Need suggestion: Yamaha RX-V673 or RX-V473

[rajeshbk]

Hi,

I am planning to get a Yamaha receiver from a friend who is traveling from Europe. Yamaha Rx-v473 would cost $400+ and Yamaha Rx-673 would cost around $650(In US Dollar value).

I am not sure if Yamaha RX-V673 is worth the extra 250$?

I will be pairing this Receiver with 5.1 Energy speaker(either Take 5.0 or RC-Micro 5.0 with a different sub-woofer, yet to be decided ). Since I would not be using the 7.1 channel capability for now, the feature of v673 that appeal to me are:

a) Dialogue Lift
b) Video upscale

How much good are those features in Yamaha? Is it worth the extra price?
Is there a better sub for the same price range? Please provide your inputs and suggestions. It will be really helpful as I am completely confused

Regards,
Rajesh B.K

 

[rajeshbk]

Adding further to the confusion, how is Marantz NR1403 compared to Yamaha RX-V473(almost same price range in Europe)? Usage will be more of listening music with occasionally watching movies.

Rajesh B.K

 

[k11]

Is there a reason to spend so much money on the receiver.

$650 receiver to power Energy Takes.

 

[Kittu]

No need to bring receivers for such prices from abroad. You can buy locally with bill and warranty.

 

[shanmune]

Hi,

I am planning to get a Yamaha receiver from a friend who is traveling from Europe. Yamaha Rx-v473 would cost $400+ and Yamaha Rx-673 would cost around $650(In US Dollar value).

I am not sure if Yamaha RX-V673 is worth the extra 250$?

I will be pairing this Receiver with 5.1 Energy speaker(either Take 5.0 or RC-Micro 5.0 with a different sub-woofer, yet to be decided ). Since I would not be using the 7.1 channel capability for now, the feature of v673 that appeal to me are:

a) Dialogue Lift
b) Video upscale

How much good are those features in Yamaha? Is it worth the extra price?
Is there a better sub for the same price range? Please provide your inputs and suggestions. It will be really helpful as I am completely confused

Regards,
Rajesh B.K

Hi Rajesh,

You are looking if "Dialogue lift" and "video upscale" would be beneficial.
"Dialogue lift" would be useful for couple of reasons only if you have front presence speakers. "front presense speakers" are speakers placed in addition to the front-right and front-left speakers. These front presence speakers will be placed some where at the top corners of the screen and slightly above (imagine if screen is placed in the centre of a wall and presense speakers placed at the extreme corners of that wall). The dialogue lift will give some additional clarity/details of the dialogues spoken (apart from the central speaker) and also produces more ambient sounds. For that, you need 7 speakers (This is not a typical 7.1). It may give you some additional kick but not that much. Again, the difference between a normal 5.1 and 5.1+presence speakers can be seen, but not by a huge margin. Probably you caa audition it in a showroom and see.

As far as the video upscale, that is sort of a a useless feature in low end and mid range AV receivers. I have RX-V671 with video upscaling and I don't seen any visible difference when watching SD quality picture. Probably we may see the benefit of video upscaling in high end Av receievers like Yamaha Aventage.

Regarding Marantz, I would say it is slightlly costlier and that too with minimal features. If you want to buy an low end Marantz receiver, the cost is very high compared to low end Yamaha RX-473 and also Marantz for the same range will have less featurers. In general (even the home theatre experts would say), low end and mi-range Av receivers from all the brands sound the same, It is whether Yamaha or Denon or Onkyo or Marantz, they all perform the same way and finally the individual has to prefer which sounds good for him. So you cano with Yamaha. If you are going for high end, then there is a difference between those brands.

Regarding the purchase, I would advice you to get the model in India in order to cover warranty. These days, hi-fi equipments are prone to manufacturing faults.

 

[paramesh]

No need to bring receivers for such prices from abroad. You can buy locally with bill and warranty.

when I search locally means bangalore,cost is 50k.

 

[Kittu]

when I search locally means bangalore,cost is 50k.

See some MRP's listed here. You can get discounts anywhere between 15-20%.

Yamaha AVReceiver

IvoryEdge.com:Entertainment:Home audio component:Receivers & Amplifiers

 

[k11]

Doesn't all Bluray/DVD player give upscale feature. I think it is kind of overated.

My view is if you are importing, you should look at cheap receivers.
A sub $200 Denon would easily drive the takes.

 

[rajeshbk]

Hi Rajesh,

You are looking if "Dialogue lift" and "video upscale" would be beneficial.
"Dialogue lift" would be useful for couple of reasons only if you have front presence speakers. "front presense speakers" are speakers placed in addition to the front-right and front-left speakers. These front presence speakers will be placed some where at the top corners of the screen and slightly above (imagine if screen is placed in the centre of a wall and presense speakers placed at the extreme corners of that wall). The dialogue lift will give some additional clarity/details of the dialogues spoken (apart from the central speaker) and also produces more ambient sounds. For that, you need 7 speakers (This is not a typical 7.1). It may give you some additional kick but not that much. Again, the difference between a normal 5.1 and 5.1+presence speakers can be seen, but not by a huge margin. Probably you caa audition it in a showroom and see.

