Yamaha RX-A1000 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)As I write this review, I am listening to my favorite music DVD (Eagles, hell freezes over), and I have the volume cranked to about 70% to match the listening volume of the Yamaha HTR 5790 (50% volume) that this RX-A1000 replaced. The 5790 had 110 watt vs 105 watt per channel for the RX-A1000. It was time to replace my 5790 because I recently purchased a Samsung 8000 series LED TV and wanted to pass 1080p signals from my BluRay player to the TV via the Yamaha receiver. The 5790 did not have any HDMI ports and you can't pass 1080p signals through component cables. The old Yamaha could not process Dolby True HD either. One of the nice features on this new receiver is the ability to pass video and audio to the TV via the HDMI cables even when the receiver is off. How cool is that? We don't always need 735 watts, especially when we are only watching a news channel. Another cool feature is the NET Radio. I connected the RX-1000's LAN jack to my router (via a gigabit switch)and 24 hours later (I could not get it to work imediately), I am listening to 15,000 radio stations. It took 24 hours for the receiver to figure out it was connected to a computer network? I don't understand why it didn't work right away. I checked all my settings over and over and then turned it off when my patience started wearing a little thin. The next day when I turned it on, the NET radio was working. This unit is about a $200 step up from my old receiver, but in my opinion does not match the sound of my older Yahama unit. Gosh, did 5 watts make the difference? Yamaha spent 2 years designing and building the Aventage series from the chassis up. This was not a redesign, (building and improving on an existing chassis), it is a complete new design including the number of feet (5) on the bottom. Well all in all I like this unit, but if I had it to do over, I would have waited a month and bought the RX-A2000. The RX-A2000 has video processing and upscaling that would improve the picture quality of whatever you are jacking into it, as well as 130 watts per channel.

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AVENTAGE is a dramatic, inspired step forward in audio/video component design. AVENTAGE brings studio-grade sound and sophisticated video enhancements to the home as a result of unparalleled attention to detail in design, engineering and fabrication. Details that, at first glance, would not seem to affect the quality of sight, sound, and control, when brought together within an AVENTAGE component produce a work of visual and acoustic art.The RX-A1000 A/V Receiver supports 3D and Audio Return Channel, with 8 in/2 out HDMI, new GUI, new YPAO, network functions, and control via web browser.

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Yamaha TSX-120BL Desktop Audio System (Single, Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)First, let me say that I am a huge Yamaha fan. I have three Yamaha receivers in use throughout the house and several others that have been replaced scattered through several other houses. It really pains me that I have to give this a split score, a 5 for what it does do and a 3 for what it should do at this price. I guess that's what audio magazines rate as "value".
Yamaha seems to resist adding features to their audio equipment. For example, it took years for their AV receivers to get a decent number of HDMI inputs. Or any at all. That's why I stuck with my RX-V1 for so long; beautiful sound, eight years to get four HDMI inputs on the RX-V1900, a nicely priced AV receiver that sounds as good as that old RX-V1 but has some newer features and for a very reasonable price. This same conservative design approach has really cut into the TSX-120's ability to be a fully useful device, especially when they are charging this premium price.
Like all Yamaha audio products this radio sounds absolutely terrific as either a radio or as a playback device for an iPod. And that's the good part. Also on the good side is that it has two alarm inputs for you and your SO's convenience. But that is about the outer edge of the good features for this radio. What it does, it does really well. It just does not do enough. One thing I noticed right away is that those alarms can not be turned on by the remote. This is a feature I'm used to with my Bose Wave radio (the one that died of old age), a similarly priced competitor, and I can see no reason Yamaha could not have included this useful feature. Just wait for the first twenty times you climb into bed and then have to get up to manually push the Alarm Set button on the unit and you'll probably agree.
This radio only has an FM radio. Too bad for me since I listen to so much AM radio but I could live with that if the FM came with HDRadio capability. Yamaha buys a ton of these chipsets for their RX and the newer Aventage receivers. That they use HD in their newest model indicates to me that they are in the HDRadio game for the long haul, which I'm happy about as I very much enjoy HDRadio, so why not include it? Adding HDRadio would have been a huge step in making this a little more worth the price.
Oh, and the layout of the remote is difficult to use and a bit arcane.
My final complaint has already been documented in other reviews. I'd like to have seen more of a differentiation in the size of the time numbers and the other info on the front panel. As a matter of fact, I'd like to see the numbers at all. This clock sits on a dresser on my wife's side of the bed and those little numbers just aren't legible to me when I wake up, bleary-eyed, in the middle of the night.
All in all, the TSX-120 is a terrific $150 clock/radio/iPod player. Except that it has an MSRP of $399. You'll have to be a real Yamaha fan to buy one of these, which I am. But not at this price, I wish there was more competition so I could have just returned it but there is not. Too much for too little pretty much wraps it up and I think I'll use it for the title of this piece.

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Set it to wake you to your favorite music in the morning, then use it as a handy place to deposit things you need, like eyeglasses or keys. And with its real wood top panel, the Yamaha TSX120BL Desktop Audio System will add an attractive touch to any interior.

