The "official" Yamaha RX-V673 thread. 7.2-Channel Network AVR - Page 10

Bad news is that the 1080p conversion for the Wii from 480i does look terrible. Good news is that there's a $20 HDMI adapter for Wii, and this looks much better because the HDMI port can upconvert the native 480p signal.

Mfr's are likely dropping the HD Radio feature as internet radio stations are quickly becoming far more popular on the networking models. On the Denon models, although analog--> HDMI conversion begins with the 1912/1913 models, HD radio has been removed on all lower level models and is now only available on the 3312CI/3313CI (MSRP $1100). You may also want to consider using a Wii2HDMI.

Uhh oh...

Has anyone received the firmware update that was supposed to add additional internet functionality to the 673?

WOO HOO! Just got the upgrade message!!!! They are sending a brand new RX-673!

I also just noticed that they raised the price of the 671 up to 429.88.

I am getting the 673 for 387.89 shipped.!!! WOO HOO!

I'm using the Harmony 650i and it works just fine. The Harmony remote was purchased recently and it truly is an amazing product.

I have a question about "Cinema DSP 3D Mode". Should I leave it off if I have 7.1 speaker setup as I can't seem to hear anything from the back surround speakers?

Hmm, indeed it does look terrible. Just as bad as on my old Sony DNR1000. So I just used a lot of component cables to receiver and then to TV to hook up Xbox 1 and Wii.

Congrats!! Love mine despite some limitations I complained about. I can't believe how much BETTER it sounds than my old Sony STR-DN1000!!!

Thanks for the info. I guess I will not lose too much sleep over the HD Radio. I do have a Sony dedicated HD tuner I can hook up, and it some cases, I think the analog FM actually sounds better.

I belive the only drawback to the 673 from the 671 is that component upconversion to 1080p is no longer available, just composite unconvert to 1080i(via hdi-in the manual) Not sure why they took this away.

TRy using the regular component videos...it should upconvert to 720p or 1080oi.

673 has no Pandora, Sirius, Rhapsody, Napster and Net Radio built in. These are more important drawacks to me. I have no need for Airplay so as far as I can tell the only upgrade to the 673 is the video upconversion. The 673 will upconvert everything HDMI to 1080p but the 671 will not upconvert unless it is below 720p. So basically the 673 will upconvert 720p and 1080i to 1080p but the 671 will upconvert 480i and 480p to 1080p but just pass through 720p and 1080i. Very strange but there it is. The 673 is also not Windows 7 compatible like the 671. Ohh, and also the 673 supports 2 mono subwoofers which I guess could be helpful if it was a very large room.
Edited by Bond 007 - 8/24/12 at 3:33am

Keep in mind that a second sub pre-out can be added to any AVR with a $3 "Y" RCA cable. The 673 simply uses an internal "Y" splitter. On a side note, a 2nd sub helps to "smooth" out the bass response ... so a "very large room" is not necessarily a requirement.

When you have the 7.1 setup and you use the "Cinema DSP" mode, the receiver routes the sur back sound to the prescence speakers. You can listen to the sur back or the pres speakers but not both or that would be 9.1 which the receiver does not support.

Thanks again to Ryan for the ordering tip on the 673.
Mine arrived without a hitch... 3 days after placing an order for the 671.

As I convert the set up from my old receiver (Yam RX-V2095) to the new one, I find myself with different connection options and have a question. Hopefully someone can help.

Current Home Theater arrangement:
Sub, Front, Center, Presence, Surround

Remote Stereo Speakers:
Bedroom, Kitchen, Outside Deck

Previously, I simply attached all the "remote" speakers to my receiver via a selector box at the aux main speaker connections. That isn't available now.

Now, it looks like my options are...

1, Make my remote speakers the "Zone 2" (but then what do I do with the Presence Speaker connection)
2, Connect the remote speakers jointly with the Front Speakers (but this won't allow me to utilize the "bi-amp" connection on the Home Theater set up)

Finally... it looks like the preamp will only accommodate the Bi-amp set up, or the Zone 2 set up... but not both (without changing the settings menu).

Am I missing something?
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

With that many extra speakers in Zone 2, you're much better served (and it's much safer) using the Zone 2 pre-outs to an external 2CH amp. Then connect a 4-zone impedance matching speaker selector to the 2CH amp and connect the bedroom, kitchen, deck speakers to the speaker selector. Also skip any "bi-amping" as it provides no real additional benefit in either audio fidelity or additional power.

I don't think the component out does any upconversion itself, but it will output the native resolution of whatever is input, 480p, 720p, 1080i, etc. The 1080p conversion is done by the TV in this case because the native component signal is fed directly to the TV. Using this method with the Wii gave me similar results to using the Wii HDMI adapter and having the AVR do the upconversion.

