"Official" RX-V1900/RX-V3900 Thread - Page 130

yes you will notice a difference especially going up to the new Dolby trueHD and DTS HD master audio from your blu-ray player. Run everything HDMI for the new audio.

I came from a older yamaha as well and the 1900 blew me away. It was in a different league as far as power and sound quality.

One HUGE difference was the radio tuner. Went from hardly any stations with a lot of hiss to TONS of stations both HD and non HD with hardly any hiss.

I am trying to remember what model I had before but it wasn't very high up and came from a theater in a box thing. I want to say HTR-5040? maybe I am wrong. I still have it and can look it up if need be.

Mine was a really low end model so maybe the difference would be bigger for me. That's one thing to keep in mind. I am not sure what the 3090 is.

I'm in a similar boat, with a DSP-A1, which was the successor to the 3090. These were Yamaha's flagship products 10-12 years ago, so the quality of the amps is definitely top notch. With the new models, you'll get the new audio codecs, like TrueHD and DTS-MA, along with room correction, so that's a plus, but in terms of actual power and sound quality, the 1900 might be a slight step down. A more comparable match might be the 3900 or the Z7. I still love my A1, so it's really hard justifying the upgrade. I crave TrueHD and DTS-MA though, and I'd love to see what room correction software does in my home theater. If you have a good audio store nearby that will let you audition one of the newer units, I'd talk to them and see if they're willing to demo one for you.

Hey, I have a 1900, PS3, 400w cerwin vega sub, and audition series Athena speakers(towers in the front and book shelf for center and surr.). I have used receiver manager and changed settings and tried the YPOA but I can't seem to get the bang I was expecting. I had an AVR130 25W X 5 Harmon Kardon and I was expecting a huge step up. The room is 18 X 13 ft. Any input would be appreciated

How much per channel were those you listed?

The 1900 and 3900 are basically the same. 1900 = 130 per, 3900 = 140 per

from the bench tests I have seen they basically get there up to 5 channels driven and then fall a little with 7 ch driven.

not sure on the z7 and up as that is a different thread.

I have been pleased with the amount of power the 1900 has and really don't need more, but everyone's set-up is different.

The multi-point YAPO does work well.

good luck with your decision

Twenty years ago, my first Yamaha was a DSP-100U processor (only!) Nowadays, I must admit to being happy that I bought 4 Yamaha AST-A10 (2.Ch) power amps to drive L/C/R speakers, plus 2 Yamaha M-35 (2.Ch/4.Ch) surround amps, at that time. So now I don't worry much about the power amps in current Yamaha AVRs, as I only need them to drive a couple of Surround/Presence channels (plus, on just one system, the Center channel.)

sometimes YAPO sets things a little off as far as speakers settings (it likes to set to large). It does do a great job at distances, etc.

do you have everything set to small, bass to sub only, crossovers to 80hz.

What level are you turning it up to? -30? -20? etc

Is it a lack of bass or just overall loudness you don't like?

What DSP are you using? straight, Music enhancer etc?

Does your sub have a separate crossover or volume knob? if so what are those set to?

coming from 25 per channel up to a 130 per should be a big difference at that is over 4 times the rated power. Not to mention the 1900 does better than most in actual multi-channel out put in bench tests.

My old Yamaha (cheapo) was rated at 75 per, but once you went to 5 channels it would fall on it's face. The 1900 keeps it coming

PQ is based on subjective evaluation and therefore unprovable. Thus, you are never going to convince me that the PQ of a 1080i cable transmission is better via HDMI than it is via component, just as I am not going to convince you that there is no practical difference.

I am using straight DSP, I set my crossover from 120 down to 60 (I like 60 best.) The knobs on my sub are set at 50% for both cross over and volume (manual suggestion). The base isn't the big issue, its the liveliness (tough to explain). I don't feel immersed in the movie if that makes sense. I set the volume at -25. I was running at aroung -30-40 on my harmon.

I recently had to add a 3.5 inch floppy drive to my PC to recover some old data. The dealer charged me $9.95 (downright inexpensive.) I was able to recover the data just fine but then a "friend" recommended to me that I try brand SuperComputerPhile 3.5 inch Ultimate drive. You know what? The bits are read much better. My .WAV files sound better. Overall there is better "musicality," "staging," "tonality," and other "...alities." The point is, that when it comes to reading digital data, you either read it or you don't. Spending $5000 on a Blu-ray/DVD/CD player is ridiculous especially if you're just passing the bitstream to your receiver.

Cross the border and buy a rx-v3900 unit in the U.S. You'll be glad you did. If you live near Toronto, you can pick up the Buffalo/Niagara Falls NY HD radio stations (of which there are plenty.) I know that this feature is controversial. However, the difference in audio quality is immediately evident. Plus you get up to eight sub-channels, thus multiplying your station choices and you get an RDS like data display.
If you live new Vancouver, you can pick up the Washington state HD radio stations, etc.
In addition, I think that the U.S. model has Circle Surround, for whatever that's worth but for the same price, you might as well get it.

