Yamaha RX-V1800 initial review

[Tpratt23]

Im new this forum but Ive been researching receivers on line now for a while. There are a lot of options out there in the A/V receiver market. I had been looking at the main brands in the $1000-$1300 retail price range. Onkyo, Denon, Sony, and Yamaha are the ones I had been lookng at. I had narrowed it down to the Sony STR-DA4300ES & the Yamaha 1800. ( I didnt need the options offered on the Yamaha 3800 over the 1800)

Ive had the Sony STR-DA4ES for a couple years now an was really happy with it, which is one reason I was looking hard at the new Sony. I wanted the new HDMI inputs and upconversion options. I had read many reviews on both the Yamaha and Sony receivers and honestly didnt think I would be able to tell a difference in sound quality. I had read a couple reviews saying that Yamaha had better sound and 1 review that the Sony was more detailed.

I just got my little Yammy yesterday and was excited that the UPS guy didnt drop it and I anxiously hooked it up. I hooked up my Infinity Overture 3s and sub and sat down to listen to a CD. I couldnt believe the difference in sound quality over my old Sony. The Sony was still very good and has a different sound to it. The Yahama just seems to be clear and detailed in comparison while the Sony seems to cover up a lot of details, good and bad.

The Yamaha also has an option to use "Presence" speakers which are an alternative to the rear speakers in a 7.1. This option is good for small rooms or if you want to "raise" the dialogue onto the screen if your speakers are lower. Both Yamaha and Sony have several different sound fields, but I think the Yamaha's fields are better.

I'm not sure if the new Sony 4300ES has a different sound than my 4ES, and the Sony probably does have better video circuitry than the Yamaha, but I am very happy with the first impressions of my YammaHammer.

I hope this helps someone in the market for a new receiever.

[eugovector]

Thanks for the initial impressions, Troy. As time goes on and you learn the little quirks, good and bad, please keep us filled in.

[Prof.]

I'm also a Yammy owner and out of the box it sounded very good..But after fiddling with DSP and all the other settings over a period of months of trying things, it sounds even better..

Have fun with it..

[thxgoon]

Congrats on the receiver! You may try the presence speakers just for fun and see if you like it. They are a nice bonus with Yamaha IMO as they are calibrated for their DSP's. I really enjoyed a setup like this for a while.