Yamaha RX-V650 vs Sony STRDE-997

[cacr23]

Hi
Im planning to buy a A/V Reciver for around $350 to $400. I have Bose Acustimas 15II. Between this two Yamaha RX-V650 vs Sony STRDE-997 what you think?

Can I get some advise?

thanks
Carlos

 

[Nomo]

The Yamaha will give you much better sound, features and performance.

The only real benefit to the Sony is it is easier to use. That may be a consideration if anyone who will be using the reciever is less than familiar with this kind of thing.

Persoally my choice would be, (and already was) Yamaha over Sony.

 

[WooHoo]

I had a 2 Yamahas driving Bose for about 6 years. I enjoyed them. My neighbor had a Sony driving the same Bose speakers and we both liked the Yamaha better. Seemed the sound was fuller with the Yammi over the Sony. (He ended up returning the Sony when the DTS processing broke down) I now have an RX V-2500 driving Energy's. WOW!! I just do not believe you can beat the Yammi's. Sony is not what it used to be. Even in the ES series.

 

[WilliO]

I had a Sony STR-995 before having the Yamaha RX-V2500. To my opinion, the sound improvement is not that much, if I could tell any difference at all.

The Yamaha RX-V650 should provide you more tweaking capability than the Sony, and give you the limited YPAO. Only when I ran the YPAO through the Yamaha that I discovered I had wired my speakers incorrectly all along.

The Sony is a lot easier to operate, particularly by its elegantly-designed remote control which also has learning and macro functions which is very useful if you want to consolidate all remotes into one. The Yamaha RX-V650's remote does not have learning/macro. Even with the upgraded RX-V2500's remote, I have constant problem of switching back and forth between modes, confounded by its extra AMP/AV/TV button switch that drove me nuts. Furthermore the DVD control buttons are at the last row (with the RX-V2500 remote) and make it difficult to use. Granted, you can buy a separate Harmony and Pronto remote but that will set you back at least $150 and yet they do not make it easier than the Sony's.

A few more things to consider: the Sony does not allow you to switch to analog Multi-Channel Input remotely (if you have SACD or DVD-A) this is a serious setback, and its graphic equalizer is very limited.

Overall, I would recommend the Sony.

 

[Leprkon]

I've retired two Sony receivers because they did a VERY poor job on DTS. the center channel sounded like it was coming out of a well. Blame the speaker you say (after all, two receivers wouldn't have the same problem, would they ???), well the new Yamaha seems to like it just fine...

It's not all that much effort to have to reach for a second remote (or if it is, your money would probably be better spent going to a gym). I guess the bottom line is: are you buying a receiver to get an "elegant" remote or so you can hear some serious quality sound ?

 

[Nomo]

I had exactly the same experience as Leprkon with a Sony DE885 reciever, the center channel and subsequently the dialogue in movies was almost inaudible. I didn't retire it for a that reason, in a puff of smoke it simply stopped working properly, Hence my nickname. I didn't realize how bad the sound from the Sony was until I got my Yamaha.
I have nothing against the Sony brand. They make an excellent television.
As far as recievers go, they make an excellent television.
Comparing the low to mid-priced Sonys with comparable Yamaha models is not much of a contest, IMHO. You're paying about $100 for the socially accepted Sony nameplate.
The Yamaha is a much better buy than the Sony.

 

[Bobber]

The new Yamaha lower end, that is RX-V750 down will be comming out in the next month. You may want to wait for them if your are looking for the latest. I will be replacing my Yamaha RX V1400 with a newer unit but that end will not update until this fall or later. Im looking for HDMI switching on the next unit and a little more power. Sony's remote would be a poor reason to go that way unless you find everything else equal. I think the quality of the Yamaha, Dennon and Pioneer Elite units is a step above Sony. But Sony TV's are good.

 

[WilliO]

I used to be dubious of Sony and looked down on people who boasted about their Sony equipments until I tried them out.

My experience is that Sony put a lot of thought on designing their products to be user-friendly, with few exceptions. If you read my previous post, you can tell I am a sucker for user interfaces that are simple, smart, and thoughtful of their users. Mind you, these are things that show how much respect a company pays to its customers.

Take, for example, those sealed, clear plastic packaging on certain small products that are so tough to yank them open to get to the items. I am afraid of those packages because I torn my skins a few times by their sharp cut edges. This shows how little consideration a product/company gives to its customers. A difficult-to-use control interface disregards its users in the same way.

Apple, IBM, Sony, and Toyota earn people's approval because they invest in what that matters most: user-friendliness and quality. Those two characteristics go hand-in-hand: if a company pays that much attention to how a person using its products, then its products have to be a better quality to not disappoint its users.

Those are qualities that are obviously difficult to achieve. Lots of thought, lots of creative thinkings, lots of studies, lots of surveys, lots of research to be invested. Those scroll wheels on the Ipods, for example, are utterly simple and elegant but no company had the think-tank power to think or care about it until Apple.

The remote control was invented for and only for the convenience of its users and it revolutionized how we interact with our electronics. Now one can't even think of using an audio/video component without the remote - Well, most people can't.

Except for a few,

and a few more that expect no respect from their favorite companies.

 

[S.R. Johnson]

ok if sony is so wonderful, why do their amps sound like crap and they have a bad customer service and such? and to the original poster, get the yamaha that best suit your needs.

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

I recently upgraded from a Sony STR-DE 925 to a Denon 3805. The switch was amazing. The Sony had a better remote. The Denon has better everything else, especially sound. I have an old Natural Sound Yamaha two channel receiver in the basement. It's always amazed me how clean the sound is. You never see anyone comparing Sony to Denon, but see Yamaha comparisons with Denon all the time. I'm not knocking Sony - I owned a $500 unit (in 1993 dollars!) for years. I was just ignorant to the competition all that time. Go with the Yamaha, and get the latest technology if it can be had for a token more. Their 2500 is almost as good as my 3805 Denon, and costs less!