When I looked at the mass of cables behind my rack (optical. coaxial, composite video) I decided I needed to update my gear. Time for an HDMI capable receiver. I pretty much decide on the 3060, Anthem 720 or Marantz 7011. I went to the local retailer for a listen and heard the Marantz 7011 and the Yamaha 1060. We switched back and forth between the two for about 10 minutes and I really couldn't tell much of a difference. Both sounded good, clear and powerful. The speakers were B&Ws I think, don't remember the model. I though about the price difference9 Over a grand more for the Marantz. The salesman said he perferred the Marantz because of how it handles the highs. I dunno. I do the Marantz was hot to the touch and the Yamaha slightly warm if that means anything. I didn't get to hear the Anthem but it was even more the Marantz so I settled on the 3060.
No problems with delivery. It feels heavy and sturdy when you lift it out of the box. Set up was pretty easy. One HDMI cable out of the receiver to the TV. And 3 HDMI ins from Oppo 105, firestick and Direct TV. (I'm normally more of a cable guy but satellite is the only way for me to see my Eagles games here in AZ. I also hooked up a pair of analog cables out of the Oppo. I made speaker connections and powered up. Ascend Acoustic towers with the Horizon center and a Rythmik sub, F12. Music mostly comes from a Windows 10 PC using JRiver streaming uncompressed WAV and some FLAC files. Display is a Sony.
After hook up I configured a few things in the menu. Named the HDMI inputs, told the receiver to pass through video unprocessed and set it to "standby pass through" Meaning of course you can watch TV with out the receiver being on. There was no change in video quality that I could see. I plugged in the Ethernet cable and there was a firmware that took about 20 minutes. The Yamaha instantly recognized my network. I scrolled through my music files and began playing a few tunes. I could instantly hear the improvement in sound ove my old receiver. My speakers never sounded better. The highs, the bass, clarity, everything! Even at low volumes the music sounded more dynamic. A big plus is the Yamaha recognizes and displays album art for WAV files! Gapeless playback was flawless. I think my beloved 105 gets retired as a music streamer.
I ran YPAO on the second day and readings from 5 different locations. It took maybe 10 minutes. The music sounded better still. Not a night and day difference but tighter bass for sure. it se my speakers to large but I set them to small and settle on a 60hz crossover, and chose the "Natural" PEQ. I am really impressed with the sound for 2 channel music. Clear, powerful, and dynamic. You can choose different EQ settings: Flat, Front, Natural, or Through (no EQ at all) or you can choose manual and do it yourself. The manual EQ is 7 bands.
I don't use DSP modes. Yamaha could've left them out. They are supposed to recreate the sound of a live venue I guess, but If I were at a venue that sounded like that, I would get up and leave (after I finished my beer of course
) Subwoofer placement options and room acoustics I think are my biggest problem now, but this receiver is great for music. Movies are great too. Clean clear dialogue, and enough volume and dynamics to shake the place up. NFL games sound great too. With certain stadiums the the networks can place the mics closer to the field, and you can easily hear the players on the field talking before before the snap. Very cool, if you are into it.
There are many option to tailor the sound: YPAO Volume, High Res Music Enhancer, Extra Bass. all are available bu clicking the options button on the remote. Ah the remote, it sucks. Far too many tiny buttons and not back lit. Luckily the phone app works good, but I wish they would give you a better remote. But once you set the receiver up it is very simple to use in day to day operation. Simply select the source AV1,2 or 3, and your sound choice, or save scenes and it will automatically select your sound option. Plenty of music options to, Pandora, Spotify, Internet Radio, Network, XM, etc.
Switching HDMI sources takes about 3 or 4 seconds a guess, not too bad. But I don't have anything to compare it too since it's my first HDMI receiver.
All in all, I'm happy with the purchase. Many audiophiles say receivers are a compromise when it comes to two channel audio, if that's the case, I want to stay ignorant, because this thing sounds way better than my Yamaha 2500 and does more with fewer cables
I'm not sure if adding an external amp would provide improved sound quality, so I'm just going to leave it alone for now. Thanks for reading.
