Digital-Audio Reviews

I have this Sony telephone and two expandable handsets. We live in an old house with limited phone jacks, so we have the expandable handsets in places where we could not otherwise have a telephone. We also can take the handset with us when we go to another phoneless room and save running up and down steps to answer a phone. The only problem we have is occasionally forgetting to put one of the cordless handsets in a charger at night and then running down the batteries. My biggest worry is where to buy new batteries as this phone seems to be discontinued.

What a great and versatile little unit. Not only do you have option to listen to your favorite radio station or cassette with crytal clear definition, but you also have the added benefit of being able to record - in stereo! . The sound quality is excellent and radio reception is as one should expect it to be. Extra features such as continuous cassette playback, Mega bass, ISS record, auto volume limitation, tape direction, mode and record playback speed control are a joy. Inbuilt speakers to the front of the unit are great for when you tire of earphones. The only gripe about the unit is that the main controls are to the front and tend to be a little fiddly, other than that the unit comes with its own protective case -not something you see offered with other units, earphones and stereo microphone and stand. Great value and an exceptional quality unit

The Technics SA-AX730 is one of the most powerful and quality receivers. With its H+ class circuit amplification produce a clean, precise sound with a wide dynamic range and a minimal T.H.D (total harmonic distortion) 0.05% on rated power with all 5 channels driven (20Hz - 20Khz)and a damping factor of 30 (no need for more).With its Dolby Pro Logic processor you can enjoy a full surround music from 2 channel sources and a discrete 5.1 channel (AC-3) from a device containing Dolby Digital Decoder (its 6 channel input ready ) and most DVD players are equipped with Dolby Digital Processor. I strongly recommend this machine because of its nice design, quality of sound, and some uniqe extra features like the automatic cooling fan, the help function botton that gives a status information about the reciever and operating faults , the timer and alarm function and its capability to handle speakers from 4 Ohm to 16 ohm impedance. In addition; its "test" and "Delay" function for speaker adjustment and distance can optimize the sound for every room.
Do not forget the protection (cut off) circuit that protect the receiver from a possible damage when a shortcut or overload is happening.
The bottom line:
An amazing a/v receiver for both Music and Home theater with high end sound quality. worth every pinny!!
Enjoy the music....

This product rules. I can listen to all of my CDs and I don't have to listen to annoying radio commercials.

I truly love this receiver. One of the things that initially attracted me to it was the 480 watts of power. I couldn't wait to take it home and see how my CD's and DVD's sounded on it. What amazed me was not only the really great bass responce, but the clearity. I watched my Phil Collins DVD and it was like I was actually there in front of the stage. For the first time I really feel like I now know how the artists truly sound. I can honestly say, I know I got my money's worth with this receiver! Thank you Yamaha! Jess

I replaced my Sony str-dee 335 which was a 5.1 channel receiver and 100W per channel. The Yamaha 5740 has a much improved power output and a very clean sound. It easily fills a large room and powers my large floor model Klipsh speakers quite well. I believe the technical specifications above are wrong, and it is 100 W per channel. It is interesting to note that Sony reports power per channel but only when running one channel at a time. There is a sharp decline in power on the Sony product when all of the speakers are running. The Yamaha is much better in this regard. I don't particularly care for all of the different sound options (concert hall, jazz hall...), but they can add some new variety to old music. Thankfully, the receiver has a "straight" button which cuts out all of the different sound field options and just plays the media as intended. My only real complaint is that the receiver needs one more digital inputs for optional devices (such as an x-box), but I am able to hook up my TV, VCR, DVD and X-box without too much trouble, but I had to set it up slightly differently than the manual suggested (for instance I have to have my VCR on to get stereo TV broadcasts). The Yamaha compares very favorably with higher priced Dennon units. I find this to be a great buy, and would purchase it again.

