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- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 4 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Clean, clear and powerful sound."
Pros: Clean, clear, powerful sound that is not too bright or boomy. Auto set up worked very well in my room.
Cons: None so far...
Summary: Just picked this thing up yesterday and after all the initial setup steps were taken the sound of t.v., and music is superb. I have yet to watch a DVD so that evaluation will have to wait until later today. I purchased this receiver to replace my Sony STR-DE835 which was a little outdated but functioned very well for the years that I had it. My younger brother has inherited that unit. Since I have mostly Sony products (46" 1080i HDTV, PS3 and old receiver) I was very tempted to upgrade to the Sony STR-DA5300ES which I've read good things about including the 2 extra HDMI inputs. I couldn't find a place that had one on display so that I can hear it for myself (for whatever thats worth). Most salesmen I spoke to told me to forget about the Sony if I want an overall better listening experience. I would hope the Sony performs better than the impression they gave me but I couldn't be happier that I ended up going with the Yamaha. The sound is very natural yet powerful. Listened to an Opera (just for reference) in 5.1 and it came across and very spacious and open as well as impressively "live". Far better sound stage than my old Sony could reproduce. The auto set up using the supplied mic worked perfectly in my listening room and all parameters so far seem well suited and I'm very happy with the results. I also listened to Metalica's "Black" CD in stereo and not only did it completely rock but I heard things in the music I had never heard before. There was a delicacy in the music (huh? Yes Metalica had delicacy) that underlined the muscle of the guitars, drums and bass that seemed to make the disc shine like it never has before. I have Cerwin Vega AT12 fronts, Cerwin Vega LS-5C Center channel, Bose 201 as rear surround speakers and an Optimus 10" sub and the RX-V3800 makes the most of this setup. In a way bringing out the strengths and minimizing the weaknesses (seemingly, so far) of the speakers. I have so much more to learn and play with on the Yamaha, the scope of the tech that's included in this thing is mind bending. Preliminarily I am quite happy with my purchase, the salesman was gently nudging me towards the Denon 3808ci and gave me the opportunity to listen to both the Yamaha and the Denon back to back. Several times he switched between the two and the Denon did have a slightly more bass heavy sound that sounded good but to my ear the Yamaha was smoother, cleaner. Again, that was to my ear. The salesman liked the sound of the Denon better but he admitted only slightly so. I am not second guessing my choice or regretting my choice at all however I do have 30 days by which time I can return the Yamaha for the Denon if I so choose. I can't see that happening based on my experience with the Yamaha so far but I've only had it a day so time will tell.
Where to buy
Yamaha RX-V3800:
$1,077.77 - $1,099.00
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$1,077.77 | Yes |
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Advanced Lamps
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$1,088.00 | No |
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$1,099.00 | Yes |
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