CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 09/29/2004
- Released on: 05/15/2004
With its mercifully low button count, the slender remote is a model of restrained design, yet it still offers direct access to a bevy of surround settings and a complete DVD player control contingent.
Yamaha's simplified setup option, Basic Set-Up, streamlines the process, but it isn't much easier than the more complete routine. (If an easy, comprehensive, and accurate autosetup feature is important to you, check out Pioneer's VSX-D914-K instead.) Lacking onscreen displays, you're stuck using only the RX-V550's front panel.
Yamaha's 90-watt-per-channel receiver incorporates the brand's Digital ToP-Art and High Current Amplification circuitry. That's not just hype; the RX-V550 can safely drive lower impedance (6- or 4-ohm) speakers, a feat few receivers in this price class can equal. The receiver's 6.1-channel processing extends to the all the latest surround formats, including Dolby Pro Logic IIx, as well as 29 Yamaha-engineered surround programs.The Yamaha RX-V550's adjustable lip sync (0 to 160 milliseconds) is intended for use with digital video displays or sources whose images lag behind audio signals. The delay lets you synchronize the audio and video, which is a great feature if you're sensitive to lip-sync issues.
Connectivity is pretty good, though not exceptional. You get component-video switching for two sources; three A/V and S-Video inputs, one output; two stereo inputs; a DVD-A/SACD input; and six speaker outputs, plus B stereo connectors. The RX-V550 also offers three digital audio optical inputs and one coaxial in; there's one optical digital output. Multiroom provisions include stereo outputs, a remote jack set, and a 12-volt trigger control.
The Yamaha RX-V550 unraveled every detail on Roxy Music's Avalon multichannel SACD. The spectacularly dense surround mix was especially evident on "India," where the sound slowly sweeps from speaker to speaker, performing clockwise circles around our listening room. The spaciousness adds more dimensions to the music and sound--it's simply gorgeous. Continue readingMost helpful user reviews
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