The Yamaha RX-V663 thread. HDMI 1.3 upconversion, TrueHD, DTS MA decoding. - Page 16

Exactly. I mean honestly, if you use this receiver as pre/pro, what can you really expect to come out that is better within the next 6 months or so anywhere near this price range? Aside from something that may have a few more inputs, outputs etc? Some of the reviews I've heard of various other yamaha receiver's used as a pre/pro have been highly complimentary of this set up.

Pioneer VSX-1018TXH-K

still adding fabric to my dedicated theater....then trim, carpet, etc...

I can wait...something better will always come along as I don't NEED it now...just wanted it.

@ $399???

I guess if MRSP is $599 then there might be some deals for it. It will be a very nice receiver BUT its not out until June or July.

It doesnt matter to me, sub $400 Receivers either Pioneer or Yahama that do all the latest great things is just crazy. Onyko did it earlier then everyone else and that is great because now we are getting great deals everywhere. Denon 4805 for $1500, YUCK!!!!

I have a been going crazy reading about all the AVR units and the best decoding, multiple zones, etc. I was thinking I was going to have to drop a grand to get a decent unit. Now I see this thread.

I have a Panny plasma, DirecTV HD, and a PS3. I currently have a 10 year old Sony 30ES receiver. My DirecTV unit will upconvert everything to 1080p and send that to the AVR. The PS3 will play BD and upconvert SD DVDs to 1080p. So I will have all video heading to the AVR at 1080p. The 663 will pass this through to my Panny via HDMI. Am I missing something? Why would I need to pay more for a AVR?

I am really thinking of jumping at this price.

I meant the $370

oh

I should cancel and get the $370 offer.

More watts, maybe?

For the Pre-pro part pre-pros $2000 more will not do a better job. No reason not to save money unless you are one of those people that love placebo pills and spending $1K or $2K convinces you that you have better sound

OMG, I think I made a mistake by canceling. This $400 receiver is the greatest deal on the planet. Oh no, what did I do? Wow, 2 HDMI inputs, 6 composite and 6 S - video inputs. And to think they keep telling me you get what you pay for.

You won't hear any difference with them bi-amped.

If you want to put those extra amps to good use buy a set of these to go with your new JBL Stadiums:

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4104411

or these

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4103973

then hook them up as presence speakers. Your manual will tell you how. They will sound awesome I promise.

I've got my 661 and Polks running this way and I would not trade it for a standard 7.1


.

RMB-1066 is a 6ch amp 60wpc into 8ohms, $699

You could bridge it to make it a 3ch 150wpc amp
which should be a better deal than the RB-1070
They all have the toroidal transformer which is considered
superior to the EI transformers used in most mass market AVRs.

I have not heard the 1066 but I bet it should be as good
as the RB-1070 or RA-1062 or RX-1052.

I didnt bother to consider used. Used Rotels go for over 75% of retail
Why would I pay some 75% +shipping for a used Rotel amp w/o warranty when I can get 10% of retail from the dealer and get 5yr warranty!

Now I see a lot of people cancelling 663 which makes me worried!

well what do you expect for $399, 5 HDMI inputs?

you should have been glad they even included 7.1
instead of just 5.1. They could then have better
transformers by saving 2 channels.

But I agree that 6 composite/s-video is just unnecessary.

They just filled the space on the back panel with some crap
like other AVRs do. Heck man even the Rotel 2ch receiver RX-1052
has several composite inputs. I am sure someone who pays
$899 for a Rotel 2ch receiver will have a bigger wallet to
get some HDMI based video gear!

Yamaha could have at least provided extra optical and coax instead
of the obsolete crap like composite and s-video.

Look at Marantz SR5002 for example: 5 composite 5 s-video. Again
just filled up the space on the back panel. It would have been better
to have kept just 1 or 2 of those crap and then made more space
between the speaker posts to make it easier to put the wire in and
tighten the nut.

oh well just one man's opinion cant change the world.

That is where you are wrong!!

Yep, they need to make the back look impressive. If it has more stuff then it must be better.

They are just canceling because they are chasing a pipe dream. I have researched the receivers to no end. There is no way to beat the jr.com deal on the yamaha RX-V663. It offers everything you need in terms of the new audio codecs. It offers the analog to HDMI conversion. It has an excellent "DRC" mode. And most importantly it has pre-outs in case you are one of the very few people(I am one of those) who need more watts than this receiver can put out.

I doubt that anyone else will come out with an HDMI 1.3 receiver with everything listed above for less than $400 this year. Heck, i am starting to think that it may never be matched because so many manufactures are removing the pre-outs from budget receivers.

Only 4 with something in the back which reads 250W power consumption. STR-DG820.

The Sony 820 and the 920 do not come with pre-outs for use with an external amplifier! That is a deal killer for some!

920 back panel. Oh yea they even have an input labled "BD". Gosh, I wonder why there wasn't one labled HD-DVD?
http://www.sonystyle.com/wcsstore/So..._backpanel.jpg

820 Back panel. Only one co-axial audio input.
http://www.sonystyle.com/wcsstore/So..._rearpanel.jpg

I just wanted TrueHD, component to HDMI 1.3 up-conversion (1080i is fine, 1080p passthrough), pre-outs for under $400.
Today I found that product.

Pre-outs is the key, most CHEAP receivers dont have them although the pioneer lines that I have owned always did even the $250 receivers.


