Rating: 
Summary: good idea, compromised to some extent by Windows
Review: The idea of doing digital-to-analog conversion outside of the electrically noisy PC case is a great one. The amplifiers and FM tuner in the Yamaha are reasonably good. Limitations of Microsoft Windows, however, make the idea of using the PC as your primary source of background or household music problematic. Suppose that you're playing a quiet classical MP3, having cranked up the volume reasonably high so that you can hear all of the notes. Meanwhile you hit the wrong button in a PC app. The system puts a beep through the Yamaha that is loud enough to wake the dead. You can go into the Sounds control panel on XP and say that you want "no sounds". You'll no longer be aurally assaulted by Windows and Office. However, if you're surfing the Web and land on a cheesy site with MIDI background music or a newspaper photo essay with narration the operating system will mix whatever noise-spam is coming from the Web page with the MP3 that is playing.I found that the Yamaha software stopped working after a few months, i.e., one cannot control the unit from the PC anymore. This might be because I've plugged the USB cable into another port. So I guess the bottom line on this unit is that it makes home audio equipment just as unreliable and confusing as home PC equipment... (still this is the audiophile's way to convert MP3s and play them on a desktop)
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible sound!
Review: This is one truly impressive PC Receiver (External Sound Card). Although Yamaha's website does not mention XP, it does work under XP. Just plug the USB cable into the computer and XP automatically installs all the required drivers. Install the software on the CD and you can control the receiver from the computer. Unfortunately the Yamaha driver does not work under XP (only 98/me/2000), and as a result I cannot get the inputs to work with the computer. On the positive side, since the unit works out of the box with XP with no drivers needed, you can rest assured that it will very likely work with future version of Windows. (It also works with Mac out of the box I've heard). So, with that out of the way, let's talk about the important stuff. First, the receiver can function without a PC. In fact, almost all the features can be accessed. You can select the inputs, set DSP mode, select FM preset, and tuning to a particular station, all without using the PC. This is extremely important, as you would not want to buy something that will only work when the PC is on. I am glad Yamaha designed the unit with this in mind. The sound from the receiver is simply incredible. The DAC on the unit appears to be quite good. If you are using the build-in sound card on the motherboard or a plain old sound blaster, you should immediately hear the difference. The sound is richer, has more resolution, and has more punch to it. The amp on the headphone jack is also quite good and delivers excellent sound quality on cheap and expensive headphones. It plays loud enough and reach the max my ear can handle way before maxing out. Perhaps the best thing is the unit is a looker. It looks really cute, according to one female coworker. The construction is rock solid, it weights a hefty 12 pounds! I've used an external Sound Blaster Extigy and this unit feels much more like a real receiver. I think "Blair from Chicago" missed the point of having this receiver. This receiver is all about sound quality. It's like buying a BMW and complains that the Corolla also takes you there at a much cheaper price. :) The only shortcoming is the software. Even though I acquired this in Aug 2003 (at an extremely good price btw), the CD still contains software from 1999 and Yamaha's website offers no software update. The software works, but by 2003 standards it feels a little strange. I am not that bothered by it however, I'd rather have awesome hardware and wimpy software than the other way around. I know I will be enjoying this receiver for years to come, no matter what computer/OS I will use in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad!
Review: Yamaha has tempted me into buying one of these fancy units. On top of looking great with modern furniture, this unit also works well with my laptop. Why? USB digital-in is my desired feature, while the unit also shows-off more than just a few analog and digital inputs. This unit has become the central unit for all my sound systems. I've connected it to my pc, my regular sound system, and my MD. Oh and i just took my aiwa speakers off the old system and connected them on to this one. Works just fine the way I like it. Buy this system if you can afford it.
| 
