The Yamaha RX-V663 thread. HDMI 1.3 upconversion, TrueHD, DTS MA decoding. - Page 5

I'm really interested in the 663. SQ should be similar to the 661(never heard one) right? I have a H/K AVR 247 now. How will sq of the 663 compare to the 247?

IMO, probably very similar. I can't see upgrading from the 247 to the 663.

The 247 is a very capable receiver, with very good SQ.

Should I sell my 661 and go for this?

I also have a problem with my 661 and Samsung LN-T4665F. When I connect sources into my receiver and then output them from my receiver via hdmi to hdmi on the TV, I get a picture for 5 seconds, but then it cuts out.

If I connect the source directly, it works fine.


Also, do I need upconversion for my wii or dvd player if the TV can do it?

I've always said that the 661 is an excellent receiver, probably my favorite under $700.00. IMO, the only reason to upgrade to the 663 is if you need lossless audio decoding from a Blu-ray or HD-DVD player.

Larone

Yea, I guess I don't need that stuff then. Will upconversion increase the quality of my video like 720p sources or DTV or the Wii?

How do I get my receiver to connect via hdmi to my TV? The picture works for 5 seconds, but then it goes black.

There's transcoding analog video to HDMI too.

If I recall correctly a few Samsung owners have reported HDMI hand-shake issues with the 61 & 65 series LCD's, have talked to anyone in the Samsung owners thread?

Good point. I keep forgetting about those analog users out there .

Larone

What would you suggest for those who want lossless audio & 3 hdmi inputs in the $500-$1000 range?

I can get the Yamaha 3800 for $1100 shipped from an authorized dealer, so that is one of my top ones, but I don't really want to spend that much.

Thanks,

Trevor

I don't understand why they label this receiver (and several others) as upconversion and not transcoding. Alot of people assume scaling will take place, although it wont...

IMO, the terminology upconversion more closely resembles upscaling, not transcoding, which is probably why consumers think it will make their analog signals look better.

A good example why consumers will think it will scale, is the terminology used with DVD players- Upconverting DVD player.

Not sure why manufacturers use this terminology when they mean transcoding.

I would recommend the RX-V863 which is also going to be an incredible bang for your buck. 3 HDMI in's, lossless audio decoding, burr brown dacs, and HD Radio-Ready. Some people have excellent preorder prices .

Larone

Wouldn't another feature (that probably most resembles the price difference over the 663) be 1080p scaling of analog sources over HDMI?

Yes sir. I left that out because I'm still waiting for confirmation on whether or not the Yamaha will upscale HDMI sources which the 1800 & 3800 do not. Will find out on Monday.

Larone

What about Onkyo 805?

Do TV's do a good job of upscaling such as my Samsung LN-T4665F?

Will this 663 receiver increase the quality of my video like 720p sources or DTV or the Wii? or will plugging in these sources directly to the TV be better?

Another excellent choice. I own an 875 personally. It comes down to personal/brand preference. They both have their advantages when comparing one another.

Larone

Glad to see this, cause I also suspect that replacing my $800 V793 w/ a $400 player is not going to improve the basic sound quality.

But did you try a Harmony remote? It may be the receiver rather than the remote that is slow.

The 663 does NOT upscale, although the 863 will. It will not increase any video performance, although it can be convenient.

Upconversion refers to taking the analog signals, and sending them over HDMI, at the SAME resolution. IMO, the terminology should say transcoding to avoid confusion.

Oh.... I didn't expect it to, but if it does, great.

How does the 663 compare to the onkyo 605? I'm tempted to sell my onkyo 605 and get the 663. Would it make a difference, be better?
My speaker set up is Mirage Omni 350 for the fronts, Omni 150 as the surrounds and the Omni c150 center.

IMO, it will offer very little difference in SQ.

I just bought the HK 146. I can still return it. I am thinking about getting the 663 instead, but I hear you can't have different cross overs for different speakers. I am not sure if I understand totally understand this. Does this mean, if you have large towers front speakers and tiny surround satellites, all your speakers get the same cross overs? This is not so great because my lowly $220 HK 146 lets you set different cross overs for all speakers. Still I wonder if the 663 would be a better receiver in term of sound quality (love the sq of my little HK)? Should I get the 663? Thanks.

