The Yamaha HTR 5280 is the heart of my main surround sound system, and its versatility and quality make it an ideal receiver. For starters, Yamaha gives you clean power. Too many receivers on the market have Total Harmonic Distortion that is much too high. 100 watts x 5 channels of clean power will let you enjoy movies or music at very loud volumes without losing any clarity. I chose Yamaha because of its reputation. I didn't realize how versatile the system was until I added items to it. In addition to 5 speaker outlets and a sub ( you will need a powered sub woofer with this receiver), it gives you a B speaker outlet to add a pair of main left right speakers. You could either use those in another room, or perhaps switch between a pair for your music listening and another for movies. I have a second set of speakers hooked into my bathroom. You can also selectively turn the A or B speakers on or off. There are also plenty of inputs including 6 channel inputs for the growing market of super audio CD and DVD-Audio. I didn't know it when I bought the unit, but when I picked up a Pioneer Elite that played these formats, I was pleased that my receiver had the 6 channel inputs necessary. Each input also gives you a wide variety of options. For music, I prefer optical inputs, and the Yamaha has plenty of optical inputs and a couple optical outputs. My CD player, Minidisc player, PS2, and DVD player sound are all input with digital optical cable. This Yamaha also gives the option for digital coaxial, component cables (2 in, one out) and regular analog connections. The Surround Sound modes are terrific too! Aside from a dozen surround sound modes for any input, there are special surround sound modes for Dolby Digital Signals and DTS signals! You can recreate your favorite movie theater in your living room. My favorite surround sound field is 5 channel stereo, which allows you to enjoy stereo throughout your room. Although this receiver is a 5.1 channel receiver, it gives a couple 6.1 fields that mimic a rear center channel quite well.
The remote takes a bit of getting used to. It's not the worst, but not the best either. You can make it your universal remote, which I have done. A wheel at the top must be set to the desired component. Two buttons at the top also should be pressed to set either the input or the surround field. If you don't make your selection quick enough however, you end up doing something unintended. Finally my biggest complaint about the Yamaha is those awful banana clips for the speakers! The receiver uses clips on the back that you unscrew and then place the wire inside a small hole, then screw shut again. This is not an easy task, especially since, if you are like me and have your system against a wall with a narrow space behind it. Even when I have hooked speakers up with the unit in front of me, its not an easy task. However, once its done, its done, then you can enjoy the system! Yamaha really delivers a quality product with their receivers.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 549.00