Yamaha RX-V2700 - AV network receiver - 7.1 channel Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The RX-V2700 has more features than any receiver I know of in any category. The main features that distinguish it are:
* Play MP3s (off PC running the proper software)/Internet Radio
* High Power (140x7 - One channel driven into 8ohm from 20hz-20khz)
* Handles 7.1 multi-channel PCM over HDMI, helpful for Blu-ray and HDMI
* YPAO (Automatically adjusts levels, and bass management features; I believe it also has some basic equalization features)
* Three HDMI inputs (not a common feature of AVRs)
* Can pass 1080P
Cons:
* Remote control longer than usual; controlling network features a pain
* Clunky GUI for network capaibilities
I connected a number of component video sources and audio sources and ran a single HDMI cable to my display. I have no video issues with this setup. I used YPAO to do the initial setup. When that was done I set all speakers to small and the LFE/Bass crossover to 80hz. There's no good reason to let your speakers handle bass if your subwoofer can do it. 80hz is what THX has reccommended. Everything worked fine. The diagrams in the manual of the back panel were hard for me to read. This made it harder for me to try to wire it up with less than two feet between it, and the back wall. There are some photos online of the back panel that might be easier to use.Sound quality is good. If you already had a good receiver, don't expect amazing improvements. Amps tend to sound very much alike. Processing modes are typical. Select straight mode, and it should do the right thing most of the time. I prefer 7-channel stereo for normal music listening, though.
As for video, because I have a plasma, and I feel it does a good job deinterlacing (480i -> 480p) and scaling (to it's native 1024x780,) I only use HDMI conversion. I did play around with the 2700's deinterlacer and scaler options. I saw no improvement. I also see no degradation, which is what I expect. I use the 2700 to convert component to HDMI for a DVD player/Tivo box and my XBox 360.
The network features work ok. I see usual problems with disconnects, etc. To stream MP3's from your computer to the RX, you will need Microsoft Media Connect, or Windows Media Player 11 (which comes with Media Connect.) You don't need to run Win Media, Media Connect will run as a background process, which is nice. Setting it up was easy enough, but I have spent my life working with computers. You will need to go into Win Media Player or Media Connect and add the 2700 so you can share music to it. The ability to play internet radio is one I quite like. You can't add stations, and are limited to MP3 (I think.) The 2700 uses the vTuner database, which is extensive, and you can suggest stations to it. The GUI for the network capaibilities is painful. It's slow for one thing. It will stop displaying with no keypress in 5 seconds or so. However long it is, it's not always long enough forcing you to hit the display button on the remote again. Very dissapointing for a product with a suggested retail of $1700.
As mentioned above sound quality is good. It's powerful enough that I can turn it up as loud as I want without audible distress, and I can't say that about other receivers I have owned. Like most receivers, it's only rated with one channel driven, but don't let that concern you. If it's not loud enough for you, you either have a big room, inefficient speakers or a need to damage your hearing. As for it's sound quality being better than other receivers, I can't say that it is. Most receivers sound pretty close (in tests, even trained listeners have trouble picking out one amp vs. another.)
A brief note about Blu-ray and HD DVD. This receiver will handle 7.1 multi-channel PCM at 96khz/24bits. That allows you to take advantage of the lossless audio formats available on the new high def media formats, such as TrueHD. You will need to set your player to output multi-channel PCM over HDMI. Some people have reported diminished LFE (low frequency channel) when PCM was used rather than bitstream. I don't have room for a full discussion of this alleged issue. It is unconfirmed by any formal review, and some people have reported that LFE over HDMI/PCM works fine. This is only a potential issue if you want to hear the best quality from uncompressed audio on Blu-ray or HD DVD. You always have the option to let the player convert to DTS or Dolby Digital and send that via bitstream over HDMI (or S/PDIF.)
As for video quality, all I asked of it that was it converted component to HDMI, which it does with no obvious degradation.
Why would you spend over $1000 on a receiver? Probably for the feature set, and high power. Yamaha also has a reputation for quality. It's my fifth Yamaha receiver, so I am obviously a fan.

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