With the remote of my old 795a, 661 was a lot faster than
with its own remote. So I tend to think that the remote of
661 (or 861) is bad. Nope I didnt try an universal remote.

I bought a URC remote (500 I guess) but before I could get the remote I
decided to sell my 661. That is how much I hated the
remote response. When I paid $500 for a product I expect
it to give me some satisfaction so I didnt wait for the URC.

I also feel that the menu options in 661 or 861 have
too many layers unlike 795a. For example with 795a remote (RAV172)
I just hit the LEVEL menu with my thumb and it goes directly
to the level options for speakers. I hit the SET MENU and it
goes directly to speaker size setting. Where as with the 661
I have to go through multiple layers to change the speaker
size from small or large or vice versa. The LEVEL option goes
directly to speaker level but like I said the remote response
is so slow when changing the volume level, whether the main
volume control or speaker level control.


Of course one could get a harmony remote and program it.
Well it costs some $200 to get that remote. Why would I spend $200 just
so that I can make a $500 receiver give me satisfaction.


Like I mentiioned this remote issue doesnt get much attention
at all. BTW this is not a troll post. I want to get some feedback
so that I know that it is not just 1 or 2 receivers that I saw have
this remote response issue.

The only reason why I want to try 663 is because its remote
is different. The volume control is also different. So I have some
vain hope that it may be faster.

I dont want to make the same mistake again.
So this time I will only buy from a dealer who has a return policy.


Also if people who have a universal remote could confirm that the
universal remote response is faster than the yamaha remote, then
it gives me some reason to spend that extra $200 on a universal
remote. I also dont want to spend $200 just for the volume control.
I should also be able to handle all the menu options and also be
able to program 1-button for options that need several layers
of menu on 661. It is just ridiculous that the engineers would
change something that was working fine in prior models.
Why cant they just carry over things that were fine. If it aint
broken dont fix it. Dont we all know that well enough. The
slim remote of 795a is also so easy to handle with everything
under thumb reach and also direct 1-button hit for every option instead of
multiple layers, burried way down in menus. This only makes
more sales of the universal remotes (if they could be programmed
for 1-button hit)

I could just get the Onkyo 605. I liked its remote response. I saw $399 for it at CC.
Now it is $439. Issue with 605 is that it also needs several layers
of menu to change the speaker size or speaker levels. Also when ever
I change the speaker level on 605, the unit turns off the sound which is
annoying. Yamaha doesnt do that. 605 also runs like a furnace. Even
when it is just ON (display units at CC) they are so hot.
But at least I wont have any buyers remorse with 605.
Marantz SR4002 ($549) is another option as I liked the remote but
it doesnt have the features which 663 or 605 have.

BTW does Yamaha have some representation at AVS forum.
I hope some of their engineers address this issue or at least
visit AVS forum once in a while so they know that their remote
sucks :-)

It has become habitual for most manufacturers not to pay a lot of
attention to the remote as they presume that everyone will spend
$200 on a universal remote. I dont have some 10 components in my
HT that I need to operate. The 2 units I operate all the time are the
HD box for channel change and the AVR for volume, speaker level/size.

I dont mind using 2 separate remotes or even 3 or 4 (CD, DVD which
I dont use as much as the cable box or AVR)

So a $200 universal remote doesnt look very appealing to me as I expect
a $500 AVR to have at least a faster response with its own remote, if not
direct 1-button options.

The cheapest Harmony remote works fine ($80), that's what I have - but I agree that you shouldn't have to buy one cause the receiver's remote sucks.

But how did the sound compare to your V795? With the V1800 going really cheap, I think I'd spring for that to make sure it's an upgrade in basic SQ.

If I have to upgrade just for SQ then I dont think I will see any improvement
with 661 or 663 or anything else in the sub $1000. The highs on 795a are very smooth, sharp and clear compared to 661. I also had the 659 briefly. Since it had the same remote as 661 I didnt keep it. 659 was pretty much like 795a. 661 just didnt have the sharp, clear highs. Note that my main interest is 2ch music. I spend some 2 hrs or so every night to relax with 2ch music. I use the OPPO 980H for CD's. I have tried via the analog outputs of OPPO and through the DAC of 795a and there isnt much difference.

