Customer Reviews:
 Surround sound receiver amplifier August 31, 2008
Great Price. Great Product. Everything as stated. Haven't even had time to explore all of it's capabilities, but it performs wonderfully and I am very happy with the purchase.
 Inexpensive, aesthetic appearance, easy to use. August 24, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This receiver is relatively inexpensive. The unit is on the small side, and can easily fit on shelves found in a typical stereo cabinet. On the plus side, the volume is easy to control because the large knob. Also, treble/bass are easy to control because you push a "tone control" button, followed by pushing one of two buttons labeled "program." This allows separate adjustment of the treble and bass (like a junior version of an equalizer).
The front of the unit has a socket for inputting a headphone jack. But on the minus side, there is no socket for inputting a microphone or for inputting an electric guitar cord. My old Pioneer amplifier, circa 1973, has a socket for inputting a microphone or electric guitar. But the Yamaha unit does not have this type of socket.
On the negative side, the unit has a button that changes the ambiance of your music. In other words, it can change the music to sound as though it was being played in a large concert hall. This is pretty silly, as this bell'n'whistle just makes the music take on a muddy sound.
Also on a negative side, the unit cannot accept input from a turntable. You have to purchase a pre-amplifier and connect it, before a turntable can be used. I bought the following pre-amplifier: ART DJPre II phono preamp. The ART DJPre II unit is compact yet elegant, and it works just fine when I want to run my turntable through the Yamaha amplifier.
The unit has a control that compresses the music for use in listening at very low volumes. We all know that classical music, and sometimes jazz, has episodes that are either louder or softer than usual. We also know that, if played at low volume, the low-volume episodes will drop out and not be heard. The unit's "night control" avoids this problem.
Here is one suggestion. It would be nice if this compressor could be used for recording tapes or other media, since we all know that tapes can be overwhelmed at high volumes, resulting in distortion. I have not yet checked if the "night control" of the Yamaha unit can be used to achieve a more uniform volume, when recording tapes.
 Good sound, but surprising limitations August 1, 2008
22 out of 22 found this review helpful
There are a number of positive reviews here, and I won't replicate what they say save to confirm that the sound quality is excellent, and the connectivity is fine for 99% of us. I'm on the whole actually happy enough with it. However, you should be aware of a couple of significant issues.
1. Although there is a button on the front for speaker set A/B/Off, there is no option to have output going to both speaker sets A and B at the same time. Even though the corporate drone in Best Buy said it would, and nothing in the advertising blurb counteracted this, this simple truth is hidden in smallish text on a page somewhere in the depths of the manual. I therefore purchased a Monster Cable SS4 Multi-Speaker Selector so that I could have audio on the deck and in the main room at the same time. The combination works fine.
2. Second problem. There are no codes for programming the remote to operate the Dynex 42 inch flat panel. It is a BestBuy own brand, made by Toshiba. None of the Toshiba codes work, and there are no codes listed for Dynex.
3. The manual is written for the Hindu goddess Kali, because you need 10 arms to flick back and forward through the manual all the time.
I have actually learned to like the sound enough to keep the system, and so the 2 stars is probably too negative, but it won't affect the product rating much, and may draw your attention to a couple of problems you might not be aware of. Enjoy.
Great Budget Receiver July 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased the RX-V363BL as a replacement for an older Yamaha HTIB that I've been using for several years. The feature set is great for the money, and it doesn't really bother me that the HDMI output doesn't pass audio along with the video signal. The whole reason I am using the receiver is to play the audio and to pass the video to my TV via HDMI. I haven't experienced any audio desynchronization, but I am using the optical audio inputs coupled with HDMI video inputs from both a cable box and a HTPC.
The Yamaha remote is very well laid out, and it has allowed me to retire my Samsung TV remote completely. Overall I'm very happy with my purchase; I encountered zero issues setting up the receiver, though I did have to spend a bit of time with the manual to get the Scene buttons programmed to my preferred presets.
Works for me! July 24, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm using the RX-V363 to replace a Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 powered speaker system that supplied the sound from my computer (games,DVDs,HDTV). The ProMedia's amp pooped out right after the warranty was up so I had to pay for a new amp. Three years later, same problem. This time I'm using the RX-V363 as the amp and still using the Klipsch front, center and rear speakers, their fine. Only problem was the Klipsch subwoofer couldn't be salvaged so I'm using a JBL Sub12. Total price for Yamaha + JBL = $400. The Klipsch was almost that much after buying the replacement amp. This is a great setup for your computer if your interested in great sound and not just back round noise. I hope I am still happy in six years.
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