As far as the video upscale, that is sort of a a useless feature in low end and mid range AV receivers. I have RX-V671 with video upscaling and I don't seen any visible difference when watching SD quality picture. Probably we may see the benefit of video upscaling in high end Av receievers like Yamaha Aventage.

Regarding Marantz, I would say it is slightlly costlier and that too with minimal features. If you want to buy an low end Marantz receiver, the cost is very high compared to low end Yamaha RX-473 and also Marantz for the same range will have less featurers. In general (even the home theatre experts would say), low end and mi-range Av receivers from all the brands sound the same, It is whether Yamaha or Denon or Onkyo or Marantz, they all perform the same way and finally the individual has to prefer which sounds good for him. So you cano with Yamaha. If you are going for high end, then there is a difference between those brands.

Regarding the purchase, I would advice you to get the model in India in order to cover warranty. These days, hi-fi equipments are prone to manufacturing faults.

Thanks a lot for such a detailed suggestion. This is really helpful, May be I will purchase in India. Yamaha website claim the dialogue lift will work without presence speakers also. Will there be any difference in quality without presence speakers?

 

[rajeshbk]

Doesn't all Bluray/DVD player give upscale feature. I think it is kind of overated.

My view is if you are importing, you should look at cheap receivers.
A sub $200 Denon would easily drive the takes.

Any specific model you suggest? More oriented towards music.

 

[rangan]

Thanks a lot for such a detailed suggestion. This is really helpful, May be I will purchase in India. Yamaha website claim the dialogue lift will work without presence speakers also. Will there be any difference in quality without presence speakers?

To an extent, but having presence speakers is totally a different thing. WIth out Dialogue lift, you can see the dialogues emanating from the centre speaker. With Virtual presence speakers (with out the actual presence speakers), the dialogues will also come from the front-right and front-left and there-by giving a feeling that the dialogues are coming from the centre of the screen (rather than from below the screen).

The main advantage that I would say with the actual presence speakers is the ambient sound in playing music albums. Let me explain what excatly it means. If you hear the music, you not only hear the instruments, but also the room echos (the room/music hall where the music instruments where perceived to be played), vibrations, etc. For example, if you go at a western classical concert, you also hear the concet hall echos, vibrations etc which are all coming from all side of the concert hall (apart from the instrument sounds). This is what we call "ambient sound". In Yamaha DSP programs, you can play a music album with different DSP programs (like playing in a concert hall or club or theatre or chamber, etc) and they all produce sound along with ambient sound. With out the actual presence speakers, you can still hear the music with the ambinet sound, but not so accurate/realistic. If you have the actual presence speakers, then the ambient sound will be bit more realistic. Again and I guess, with 7,1 channel RX-V673, if you use the actual presence speakers, then we cannot have the other 2 surround speakers at the back. As you know, a 7.1 channel system will have 4 surround speakers at the back. But if you use 5.1 speakers layout with 2 additional presence speakers, then you can have only 2 surround speakers at the back.
Any way, in my opinion, you can still go for Rx-V673 provided you will be going for upgarding your 5.1 speaker layout to 7.1 in future. Even otherwise, RX-v473 is a very good set and sound quality wise, you won;t feel any difference as long as you use 5.1 channel layout. If you want to be only 5.1 channel, then RX-v473 is as good as RX-v673. Another option is RX-V573.

 

[shanmune]

Any specific model you suggest? More oriented towards music.

Generally, Yamaha is known for accurate music reproduction as they have been in the field of audio processing for many years. In a couple of reviews of RX-V671 vs Denon-1912, they said thay RX-V671 produces music sound very natural, where DEnon-1912 adds some more to the surround. So both are capable of doing a very good job. I would say go to a showroom and do an audition of all the models and decide for yourself. If you have an inclination towards Yamaha, you won't regret buying it and as I said before, Yamaha is a poineer in audio processing for a long time.

At the same time, if you are going for high end receivers (around 1 Lakh and above), then receivers like NAD and Marantz are too good. Especially NAD is too good an amplifier. To give an analogy:
- Sony/Samsung HT is like Maruti suzuki/Hyndai
- Yamaha/Denon/Onkyo is like Honda/Toyoto
- NAD/Marantz is like Mercedez/BMW
- Machintosh is like Bentley/Martin

I would say you won't regret going for Yamaha or DEnon or even Onkyo. They are too good in low end and mid-range. NAD/Machintosh does not play any role in lowend or midrange.


As I said earlier, all mid-range receivers are good

 

[shanmune]

Thanks a lot for such a detailed suggestion. This is really helpful, May be I will purchase in India. Yamaha website claim the dialogue lift will work without presence speakers also. Will there be any difference in quality without presence speakers?

