Electronics Gadget Reviews

Yamaha RX V863BL 735 Watt 7 1 Channel Home Theater Receiver

105 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.06% THD * Dolby?True HD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby?Digital Plus, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, Dolby?Digital EX, DTS-ES, Pro Logic?IIx, and DTS Neo:6 decoding * improved YPAO sound optimization for more precise automatic speaker setup (microphone included) * SIRIUS satellite radio capable (requires SIRIUS subscription and optional SiriusConnect home tuner kit) * iPod integration (requires optional Yamaha YDS-11) * dual-room/dual-source audio (powered and line-level stereo audio output for 2nd room) *

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great bang for the buck
I bought this along with the Yamaha 3900. I put the 3900 in my family room and the 863 in the bedroom. Personally, I like the 863 better.

Just as some background, I have a Sony 550 Blu Ray and a Directv HD receiver hooked up to it. It has outputs to a 5.1 speaker system in Zone 1 and a simple 2 speaker system in Zone 2 (in our bathroom so we can listen to the radio in the morning). Video is thru a Samsung 7 series 52″ LCD TV.

Great sound. The upscaling of DVDs is tremendous. It can turn a DVD into (almost) a Blu Ray. Easily does 2 zones. It has 3 HDMI inputs and 1 output. Can handle 2 subs. If you don’t do HDMI, has tons of other inputs which can easily be seen on the pictures. It also has all the capabilities of more expensive receivers. HD Radio, Sirius, XM, ipod dock and all the acronyms.

So, why would you pay more (for the 3900 for example)? The 3900 is a network receiver, which the 863 is not. The 3900 has 4 HDMI inputs and 2 HDMI outputs (vs 3/1 for the 863). The 3900 is a little more powerful (140W/channel vs 105 for the 863).

However, after buying both, I wish I had just bought 2 863s. In fact for the cost of the 3900, I could have.

Great receiver. Great price. Incredible value.

4 Stars Yamaha RX-V863 Review
I have been using this receiver for the past three weeks, and although it takes some time to properly customise at the end I am very impress with the sound Quality and overall performance of this unit

4 Stars Nice Receiver
This is my 3rd Yamaha receiver I like to up grade. This one has the hd radio and hdmi hook ups that my old one didn’t. I do wish they would have impoved the remote control. I like my old one better with the lcd screen on it.

4 Stars Formerly owned the venerable RXV-659…
Got this receiver when I got the Panasonic Blu-ray player. Easy setup, many soundfields, a few changes from the RXV-659. I really wanted this unit for its analog video upconversion and ability to perform lossless PCM and the upgraded Dolby and DTS audio from Blu-rays.

Only gripe: relatively expensive, although I got mine (new in box!)from a clearance sale.

I’ve always enjoyed listening to music on Yamaha receivers, and with this unit’s ability to play my DVD-Audio discs, I am pretty pleased.

4 Stars Yamaha RX-V863
I’ve been a long time Onkyo listener. I went with Yamaha this time for it’s price and loyal customers. Plus I heard the competing Onkyo unit had a video issue in 1080P. I am very pleased with the Yamaha, it delivers very clean sound, plenty of HDMI hook ups, and an easy to set up interface. Prior Onkyo users will not like the rear hookups for anything other than HDMI. They are split up by type of input unlike the Onkyo where you could define what input the different video modes used. This somewhat constrains you in hooking up VCR’s, Wii’s, Ipod (without the onkyo dock). Overall though this is a great unit and I recommend it to anyone.

Buy/More Info

Pioneer Elite VSX 01TXH AV receiver 7 1 channel

Set your sights on the Elite VSX-01TXH 7.1-channel receiver and experience a home theater command center unlike anything you’ve ever imagined before. With unprecedented audio and video performance from this incredible multi-channel surround sound receiver, enter a dimension of sight and sound.Brace yourself for 110 Watts x 7 of high-power direct energy amplification for big, bold beautiful sound. Awaken your senses to high-definition home-theater surround sound from Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD master audio decoders, processed with THX Select2 Plus Processing and Certification. Discover a world designed with optimal sound tuning capabilities from Pioneer’s innovative Advanced MCACC room calibration and Phase Control technology to ensure the audio arrives at your listening position in complete synchronization.Enjoy your digital music like never before with iPod digital USB, USB memory audio playback, and both XM and SIRIUS satellite radio ready inputs; all fully integrated, ready and waiting for you to turn them on. And now access to all your devices can be easily set up and the devices controlled using an on-screen display and a multi-zone remote control.Enter a realm beyond imagination with a receiver that is fully custom-installation-ready and offers a discrete 2 Room Multi-zone A/V output plus independent zone control from a remote that enables you to enjoy all of your A/V entertainment throughout your home.Discover a receiver that delivers audio and video so rich, so pure, so powerful and so completely different – how you think about home entertainment will be forever changed.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Fully featured and great Pioneer quality and value
I replaced a Yamaha unit that was just a few years old with this receiver after purchasing a large Pioneer plasma display. My wife is constantly frustrated with audio-video equipment control and after reading about the synergy between Pioneer components I decided to muster up some faith, sell all of my non-Pioneer components (everything but the plasma I’d just purchased) and hope for the best. I have not been completely disappointed, nor completely wowed. The components do seem to work better together, but I am unsure if that would be true for any HDMI interfaced equipment. The common remotes is nice but I already had a good universal remote that does the trick.

