Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-10 of 10 | | « PREV | | |
 Very pleased with purchase July 18, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
I bought this system after researching for two weeks. I was looking for a system under $500. I was also looking for a system that did NOT include a DVD player as I want to upgrade to a Blue-ray player later on. I liked the price at Amazon and the fact I didn't have to pay sales tax and shipping. When I received the system, I placed the speakers where I wanted them (I also purchased the iPod dock which I think should have been included). You will have to cut and splice the speaker wire but that is not a big deal. My system is hooked up to an HDTV and it sounds great. There are plenty of hook-ups in the back so you can build on this system. There are better products out there but for the money, I think I made out like a bandit. I really love this system!
Awesome System for Awesome Price July 15, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is my first surround system, and I was lucky I happened to stumble across it. I was a bit leery about the quality when I first saw the price, but I read others' reviews and know that Yamaha is a reputable brand, so I went with it.
I hooked up my DVD player and XBox 360 via TOSlink, and everything sounds superb! I was amazed when the first movie I watched with this system tricked me into thinking there was lightning outside, when it was coming from the surround speakers! I'd definitely recommend this to anyone looking to get a reasonably priced entry level system.
I ordered it with a pair of these Atlantic 77305018 Satellite Speaker Stands (Black) which work fine for holding the front speakers next to the TV.
EDIT: I should mention that I bought this Philips Spooled Speaker Wire - 100ft - 16 gauge with the system because one of the other reviews stated the wire that comes with the system is pretty cheap. I didn't even really look at it, I just used the Philips wire.
EDIT: I just hooked these Polk Audio Atrium 45 All-Weather Speakers (Pair, White) up to the system as my "B" speakers out on my patio, and that sounds great too!
Great HT system June 16, 2008
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
Already had a DVD player and other components and wanted to upgrade to a better recevier since my old one was 18 years old!!! This one was at a great price and had all of the features I wanted. I did buy some speaker stands to go for the surrounds and a universal remote which all bring the entire entertainment system together. I really like all of the options from this system and it sounds great! Remote is not all that intuitive with having to press an inconspicuous AMP button before selecting other options for the receiver but not too steep of a learning curve. I say this because I haven't yet figured out how to used these features with my lower-end Universal Remote. Set up was easy for me and I highly recommend as others that you get your own, better speaker wire. I will admit I would have liked a few other audio digital input options. For example, the receiver has only a digital coax input for the DVD, and two digital optial (toslink) for the Cable and DVR units. I have it set up so my TV (hooked up via broadcast antenna TV) plugs into the DVD coax input on the A/V unit and my DVD player connects the toslink cable into the Cable port. (I did this as my TV had a digital coax audio outlet and wanted to hear TV sounds through the A/V unit) No big deal I just have to select the proper but not correctly labeled inputs for my setup inputs. Easy enough to do with the universal remote so my wife can use it easily.
Maybe this is standard but I would like for the subwoofer to turn on/off with the A/V receiver even if it did still need its own power supply input. I solved this by using an easily switchable power strip/supressor which I physically switch off whenever the system is not being used.
Overall, this was nearly exactly the system I wanted and it was at a great price. I like all of the program sound effects and especially the night dynamic suppression option but I haven't yet noticed a difference. Overall, if you've already got an upscalling DVD player and want a HT system, this is it. Take a good look at what cables you'll need (i.e. an extra HDMI cable to pass through to the TV) or other component cables, digital audio etc as they are much cheaper over the internet than in local stores. One can d/l the manuals from yamaha to see what connections there are on the back.
I highly recommend you pay attention to detail with the connections and do not attempt to do this if you have trouble connecting the VCR/DVD player to your TV. With all the old Composite A/V and S-Video cables and the newer DVI/HDMI & Component video and digital coax and optical audio... if you do not know what these are or don't want to take the time to understand them, you might want to stay away from this system or pay someone to set it up. Knowing what I was doing it took me about 45 minutes to restrip the subsitute wires for the 5 speakers and about another hour to connect all the different cables with proper cable management. So take your time and enjoy. I for one, really enjoy this stuff.
great purchase May 26, 2008
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
i bought this after selling a huge system [cerwin vega at-15's, 500watt/chnl 4ohm amp,etc.] the stereo was just to big and did not get used much anymore. this new yamaha suround sounds very good for the size and especialy the price. much better than a walmart sony surround i also had. if you want the most bang for your buck, buy it. the hdmi feeds video AND audio to your tv. to get surround you need to make toslink or coax audio connection. tried this. perfect sound! you can assign the three 5.1 audio connections to anything video. you will need to read manual for this. this system is not just plug and play. you have to set speaker size from medium, to small. 8ohm speaker to 6ohm. etc. if this is not done, you will hate the sound, and probably fry the speakers. the woofers in the front speakers will move waaay too much and pop. once its all set to the manuals specs, you will love the sound. overall, great product, waaay better than best buy, walmart etc systems. this is better suited for people not afraid to make high quality video and audio connections. if you dont know what TOSLINK or HDMI means, then you should probably buy a sony or something else.
 Good value May 14, 2008
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
I'd like to start by saying Amazon.com is about $100 cheaper than a walk-in store. I bought this system and the sound quality is much better than my old Kenwood system. The speakers are decent sounding with typical particle wood construction and a "piano" finish. It has 2 HDMI inputs and 1 output. There isn't audio decoding through HDMI, though if you are like me, I use the toslink for everything (Sat, DVD and Xbox360). Bass from the subwoofer is deep and powerful. The user manual could be written a little better. The price vs. sound quality strikes a perfect balance and I am glad I purchased it.
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