Yamaha RX-596 Stereo Receiver

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding stereo receiver.
Review: Despite the current fad for multi-channel audio/video receivers, the majority of people still listen to music with two speakers and only need a two-channel stereo receiver to drive them. I'm one such person and -- as a fanatic audiophile -- this is the receiver I use. It is a superb receiver in all respects. Some people may think that they need more than this receiver's rated power of 80 watts per channel, but Yamaha's power ratings are extremely conservative and this receiver will drive virtually any speakers to deafening levels (which I don't recommend doing). More important than it's ample power is its very low distortion. It's difficult to find any brand of receiver with as low distortion as this Yamaha. In addition to robust power and ultra-low distortion the RX-596 has a full complement of controls, plus an easy to use remote. But as a fanatic audiophile the feature I particularly appreciate is a button which sends the signal from my CD player directly to the amplifier -- bypassing the preamp circuitry, which is not needed when playing CDs -- for the lowest distortion and best signal to noise ratio. There are plenty of less expensive stereo receivers available but none with the performance and quality of this quite reasonably priced Yamaha.