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"Well executed receiver with all the bells & whistles" on by datadan
Pros: video scaling, power, multi-room flexibility, HDMI up-conversion
Cons: HDMI switching compatibility issue with SA 8300 HD DVR from TWC (not a Yamaha problem)
Summary: This is the first receiver that I could justify spending more than $600 on. The HDMI and video scaling features were well worth the extra $$. I scale all video sources to 1080i and send all video through a single HDMI connection to my TV. The remote was a perfect replacement for the Harmony/Logitech I had to use before to tame all my components. Video and audio quality are superb. Eliminated many cables and the use of muliple inputs on my TV through the HDMI up-conversion capability. The area of improvement that I can think of would be to enlarge the LCD display area on the remote to show more details. I have to use the GUI display of the 2600 frequently to check and adjust settings - mostly audio DSP modes. Having this displayed on the remote would be easier.
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"Convoluted design- it could have been an excellent home theater receiver" on by boyziggy
Pros: Nice OSD, good auto-eq, component HD switching and upscaling from Svid and composite.
Cons: Zone2 useless, too much it can't do, convoluted remote that makes you want to cry
Summary: There are too many things the Yamaha RX-V2600 receiver cannot do; too many convoluted setup paths that you must rigidly follow. It's extremely frustrating because this product comes so close to being the perfect center of any home theater system. But it's failures are so miserable that I cannot recommend purchasing this product. There is absolutely no flexibility, resulting in hours of headaches.
Here are some examples:
Secondary zone outputs:
Despite using self powered speakers for both my mains and my surrounds, I am required to either purchase a separate amplifier for my zone 2 speakers, or give up my surround sound processing. This receiver cannot handle zone2 passive speakers while processing surround sound. Why? Also the secondary zone outputs have no EQ control, and there's a delay between the main speakers and the zone 2 speakers. This makes the zone 2&3 totally worthless. I was hoping to use this to pipe sound into my dining room. Now I need to purchase a separate amp for this.
No Analog to Digital conversion:
I use digital audio for all of my inputs. But for some unknown reason, this receiver cannot provide an analog output from a digital input, even though it sends a headphone output which is essentially the same thing. This greatly complicates the wiring, because to setup a VCR or a second zone, you need to run analog audio cables through all the i/os, which is a complete waste. There's no reason they couldn't have patched digital ins to analog outs.
Convoluted Remote Control:
This remote control is so convoluted it could not have possibly been designed by a human being. I think that the Honda robots probably designed this remote control through some joint venture with Yamaha. I have an easier time intuitively using my college scientific calculator then this remote.
Finally the memory presets cannot be saved for more then a few days without power. I have serious issues with this, as I don't like to leave power running to devices while I'm not home. Basically you have to leave the damn thing plugged in all the time.
Despite my frustrations, this probably is the best amp for the money. Fortunately I haven't had any major problems with the amp. Since it costs twice as much to buy it from an authorized Yamaha dealer, don't expect any post-purchase support.
I did a lot of research in advance. The wide variety customizable sound fields, along with flexible parametric equing for each channel is what sold me. The THX presets sound beautiful.
I just wish that companies that make these products focused more on user-friendly interfaces and less on saving a few cents on manufacturing. The OSD is very fluid and nice looking, but the menu structure is rigid and incapable of doing many of the functions in the receiver- like the AM/FM tuning for example!
If you’re in the market for a Receiver, wait another year. I’m sure next year Yamaha will make an RX-V2700 that will fix all the shortcomings of this receiver.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 884.99 -
"Great Product, Lousy Support" on by Ed Mueller
Pros: Sound! Sound! Sound! HDMI upconversion, pretty GUI
Cons: Menu learning curve will frustrate most, poor support, zone 3 analog only???
Summary: 1st, the sound quality is the best i have heard at this level. Video upconversion also looked great. The only feature that I really was not happy with is the fact that only analog sources can be distributed to zones to and 3? In other words, if you plan to use this unit to power your deck speakers, or even just as the source of music for your deck speakers, you will need to use an analog connection (in addition to your new, expensive HDMI's you just bought)from your cable box, DVD player, Computer, etc. to the 2600). This is noted in just one paragraph, of 1 page of the extensive manual - and not exactly where you would expect to find it. I placed two calls to Yamaha, and 2 emails over the course of 3 weeks, before getting a response to my 2nd email. Their tech support was useless, and eventually I stumpled upon the answers by myself.
This unit is truly awesome - just plan on spending some time learning how it ticks. -
"Too many issues for the price, including on-screen info displays and zones" on by tsullivan2071
Pros: HDMI upscaling allowing a single tv connection
Cons: The on-screen displays (i.e., receiver volume, source, sound fields, etc) do not function when when viewing HDMI sources or HD-TV signal; and the zones 2&3 can only output L/R input
Summary: The unit looks great and tauts a lot of great features for the price range. However, once I got it home and installed, I have become very disappointed -- it doesn't live-up to its promises and feature list. First, the on-screen info display (i.e., when you alter the receiver's volume, it is suppose to appear on the tv as what Yamaha terms a "short message" display) only works when viewing non-HDMI video sources and non-HDTV signals. So, it doesn't work watching any HDTV channels or when watching a DVD connected via HDMI. This completely defeats the purpose of one connection and conversion. If you read very carefully through the manual, there is a sentance hidden 2/3's back that confirms this fact. How could they possibly put out a HDMI upconversion unit that cannot diplay the receiver's info screens? Second, the zone 2 and 3 features do not work as advertised. This was one of the big reasons I purchased the unit, to also run my living room and patio speakers. Turns-out, thee is another sentance hidden in the manual that informs the purchaser (after the fact) that the zones can only output signals that are connected into the receiver as L and R rca connections. Again, this means that audio originating from sources such as a DVD (via HDMI), HD cable box (from either HDMI cable or other options), etc, cannot be heard or sent to zones 2 and 3. This means that you cannot listen to a music cable channel on zones 2 or 3 either. Makes the zones worthless to most users, or at least much less functional. Very disappointed based on these highly tauted but lacking features.
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"Music and home theater upgrade in one" on by gbone73
Pros: Fantastic sound and good video upconversion
Cons: right now i can not think of any
Summary: Well i i first had a older model yamaha reciever ( htr-5660) .It was only 85 watts per channel.It sounded great buy i just wanted more power.Well i got what i wanted ! the RX-V2600 sounds great .I noticed that the higer wattage does not realy mean it's just louder.When i compared it to my older model,i realized that when i crank the volume up almost all the way though ,it never lost clarity like the htr -5660 would when i was realy playing very loud music.How loud you like your material is up to you or your situation(room size ex..)but again this receiver realy sounds great.Now on the video side of things.I am upgradeing all my cable tv to 1080i.It realy does work folks! NO Joke! All of my 450 somewhat channels are all in 1080i hd.Just dont expect it to look as good as your standard hd channels.Even when its set to upscale 480i to 1080i,It looks more like 480p.It is still a marked improvement though.I have two component cable devices coming in and an hdmi coming out to my tv.I recommend this receiver to anyone who is in to home theater!
Yamaha RX-V2600 user reviews
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