Controversial or no, I love the HD radio tuner in my 3900. Wish I had one in my car also.

What are the actual models of your speakers? You may like 60Hz best as your crossover, though are your speakers capable?
Remember that the crossover has to be set (Im assuming the 3900 only has one crossover??) according to the worst group of speakers. If your centre and surrounds are dropping off at 120Hz, that is where your crossover should be.
The crossover on your sub should be off or on Direct - the AVR is handling that so no need to tamper with anything on the Sub.
With the volume level on the sub at 1/2 is the yamaha setting the sub level right down and all the levels for each channel high? If it is, turn the Sub volume down a bit and run your levels again. Optimum setup is to try and get your levels all about the same without the Yamaha adding boost to channels it shouldn't have to.

Get the above sorted then start playing with the different Eq (PEq select) settings - Natural, Flat and Front. That will make a significant difference on the sound presentation. See page 91 of your manual.
Make sure Dynamic range is set to max.
Also try turning off the Adaptive DRC.

I'll give it a shot, thanks Azz

me too. I get a lot of HD stations around Chicago. Man does it sound better

I have said numerous times, the tuner in the 1900 is awesome. I bet they are the same as the 3900

Just bought my 3900 two days ago from Frys. At the time I did not purchase the extended warranty ($199.99 extra). Would it be a good idea to buy the Frys extended warranty on my 3900? I have 28 more days to buy the coverage.

For those unfamiliar with Frys, their extended warranty starts at date of purchase and lasts 3-yrs (it is parallel to the yamaha warranty but adds a year). It is supposed to be a dollar-to-dollar replacement, not a comparable feature replacement (if anything were to happen). Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

My thinking is extended warranties are not worth the cost. I never get them, choosing instead to self-insure. I've saved thousands of dollars that way. If something breaks out of warranty, which is rare, I don't mind paying for repair/replacement, because I know I'm saving money in the long run.

Extended warranties have a profit margin built in. By self-insuring, you keep that money. Also, if you take good care of your equipment, the odds of something going wrong will be less than for the general public.

For anyone thinking of buying a new Yamaha AVR, if you go to the post office and get a "change of address" packet inside is a BestBuy coupon good for 10% off a single regular priced item.

I checked with a local BB-Magnolia and this coupon will work for the 3900 (I imagine even with the Z7). You may also be able to get other stores such as Frys to price match the difference (I did this for my 3900 and even got them to match the rewardzone cash).

The current coupon in the packet expires 1/31/10.

MJH and BW thanks for your thoughts.

When setting up my 3900 for the first time, what is the #1 thing I should pay attention too? Are there any noob mistakes I should try to avoid making?

it's real easy to plug the sub woofer into the wrong slot as there is a pre-out and multi channel input for sub woofers that are real close to each other.

I did that with my 1900 (rear panel are the same) and was freaking out thinking it or my sub wasn't working

or you can go to audiohualics or 6th ave and get better prices including free 3 year warranties

I did with my 1900

I recently upgraded from a DSP-A1052 which I was crazy about primarily to get the video connectivity and networking capability. I didn't expect it to sound much better, because I thought it was already at the limit of my 30 year old Advents and the basic power and distortion numbers were about the same between old and new. I was way wrong. It sounds dramatically better, and the difference is YPAO. I thought I had done a pretty good job of setting it up, but this is much better. The whole soundfield now sounds consistent, even though the surrounds and presence speakers are different from the LCR's. Obviously, you may have been much better at setting up your old Yamaha, which means your gains would be less, but for me it has been a real treat.

Not sure what you're asking, but the 3900 allows you to set different crossover freq's for surrounds, center, sub, etc, etc.

Damn ear infection!

I can't hear my 3900 properly!!

I can neither confirm nor deny that I did the same w/3900.

I know that many of you have owned/used your 3900 for a while now. Given what you know now, given a choice, and ignoring price, would you still buy the 3900 or would you buy the Onkyo 906B? Why?

Thanks.

Thanks for the clarification Frosty.

theone111 as you can set different crossovers for each speaker set on the 3900, have a look at the specs (frequency range) of your speakers in particular the +/-3dB detail to aid with what you set your crossover points at.
I believe it's in one of the Audioholics "How to's" where they advise to set it 1 octave higher than the lowest frequency your speaker(s) are capable at the +/-3dB point.
I'm not sure what an octave equates to in Hz though I'm sure you're in the ball park if you add 20Hz to the lowest figure and use that as your crossover point(s).

Hope that helps.