The receiver looks nice, has lots of lights that have impressively obscure acronyms for the average owner, and it has large knobs. I’m sure those are great features but I just want it to switch to the right input, have sufficient volume, take advantage of the best sound option from any media I’m using, and generally be easy to operate with a Blu-Ray player and television attached. It is meeting my minimum expectations so far. Could it be better? Absolutely. I’d like to eliminate the input choices that I don’t use. I’d like it to remember the volume level for each input. I’d like it to be able to turn on automatically at the same time on weekdays and weekends. But all in all it does the basic job for which it was purchased and I have no major complaints.

3 Stars Great receiver, don’t buy from this seller…
I got my vs01 yesterday, ordered from this very page.

Pros:

*Reasonably fast shipping considering it went coast to coast.(Brooklyn to Pasadena in a week)

*Great sounding receiver, does everything a modern home theater receiver should do. 7 powered channels, decodes all the HD sound formats, etc.

*Lightweight.

*Runs cool.

*Although unit feels cheap, it is actually very rugged and well-made.

Cons:

*Price. You can find this receiver for $100 less on other sites.

Build quality feels kind of cheap, lots of plastic. (especially compared to the old HK AVR-520 it replaced)

*Packaging. When I found the shipping box on my doorstep yesterday it looked like someone had worked it over with a baseball bat. A baseball bat with nails through it. Then whoever beat it up had second thoughts and tried to make amends with 3 rolls of packing tape. Then they got angry and grabbed the nail-bat again. The fact that this thing actually powered up and worked is a MIRACLE and a true testament to the quality of this unit.

Overall I am very happy with the product but wish I had bought it somewhere else.

5 Stars pioneer elite vsx-01txh
this is my first pioneer receiver ever i have had all the other brands. this receiver has a unique sound. i could hear sounds in movies i did not hear with other brands.i am giving this unit 5 stars because it is spectacular. video processor on board is incredible.bottom line is this unit will make you pay attention.

5 Stars amazing sound and quality!!!
had this reciever for two weeks now and it is amazing!! it replaced a onyko 606 that burned up in a week!! i am very happy with the purchase!! easy setup awesome power!!

Buy/More Info

Sony HTDDWG700 Component Home Theater System Black

The Sony HT-DDW700 home theater system offers a great value in an optimum home theater. This 5.1 A/V receiver with 900 watts (RMS) and comes with an included iPod DIGITAL MEDIA PORT (DMP) dock. This system is complemented with high quality 2-way front speakers and 8″ active subwoofer. This system is equipped with the DMP interface and provides control for one of Sony’s DMP accessories (additional accessories sold separately). In addition to DMP, the Portable Audio Enhancer integrates portable music into a traditional home theater system while providing enhanced audio quality. Finally, it is XM Connect & Play Ready so you can listen to all the exciting stations available through XM satellite Radio (SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED). iPod Cradle (TDM-iP10) for DIGITAL MEDIA PORT included Digital Cinema Auto Calibration (Mic Included) BRAVIA Sync Digital Media Port

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Sony HTDDWG700 Home Theater
Easy to set up, operate, remote took a little work to get familiar with,and sounds good for the price. The Sony HTDDWG700 worked out of the box unlike the Onkyo HT-S5100 7.1 I just just returned. If you have a job and don’t want to quit to spend time WORKING on a home theater system, get the Sony.

5 Stars Why pay $600+??
If you want a feature packed surround sound receiver that will out-do all other out-of-the-box systems this one’s a sleeper for the money. Sony hasn’t missed anything in this one in fact it has more than I’ll ever use in my set-up. Super value & I dare anyone to find better for less than six bills.

4 Stars Great Home Theater System for the price.
If you need to add a little juice to your sound, this is your answer. For 200.00 you will shake the house, hear sounds during gaming sessions you never heard before, and make your wife mad late at night. Great value.

Cons:Remote has to point directly at the receiver. Small learning curve at navigating the menu.

4 Stars sony htddwg700 is a very good deal for the cost.
A great sound improvement over my TV stereo speakers. For $200 to have solid quad sound and a very good sub is well worth it…not for audiophiles or for very big rooms where you have to overdrive the speakers. But for me, a smallish square room, I never have to turn it up past halfway and my DVD movies, satellite TV and music fill the room with clear sound and the sub rumbles and shakes the room.

3 Stars Good Low Budget Option
The system was purchased as a Christmas Gift and overall is a very good option for the money. It only came with 1 very short audio cable so, in order to get it set up, we had to head to Radio Shack. Once we had it connected though, it worked very well and is pretty straight forward to use.

Buy/More Info

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