The Yamaha RX-V663 thread. HDMI 1.3 upconversion, TrueHD, DTS MA decoding. - Page 13

You really need to evenly set the levels of all of your speakers with an SPL. Setting your sub level with your ear only is the sole reason you need night mode. I guarantee your sub is running 5-10 Db hot. If you set it correctly you will find that you can listen to movies at a higher level without shaking your house down. It will also help with those times when you just want to listen to it quietly.

Check page 80 or 88 of your manual for instructions on how to turn the Test tones on. There is a menu setting labeled D on the Basic Menu that allows you to turn the test tone on for manual configuration.

I asked at Best Buy today and they had no record of the RX-V663 on their computer. They said that the replacements typically show up a few weeks before the old model is phased out.

I don't know much about receivers (but I can spell it), certainly not as much as you all obviously do. Your information and knowledge make for very informative reading. I will be replacing my Yamaha RX-V530 this Spring. My reading here leads me to perhaps choose between the Yamaha 663, Onkyo 605, Sony 820, and Pioneer VSX-1018 THX-K. I have a Sony 60A3000, Toshiba A3, and Directv HR20. Assuming they can all be bought for around 4 bills, which do you think would be the best choice. We seldom listen to music but lots of movies and HD TV. As a side note, I have a pair of Bose 901's with EQ in the closet. I think I need pre-outs (correct?) to use them. No big deal but it might be a bonus feature.

Probably offering free shipment again since you have to wait for the second allotment. Seems fair, I'll pay the shipping to get mine on the first run.

That for the test tone info. I will check it out. I think I found that last night but the tone was only for a short time.

Agreeded. The night mode did a good job of kill the big bass. The IB is built into the front wall and it is not really contained. I need to find the right mix with this reciver.

I will be setting levels with an SPL meter. I am acctually going to break out the computer and mic to really level set, I just wanted to be in the ballpark untill I have the time.

For sure I run the subs (a dozen 10's) a bit hot from time to time. Level setting your sub is really about what you like. I want to make sure a big hit like "machines emerging" has impact and the right balance, running 10db hot in that scene will sound over bassy and kill my hearing. My subs will outplay the mains (cleanly) well into your are going to be deaf territory (pants shaking). Level setting the sub is about what level of bass you like.

So those of you who pre-ordered at JR: have they charged
your credit card yet? I ordered on 2/26 and they havent charged
my card yet. So looks like I am in the second batch or third batch.

no, they said they would charge my cc when it ships. I'm in the first batch btw.

The Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K has a feature Auto Level Control (ALC) that I believe addresses this concern. The Marantz 7002 also has this feature based on this post

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...5#post13233555

Just thought I'd share in case you were interested.

Anyone compare the Pioneer VSX1018 to this 663? I know it comes out in june but it may cause me to wait, or can someone find a reason to go for the 663 instead?

I am in the same boat. I like the specs of the Pioneer but the JR deal on the 663 looks too good to pass up.

I've got an outstanding authorization on mine for this amount. Ordered Mar 1.

I think his point was, he is surprised that AVRs have the ability to keep audio at a consistent level, but all the stupid idiots in broadcasting can't.


One thing he might want to check is his cable/sat box. In the audio set up there may be a setting for dynamics. In my Motorola PVR box I can set it to narrow, medium or wide. The narrow setting levels everything out a bit.

I had ordered my 663 on 2/22 and just got a backorder notice - guess I fell into the second round........

If you read the email closely, you will notice this comment: "If this is a "special order" or a "pre-order" item, please be aware that this email is automatically sent on all orders that are waiting for stock to arrive"

Link??
I did not see any Pioneer 1018 from their website yet, am I missing something??

But retail != street. Is this kind of presale discount that JR is running common? Once released, how long will it take street prices to fall to these levels?

Are you sure about this? If that's true, it makes the decision much more difficult.

Really, I searched for the 1018 and it didn't come up.

So now (as you are) I'm REALLY interested in knowing which the better receiver.

That Pioneer does look killer. And, while I think you can expect a similar "deal" from JandR at pre-order (appreciably below list), I don't think you can expect to pay the same price since MSRP is higher than the 663. I think street will wind up ~$100 higher.

That's more along the lines of what I was thinking. The 663 is in Onkyo 605 territory even before it's release. With a $400 budget you probably shouldn't think twice as you most likely can't go wrong. I just like tried and true reviews before I drop a wad of cash.

great now I'm looking at the Pioneer 1018 after having settled on the 663. For the additional money, you get the ipod-ready USB, additional HDMI, and additional digital inputs, and 35 more watts/channel.

After the price of an hdmi switch and yamaha ipod dock, they're even.

I was talking to a friend and he mentioned the Pioneer is also thx certified.

