YAMAHA HTR-5590 Concert Series Stereo & Home Theater Receiver

• 100 Watts per channel to 6 channel surround
• 9 192kHz/24-bit DACs ? one for each 6.1 mode channel + 2 extras for front soundstage
• Built-in Dolby Digital & DTS (plus Dolby Digital Matrix 6.1, DTS-ES. DTS NEO - 6)
• 32 Bit DSP with 39 music and theater modes
• 6 Channel processing capability (pre-out for center rear channel)

Exclusive Yamaha technologies include Quad-Field Cinema DSP (based on a wealth of measured data in real studios and halls, this processing is designed to highlight the full potential of movie sound mixes), Silent Cinema (which simulates 5.1-channel listening through a pair of ordinary stereo headphones, not included), and the company's YSS-938 32-bit DSP chip providing 25 unique surround algorithms with 45 variations to help you perfectly match your simulated acoustic space to your video program.

When hooked up with the digital-audio output from a DVD-Video player or digital satellite receiver, the 100-watts-per-channel HTR-5590 handles 5.1-channel surround decoding for both major formats, Dolby Digital and DTS. In addition, the HTR-5590 also processes Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES (as well as DTS Neo 6 and DTS ES Matrix 6.1), which create an even more expansive soundfield through the use of a center-rear surround channel, totaling six discrete full-range channels in addition to the LFE (low-frequency effects) channel: left, center, right, and left, center, and right surround.

Non-Dolby Digital and DTS sources can benefit from surround processing, too--with enhanced directional steering over standard four-channel Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Pro Logic II provides five channels of surround processing from any stereo source--whether a TV broadcast, VHS tapes, or your favorite CDs, cassettes, and LPs. Pro Logic II delivers full-bandwidth stereo surround channels with 40 dB of left-right separation.

Then there's the six-channel DVD-Audio/SACD-ready inputs mentioned above. If these formats are so high-tech, you might wonder, why do you need analog inputs to appreciate them? Because, for reasons of content protection, DVD-Audio and SACD players perform their own digital-to-analog conversion, passing high-resolution analog, rather than digital, signals on to your amplifier. (And analog, after all, is what your amp feeds your speakers.)

The versatile unit offers 11 video input connections (with four S-video and two high-resolution component-video inputs), a whopping seven fixed and assignable digital-audio inputs (great for DVD, DSS, CD, laserdisc, gaming consoles, or minidisc), and front-panel input connections for your camcorder or other spontaneous hookup gear. The HTR-5590 comes with a preset, learning, universal remote control. It features 11 analog audio inputs to match, including the multichannel input and a dedicated phono input for your turntable (and we think you'll be surprised with how good that can sound!).

Yamaha's Accurate Touch volume control lets you make delicate adjustments within a narrow volume range while still letting you adjust to very high or low levels quickly and accurately. The receiver's heavy-duty binding post-speaker terminals accept banana plugs, spade connectors, and a variety of speaker wire, including heavy-gauge cable.

Last, but certainly not least, the HTR-5590 benefits from Yamaha's Digital ToP-ART (Total Purity Audio Reproduction Technology) build philosophy. ToP-ART's goal is to maximize digital quality while minimizing analog circuitry. The culmination of the best digital engineering and design possible, it brings together several key elements to create the best-sounding, easiest-to-use AV components available.

What's in the Box
Receiver, remote control, remote batteries, FM wire antenna, AM loop antenna, and a user's manual.