Yamaha has some thing called Virtual presence speakers. Of course it helps, but having a actual pysical front speakers will still have some difference.
If budget is a contraint, the how about goinng for RX-V573 which is also a 7.1. I guess it supports Dialogue lift. Let me tell my experience. I have RX-v671 and my friend have RX-v471 and I don't see much difference since we both have 5.1 speakers system. As rangan suggested, if you want to go for 7.1 in future, the you can extend a little bit either to RX-v573 or RX-v673. To me, RX-V573 might be the right balance. Again, I would say you will be absolutely thrilled even with RX-473. My prefernce would be in this order considering the budget.
1. RX-573
2. RX-473
3. RX-673

 

[yahoo0212]

Yamaha 373 . Its sufficient for Enerygy 5.1 and also great for music

 

[rajeshbk]

To an extent, but having presence speakers is totally a different thing. WIth out Dialogue lift, you can see the dialogues emanating from the centre speaker. With Virtual presence speakers (with out the actual presence speakers), the dialogues will also come from the front-right and front-left and there-by giving a feeling that the dialogues are coming from the centre of the screen (rather than from below the screen).

The main advantage that I would say with the actual presence speakers is the ambient sound in playing music albums. Let me explain what excatly it means. If you hear the music, you not only hear the instruments, but also the room echos (the room/music hall where the music instruments where perceived to be played), vibrations, etc. For example, if you go at a western classical concert, you also hear the concet hall echos, vibrations etc which are all coming from all side of the concert hall (apart from the instrument sounds). This is what we call "ambient sound". In Yamaha DSP programs, you can play a music album with different DSP programs (like playing in a concert hall or club or theatre or chamber, etc) and they all produce sound along with ambient sound. With out the actual presence speakers, you can still hear the music with the ambinet sound, but not so accurate/realistic. If you have the actual presence speakers, then the ambient sound will be bit more realistic. Again and I guess, with 7,1 channel RX-V673, if you use the actual presence speakers, then we cannot have the other 2 surround speakers at the back. As you know, a 7.1 channel system will have 4 surround speakers at the back. But if you use 5.1 speakers layout with 2 additional presence speakers, then you can have only 2 surround speakers at the back.
Any way, in my opinion, you can still go for Rx-V673 provided you will be going for upgarding your 5.1 speaker layout to 7.1 in future. Even otherwise, RX-v473 is a very good set and sound quality wise, you won;t feel any difference as long as you use 5.1 channel layout. If you want to be only 5.1 channel, then RX-v473 is as good as RX-v673. Another option is RX-V573.

Thanks for the information. Can we use the any normal speakers as presence speakers? Or is there a special category of speakers for presence speakers? If so, what is the price range for a decent one that matches Yamaha receiver? Hope I am not flooding with too many questions

 

[rajeshbk]

Generally, Yamaha is known for accurate music reproduction as they have been in the field of audio processing for many years. In a couple of reviews of RX-V671 vs Denon-1912, they said thay RX-V671 produces music sound very natural, where DEnon-1912 adds some more to the surround. So both are capable of doing a very good job. I would say go to a showroom and do an audition of all the models and decide for yourself. If you have an inclination towards Yamaha, you won't regret buying it and as I said before, Yamaha is a poineer in audio processing for a long time.

At the same time, if you are going for high end receivers (around 1 Lakh and above), then receivers like NAD and Marantz are too good. Especially NAD is too good an amplifier. To give an analogy:
- Sony/Samsung HT is like Maruti suzuki/Hyndai
- Yamaha/Denon/Onkyo is like Honda/Toyoto
- NAD/Marantz is like Mercedez/BMW
- Machintosh is like Bentley/Martin

I would say you won't regret going for Yamaha or DEnon or even Onkyo. They are too good in low end and mid-range. NAD/Machintosh does not play any role in lowend or midrange.


As I said earlier, all mid-range receivers are good

Thanks. That was a nice analogy .

 

[rajeshbk]

Yamaha 373 . Its sufficient for Enerygy 5.1 and also great for music

On a different note, Is Energy 5.1 good for music? Or is there a better alternative(compact size) ?

 

[rajeshbk]

Yamaha has some thing called Virtual presence speakers. Of course it helps, but having a actual pysical front speakers will still have some difference.
If budget is a contraint, the how about goinng for RX-V573 which is also a 7.1. I guess it supports Dialogue lift. Let me tell my experience. I have RX-v671 and my friend have RX-v471 and I don't see much difference since we both have 5.1 speakers system. As rangan suggested, if you want to go for 7.1 in future, the you can extend a little bit either to RX-v573 or RX-v673. To me, RX-V573 might be the right balance. Again, I would say you will be absolutely thrilled even with RX-473. My prefernce would be in this order considering the budget.
1. RX-573
2. RX-473
3. RX-673

I had earlier not considered RX-573 at all. Thanks a lot.

 

[k11]

On a different note, Is Energy 5.1 good for music? Or is there a better alternative(compact size) ?

Polk is also on clearance. So is Klipsch HD 500.

 

[shanmune]

Thanks for the information. Can we use the any normal speakers as presence speakers? Or is there a special category of speakers for presence speakers? If so, what is the price range for a decent one that matches Yamaha receiver? Hope I am not flooding with too many questions

There is no any special category speakers for presence speakers. The same satellite/ book shelf speakers that you will use for surround (placed behind you) can be used to have presence speakers.