Yamaha Compressed Music Enhancer!! Stunning!

[jsanch08]

After 26 years with a Pioneer SX-7 lightning forced me to enter the modern world.

After 3 months of research I purchased the Yamaha RX-V659 for, primarily, access to its "Compressed Music Enhancer". This feature is found on, surprisingly, only the mid range receivers that come with an iPod dock.

However, my wife, to my chagrin, purchased an iPod....and found a mountain of music to put on it (that I also enjoy). I paid no attention to this.....kept my nose pointed straight up.

However, for those familiar with the PianoSociety.com .mp3 files......something like what Yamaha offers......mp3 recovery....is of interest.

So......I bought the RX-V659.....hooked up the expensive, but high quality, iPod port.....and downloaded a few of my favorites from pianosociety.com.

Then I tested the .mp3 and and iPod with Compressed Music Enhancer ON and OFF in various ways.

Yamaha has made a profoundly positive step forward with the inclusion of this compressed music enhancer. The sound from .mp3 files that have significant bass is remarkable. Some .mp3 piano recordings sound a little MIDI like due to harmonic compression. Yamaha's Compressed Music Enhancer completely restores what sounds like a real piano to these files.

Those wishing to hear how good the Music Enhancer can be are encouraged to download the Moonlight Sonata by Mark McCarthy under the Beethoven section of Piano Society and listen to the bass section with the Enhancer on. McCarthy uses a large concert piano with awesome bass that is lost somewhat in compression. Yamaha brings it back completely.

The iPod is also not known as a Hi Fi sound reproduction piece. However, with, having listened to Beatles Albums through the iPod with Music Enhancer on ..... and being old enough to have listened to them on radio and on vinyl and on CD......the iPod....with Yamaha Music Enhancer ON sounds the best I have ever heard. Incredible.

The only way I could get this Enhancer Technology was to buy a mid RX AV receiver without HDMI. Hopefully, this feedback will encourage Yamaha to add this to higher end, higher power receivers.

 

[ssabripo]

interesingt read....thanks!

and yes, the 1700/2700 are carrying this feature, so that will be a good thing!

 

[jcPanny]

MP3 files

Interesting feedback on the Yamaha feature. However, if you download higher quality MP3 files or lossles files (FLAC, etc.) than you wont need the MP3 enhancer.

 

[jaxvon]

I agree with JC. Also, while I'm not sure about current revisions, I know that Stereophile measured the R1 or R2 and found it to be a very hi-fi device. It had superb measurements.

 

[jsanch08]

I should have mentioned, in the original post, that the Music Enhancer, when ON, influences PCM and analog sources when "Pure Direct" is off.

Without exception, the Music Enhancer sounds better.

I think Yamaha has designed a preference signal processing that simply sounds a little better for PCM and sounds a lot better for .mp3.

The Marc McCarthy .mp3 are very, very good. Music Enhancer enhances anyway.

Obviously, I am a fan of this new technology. Probably, in part, due to my absence from the scene for 26 years.

Now if this Yamaha amp will last as long as my Pioneer, well, I will have enjoyed an entire lifetime of music for pennies per year.

 

[JoeE SP9]

If you didn't deal with music compressed with lossy compression schemes you wouldn't need another distortion adding device to make them sound right.

 

[stone18]

Has anyone used the Music Enhancer when playing an XM feed? There has to be some serious compression going on with the XM signal, and that's something the end user does not control (unlike ripping songs off of CDs prior to putting them on an IPOD. Was wondering what it can do for XM sound.

 

[hemiram]

I doubt it can do anything for XM or Sirius either, they both sound pretty bad.
I have my Sirius receiver directly connected to my Yamaha RX-V659, and even the worst sounding local FM station (and it's BAD)is slightly better than Sirius. XM sounds very slightly better (to me anyway), but it's still pretty rotten, like a lower sampled mp3.

 

[jsanch08]

Yamaha has an interesting design document on a Japanese website that describes their design of the Compressed Music Enhancer as not targeted at pure signal reconstruction.

Rather, they have targeted a preferential listening experience outcome. As a long time signal processing engineer, that sounded laughable to me when I read it.

When compressed music enhancer is applied to any input music signal, it is processes it to an alternative state....including analog input.

So far, to my surprise, and to my ear......many types of music sound "improved". Words I would use to describe "improved" are: a fuller sound, in symphonic violins recorded to CD I often hear, even on high end speakers, the hint of tinniness....this is gone with Enhanced Music ON for ANY input source. Bass reproduction is fuller, even on good subwoofers with good CD input.

So....even for "non-compressed" inputs, I feel (and your results could vary) that the Yamaha technology offers much for the open minded listener.

I might set up a high speed audio capture and do a Fourier Transform to back out what they are doing....if I have time.

Certainly, given the ubiquitous nature of compressed music, its easy availability, the mesh of computer and media......Compressed Music Enhancer is a blockbuster feature.

Great job Yamaha.

 

[stone18]

"I doubt it can do anything for XM or Sirius either..."
That's disappointing, my XM is currently hooked up to an older Onkyo receiver via the 1/8th jack and an RCA Y adaptor and I was kind of hoping a direct connection with the RX-V659 (I'm considering buying one, but not just for this reason) and the enhancer would help matters.

For me, I'd rather have fewer channels and better sound, but perhaps more channels sells the service better than good sound, at least for the masses. In the meantime, I'm awaiting delivery of a new sound card and a long optical cable to run from my PC to my receiver, hopefully some of the internet music sources will sound better than XM.

 

[jsanch08]

PS - Check out the new review on the Yamaha RX-V659 AV receiver on this website!

I thought I was getting good value....but...the review indicates an even better value than I thought I was getting.

Also, I paid $499 for the reciever retail......so....if you are interested in hearing the Compressed Music Enhancer on XM radio....buy the amp....try it out.....

I think there is a reasonable chance you will be impressed with the sound.

 

[stone18]

Ok, ok...after reading the review it seems like just the ticket to replace my Onkyo TX SR500, it's right in my price range and if all goes well with a few items I'm selling at EBAY, I'll order it by the end of the weekend...I'll certainly post my own impressions when it's up and running. Should sound good with my Axiom M3s and center.

 

[chadergeist]

Can you use the enhancer while listening to cds? To make the cds sound better.