Hey guys Im interested in these 2 models. First I would like to know if you guys think the Yamaha makes good recievers. Next im looking at two models the RX-v559 6.1 channel and the rx-v459 6.1 channel as well and I was wondering what you guys think of them. I live in Canada (the country where electronics are like 40% more than what america charges) the RX-v559 is $499.00 (I know its pricy) and the other is $400.00 Sorry bout the questions (I dont trust salesman) Whats your take on this reciever : Pioneer VSX-816-K thanks alot i ts just alot of money and every forum that Ive made you people have infromed me on what to buy.
@dave...I will see if I can post some independent reviews for you. Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo...a lot of them make good AVRs; JVC also makes some great stuff for the money if you look past the boom boxes and the likes to the higher end stuff. I've read many good reviews about Yamaha AVRs and have know many who own and love them. Will post some reviews as soon as I have the chance (I'm at work)...Gerry
thansk man i just cant find any reviews i tink its because its a canadain model maybe, not as popular.
Yea, specs are easy enough but good reviews are hard to find. Dave, what kind of speakers are you going to connect to it and what kind of TV? They have different types of video and audio inputs/outputs.
Oh ya a brand new 27 inch toshiba tube but I will eventually buy like an hdtv bigscreen and later just throw this tv in my bedroom.
Yamaha Canada has front and back views of their receivers, plus the specs http://www.yamaha.ca/av/technology/XM_Ready.jsp One of my sons has an older Yamaha (2004 model, I believe), nothing compared to the ones you're are looking at. His budget was lower than yours. He is very pleased with it, and it packs a powerful punch! His mains are older Missions, which I found for him in a 2nd hand store ($70). They have a fuse in the back of them, so the fuse blows before the woofers. He plays a lot of rap, both the speakers and the receiver stand up. DaveERG, the best Canadian made speakers are Paradigm, PSB, and Energy. They blow JBLs and Bose away. I've seen many Paradigms on 1/2 price near Christmas time. I don't think you will be disappointed with any of those makes. Apparently Klipsch has now acquired API. I believe gerry1 has Mirages? http://www.audioholics.com/news/pressreleases/KlipschEnergyMirageAthena.php
@Dave ERG...If you can afford it, I would go with the Yamaha RX-V599 because it's the only one of the three with Video Upconversion which really makes a big difference. I don't know if you use an Ipod but it comes with a docking station unlike the other and will also operate in "pure direct" which is awesome in three channel stereo (if you listen to music much". They are all approximately as powerful (give or take ten watts per channel). The 459 and the pioneer were both critisized for being weak in the mid-range. None of the three have HDMI ... tye benefit of HDMI is that it will deliver both digital video and digital audio with merely one cable. All three of those receivers you mentioned will use "component video" cables which are three cables which you will see colored green, red and blue and you're digital audio will be carried on either an optical or coax cables. Technically, HDMI will deliver a better picture but in my humble opinion, you'd need the eyes of an eagle to be able to tell the difference. One advantage of the two yamahas over the pioneer is that the Yamahas are now using Burr Brown processors which are top of the line. So too, the Yamaha's will have the best DSP Simulation modes ... in fact, while I'm a Denon fan, I have to admit that if you like DSP Simulations (concert hall, jazz club, cathedral...different types of "simulated sound" through the surround and sub, then yamaha has them all beat. So the 559 is certainly the best of the three by far. I'll take a look at some others just for the hell of it but the yamaha 559 is quite nice. You were certainly right about the prices in Canada! I gasped when I saw the prices there....nearly twice of that in the U.S.; the difference between the american and canadian dollars aren't sufficiently different to warrant the price difference so it must be taxes ... have you no way to just order it from a US company? That's tough to do in europe because of the shipping but I get stuff from Canada all the time and it's not expensive. Secondly, remember that ALL your speakers need to match, you can't mix two of these with two of those ... I made that mistake myself once. Mackdl is right, I use Mirage speakers (made in canada) but I could only afford the two fronts ... had borrowed polks in the center and rears ... both good speakers but they don't match so you don't have that seamless sound that you should have all around you. I couldn't tell you how glad I was when I finally got Mirage all the way around. @mackdl...yes, I have mirage with exception of the sub which is a Klip; thanks for that article, I didn't know they'd done that! Edit: I forgot to mention that the Yamaha 559 also has a "two zone" system with two monitor outs.
With Klipsch aquiring API, I hope this doesn't mean the prices are going to go sky high? I agree the 559 is VERY nice! I'm certain you will be happy with it. FutureShop does have a 30day guarantee, so you can return if not completely satisfied. I would imagine BestBuy's policy is the same. Most stores will match and beat the best online pricing within Canada. Plus you CAN wheel and deal instore. Remember the prices aren't set in stone, you can bargain. Just say you are trying to make up your mind between this one and some other brand that they don't carry They want the sale!
BTW...sorry gerry1, I should have phrased it Paradigm, PSB, and API make some of the best Canadian made speakers. I was well aware Energy, Mirage, and Athena were associated with each other. This magazine is online, I used to subscribe to it. Most of the products are way out of my league! Gives you an idea of how high prices can go. http://www.audio-ideas.com/cgi/search.pl
@Dave...I'm glad mackdl agrees; I figured he would when I read the specs. Sometime, the only difference between one model and the model just above it is a matter of unnecessary power or a few bells and whistles which are more fad than functional but such is not the case here. The difference between the 459 and the 559 is substantial ... the additional $100 is putting you in a different class of amplifier in some ways. Its a much nicer piece of equipment. I've got a number of friends buying up Mirage omnisats and putting together really good sound systems for five or six hundred. Mirage has discontinued it Omnisat and replaced it with their new Omnisat v.2's. I guess dealers are trying to clear out the old stock as I've seen the original omnisat's selling for as little as $85.00USD each. Three of my friends have put together some astonishing 5.1 systems for $400... you couldn't do better for three times that! I have Mirage's OM5's which are powered fronts and very large: http://www.miragespeakers.com/om5.shtml But every time I hear those omnisats, I'm totally astonished that they can get such unbelievable sound from a speaker the size of a baseball!: http://www.miragespeakers.com/omnistat.shtml I haven't heard the v.2 yet though. I have the monsters I've got because I teach piano and organ as a second job and very few speakers can do justice to the demands of pipe organs but you know, if it weren't for that and the demands they put on a speaker, I'd have to say that those tiny little suckers sound almost as good (with a good sub obviously). I'm in a hurry to hear the v.2! I guess I'd be a good Mirage salesman lol! I may actually sell my OM-5s to my nephew (which means that uncle Gerry takes a hell of a beating on the cost). I recently moved to a much smaller place and he's got three kids so he bought a pretty big place with a huge living room which would do my speakers more justice than my little place so I may well be switching speakers soon but my center and four rears will stay the same. By the way, thanks for the link online magazine...I haven't looked that closely at it but saw something for the first time ever: they were not only reviewing the music on some of the classical CDs but also the recording technology which is pretty cool...I've never seen that before.
