It made me a Yamaha man
Written: Jan 20 '05
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Pros: Everything about it.
Cons: Nothng.
The Bottom Line: The Yamaha RX-496 is fantastic. I am contemplating purchasing another RX-496 as a spare.
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| minux's Full Review: Yamaha RX-496 2 Channels Receiver |
I purchased this receiver about a year ago. I bought it, because I wanted to experience great music on a limited budget. I absolutely did not want to go the amp and preamp route, because a receiver takes the place of both of those pieces, and I do not have a tremendous amount of room and money to accommodate them. I found myself in an interesting situation: find the best, new stereo receiver that would fit my budget--and the Yamaha RX-496 did just that.
This machine is beautiful, from its amber lighting to the motor that turns the volume knob. All knobs feel secure and well balanced. It is a heavy unit, obviously weighing more than a complete shelf system, and it's definitely a nice change in the world of plastics. it comes equipped with a set of four aluminum feet and they look beautiful, both at a close and a far--it uses bigger aluminum feet than the other Yamaha components.
The real reason why I purchased this was due to a long forgotten term in the business world: synergy. It was popular in the 80's an Yamaha executed it superbly: all Yamaha components communicate and sync with one another. Synergy genuinely comes in handy if you're trying to make a tape that will display you as an individual to your friends or women. In the same sense, one remote controls all Yamaha components . This comes in handy, because for regular listening, one no longer needs to carry around three or four remotes. The one drawback is that the universal functions are limited to basic features of the connected components and do not delve into the inner workings of them.
It has room for just about everything and then some. On the inputs of the receiver, I have my G5 connected to it, a tape deck, a CD player, a reel-to-reel tape deck, and I still have room for a phono player. I really do not know what other items someone would wish to connect to this receiver, but the receiver could certainly handle whatever one throws at them. All the RCA-Audio ports are well made and are very sturdy. I have messed around with the connections a few times, and they still feel as strong as new.
Now, the sound: pure and simple, it is without a doubt amazing. I do not have the greatest components and speakers in the world, but this receiver makes them come to life. On my Bob Dylan Live 1975 CD, the difference between being at that concert and what is contained on the CD is null. The ambiance and purity of this receiver, when set to pure direct mode, is for the most part concise and clear. Then for those tricky audio bits, one can use the manual features, which respond excellently.
I have been using this receiver for a year now and I use it for ten or so hours a day. In all of my enjoyment, I have not encountered any real problems: once in a while, the remote will have to be re-synced with the receiver. Besides for the rare occurrence of a remote malfunction, the receiver has not performed badly at all, and it has tackled everything that I shot at it with extreme ease. It truly reminds me of a bulldog, just hammering through everything that one can throw at it, and keeping a smile on its face.
I would recommend that if you are not a music buff, that you do not store the receiver somewhere where it will be in your way, because you'll be constantly tempted to play with it--it has a way about it that always wishes to be played.
I have absolutely no regrets about this purchase and if I needed a second receiver, I would purchase a second one without hesitation.
Yours truly,
Michael
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 300
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minux
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Reviews written: 1
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