The drawback of using the component out approach is that you need to have multiple outputs running to the TV and you therefore have to mess around with switching both TV and AVR inputs when changing sources. I prefer running everything through HDMI and having one output to my TV, but both methods will give you similar results. Easier to switch sources, and less wiring in my wall.

Thanks man, I am upgrading from an old Kenwood Sovereign VR5900 that was handed down to me from my father (no hdmi inputs/outputs) Word is that he bought it for 3000$ back in the day! It weighs a ton and supposed is 135W per channel (5.1 only). I will be sad to see it go, but I think I got more than enough use out of it!

Thanks so much for the suggestion!

One question... if I connect an external amp to the Zone 2 pre-out... how should I connect the presence speakers?

Do you mean Cinema DSP 3D Mode will have no effect if I don't have presence speakers setup?

So i just purchased a 673 to go along with take energy classic 5.1 speakers. My question is,what gauge speaker wire should i use? I just ordered the 16 gauge from monoprice,but may change to 14.......the main room speakers are not too far away from receiver to use 16,i just figured the thicker the better,but maybe its unnecessary(im pretty much a noob to all of this-used to buy HTIB's) So,what do u all thi k,14 or 16 gauge?

Thanks

16 gauge is fine for those speakers. 14 won't hurt, but it's not necessary. If you upgrade to low impedance (high current) speakers down the road, you'll want 14 or 12 gauge, but unless your runs are super long (50 ft+), 16 will work fine.

Is there an option to lower the volume WHILE muted? My old Sony receiver stayed muted while changing the volume, this one does not, which is a little annoying. At least it lowers the volume much faster.

Thought these energy take classic were considered low impedence...guess thats for another thread,ill check.

I could of got the 671 for $389, but got the 673 for $442 for airplay and 4k upscaling for future. Question: I have an old xbox(modded with NES,SNES,Genesis games) which uses composite cables. How significant is the upconvert? Cant wait for mine to rrive in the mail-im sure ill be messing with the settings for the first week

Anyone having problems with Airplay on their 673? I finally got mine hooked up to the Internet via WiFi - I splurged and bought the Yamaha WiFi adapter (I wanted the two ports so I could hook up my DVR too). Airplay works fine on my desktop PC but not on my laptop. The 673 shows up as an Airplay speaker choice in iTunes on both computers, and plays tunes just fine from the desktop. But on the laptop, when I play a song, it says "Connecting to Airplay device" and then just times out and eventually comes back with "unknown error". I know it at least sees the 673 because it lets me choose it.

The only difference between the two PCs is the desktop (which works) is running Windows XP and the laptop (which doesn't work) has Windows 7.

I believe your speakers are 8 ohm, which is the Yamaha's default setting too. If the speakers specs say 6 or 4 ohm, you want to change the impedance setting on the AVR, and higher gauge cable will probably be a good idea for longer runs.

For example, I have deftech in walls (4ohm), and they recommend 18 or 16 gauge for runs under 25 feet, 16 or 14 for runs between 25 and 50, and 14 or 12 for runs over 50 ft. All my runs are less than 50, and I ran the wire behind the wall, so I future proofed it somewhat and went with blue jeans cable 14 gauge across the board.

SERIOUS ISSUE: I have a problem where dialog when playing back a BluRay will be dropped to almost inaudible levels and be delayed while music and sound effects are still loud. Having this problem with a DTS HD 5.1 soundtrack for Gladiator on the PS3 via Linear PCM and HDMI cable for both sound and video going through receiver. Never had this issue with my old receiver, and if all I do is power cycle the receiver, the problem goes away completely! What the hell is going on? I have no idea what causes it, seems random, but I doubt it is, it has happened twice now in 2 days. Is the V673 defective?
Edited by Flavius - 8/25/12 at 10:05pm

If it is happening in the middle of the movie and you are touching no buttons plus the fact that turning the receiver off and back on seems to fix it then it sounds like you have a bad receiver. Assuming that your old receiver was HDMI and it never happened adds to this theory. If you are certain of your setup and can return for free that is what I would do. Try a different HDMI cable first just for kicks and set the PS3 to bitstream instead of linear PCM so that the 673 can do the processing instead of the PS3. Its pssible that the PS3 processor is having issues. You could also hook the PS3 direct to tv to see what happens. Since the problem is intermittent and you have a limited return window I would try these things asap and if there is any doubt then exchange the receiver while you can.

I have a htr 5660 which works fine but doesn't have hdmi. I use the opitical out with my blu ray. Im wondering is there a significant change in audio quality in this new model in playing music?