Yamaha RX-V363BL 500 Watt 5.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver

I got this to replace another Yamaha receiver that didn't support HD. This was extremely well priced for what it does. The main reason for this purchase was that I got a PS3 and wanted to full experience. I read other reviews and a lot of people noted that there is no audio pass-through from the HDMI cable. I misinterpreted this as the audio doesn't flow through the HDMI out, but still plays through the attached speakers. This wasn't the case.

In the end I had to plug the PS3 in with the white and red analog cables (you can change the audio settings in your PS3 config menu to output with these) and I'm happy. Full 5.1 sound would have been nice, but it's not a killer for me.

Just be weary that the audio doesn't pass through with this device! Otherwise, it's simply amazing for the price.

Like I put in the title so much more than I thought I would get! Buy this item, don't think twice!

I purchased this receiver along with a the Polk Audio RM-10 5-speaker set so that I could listen to my ipod in the kitchen. It was important that the only thing that sits on the counter was the ipod docking station so I purchased the Yamaha ipod dock to go with this receiver. This Yamaha receiver sits high-up on the cabinets along with the speakers.

As long as I point the remote up, it can adjust this Yamaha receiver. And, most important of all, the sound is excellent. I'm really quite pleased.

Yes, this is a bit much for simply playing music from an iPod, but I like it.

Great Price. Great Product. Everything as stated. Haven't even had time to explore all of it's capabilities, but it performs wonderfully and I am very happy with the purchase.

This receiver is relatively inexpensive. The unit is on the small side, and can easily fit on shelves found in a typical stereo cabinet. On the plus side, the volume is easy to control because the large knob. Also, treble/bass are easy to control because you push a "tone control" button, followed by pushing one of two buttons labeled "program." This allows separate adjustment of the treble and bass (like a junior version of an equalizer).

The front of the unit has a socket for inputting a headphone jack. But on the minus side, there is no socket for inputting a microphone or for inputting an electric guitar cord. My old Pioneer amplifier, circa 1973, has a socket for inputting a microphone or electric guitar. But the Yamaha unit does not have this type of socket.

On the negative side, the unit has a button that changes the ambiance of your music. In other words, it can change the music to sound as though it was being played in a large concert hall. This is pretty silly, as this bell'n'whistle just makes the music take on a muddy sound.

Also on a negative side, the unit cannot accept input from a turntable. You have to purchase a pre-amplifier and connect it, before a turntable can be used. I bought the following pre-amplifier: ART DJPre II phono preamp. The ART DJPre II unit is compact yet elegant, and it works just fine when I want to run my turntable through the Yamaha amplifier.

The unit has a control that compresses the music for use in listening at very low volumes. We all know that classical music, and sometimes jazz, has episodes that are either louder or softer than usual. We also know that, if played at low volume, the low-volume episodes will drop out and not be heard. The unit's "night control" avoids this problem.

Here is one suggestion. It would be nice if this compressor could be used for recording tapes or other media, since we all know that tapes can be overwhelmed at high volumes, resulting in distortion. I have not yet checked if the "night control" of the Yamaha unit can be used to achieve a more uniform volume, when recording tapes.