WOW! Yamaha 5960 slays my Pioneer 1015TX

[jamiecrane]

I believe the OP was talking about clarity of SQ, not power. More power does not equal to better sound.

AGREED

But I believe more times than not clarity is associated with brightness - a brighter sounding amp is thought of as having more clarity but after say 3 hours of listening your head wants to explode
Not saying bright is bad, you just need to team them with the right speakers.

Jamie

 

[brendy]

the 1015 has 480 Watts on the back panel & the 5960 only has 400 Watts. usually, this is an indicator of the "true" power output capability of the amps more so than the rated power...since almost every receiver is 100 x 7...& you know that's not true...

i'm sure someone else can explain this better than i did. more power doesn't necessarily mean better sound, but i'd rather have more than not enough...

If that is true than my Onkyo 602 rated at 800 watts has a higher power output even though it is rated at 85 WPC.

 

[johnnybon]

You should try adding power amp to thr 5960. That would be a major difference.

 

[Bluesmoke]

In light of the new Yamaha 659 review, I feel vindicated in my comparison.
I too was slightly shocked at first when it felt like the Yamaha was delivering more uniform power and clarity to my speakers than the 1015, which is rated 10w/channel higher.

This is truly a magnificient receiver. Those of you on the HDMI 1.3 fence should pick one of these up to tide you over.

EDIT: I just found out it's rated at 980w total power. Damn!

 

[xboxweasel]

Excellllent! [said in Mr. Smithers voice] Another yamaha lover.

Congrats on the upgrade.

I too really like my Yamaha receivers.

 

[Nuglets]

(The number of channels) x (watts per channel), will not give you the total amount of watts the reciever will put out instantaniously to all channels. If only one or two channels are used you may recieve the full Rated watts per channel, but when you are using more channels the amount of watts per channel is lower depending on what is played in each channel at a given moment. If it is 5 or 7 channel stereo, the watts per channel will be signifigantly lower than if it is a movie soundtrack where all channels are not given a 'large' signal at the same time. The total amount of power your speakers can recieve is dependant on how much power the power supply can deliver and how much your circuit breakers in your house can handle.

 

[Adam]

Bluesmoke,

Glad that you found yourself an upgrade that you're happy with. As some have said, preferring the Yamaha or Pioneer might depend on your speaker/receiver combo. I have NHT 1.5s, and I had a Yamaha RX-V992 that I used for years before I got the 1015. To me, the 1015 was a big improvement because it reduced the brightness. The Yamaha/NHT combo was overly harsh for music, but okay for HT. The Pioneer tones it down a bit and really makes the NHTs smooth. Great for me, but someone else might not like it.

Adam

 

[JohnA]

I can easily say I am much more happy with my 1015. However, if I could had afforded it I would have gotten a Yamaha RX-V2600 or one of the Pioneer Elite models.

Have you had a look at the new 1016, that might be a contender for you...2 HDMI inputs, up converting to component, XM, iPod, and Dual Zone

Just some food for thought.

 

[Bluesmoke]

Bluesmoke,

Glad that you found yourself an upgrade that you're happy with. As some have said, preferring the Yamaha or Pioneer might depend on your speaker/receiver combo. I have NHT 1.5s, and I had a Yamaha RX-V992 that I used for years before I got the 1015. To me, the 1015 was a big improvement because it reduced the brightness. The Yamaha/NHT combo was overly harsh for music, but okay for HT. The Pioneer tones it down a bit and really makes the NHTs smooth. Great for me, but someone else might not like it.

Adam

Umm, you're comparing apples and oranges. How old is the 992, 5 years, 6? Yamahas have gotten better over the years. I actually liked the drop door of the 1015, but sound is sound. My 5960 is better than the 1015 in every way, there's just no comparison.

I don't consider the new Yamahas to be bright. They are not warm like HKs, but more neutral sounding, similar to Pioneers in fact.

 

[Adam]

Umm, you're comparing apples and oranges. How old is the 992, 5 years, 6? Yamahas have gotten better over the years. I actually liked the drop door of the 1015, but sound is sound. My 5960 is better than the 1015 in every way, there's just no comparison.

The 992 was eight years old when I replaced it. The 992 did not sound bright with my previous speakers, but did sound bright with my NHTs. The 1015 does not sound bright with my NHTs. So, I have experience with receiver/speakers combos that agree with other opinions that I've read. I was just putting forth a thought for you and the other readers. I understand that the 5960 is not the same as the 992.

Again, I'm glad that you like your new receiver. What's most important is that you like it. Sound is sound, as you say, but almost everyone perceives it differently. That's why there are so many people stating that their systems are better than some other system.

I don't consider the new Yamahas to be bright. They are not warm like HKs, but more neutral sounding, similar to Pioneers in fact.

Good to know. Thanks. I was leary of the new Yamahas because of my personal experience, but I'll open my mind to auditioning them.

Adam