Oh Boy ! Prices have come down on quality receivers. Not only do you get more ... but you pay less than the previous version. This one has everything a picky home theater enthusiast is look for:
1 - 7.1 ch amplification
2 - 7.1 preouts (to connect a robust poweramp)
3 - Dolby ProLogic IIx (don't watch movies without it)
4 - Microphone Calibration (not parametric as the name suggests) ... better than an SPL since this measures spkr delays etc.
5 - Adjustable SUB Crossover (down to 40hz)
5 - Construction and overall quality

For Home Theater and Movies ? 5 STARS (Audio in a movie disc is not audiophile grade, so this receiver is just fine for that)

As an audiophile 2-channel receiver ? 3 STARS (get a external good quality poweramp for this)

Suggestions to Yamaha:
1 - Upgrade firmware to allow receiver to use a specific setting as te default for all signals. For instance, if you have a 7 speaker setup ... you should be able to make the player default to Dolby Prologic IIx for any and all signals.

2 - Remove the TUNER and reduce the cost. If you want to listen to the radio ... use that clock radio ! or go out for a drive in your car.

3 - Give us a lighted remote. Any Home Theater component ought to have a lighted remote. I am sure you know why. Right ?

Overall a very good receiver. Good work Yamaha. Bye Bye overpriced Denon.

I've owned many good stereo/sound systems over the years, but I have never heard anything like what the Yamaha HTR-5790 with YPAO produces(Yamaha's RX-V1400 is virtually identical). In a room (350 square feet) of decent speakers (Infinity Alpha speakers: seven speakers and a powered sub-woofer), good cables and interconnects, and Yamaha's Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer (YPAO) executed, the HTR surpasses anything I have ever listened to in home systems. CD Music and DVD movies/music are redefined in the most awesome way!!!! Take time and read the manual, then set it up! Good listening!

The Yamaha RXV595 Dolby Digital Home Theater Receiver is a beauty. I got a demo of this unit with a Boston surround speaker system. Its performance was excellent. The Dolby Digital on this Receiver blows away its Pro-Logic when playing DVDs. However, when you input VHS the Pro-Logic sounds rich. With DVD or VHS sources, you can't go wrong. There are 14 digital 'Special Sound Effects' on this Receiver. You have just got to hear the 'Hall Effect,' it sounds great! It's 5.1, 70 watts x 5 channels and has a universal remote. Go for this one.

This ultimate gadget is a must-have for a true gadget junkie (like myself). I got the DVD L-10 when it first came out and now, the DVD L-50. Sure, it runs hot after a few hours, but so does every portable PC DVD. Please notice that almost everyone that complains about this unit still rates it 5 stars because the movie watching experience itself is awesome. The "1 star" folks obviously didn't buy it or even see it up close. Mine stays hooked up to my home theatre system with the optical audio and S-video connectors when I'm not traveling. I own a Sony VAIO notebook computer with DVD and would ALWAYS choose to view a movie on the DVD L-10 because the quality of the viewing experience is that much better. The hardware MPEG of the DVD L-10 instead of the software MPEG of every laptop except the Apple G3 powerbook is the main reason.

I see all the negative reviews here in which people say you should get a laptop with a DVD drive instead, but I completely disagree. The laptop is heavier, more expensive, sucks up battery life faster, and isn't as readily connected to various pieces of audio-visual equipment in your home. I bought this unit so I could have the best of both worlds: I keep it hooked up to my home theater system on a day to day basis, then unplug it and take it on the road with me for long car trips and flights. Its value cannot be exaggerated when you're looking for a means of keeping a four-year-old happy and quiet while buckled into a seat for two or more hours. Also, it's perfect for family cabin and timeshare trips since you can bring a whole library of movies and plug the unit into virtually any TV once you get there. And if there's no TV just use the flip-up screen. About that screen---I've found that my movie watching experience is different when using it, and in fact I feel MORE "pulled in" than when watching on my bigscreen TV. Finally, regarding the speakers on the unit: if you use headphones instead of the speakers, the dolby surround effect will amaze you. I don't know how they did it, but it's just like being in the theater.

I bought this player when it first came out in 1999. It's the most reliable electronic product I've ever owned. I've traveled all over the world with it, including to Canada, China, Italy, North Dakota, Vermont, and St Croix. It has saved me from going crazy on long flights. I've shoved it in my backpack and carried it all over the place. It even got wet in a rainstorm once. It's tough. After at least 1000 hours of playing time, I've never had any problems with it. The battery still keeps it's charge even after 5 years of frequent use. The display is just as sharp as it was when I first bought it.

I highly recommend it if you plan on getting a used player.