Yamaha RX-V1

[DnJ90]

Hi all,Hope you guys can help.I have the chance to get get a rx-v1 in excellant condition for $299.Not sure if I should do it.It will be an upgrade from my RXV870.I know it doesent have any hdmi inputs and its old school but it sure is a nice piece,and to be honest i dont know if i really need the hdmi inputs.Or on the other hand I was looking at a refurb 765.I know there on diffrent sides of the rainbow but im just not sure what to do.What would be your oppinions?Any help would be appreciated.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

The RX-V1 is an excellent unit, built like a tank. I picked up one last year for a mere $270.

Like you I was mulling over HDMI but ultimately decided I didn’t need it. I typically have a mix of new and older gear and I had read too much about problems with components with different HDMI protocols talking to each other. I decided to bypass that mess and just stick with component video. Besides, my TV is 720p.

From what I read, TV production and stations are heavily invested in 1080i and 720p equipment, so that’s going to be a defacto standard for many years to come. So the only benefit HDMI is going to you is with blu ray discs, which are 1080p, and some movie downloads.

Plus I like having easy-access bass and treble controls – no sifting through menus for a quick and temporary change in tone control.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[DnJ90]

Thank you for the response. In regards to the blu ray couldnt I hook it up to the tv useing hdmi and then hook it to the receiver the normal way,useing say rca cables? Guess i'm just confused on the old or new school choice.

 

[WaynePflughaupt]

In regards to the blu ray couldnt I hook it up to the tv useing hdmi and then hook it to the receiver the normal way,useing say rca cables?

Sure could. That would give you an advantage if your TV is 1080p, but probably not if the TV is 720p. The RX-V1 remote will run macros, so you could set up the DVD macro to change the TV’s input for you automatically.

However, you’ll want to use a digital connection for the audio, not the “normal” RCA connections. There might be a problem there, depending on the DVD player. It should have a setting in its menu to pass only video via HDMI and not audio. If there is no audio turn-off for HDMI, it’s possible that the player might not pass audio from its regular digital coax or optical outputs.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Pyrrho]

Thank you for the response. In regards to the blu ray couldnt I hook it up to the tv useing hdmi and then hook it to the receiver the normal way,useing say rca cables? Guess i'm just confused on the old or new school choice.

Yes, you could, but you would not reap the benefits of the new audio formats on BD (Blu-ray) that way, because they cannot be sent via optical or coaxial digital. If you want the new higher resolution audio soundtracks on BD, the only way you could get it with an old receiver (with no HDMI) is to get a BD player with multichannel analog outputs, and use the analog multichannel inputs of the receiver for the sound.

If you can afford it, I strongly recommend getting a newer receiver with HDMI and the new audio formats. Right now, you can get a Yamaha RX-V1900 or a Marantz SR7002 for about $600 from places like Amazon.com (they both retail for about $1400). See:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67521

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67849

I personally would never consider buying a surround receiver without HDMI and the ability to deal with the new audio formats. But you must decide for yourself what things matter to you.

I suppose if all you have is $300 for a receiver, then what you are considering may be a good choice, but there are reasons why such an old unit is so cheap.