Yamaha R-S700BL Stereo Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Writing this review after using this product for about three months. In this era of HT receivers, stereo amps/receivers have become rare species. Point blank HT receivers are not for music. The Yamaha R-S700 is truly an outstanding stereo receiver. Yamaha's power ratings have always been extremely modest. The R-S700 does not sound like a 100W/channel receiver. Like the retro knobs!!....although they are made of plastic and not metal like in the amps from the 80s. Overall it looks tough and crude and thats exactly why I like the looks so much..........reminds me of the amps from the 80s.
I also looked at integrated amps/stereo receivers from Harman Kardon, Denon, Marantz, NAD. Also, I was looking for something with at least 100Ws/channel. Harman's HK3490 and Denon's DRA-697CI scored way low on THD.....too high for my liking:( NADC375BEE, NADM2, NADM3 (unbelieveably low THDs!!!!)are beyond my means at this time. Marantz-PM11S2 has a THD of 0.01% as opposed to Yamaha R-S700's 0.02% ....i.e., pretty much the same. The Marantz however costs $4000!!!!!. So this Yamaha was the only choice. Using Yamaha's CDC600 CD player with Burr Brown 192kHz/24-bit DAC. Because of this DAC, this CD player pumps crystal clear sound to the receiver. So this CD player and the receiver make quite a pair:D! I am using Yamaha NS777 as my towers and JBL ES250P is my sub. Overall, this makes a pretty good system if not outstanding. The price at which this receiver (with such low THD) is currently selling for on Amazon is IMHO very very reasonable. If you have the means go for NAD otherwise get this baby. I am happy with it. Thanks for reading.

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The Yamaha R-S700BL Stereo Home Theater Receiver redefines the elite two-channel receiver with 100 watts per channel of pure, clean power, ToP-ART stability, Continuously Variable Loudness Control, 40 AM/FM station presets, Zone 2 support, built-in port for supported Yamaha iPod docks (sold separately), and automatic power management.

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Onkyo TX-8555 Stereo Receiver Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this amplifier recently. I own a few older, well-regarded amplifiers (tube and solid state) that cost a lot more money when new, so my expectations were not high for this Onkyo. That said, I am stunned by how nice this amplifier sounds. I run the amplifier in Pure Audio mode (press the Pure Audio button on the front panel twice, then the blue LED comes on indicating Pure Audio mode). If I didn't know better, I'd swear this was a high-end tube amplifier. There is absolutely no background noise. No hiss. No hum. Nothing but dead silence. It makes music with silent passages jump to life. Whether I use this amplifier to drive Paradigm Titan speakers or Grado headphones, the quality of the sound reproduction and the dynamic range is absolutely remarkable, especially bass reproduction. Using a quality CD audio source, I can clearly hear every cymbal, with all the timber, every bass note, with all the string vibration from every finger pluck. For what this amplifier costs, I can't imagine looking elsewhere unless you need to drive large reference monitors. This amplifier is more than capable of driving anything up to full-sized floor speakers at reasonable volume. The amplifier includes an AM/FM tuner that works well enough. FM channels come in loud and clear using the included wire antenna. AM reception is a bit more difficult using the included loop antenna and its short wires, so at a minimum expect to add four to eight feet of wire to the AM antenna to get the loop well clear of any power cords. But that's really of little consequence if what you're looking for first and foremost is a high-quality stereo amplifier. I've listened to high-end amplifiers costing many times as much and few sound this pure and clean. The overall look and feel of the unit is professional grade, with just the right amount of heft. All controls have positive feedback and none feel flimsy. The volume knob is particularly nice, with a heavy, smooth action that is slow to respond, resulting in very fine, analog-like volume control. In brief summary, I doubt anyone with reasonable expectations will be disappointed. This stereo amplifier provides performance and quality well beyond its price level.

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Whether it's channelling your iPod®, SIRIUS™ satellite Radio, XM® Satellite Radio, CDs, or other traditional audio sources, the Onkyo TX-8555 Stereo Receiver translates your music with effortless power and finesse. It even offers Zone 2 capability, so you can simultaneously play a separate audio source in a second room.

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