Believe it or not I also had the chance to listen to the Rotel 2 channel
receiver RX-1052 ($899) at home and I found that it was not superior to
the sound of 795a. Sure Rotel is built better and has more power. Also it may have less distortion at high volumes. But I dont play at high volumes. I also dont have $5000 speakers that can bring out any subtle differences in SQ.

Actually the hi-fi dealer told me that I could buy it and if I didnt like it I can return it. So I bought it and since it didnt have superior SQ compared to my 795a, it didnt justify spending that much money. So I took it back and got the 661. Unfortunately 661 didnt have the SQ so I had to sell it on ebay. I may buy some gear from him in future so I didnt want to return 661 also.

I later bought the 659 (there is only one place where 659 is available now) after reading the audioholics.com review. 659 was pretty close to 795a but had the same lousy remote as 661. So it also went back. But for the remote I would have kept the 659 as I am not that much into HDMI or video upscaling yet.

I have the Klipsch RB81 speakers. Now dont start saying that Klipsch has bad sound. The current Reference IV series has much smoother highs. It is not bright at all at moderate volumes. Check out the stereophile review of RB81

Prior to Klipsch I had the B&W 602S2. So if the Klipsch RB81 sounded bright then I wouldnt have sold my B&W 602 and bought the RB81. Infact I did a side by side comparison of B&W 602 S3 (model next to S2) and Klipsch RB81
at the dealer store using the Rotel RX-1052. At low volumes RB81 beats B&W
with sharp detailed highs but at high volumes B&W cant be beat for its laid back sound. I wanted to try the Klipsch RB81 as I had an eye on the RB75 for a long time. It was discontinued and it was also $1200! Then came RB81 at $700. So I wanted to try that.

I also tried the current model B&W 685 with the Rotel RX-1052 and
RA-1062 ($699) at another dealer and now I am leaning towards this combination, though it comes at a hefty price tag, but well worth the money.

The highs on RB81 are very sharp and crystal clear and also I dont have to play at high volumes. So I am not going to find it bright. Sure at high volumes they are a bit bright and forward but not at moderate volumes. So I am still debating if I should buy a $899 or $699 2ch Rotel receiver.

On 661 the max volume I had was -30db. On average I played at -35db. Same with the 659. Unfortunately 795a does not have digital display of the volume level.

so are you able to program mutiple key/button strokes of 661 into
one single button on the harmony remote, like for example changing
speaker size from small to large.

How would you compare the volume control response of 661
to the Harmoney remote and that to its own remote.

I got a Bose LifeStyle 12 II from my dad. I would like to replace the Bose receiver with the RX-V663. I know the bad reps that Bose gets on this thread. I know the first response is to ebay the LifeStyle system but I want to keep it for a little while atleast to humor my dad.

Please let me know if I will be able to connect the Bose speakers with the Acoustimas module or whatever its called. I am also wondering if I can connect two more speakers to get a 7.1 sound.

Be easy on me I am brand new to the AV world. The only reason I want to do this is because the Bose receiver does not come with optical ports or HDMI ports and maybe get better sound. I would like to get digital audio from my PS3 and XBOX360. Any help will be appreciated.

If this receiver will not work, please let me know if you know of any other receiver.

Don't think you can do that - it's simple one to one button programming. You can only automatically change the receiver input, it won't adjust the receiver automatically. Changing speaker size is something I'd probably just pull out the Yamaha remote to do.

I don't have a 661 to try that, sorry.

Thanks for the report on receivers. I think my V793 is like your V795 only without DTS. Have you considered the V1800 to replace it? I have old Polks, RT12 towers etc. The V793 is a nice match for those I think.

V1800? isnt it like $1299.
Also I looked at the yamaha web site and it has the same remote :-)
So even if there is some deal online I dont think I would buy V1800.

The main reason why I am considering 663 is the new remote but
I am concerned that its SQ is going to be same as 661