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Yamaha RX-V2065BL 7.2-Channel Network Digital Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I just received this receiver (no pun intended) yesterday. I spent around 2 months researching this purchase and finally decided to go with the RX-V2065 because I have always owned Yamaha receivers. I'm amazed at the sound quality!! This unit replaced my old Yamaha HTR-5140 and there is a world of difference in the sound. The internet radio is amazing. It sounds great and there are thousands of stations to choose from. I was listening to a radio station in India earlier. The HD radio is also a very nice feature and the few stations that I do get sound great in HD. I did have some trouble getting connected to my network because for some reason I had my router only assigning 11 IP addresses and they were all taken, so the 2065 wasn't being assigned an IP address. Was an easy fix once I discovered it. So if you have any problems connecting to your network, be sure to check your router settings first, as the Yamaha should just connect with no intervention.
CONS:
As some people have stated in other forums, Yamaha has cut some corners on their new receivers. My Yamahas have always had two power outlets on the back and I have always used one of these to plug in the subwoofer. The 2065 has no power outlets which I did not notice until after I bought it. I'm going to have to get a power strip in order to plug everything in and I won't be able to power on and off the subwoofer simply by turning the 2065 on and off.
The FM reception is not very good at all. I cannot get the two local stations that I listen to (and I could easily get them on the HTR-5140). If you go to the AVSForums and look in the 2065 thread, you will see that others have complained about this as well. With all the choices I have with the internet radio, this isn't going to be a big issue for me, but it might for someone who listens to the radio a lot.
The speaker connectors are very close together. I spent way more time than I should have getting the wires connected. If you do not already have them, I highly recommend getting banana plugs for the connections to the receiver. As soon as I get the chance I'm going to order some banana plugs and cleanup the connections.

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Yamaha RX-V2065BL 7.1-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver

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Yamaha TSX-70BG Desktop Audio System for iPod/iPhone (Beige) Review

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(More customer reviews)I ordered this to replace a Tivoli Model One that I enjoyed for over 10 years. Over time the radios reception deteriorated, and having to plug and unplug the aux cable over and over became a drag. The Yamaha sounds as good, maybe better then the Tivoli which is saying a lot. It fills the room (kitchen and dining area) with music.The tuner's very strong. Having a remote is nice. The tone control on the back is to adjust the amount of bass boost. For instance, when I'm listening to a podcast of people talking, I turn it all the way down to eliminate any boominess. All the control knobs have a very nice, quality feel to them. Most of the top buttons are lighted. I couldn't ask more from such a compact radio. Finding great sound in a small package with AM-FM and a ipod dock was a tough combination. I've been shopping for over a year so you can imagine how many I've looked at and listened to. As a bonus I really like the semi-retro look. The more I use it the better I like it. A bit pricey, but money well spent !!!


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Styled for contemporary living but with a nod to classic retro design, the TSX-70 delivers concert-quality sound anywhere in the home.In addition to its AM/FM radio, the convenient built-in docking station supports all popular iPod and iPhone models including iPod (5th generation), iPod classic, iPod nano, iPod touch, iPhone, iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS.

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Yamaha TX-497 Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Tuner (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)The price is very good.
It will do the job, nothing impressive in sound quality.
Nothing impressive in the construction of it.
A plain and very flat tuner. nothing else.. :/
Almost forgot, NO REMOTE. :(

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The Yamaha TX-497 Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Tuner features direct phase-locked loop intermediate frequency count synthesizer tuning (PLL IF), which combines direct PLL tuning capabilities with a microprocessor-controlled IF count process to provide an exceptional lock onto stations and ensure a crystal-clear performance.The absolute linear phase IF amplifier maximizes interference rejection, phase linearity and stereo separation.The TX-497 also features 40-station AM/FM random access preset tuning, auto-search, multi-status station memory and a high-gain AW loop antenna.

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Yamaha TSX-140 Desktop Audio System with iPod Dock (Gray) Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me start by saying, I'm a music producer that
enjoys a variety of different genres of music, so
when shopping for a stereo system I need for
the unit to be able to have all genres of music
sounding good.
I tested the unit by bringing my phone (with mp3s)
to the store I bought it from and played a few
songs. I could tell right away this stereo was
REALLY good. If you like way your music sounds on
a Bose, then you'll like the TSX-140. It really
sounds great, whether you're playing pop, easy-
listening and even sounds great when playing dance
music.
In addition to the unit being able to play audio
via AUX, I also wanted a CD player and USB input.
This box does it all!~ So, I was pretty much sold~
I actually paid more than Amazon is selling it for,
but I'd buy it all over again. To me, it's that good.
But don't take my word for it, go have a listen for
yourself~ I think you'll be shocked at the vividness
of the music you've been listening to all this time!

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The Yamaha TSX-140 Desktop Audio System plays your iPod, CDs, or digital AM/FM radio, in addition to MP3 and WMA digital audio files via a USB input. Two 15-watt speakers deliver rich, full-range audio to any room.

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Yamaha PDX-30BL Speaker Dock for iPod and iPhone, 1 Each (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have checked out almost all the iPod/iTouch speakers on the market ever since I added the XM radio app to my iTouch. Since I was hoping to play XM fo rextended periods,I needed a speaker that would charge my second generation while it was playing. Here is a word of caution to anyone in the same situation: not all docking players will charge as they play, especially when it comes to the second generation. Before I bought the unit I actually called Yamaha and they assured me on two different occasions that their player would indeed charge as playing. And it does. Then you have to hear it to believe it. The sound is exceptional, probably better than units that are twice as expensive. The reputation of Yamaha as a maker of quality audio products shines through. Now would anyone want to buy a somewhat used Altec-Lansing?

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Compact design fits any decor

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