Obviously Onkyo started all this last year but the 605 didnt have pre-outs (DUMBASSES!!!!). This year the rest of the company will catch up. Sony (BUT SONY IS EVIL!!!), Yahama and Pioneer all have INCREDIBLE products coming out for under $500.

Pretty impressive to say the least. I just want mine this month!

400+w power consumption = 663

250 w power consumption = 820

633 = 820 = no noticeable difference in sound quality

250 = wise consumer.

633 = typo?

typo = 663?

I don't have alot of experience with real money pro/pros but I don't doubt that there are diffrences in sound due to design. I am guessing with multi channel PCM this gap is less but with Dolby Digital and DTS standard (on everything but blu-ray and hd-dvd) I am pretty sure there "can" be sound improvments/diffrences.

With that said I recomend you buy this as a pre/pro It sounds great (with DD and DTS and music) in my setup.

Folks keep saying "I am never going to play 100db". I do for sure and you might to. At my seating distance (to the back row where I sit; 17-18ft) with music I loose about 20db(this will be diffrent for a given room due to reflections/absobtions). Think about that a bit and your situations, maybe even measure it with a db meter you might be supprised what volume your speakers (right in front) are really playing compared to where you sit.

Honestly I watch moves avg spl in the hight 70's low 80's (estamate. less than a really loud pay theater) and I want to be able to hear composed and clear (good sounding) sound during "loud" parts with all 7 channels going. No I don't live in apartment or a duplex I am in a dark basement with a big screen

Know what you want to get out of your system and design/buy around that it dosen't cost a ton if you sort out what it is you really want.

I canceled because I already have a good receiver and can wait a bit longer. I won't argue this isn't a good deal on paper for people who need a HDMI receiver soon. Also, I don't change equipments frequently. In my case, I would rather pay a little more for something I will keep for a while than buying now because it's cheap. Yamaha includes some nice things in the back such as 2 sub outputs, preouts and 2 outlets. I don't see these things on the Sony.

If the 663 turns out to be an awesome receiver, I will be happy to buy it later. I just returned a receiver I wasn't happy with. Don't want to go through the same thing with the Yamaha. I will let you good people test it out first. There is no rush here.

I didn't know Rotel's warranty doesn't transfer. I see Rotel receivers go for almost half of MSRP, but I'm not sure how much a RMB-1066 costs new (it's around $450-500 used).

I think once the V663 is out, it'll be easy to buy it for $399, so i see no need to pre-order it.

Well, my 663 is supposed to be shipping tomorrow, with 3 day delivery. I don't know if those days count the weekend or not, so I should have it between Monday-Wednesday next week.

I'm replacing a Marantz SR5000 that has served me well for many years.

On what date did you place your order?

I want a premium product that does what I need at the best possible price. For me, there is no need for more HDMI inputs. I wanted to standardize on the latest HDMI 1.3 connections.

This will be my setup:

- Sony PS3 Blu-ray via HDMI into Yamaha 663
- HD Cablebox via HDMI into Yamaha 663
- Yamaha 663 output to Sharp LC-52SE94 via HDMI

Three cables, woohoo! I also like the idea that the OSD works over HDMI on the 663. Of course, this receiver has plenty of other connectors if needed.

You're setup is more or less exactly how I plan on using the 663. Only real difference is I'm hooking up a couple of amp's and using those to power it all up.

No you made a mistake in placing your order. You seem to need more than 2 hdmi inputs for your setup and bought this reciver anyway This reciver is not the greatest deal on the planet it is just a reciver that you can buy that has a pretty good featue set for the money (it also lacks some features you may want depending on your wants).

If you can't list a few features that you will use on the 663 over a 661,605,705,7001 (or any other reciver) then you should continue to do your research.

You should consider all your options before you buy something. Within $200 bucks there is something like 15-20 recivers you should consider if are ok with hdmi 1.2 and maybe 6-8 if you really have to have hdmi 1.3a for some reason. They all have diffrent features sets.

Have fun and good luck with your hunt for the reciver that is right for you!

1066 is $699 MSRP

If you find used Rotel gear for 50% MSRP you are lucky.
They go for ridiculously high price, like 70-75% msrp.

One guy asked 299 at Audiogon for RB-1050 (2ch 70wpc)
which is $399 retail. He did manage to sell it for almost that
price at ebay. What kind of an idiot pays $299 + shipping
for a used receiver (no matter how mint it is, it is used) which
retails for $399, when the dealer sells it for 90% of retail and
it comes with a 5yr warranty.

I generally dont like buying expensive gear from ebay/audiogon.
I would rather pay MSRP and get the full warranty and peace of
mind than having to deal with ebay :-)

BTW I doubt if you will get 663 for $399 when it is out. They cant
sell 663 lower than 661 :-) 659 is still out there and is selling for
$399. BB was always selling 661 for full MSRP or for $515.
They dropped it to $449 just during christmas. Even now 661 is
$515 at BB. Also they never had it on display. Even during
christmas they just had a pile of the boxes but no display unit.
One has to order it online, pay tax and S&H. Just ridiculous.


Only Onkyo 605 was sold for under 400 from the beginning.

Anway... I hope AVS wont get pissed. Heck man who here doesnt
know that JR always gives a deal and who doesnt check the internet
or BB or CC when they want to buy audio/video gear.

Well, what would be the greatest AVR deal??