An Excellent Home Theater Receiver
Written: Feb 06 '04
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Pros: Excellent sound quality
Ease of use for primary controls
Cons: Remote control takes some detective work to figure out
The Bottom Line: This is an excellent 7.1 receiver that will do your video and music proud.
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| alpinab12's Full Review: Yamaha RX-Z1 8.1 Channels Receiver |
Having listened to a lot of receivers in my life, this receiver actually redefined my expectations. One of the things about this receiver that will be quite pleasing to the ear is the natural, warm sound. This receiver will shine on formats such as Classical and Jazz but will definitely hang with Rap,Alternative, and House.
I listened to this receiver with a pair of B&W speakers using the following material:
Al Jarreau - Roof Garden
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Regina Carter - Motor City Madness
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I also tested this setup with one of a Mix CD from a local DJ.
As I previously stated, the sound is well balanced no matter what material is thrown at it. The bass attack is perfectly solid, the highs crisp and not tinny at all.
It handled Eminem's "Role Model" with with no problem. I was amazed that there was not a lot of distortion at higher volumes. But when I threw Jazz or the violin works of Regina Carter, the sound was exceptionally pleasing and balanced.
As far as control layouts are concerned, the more frequently used buttons are in plain view. Even for a person with large hands such as myself, the buttons were easy to operate. However, the smaller buttons that are harder to operate are hidden underneath a flip-down panel on the front of the receiver.
But even though the buttons are small, they are logically laid out and are easy to follow.
However, the same cannot be said about the Palm Pilot sized remote control. The remote is a bit hard to follow without the instruction manual. In a way, the remote is almost counterintuitive in that you almost have to play Sherlock Holmes in order to find simple adjustments. Even the salesman that was helping me had a hard time switching between surround modes using the remote.
The rear of the receiver has enough inputs to make it the centerpiece of an excellent home theater system and/or run whole house audio.
as for the chassis, the chassis is quite sturdy as it should be for a nearly $2000 receiver. But like most receivers, you definitely need to give it enough space to provide adequate ventilation.
But all in all, one does not buy a receiver for its remote control, but the sound quality. This receiver has that in spades.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1800
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Epinions.com ID:
alpinab12
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Location: Arizona
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 0 members
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