Yamaha RX-V667 thoughts

[ahblaza]

Hello to all,
I have a legacy Onkyo TX-SR702 receiver, I am very happy with this unit. I have an outboard amp driving the mains and use the receiver for the center and side surrounds. I am considering the Yamaha RX-V667, (I can get it delivered for $475). I'm thinking to get this receiver for the convenience of HDMI capabilities and the lossless audio codecs. I have my BD player connected to the 702 with 5.1 analog cables, so I have some experience with the lossless audio this setup provides, I can hear a difference but it is not night and day. My 702 is seven years old and that's the only reason I'm considering the 667 and of course the convenience of HDMI. I need some input on what I am about to do and would appreciate your thoughts. Buy the 667 to drive three Ascends Acoustics 340 SE's as front stage and two side surrounds Infinity P162's, and sell my EMO UPA-2. Do you think the 667's amp section is up to the task of driving this speaker setup? Or buy the 667 and keep the UPA-2 to drive the above speaker configuration. Thanks for the time and listening, I look forward to your reply.
Jeff

 

[its phillip]

I'm pretty sure the 667 will be fine driving those speakers to any respectable SPL, unless you are in an enormous room and sitting really far away. You can always try it without the amp first and see if you think you need it.

 

[rnatalli]

Here are my thoughts:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72046

In the end, I preferred the HK 2600 over the 667, but the 667 is a fine receiver. The 2600 doesn't have preouts, but I don't think you need them in this case. A couple other options are the Onkyo 270 (has preouts) and Denon 1911 (no preouts).

 

[ahblaza]

I'm pretty sure the 667 will be fine driving those speakers to any respectable SPL, unless you are in an enormous room and sitting really far away. You can always try it without the amp first and see if you think you need it.

Thanks phillip, I never thought of that. What's you take on the 667 as a home theater receiver as is, my 702 is about 13 lbs. heavier than the 667 and draws a lot more current. The amp section of the 702 has no problem driving my speaker setup on it's own without the UPA-2 but I like the extra headroom the UPA-2 provides. I'm not too familiar with discrete amplifiers for each channel, I thought all receivers had that, correct me if I'm wrong. I think that Yamaha has put an extra effort in the audio SQ of their 7 series amp sections and that's the reason for the interest in the 667, I've owned only Onkyo in the past but at $475 delivered I don't think I could do much better than the 667 for all that it does and many great reviews, I just need to hear other owner's thoughts so I can make a decision to pull the trigger, I have not bought a receiver in seven years. Thank you.
Jeff

 

[its phillip]

Well, I don't have a 667 so I'm just going by numbers here. The 702 does weight quite a bit more and will have a decently beefier power section (how much in real world terms, I don't know), but of course is lacking any modern features. A lot of entry level receivers do not have discrete amps, but the 667 does (for comparison, the previous model 665 did not have discrete amps). In addition to the modern connections and audio support, the Yamaha offers YPAO which might be of great benefit to you (it might not, but it's nice to have).

Anyway, at $475 I think the 667 is a steal - I don't think any other receiver at that price range offers all the inputs and features along with the preouts, but I could be wrong.

 

[rnatalli]

All Yamaha's from the 667 and up use discrete amps. All Denon receivers use discrete amps even the 391 model. All HK receivers use discrete amps. Not sure where the other manufacturers start using discrete.

Discrete amps in receivers are not created equally. The Yamaha A-2000 which is much more expensive than the 667 was benched recently and produced 71wpc into 5 channels and 63wpc into 7. Compare that to the Denon 2311 which is much, much cheaper than the A-2000. The 2311 produced 83wpc into 5 channels and 66wpc into 7 channels. The Onkyo 608 produced 82wpc into 5 channels and 31wpc into 7 channels. The 708 (or 270) has a beefier amp section than the 608, but Onkyo receivers in this price range seem to cave when driving more than 5 channels, but do quite well into 5. Something likely due to their amp design. HK receivers almost always meet their rated power and often exceed it.