If you need a receiver now, buy the V663. You'll probably be able to sell it for $350.00-$375.00 is a few months an pre-order the 1018. The V663 will probably be selling at $500.00 in store in the early summer.

The RX-V663 is aimed squarely at customers who want to use it with an external amp. Why do you think that most other manufactures don't include pre-outs until a higher price point. They put a better amp in their low end receivers and leave out the pre-outs.

Yamaha, is putting a mediocre amp in the V663 because they are counting on you buying an external amp. And if you don't buy an external amp then they are assuming that you don't care about sound enough to notice that it might have an underpowered amp. This keeps the receiver cost way down. Now what I don't understand is why Yamaha doesn't make a nice 5 or 7 channel external amp to go with it. They are missing out on a huge market!

Doesnt the 663 have 95Watts of HI-Current POWER, its more than what I have now in my Onkyo 520, the 520 I have sez 130W per ch. its more like 75watts of hi-current power from what I have read. What Iam saying is that the Yamaha should be better than my 3 year old Onkyo, atleast I hope it sounds as good or better than the Onkyo, I listen to more Music than Movies. BTW That Pioneer 1018 sounds more tempting, will it sound better in 2ch stereo than the 663????

Yeah but is it a "clean" extra 35Watts? THD/Noise is ~0.06% on the 663 ... the Pioneers are rated ~1.00% ... if you care about such things ... and if the prior 1017 model is any indication.

1. Turning on the test tone then doing the level setting worked as expected. Seems like an odd feature to turn off by default. I had let the auto program run once. The auto levels were within about 2db of each other compared to my rat shack SPL meter.

2. I was setting up all my inputs and ios and playing with the "scene" features (I happen to have 4 things I do so the "scene" feature work great). I noticed something a bit odd. I was playing an audio cd in my PS3 that is connected via HDMI (it was sending 2 channel PCM). I spent like 10 min trying to get it into PLLx 7.1 with no luck. It will do the yamaha 7 channel stereo stuff but I could not get the "surround decoders" to work as expected with the 2 channel PCM hdmi input. The 5.1 PCM still gets matrixed to 7.1 just fine.
My OPPO DVD doing the same thing using a standard digital input works as expected. 2 channel PCM -> 7.1
Any thoughts? It is not a show stopper for me but it doesn't seem quite right. The PS3 is my only real HDMI audio device so I don't know if it is a specific or general problem.


BTW: I keep hearing people use the term "professional review" in this thread. I find this term a bit odd. Most "professional reviews" I encounter are not much more than a glorified add. About the only useful review I ever see is the actual power measurements, that info is not handy to come by. Mostly reviews will tell you (if it is not totally missing features) "well it is not as good as my $$$$$ setup but for the money it is a sure bet if it fits your needs"
Right now I can tell you this. Using this thing as a prepro with the PS3 doing Bulray has a much larger sound stage (it is wider and taller in my theater) and reality to it. There is just alot more detailed sound. You will hear the above for any hd audio. You are going to like it. I would even go as far to say the with PCM and lossless codecs the gap between the really high end and the low end (in pre/pro world) just somewhat smaller.
Most reviews easily come down to sounding better simply because of the amp and power supply. That other reciver you a looking at weights say an extra 10 or more pounds probably going to have a better amp an sound a bit better. BTW if you don't want and amp (they are not that expensive used, and power is power) and you have to have a powerful receiver go buy an onkyo 805 right now. The THX Ultra power rating is no joke on that thing (it has a big power supply).
BTW: THX Select is not all that and a box of rocks, it means they didn't do anything wrong and it lets folks sleep better at night with thx on the front. I have seen plenty test benches with all 7 channels driven and they didn't exactly impress me.
If you spent real money on your speakers buy an amp that they deserve (at least the front mains) (even my low to mid priced phase techs sound great with amp power). How much did your tv cost? As you move up in power there is a sound difference.
The only real judge if you are going to like something is you. Good luck out there.

Define "mediocre". Obviously nobody has been able to tear apart a 663 to see exactly what is inside, but I would have to assume that the amp is going to be as good as or better than the one used in the 661. And from what I've read, the 661 had some pretty good reviews.


And I would hardly call 95w x 7 as "underpowered". Unless you're attempting to use this in a concert hall, I would think that 665w of receiver power would be MORE than enough. Especially since subwoofers carry their own power supplies which only adds to your overall system power rating.

Ironically, mpgxsvcd himself mentioned there were some reports that the 663 amp is much better than the one in the 661. Couldn't confirm, though.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...0#post13154730


It's not, realistically, especially when the vast majority are filtering the bass from what the amps have to handle.

So they're counting on you to buy an amp from another company? No. The intended market is those who will use it as a receiver, I suspect the pre-outs get used in a very small number of cases.