Yamaha HTR-5640 6-Channel Digital Home Theater Receiver

Rating:
Summary: almost excelent, but
Review: I bought this 8 days ago from a retailer. It has great, clean sound, the problem is it allows you to input only two digital sources. It is difficult to see the wisdom behind to come up with such a good product with such inconsistency. This is the digital age. Competitors whose products are even cheaper than this one allow you to connect five digital sources in a combination of optical and coaxial input jacks. If you insist to have this option, you either buy a from a competitor such as JVC RX-7030VBK or SONY STRDE695 and save money or buy the next step up in Yamaha which of course means emptying your pocket. I can exchange this, and I will in the next few days, but not with a more expensive Yamaha.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent receiver with many options
Review: I got this receiver with the yht-440 home theater in a box system. This receiver is excellent for the money (especially if you buy it as part of the yht system already mentioned). It has plenty of inputs and plus, the most important part, DOLBY EX AND DTS ES CAPABILITY (6.1 channels)! This means an extra surround channel that adds tremendous depth to listening to music, movies or any other input source. The display is clear and well set up, and the speaker inputs are ALL BANANA (something competitors, like Onkyo, lack in receivers of comparable prices, at least with "b" speakers, which are spring clips). Overall, this is an excellent receiver if you don't have a ton of equipment that requires digital inputs (which, if you do, you are probably looking at more expensive receivers to begin with). My only complaint, and it is definitley serious, is that this receiver lacks s video inputs, which has become a standard with most video equipment. Why yamaha has chosen to forgo such inputs is beyond me (though DVD players and video game consoles benefit from the comonent video inputs on the back of this receiver).

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding receiver!
Review: I have had this unit for two weeks now and have to say it is the finest home theater receiver I have ever owned! Unlike some, this is my third receiver in 12 years and have gone thru all of the growing pains in surround sound from 4.0 to 5.1 ready to 6.1 now.
Having purchased two Sony receivers previously, the first lasting 8 years and the most recent only 4, this is where I looked at first. Unfortunately, I see the same problems I found in my last unit are still present today(small, pathetic, cheaply made buttons on the front of the reciever that fail quickly, clip type speaker wire connectors, and the inability to fine tune every aspect of the sound, not to mention their claims of 100 watts per channel(this is input power folks, not output!)). So, where does one start to find a better replacement? Consumer Reports, Amazon, and e-pinions are great places to research this info.
I looked at some theater-in-a-box deals,which are tempting, but ultimatley have an achilles heel. Either the amp and sub are great and the speakers are trash or the speakers are great and the amp is trash and the sub is not powered. Anyway, you get the idea. Companies are out to make money, so they are not going to give you anything for "free". Best bet, build your own!Yeah, it will cost more, but you will get a quality system you will be more than happy with and your friends will be envious of. The place to start is with the "brain"-the reciever.
This one offers everything from hi-power per channel(75watts@8ohms,120watts@6ohms!), dedicated sub-out, screw down binding posts that assure complete connection of your speaker wires and keep them from ever touching(no shorting out!), an unbelievable DSP system combined with dts-es/dolby digital ex/pro-logic2, a built in graphic eq just for the center channel speaker(for perfect dialogue timbre), the ability to control the sound level of each speaker individually, a rotary selector(no cheap buttons) for picking your source, optical in for dvd player, a coaxial in for cd player, 6.1 surround, and more sound modes than you'll ever need(each one can be fine tuned to your tastes/sound environment). It also comes with a programmable remote that can control all of your other components with the codes already in the manual. It also sounds amazing! Music and movies sound imaging is the best I have ever heard at this price(and higher).
For those of you grumbling over no s-video inputs in the back, I say: so what? I plug my dvd s-video directly into my tv anyway. If i were to plug it into my amp, I would at least have to buy another s-video cable(Monster ain't cheap baby!) and possbily downgrade my signal thu the bridging process. Non-issue unless you have multiple dvd players and only 1 s-video on the back of your tv.
A word of warning: proper set-up requires the ability to read! Yes, as with all home theater systems, one must read the manual! Sure, hook up everything according to all the diagrams and then stop! Read the set-up section and don't stop til you reach the end of the manual. Now, go back and follow along with the directions as you set up all of your parameters into the amp. Trust me, this sounds basic, but people just don't do it! And it is imperative if you want your system to sound as good as it possibly can. Engineers did not spend time and effort designing a beautiful sound system based on your room dimensions to have you pick the inappropriate room size or speaker size into the system:ie: picking large room and large speakers when you have a meduium sized room based on the measurements in the manual and small satellite speakers. Remember to choose carefully when you are setting up and if you don't understand what to do, read it again or look in another more detailed section of the manual. I guarantee it will make a difference.
OK, off the soap box and onto the remote. The remote will control all of your other components once the proper codes are put in. Yes, its tricky and time consuming but in the long run worth it. Unfortunately, this is the systems only weakness. It requires you to press the amp button anytime you want to adjust parameters other than sound. Otherwise it follows with the source selected(tv,dvd,cd). This takes a little getting used to but no big deal. Another thing is, as with all systems i have had, the manual. Informational detail should be all in the same place, not spread out thru the book. Again, no big deal.
Overall, I am completely satisfied with this reciever! I have mine matched up with the yamaha nsp-436 6.1 speaker package and it sounds awesome!!!! Get yourself monster cables for all connections(speakers and all of your sources) as well as your sub out. You don't have to get the most expensive cables the middle price ones will work out great and use optical in for the best movie sound from your dvd player. This system will make you happy! Good listenening!

Rating:
Summary: from bose to yamaha
Review: I recently bought the Yamaha HTR-5640 and couldnt be happier about my switch. I have owned a Bose Lifestyles 8 Series II for about 2 years prior to the Yamaha. It will now be in my bed room as a secondary system. The problem with my Bose is not sound producton, it just is'nt prepared for the present or the future. I currently have my Yamaha strapped with a 6.1 Yamaha speaker package and notice a lot of different ranges of sound I wasnt hearing with my Bose. This reciever comes with 3 component outputs and 2 digital and also has dvd audio inputs. For $299.00 thats a steal.