I think the Onkyo 270 at $479 from Amazon is a great deal as it's loaded with features, has Audyssey MultEQ, Networking, DLNA, preouts, and a good amp section. I personally went with the HK as I preferred Dolby Volume and I didn't need the networking features as my BR player has them.

By the way, if you go to Electronics Expo and add the 667 to your cart and use the DEALSOFAMERICA coupon, it comes to less than $400 I believe. Best Buy will price match that deal as several members on AVS have reported. JR will also match it as I had them send me one.

A couple people reported getting the HK 2600 from JR for under $400 as well so if that's the receiver you want, give them a ring.

 

[ahblaza]

Here are my thoughts:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72046

In the end, I preferred the HK 2600 over the 667, but the 667 is a fine receiver. The 2600 doesn't have preouts, but I don't think you need them in this case. A couple other options are the Onkyo 270 (has preouts) and Denon 1911 (no preouts).

Thank you rnatalli for the very informative receiver review. I've heard a lot of negative reviews with the HK receivers, I can't make a judgement though, as I have not heard them or ever owned one. I'm really considering the 667, but I'm also interested in the older Onkyo's, I've had excellent performance with my 702 without any malfunctions, I'd really like to stay with Onkyo, although your review of the 667 has me going in that direction. Thanks again for the reply.
Jeff

 

[ahblaza]

Well, I don't have a 667 so I'm just going by numbers here. The 702 does weight quite a bit more and will have a decently beefier power section (how much in real world terms, I don't know), but of course is lacking any modern features. A lot of entry level receivers do not have discrete amps, but the 667 does (for comparison, the previous model 665 did not have discrete amps). In addition to the modern connections and audio support, the Yamaha offers YPAO which might be of great benefit to you (it might not, but it's nice to have).

Anyway, at $475 I think the 667 is a steal - I don't think any other receiver at that price range offers all the inputs and features along with the preouts, but I could be wrong.

Thanks again my friend, I have to agree with you, it offers everything that I need and as you say..it is a steal and looks like a no brainer to replace my legacy 702.
Jeff

 

[zumbo]

I spent several days trying to help a member with a 667. The manual is a PITA, and it doesn't seem like a good unit to me. My main gripe is the fact it doesn't display DTS-MA or TRUE when it is received. That matters to me. I also got the feeling the guy just didn't like the unit.

Thread:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72409

And don't think I am a Yamaha basher, I am on my second one.

If you could swing $739.93, you could have a 1900.
http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-V1900BL-7-1-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B001E5CDS2

 

[zumbo]

Onkyo TX-NR708 is $629 in cart.
http://www.6ave.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=ONKTXNR708

$579 @ Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-NR708-7-2-Channel-Network-Receiver/dp/B003N197CU

 

[zumbo]

$579@ Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-NR708-7-2-Channel-Network-Receiver/dp/B003N197CU

EDIT: I posted this, and then realized it started a new page. So I went back and posted on the 1st page.

 

[Entity]

I find it hard to believe that the 667 doesn't display DTS-MA or TRUE HD considering than even that model 2 generations ago was displaying both of those if using bitstreaming on the processor. Checking the OSD somewhere doesn't display this?

 

[zumbo]

I find it hard to believe that the 667 doesn't display DTS-MA or TRUE HD considering than even that model 2 generations ago was displaying both of those if using bitstreaming on the processor. Checking the OSD somewhere doesn't display this?

Believe me, I find it hard too. But, if you follow the other thread I linked, it seems as though the member is dead set on what seems to be fact.

 

[Entity]

I just checked the manual for a picture of the display..and there definitely isn't a spot shown in the diagram for it like there is on the 663's. Shame. I can never see those little lights from that far away anyway

I'm not familiar with the newer GUI but surely there's a way to display what type of decoding it's doing. It would definitely be unsettling to never be able to even check it.

