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

There are a number of positive reviews here, and I won't replicate what they say save to confirm that the sound quality is excellent, and the connectivity is fine for 99% of us. I'm on the whole actually happy enough with it. However, you should be aware of a couple of significant issues.

1. Although there is a button on the front for speaker set A/B/Off, there is no option to have output going to both speaker sets A and B at the same time. Even though the corporate drone in Best Buy said it would, and nothing in the advertising blurb counteracted this, this simple truth is hidden in smallish text on a page somewhere in the depths of the manual. I therefore purchased a Monster Cable SS4 Multi-Speaker Selector so that I could have audio on the deck and in the main room at the same time. The combination works fine.

2. Second problem. There are no codes for programming the remote to operate the Dynex 42 inch flat panel. It is a BestBuy own brand, made by Toshiba. None of the Toshiba codes work, and there are no codes listed for Dynex.

3. The manual is written for the Hindu goddess Kali, because you need 10 arms to flick back and forward through the manual all the time.

I have actually learned to like the sound enough to keep the system, and so the 2 stars is probably too negative, but it won't affect the product rating much, and may draw your attention to a couple of problems you might not be aware of. Enjoy.

I purchased the RX-V363BL as a replacement for an older Yamaha HTIB that I've been using for several years. The feature set is great for the money, and it doesn't really bother me that the HDMI output doesn't pass audio along with the video signal. The whole reason I am using the receiver is to play the audio and to pass the video to my TV via HDMI. I haven't experienced any audio desynchronization, but I am using the optical audio inputs coupled with HDMI video inputs from both a cable box and a HTPC.

The Yamaha remote is very well laid out, and it has allowed me to retire my Samsung TV remote completely. Overall I'm very happy with my purchase; I encountered zero issues setting up the receiver, though I did have to spend a bit of time with the manual to get the Scene buttons programmed to my preferred presets.

I'm using the RX-V363 to replace a Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 powered speaker system that supplied the sound from my computer (games,DVDs,HDTV). The ProMedia's amp pooped out right after the warranty was up so I had to pay for a new amp. Three years later, same problem. This time I'm using the RX-V363 as the amp and still using the Klipsch front, center and rear speakers, their fine. Only problem was the Klipsch subwoofer couldn't be salvaged so I'm using a JBL Sub12. Total price for Yamaha + JBL = $400. The Klipsch was almost that much after buying the replacement amp. This is a great setup for your computer if your interested in great sound and not just back round noise. I hope I am still happy in six years.

I've had mine for about a month now so I can now say with some assurance that it is a good receiver for this amount of money.

The upsides:

*It sounds great with surround sound, even dvd-a audio!

*It's easy to use with the 4 presets - though I wish I could change the pre-sets to include cd player instead of radio. (Maybe you can but I haven't figured it out yet)

*It has a full function remote with good range

*It blocks off sound automatically when you plug in a headphone (saves having to turn off the speakers with a 2nd step)

*It is set so you can simulate dts sound with headphones for night listening

*It has many different pre-sets and they really come in handy. I found, for example, that using the 5 channel simulator preset sounds great with 2.0 movies, bringing the sound to the rear speakers - especially with movies that are hard to hear the dialogue.

The downsides are many but they're mostly minor. And by the way I would give this 4 and 1/2 stars instead of 5 if I could, because of the downsides:

*Not enough inputs/outputs. I'd have liked it to have an HDMI in from the dvd player. The HDMI it does have is ONLY FOR VIDEO, NOT THE AUDIO SIGNAL.

*It does not have a mute button on the unit itself, only on the remote. You can achieve mute quickly by giving the big volume dial a couple of quick spins but then you lose your volume setting. No big deal but I have never seen another unit without a mute button on the face of it.

*The digital coaxial cable (optional) does not provide DVD-A audio nor good DTS audio. On mine, with DTS audio it was VERY low. In order to get good 5.1 channel audio you have to use regular audio cables in the inputs marked Multi-Channel. Adding HDMI Audio would have been a VERY big PLUS. I assume it was not cost effective. Personally I'd have rather spent an extra $30 or so and gotten the HDMI Audio capability.

*Although it is advertised that this unit works with the IPod dock, you should know that THIS UNIT DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY WITH THE YAMAHA IPOD DOCK even though it is not stated. That is, it does not show the IPod menu on the tv with this unit, only with the more expensive units in this series. So what good is it? Not much. This should be made clear on the box/and amazon etc. item descriptions. I bought this in part due to the IPod capability and now feel cheated. This is from a Yamaha tech:

"The RX-V363 will not display the IPod information on the TV/Display."

(However the new Tekkeon Navdock works great with the Yamaha and for only $20-30 more. Check it out. Yes, it costs more than the Yamaha dock but has many more features and you can even view video from your IPod classic without buying a proprietary cable from Apple!)

So all in all, despite its downsides, this is a fantastic receiver for 200 buckaroos. You just can't beat it. I had a Sony in this price range before (actually more, 7 years ago) with similar features, and this sounds much better than the Sony did and has better features.

We bought this receiver several days ago to replace an aging JVC receiver we'd had for a number of years and I'm very happy with it so far. The sound is exceptional and it's very easy to configure. The "Scene" feature is very handy; it allows you to configure four buttons with presets for various listening situations (movies, gaming, etc). For example, I have one setup for gaming that selects one digital input for the sound source and also selects "straight" for the sound processing, allowing the receiver to decode the game sound based on what it detects. Another setting is for music and sets the sound processing as "5 channel music optimized".

The only complaint I have thus far is an error in the manual that indicates you can rename the Scenes. Apparently there was an insert along with the manual saying this wasn't possible with this model but as I bought the floor model that insert wasn't included. But that's not the fault of the manufacturer or the unit.

To sum it up, the unit sounds great and is easy to use. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a good receiver but is on a budget.