EHC31-09 [Yamaha RX-V1400].5

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Key Features Seven-channel amplifier 110W x 7 minimum RMS (8 ohms) Dolby Pro-Logic IIx/Dolby Digital EX, DTS 96/24/ES/Neo:6 THX Surround EX Select Digital ToP-ART (Total Purity Audio Reproduction Technology) 32bit Cinema DSP Silent Cinema Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer 31 surround programs FM/AM RDS receiver Connections 9x binding post speaker terminals 7.1 preout terminals 5.1 analogue in 5x digital optical inputs / 2 x out 3x digital coaxial inputs 9x stereo audio inputs /4x outputs 2x component video inputs 7x S-video inputs 7x composite video inputs FM/AM antennae Dimensions 435(w) x 171(h) x 434(d) mm

Amplifiers

Reviews> >

Yamaha RX-V1400RDS

The ante has been upped with this home cinema engine. Scott Henderson listens to it purr
NE THING YOU CAN SAY ABOUT HOME CINEMA with some certainty is that it just keeps getting easier. So, with a tip of a hat and a grateful smile, Essential Home Cinema says hello to Yamahas brand new receiver. The RX-V1400RDS includes Yamahas own acoustic calibration system, which provides the best sound level for any room with a touch of a button and a pinch of patience. But this is just the first card up the magicians sleeve. The V1400 comes straight out of Yamahas classic receiver mould, which means its not particularly pretty or original, but shouldnt be short on quality. Its certainly not wanting for spec: the fascia is littered with an array of enticing logos that lit up our eyes and pricked up our ears. Yes, this little home cinema power house has DTS in all its guises from ES to Neo:6. And yes, it has Dolbys new Pro-logic IIx. But the sound format that really catches the eye is the THX Surround EX Select, proudly declared by a certificating badge
What we like about this amp THX certified Stack of features Great surround sound
Formidable features, superb sound
on the front. With a power rating of 110W for each of its seven channels, EHC was eager to put the key in the ignition and start up the engine. Navigating the on screen display and the set up menu is joyfully easy, as is using the systems Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Optimiser (YPAO). Holding the small microphone in our

Speaker binding posts

S-Video inputs
Component video connections
favourite viewing position, we let YPAO do its stuff, quickly equalising to optimum level for our test room. Any further customising we wished to do was no problem. Having sampled the performance of the various sound programs, we What we dont like switched to THX Cinema and never about this amp looked back. This is by far the best Not much of a setting for listening to our chosen looker Some formats lag in movie, Ned Kelly. Of course, the others, including centre channel Punch below Yamahas bespoke formats, all perform expectations to a high level, but none matches the class of THX. Dialogue is crisp, smooth and subtly dispersed from the centre channel. Sounding great cant improve a films script, but at least Heath Ledgers Irish brogue sounds as realistic as he is capable of. The movie is blessed with a great (if somewhat over-used) orchestral score, though, which proved very useful for our purposes. Cranking the sound up a few notches is no problem for the V1400, as the front speakers fire out sharp screeching from the violins, mixing these higher pitches with deep treble in beautiful synchronicity. Multi-channel distribution is also excellent. The zip and whistle of revolvers rattles around the five speakers like a pinball. At the same time, sounds of the Australian bush echo nicely around the room: trees rustle and birds sing with impressive realism. Using the Surround Enhanced Dolby Digital feature certainly enriches the sound field. However, we detect a certain loss of clarity and emphasis in the performance of the centre channel on this setting. The only consistent question mark over this receiver is the speed of delivery, is a little sluggish at times. Your 800 gets you a formidable package of features accompanied by a superb sound display, putting this receiver right at the top of its price bracket.

HomeCinemaVerdict

Sales Web www.yamaha-audio.co.uk

Essential

REMOTE CONTROL A standard Yamaha remote this. Not much point in changing a good thing though. Buttons are all naturally accessible, only let down is the lack of illumination.
EASE OF USE LOOKS FEATURES SOUND VALUE

VERDICT Very few flaws, based on this display. Simple to use, great overall sound and bags of features for a fantastic price. Yamaha has outdone itself.