 

[rnatalli]

Thank you rnatalli for the very informative receiver review. I've heard a lot of negative reviews with the HK receivers

The previous series (x54) were real buggy, but HK worked out most of the bugs in the x600 series using the 1.1 FW.

 

[3db]

Believe me, I find it hard too. But, if you follow the other thread I linked, it seems as though the member is dead set on what seems to be fact.

That is very odd indeed as my old Yamaha RX-V1800 displays this when encountered.

 

[zumbo]

That is very odd indeed as my old Yamaha RX-V1800 displays this when encountered.

You bet. My 1400('04 model) did too. Well, DD & DTS

 

[HexOmega]

Believe me, I find it hard too. But, if you follow the other thread I linked, it seems as though the member is dead set on what seems to be fact.

I find it hard to believe that the 667 doesn't display DTS-MA or TRUE HD considering than even that model 2 generations ago was displaying both of those if using bitstreaming on the processor. Checking the OSD somewhere doesn't display this?

I just checked the manual for a picture of the display..and there definitely isn't a spot shown in the diagram for it like there is on the 663's. Shame. I can never see those little lights from that far away anyway

I'm not familiar with the newer GUI but surely there's a way to display what type of decoding it's doing. It would definitely be unsettling to never be able to even check it.

That is very odd indeed as my old Yamaha RX-V1800 displays this when encountered.

I want to answer this one once and for all:

There are two ways to view the current audio codec:

1) Press the "Info" button on the remote control and keep an eye on the Receiver front panel "large text area" where the input type is usually displayed. Each press of the "Info" button displays a different category, e.g. "Input", "Codec", etc.. Once you reach "Codec" it will display the category title momentarily then display the actual codec being used. Many times this will merely display "PCM" for digital sources.

2) Enter the OSD and choose "Info" from the upright column on the left of the screen. Then, from the row of choices that appear at the bottom of the screen, choose "Audio". This will display the current audio codec, and with more information than if shown on the front panel of the receiver. I have personally seen this section of the menu display "DTS-MA" and/or "Dolby True HD".

If an end user of this receiver is not seeing these codecs displayed, then it is quite possible that their source is performing the decoding and sending the signal to the receiver as linear PCM, in which case the codec will be displayed as such.

To the OP: I remember reading some years ago in Crutchfield that the ~$500 price point is where receivers really start to get "nice." While inflation and the economy has had some effect on the validity of that statement, it holds quite true with the '667. Mine has done everything I've asked of it without a single complication or technical issue. I've never looked at the owner's manual and, while I am a techie, I'm no genius to have figured out the OSD menu and various(!) other features myself.

With the '667, and many comparable receivers no doubt, you will not go wrong. Good luck and happy hunting!

 

[jm78]

Can you manually eq on the yamaha 667? If so, how many bands? I checked out the manual, it didn't give a clear answer.

 

[33Gerry45]

Yes We Can......Manually EQ

To manually eq just go into setup and you can manually EQ each speaker. The exception, I think, is the sub.

The sub is self powered so if you have EQ options on the sub then well and good. If not just get a cheap but good quality musical instrument EQ unit. I reckon you could get one for $20 to $30 easily. If you get one that has RCA ins and outs you only need one extra cable.

This can be important (although I presently do it by moving the sub about the room). Some rooms will have resonant base frequencies. This is the only aspect I have not yet explored on my 667. If you put the sub in a corner or against a wall it will sound lots louder but louder is not better. This could cause horrible base standing waves. If you imagine the waves to be like water then this is when lots of waves wash together producing lots of little waves and frequencies that were never meant to be there. A bit of room treatment (eg where the waves lap against the walls and maybe corners) will fix this well but EQ is a good idea too.

BTW thanks HexOmega. I had read about the info buttons before but you reminded me and they are great. Just throw it up on screen and it tells you all you need to know. I also like using my ears to double check that all channels are working and playing different tracks in 5.1 and 7.1 surround. It helps to do an A/B test with a good recording as many films have crap mixes and they do need adjustment.