENE feature (explained below)
- Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, with purchase of accessories (the YBA-10 for Bluetooth and the YDS-10SL for iPod)
- $230 list price
Yamaha RX-V463
Step-up features on the Yamaha RX-V463:
- 105 watts per channel
- XM-ready with Neural Surround
- Sirius-ready
- Automatic speaker calibration
- On-screen display
- $350 list price
- See full comparison with RX-V363
Yamaha RX-V563
Step-up features on the Yamaha RX-V563:
- 7.1 channels, 90 watts per channel
- Component video upconversion
- Four S-Video inputs
- Second zone audio
- $450 list price
- See full comparison with RX-V463
Yamaha RX-V663
Step-up features on the Yamaha RX-V663:
- 95 watts per channel
- Two HDMI 1.3 inputs
- HDMI video upconversion, deinterlaces analog sources to 480p
- Four digital audio inputs (two optical, two coaxial)
- Five S-Video inputs
- Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding
- $550 list price
- See full comparison with RX-V563
Yamaha RX-V863
Step-up features on the RX-V863:
- 105 watts per channel
- Three HDMI 1.3 inputs
- 1080p upscaling
- HD Radio
- Five digital audio inputs (three optical, two coaxial)
- $1,000 list price
- See full comparison with RX-V663
First, let's tackle Yamaha's SCENE functionality, which is present on all five of the receivers. The concept behind the SCENE function is similar to macros on universal remotes; by pressing a SCENE button, the receiver automatically configures itself for a specific scenario, such as DVD viewing. When we tested last year's
Out of the five models, the RX-V663 looks like the sweet spot. You get most of the future-proof features you want, such as HDMI upconversion, high resolution audio decoding, and a bunch of analog inputs, for a reasonable $550. Two HDMI inputs seems a little stingy--especially when Sony offers four on its $400
The step-up RX-V863 doesn't seem worth the extra money. The major upgrades are HD Radio (which really isn't that exciting in our opinion), 1080p upscaling and an additional HDMI input, yet it costs almost twice as much. Most buyers will be better off sticking with the RX-V663, adding an HDMI switcher and skipping HD Radio altogether. And any HDTV will scale lower resolutions to 1080p, so unless the RX-V863's video processing it better than your HDTV's, you won't get any benefit from that feature.
Yamaha's high-end receivers--the