Yamaha HTR-5760 7.1-Channel Digital Home Theater Receiver

Rating:
Summary: Why buy Denon?
Review: I just purchased this reciever for my apartment and future home, and I can honestly say that noone could ever need anything more than this unless it is for a professional application. With the 7.1 capability, I won't be falling behind in technology anytime in the near future, and the different audio modes really bring the music I love to life. I highly recommend this reciever to anyone (especially college students like myself) who knows they want top sound but doesnt have the g's to spend on a denon or top end RX.

Rating:
Summary: Yamaha 5760 , my opinion
Review: In my opinion , this is a really nice receiver with a not too nice remote .The sound is excellant and the auto set up helped alot with getting my speakers in phase . I would highly reccomend buying banana plugs for the speaker hook up though . With so many wires in such a small area the screw down speaker terminals are a pain . As for the remote , it won't run hardly any of my extra equipment . You have to input manufacture codes but it doesn't work very often and you have to keep trying . It won't work my Sansui VCR or my Dish network receiver . It will partially work my RCA DVD player and my Hitachi TV . It will work my Sony CD Changer .

Rating:
Summary: Very affordable
Review: Oh Boy ! Prices have come down on quality receivers. Not only do you get more ... but you pay less than the previous version. This one has everything a picky home theater enthusiast is look for:
1 - 7.1 ch amplification
2 - 7.1 preouts (to connect a robust poweramp)
3 - Dolby ProLogic IIx (don't watch movies without it)
4 - Microphone Calibration (not parametric as the name suggests) ... better than an SPL since this measures spkr delays etc.
5 - Adjustable SUB Crossover (down to 40hz)
5 - Construction and overall quality

For Home Theater and Movies ? 5 STARS (Audio in a movie disc is not audiophile grade, so this receiver is just fine for that)

As an audiophile 2-channel receiver ? 3 STARS (get a external good quality poweramp for this)

Suggestions to Yamaha:
1 - Upgrade firmware to allow receiver to use a specific setting as te default for all signals. For instance, if you have a 7 speaker setup ... you should be able to make the player default to Dolby Prologic IIx for any and all signals.

2 - Remove the TUNER and reduce the cost. If you want to listen to the radio ... use that clock radio ! or go out for a drive in your car.

3 - Give us a lighted remote. Any Home Theater component ought to have a lighted remote. I am sure you know why. Right ?

Overall a very good receiver. Good work Yamaha. Bye Bye overpriced Denon.

Rating:
Summary: My birthday present - yipee!!
Review: Sound:
I asked for this along with JBL E80s E10s & E150P... We're not audiophiles and we could only really compare the speakers at the local best buy. In the past I have been able to compare Yamaha versus other brands, and I always liked Yamaha's std 2-channel stereo. Our favorite sound field setting is the 7-channel stereo. This receiver when combined with high quality floor speakers (e.g. jbls) has rich warm tones with depth and clarity in 7-channel mode. Even at low volume the depth of the 7-channel (from 2-channel source) sound field is still audible and inviting.

Picture:
The picture quality is better using this receiver between the TV & cable box than when the TV was hooked up directly to the Cable box using the same style of cables. Granted I bought monster cables to hook up the tv/cable box to this receiver. But I still think the receiver enhances the video signal, seems to clean it up.

Why four stars?
When you hook up a DVD player using a digital optical cable, you are shut out of choosing between DTS & Dolby I or Dolby II. Instead the DVD sets the sound field for you. On Dolby discs, as long as you don't fiddle with the choices, it defaults to Dolby Prologic II:Movie, but if you try to choose say Dolby Prologic II:Music, you cannot as long as the DVD player is hooked up with a optical cable -- instead the unit switches to Dolby Prologic I. When we had the audio hooked in using standard RCA style cable (left/right - red/white) we could bounce between all the possible Dolby or DTS modes, but the effects of the back channels weren't as faithfully reproduced. Now with the optical cable, the effects in the back channel are just like a movie theater, however we can't choose between the 3 Dolby Prologic II modes. We can hear the difference between Dolby I & Dolby II - Dolby II is much better.

Another reason for four stars is the unlit remote.

Finally, if you have a Mini disc player and a cassette deck, vcr, dvd player & cable box you will find yourself getting creative in how you hook up the components because only the 3 a/v inputs allow for optical inputs and our cable box must use one of those three in order for the remote to properly operate the cable box (despite the fact our cable box has no digital optical output). I believe we ended up hooking up the cassette deck to the vcr2 input, a kludge. If we ever get a Tivo, something will have to be sacrificed (not hooked up) and it will probably be the cassette deck.