663 -vs- 665

[Alex2507]

I'm posting this thread to convince my nephew to send back the 665 that Tiger sent him instead of the 663.
He's sort of inclined to keep the 665 because it's in his hands regardless of what I say.

So .... here's the article that Gene wrote up with the ensuing thread:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53753&highlight=Yamaha

There is a direct comparison in a chart form about 3/4 of the way down the first page.
This thread is here as an open invitation for anybody and everybody to try and talk some sense into this youngster.

The main reasons I think he should get the 663 are:

1. It's a good rec'r.
2. It's affordable.
3. His mom has one.

Back me up on this one fellas. I'll put you on pg. #1.

 

[jamie2112]

Send it back kiddo get the 663,Period.Listen to your uncle Chops.

 

[Ares]

I can't believe I'm about to say this but I have to agree with you just looking at the specs I would take 663 over 665 if given the choice. the 665 may have HDMI pass through, but the 663 wpc is the full bandwidth and not at 1khz like the 665 that's what sealed the deal for me on the 663. Sorry nephew listen to your uncle he is right on this one.

 

[Adam]

The 665 is INFERIOR!!!

Back me up on this one fellas. I'll put you on pg. #1.

How about just #1?

 

[pzaur]

The 663 is cheaper and better but the 863 takes the cake!

663 - $329.88
661 - $419.95
665 - $499.95
Pioneer 919 - $399.00

FINALLY - for less than the 665 he can get the 863 for $470.00

I'd take the 663 over the 661 for the HDMI upconversion/transcoding/whatever-the-hell-it-actually-is ability. Fewer connections to run.
I'd take the 863 over all the above.

-pat

 

[Adam]

My biggest complaint against the 665 are the contraints on inputs. Without assignable inputs, it is far more restrictive in terms of what can be connected to it than the 663.

It comes down to weighing the features and price of both receivers and deciding which is the better choice. For most people that I know, the 663 is the better choice. If the 665 is better, than stick with it.

In the end, though, don't assume that something is better because it's newer. A number of receiver lines this year seem to have gone downhill in terms of features and performance, and I put Yamaha's 600 series in that group.

 

[Alex2507]

The 663 is cheaper and better but the 863 takes the cake!

The 663 was $330 but Tiger Direct sent him the 665 instead.
The 863 is more money and it's not exactly what his mom / my sister has.
That's why I'm not pushing him toward the more powerful and more expensive 863.

The idea is bang for the buck and killing two birds with one stone.

 

[pzaur]

The 663 was $330 but Tiger Direct sent him the 665 instead.
The 863 is more money and it's not exactly what his mom / my sister has.
That's why I'm not pushing him toward the more powerful and more expensive 863.

The idea is bang for the buck and killing two birds with one stone.

It's $360 now...
The 665 is a downgrade and more like the x63 model lower than the 663. Tell him the current comparable model to the 663 is the 765 and see what he says.

Tigerdirect should eat shipping for return and correction.

-pat

 

[Alex2507]

Tell him the current comparable model to the 663 is the 765 and see what he says.

Tigerdirect should eat shipping for return and correction.

-pat

He'll be reading this soon enough.
If he keeps the 665 I am going to start telling his wife how great Bose sound when they are hooked up with Monster Cable.
Tiny speakers wired up with wire as fat as a horse's c*** have that chocolaty mid range that is worth the extra cost.

EDIT: ... another pertinent tid bit that I found:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=241

 

[adwilk]

... killing two birds with one stone.

Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird...

Sorry, somebody had to return the favor and derail one of your threads....

663 FTW...

 

[Adam]

My two leading favorites:

Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.

When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.

 

[croseiv]

I'd definitely keep the 663 out of those two. I was at my local BB today, and had a look at the Yammy line up up to the 1065. One thing I noticed immediately when looking inside of them was the flimsy heat sinkage! All of them felt very light to the touch, and the transformer in the 1065 was rather small and just got smaller going down the lineup. Not like the previous years model. Granted if you were to use the 1065 as a preamp, then that doesn't matter, but it gave me the impression of being rather anemic for having to power speakers.

 

[Adam]

Well, just so the 665 doesn't feel too bashed, it does have something going for it. It's easier to lift and move around.

 

[Alex2507]

Well, just so the 665 doesn't feel too bashed, it does have something going for it. It's easier to lift and move around.

LOL !!! That was the hammer right there. Now he can get his little sister to reconfigure his gear for him.

... and she's only 8 years old !!!

Is this the page where it gets ugly?

 

[adwilk]

Is this the page where it gets ugly?

We'll see if Chris chimes in.

 

[BudgetHT]

Good luck finding a 663. I looked all over the net and found one at buy.com(selling through elec. expo) and guess what they shipped me? A 665.
I'm not complaining though. Other than the amp section the 665 is a superior receiver unless you're running older Legacy components and need more than the HDMI hookups as Adam stated.
Who cares about the 663 having more power? The point of buying a receiver with pre outs is to utilize them.
I say keep the 665 and buy a nice amp and you'll have a better setup than the 663.
BTW. At this point, the 663s that are being sold around the net are just vapor ware. I did alot of hours of research on this after buying mine.

 

[Alex2507]

I say keep the 665 and buy a nice amp and you'll have a better setup than the 663.

From Gene's article:

"From my testing of A/V receivers from various manufacturers, most of them simply slap preamp outputs on the back of their receivers for a marketing feature. It is a very inexpensive way to impress the unsophisticated user into being awed. They usually don’t put decent op-amps that have enough output to drive external power amplification to its full potential without the internal preamp of the receiver first clipping and going into gross distortion. Remember these receivers are designed as a closed loop system to work optimally with their own internal components. If the manufacturer is cutting costs in the power supply of their product to offer you more features, it’s a safe bet they aren’t giving you a higher quality preamplification section to power an external amplifier."

My intention isn't to bash the 665 or your rec'r purchase. It's to keep my nephew from making a mistake and to get him into the same rec'r that my sister has. The bashing and slander or libelous (I forget which applies to print) is a little well placed friendly ribbing meant to manipulate the boy but thanks for chiming in. I just don't want to give him any way to ignore all the guys who have up until now been in unanimous agreement with Gene's assessment of the two rec'rs.

Hey, if it makes you feel any better, the 665 is better than my rec'r (H/K AVR 430) ... just not better than the 663.

Sorry and please don't be offended.

 

[BudgetHT]

Quote:
"From my testing of A/V receivers from various manufacturers, most of them simply slap preamp outputs on the back of their receivers for a marketing feature. It is a very inexpensive way to impress the unsophisticated user into being awed. They usually don’t put decent op-amps that have enough output to drive external power amplification to its full potential without the internal preamp of the receiver first clipping and going into gross distortion. Remember these receivers are designed as a closed loop system to work optimally with their own internal components. If the manufacturer is cutting costs in the power supply of their product to offer you more features, it’s a safe bet they aren’t giving you a higher quality preamplification section to power an external amplifier."

Can you prove that this is the case with 665? From everything I have read the 665 is a great pre-pro.

Also... The inputs are assignable with the latest firmware upgrade so the assignable input argument is moot.

 

[Alex2507]

Can you prove that this is the case with 665?

No, I can't prove that.

... the assignable input argument is moot.

You have me there.

 

[BudgetHT]

You have me there.

Sorry Alex. That was directed to Adam.