Overall

BEST RIVALS
Denon AVR-3803 H/K AVR5550 Denon AVR-2803

ESSENTIAL HOME CINEMA 83

033 EHC 23 Onkyo Amplifier

4/6/04

2:17 PM

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>>Reviews Amplifier
Connect the TX-NR801E up to your PC and enjoy any music file stored therein, be it MP3, WAV or WMA

Onkyo TX-NR801E

Fancy some music from the internet? Jason Glenn has just the receiver for you
NKYOS SECOND NET-TUNE COMPATIBLE receiver opens up a whole new era of convenience for internet music fans. It has been possible to enjoy music from the internet for a long time, of course. You just needed to download the material, burn it onto a CD or DVD and then play it through a CD or DVD player. Net-Tune makes this a thing of the past. You can connect your receiver to your PC and enjoy any music file stored therein, be it in MP3, WAV or WMA format. You can also access internet radio stations and enjoy them on your home cinema speaker system, resulting in an infinite source of material.
What we like about this amplifier Net-Tune compatibility Audio quality Connectivity What we dont like about this amplifier Some may prefer a warmer tone Initial setup is tricky The remote is drab
68 ESSENTIAL HI-FI & HOME CINEMA
This is exciting and innovative, but it is only part of the story with the Onkyo TX-NR801E, which is also a full-blown THX Select certified 7.1 AV receiver. This beast is seriously specified, with 7 x 135W of muscle, all the formats you could wish for (including THX Surround EX) and an AM/FM RDS tuner for radio broadcasts. The downside of all this functionality is that setup is something you may well need a little help with. The Net-Tune system can be tricky to set up by yourself. The good news is that it is easy to use when its installed. Connectivity is excellent, with multiple digital and analogue audio options, together with component, S-video and composite video switching. And if youre not keen on the extra channels in a 7.1 setup, you can use the unwanted rear channel amps to drive a pair of speakers in a second room. The component output also features upconversion, meaning that you can receive a component signal from both composite and S-video inputs. The speakers are connected by colour-coded binding posts, but unless your speakers have the same colour-coding there is little benefit in this
other than to make the rear of the receiver look rather pretty. All of this comes packaged in the sort of monolithic silver casing you would expect, with a hefty weight reading of 17.3kg. Its a shame then that the remote is such a drab grey affair, but it is easy to operate which is the main thing. It only seems right to consider the Onkyo as an internet music provider first, as this is its most interesting feature. The Net-Tune system is certainly impressive, but you need to be careful with your sources. Low-quality broadcasts and music files will be exposed by a proper receiver and speaker system and we found that anything below 128Kbps is simply not good enough quality. Switching to movie sources on DVD, this receiver delivers a startlingly clean and forthright performance. It clearly delineates between channels and sound effects are precise in their presentation. This may not appeal to those who like to get a nice warm feeling from their amps, but will appeal to many. The receiver also does its best work in 7.1 mode, completely immersing you in the performance. After this, regular 5.1 can seem a little sterile, but 7.1 does mean spending more cash on extra speakers.

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Key Features THX Select 7.1 channel receiver 7 x 135W amplification Dolby Digital/EX, DTS, DTS-ES, DTS Neo:6, DTS 96/24, THX Cinema, THX Surround EX, Dolby Pro-Logic II decoding 39 DSP modes Net-Tune client software and hardware AM/FM RDS tuner Connections 3 x electrical digital audio input 4 x optical digital audio input 2 x optical digital audio output 7.1 channel input 5 x AV input with composite and S-video support 3 x audio-only stereo input 2 x stereo audio output 3 x component video output 3 x S-video output Component video output (upconvertible) Net-Tune Ethernet socket AM/FM antennae connection Analogue out from all channels 7 x speaker binding post connection Headphone socket Dimensions 435(w) x 175(h) x 459(d)mm
Electrical digital audio in
Component Ethernet Speaker Pre-outs Antenna video out connection terminals

Optical digital audio in 5.1 analogue audio inputs Optical digital audio out Stereo audio inputs AV in/out (including S-video) Component video in
On music sources the TX-NR801E also does well, which is important given the Net-Tune element. Again, the precision of the delivery may not be to everybodys taste, but it does a formidable job on all types of music. The fact is that this Onkyo is a very impressive receiver indeed. Judged solely as a home cinema provider it delivers an authoritative performance. Add to this the unusual (for an AV receiver) musicality and you have a winner. The Net-Tune capability is the cherry on top. It is fun, easy to use (once set up) and opens up a huge new source of material.

Verdict

Onkyo TX-NR810E

Sales Web www.onkyo.net

EASE OF USE LOOKS FEATURES SOUND VALUE
VERDICT A terrific receiver with a cutting edge feature the Net-Tune function is innovative and timely; a real magnet for techno enthusiasts.

Overall

BEST RIVALS
Denon AVR-2803 Onkyo TX-SR601E Yamaha RX-V1400RDS