Yamaha HTR-5740 6.1 Channel Digital Home Theater Receiver

Rating:
Summary: Great sounds are what I wanted, and what I got!
Review: As an avid viewer of DVD-movies, I have wanted a decent home theater system for some time. I knew that I was missing out on the full viewing experience of many films when viewing them in the home, because all I had (like many folks) was a big TV and two speakers.

The HTR 5740, when run in conjunction with a 6 speaker system and big subwoofer, will transform even a modest living room (like mine) into a true "home theater" viewing room. Using either DTS or Dolby EX, which many films provide, the 5740 will produce a surround-sound experience that is really cool. The unit packs 85 watts per channel (that's what Amazon says; I thought it was 100 watts, but never mind) and that is plenty more punch than most of us will ever use. The 5740 produces rich, distortion-free sounds that in my opinion leaves nothing on the table. This is a well-engineered, technologically advanced amplifier that will satisfy almost everyone.

My only complaint about the unit is that the manual leaves quite a bit to be desired. It took me awhile to figure out that: a) I had to hook up the optical cable in addition to the RCA audio cables, in order to get Dolby 6.1 sound; and b) the menu settings on the unit to get full Dolby (or DTS) sound, while simple once you figure them out, were somewhat obscure in the manual. Afficianados who, unlike myself, were not new to home theater technology probably would not have any trouble with the foregoing, but as a newcomer I found some of the terms and settings to be confusing. No harm done, however.

This is a really good deal for the money, and I expect that our family will enjoy ours for many years.

Rating:
Summary: Great Sounding System
Review: I received this unit as a Christmas gift (wahoo!). As with a previous review, I would agree that parts of the manual take a few read-throughs. So, far, I have not purchased surround speakers yet. However, the stereo sound is great either direct or through the Yamaha sound field processor (Hall, Jazz, etc...) It is currently hooked up to some old, but great sounding Advent speakers.

The set-up was easy. Pretty much plug and play to get it going. My CD player does not have a digital coax cable - which is the default digital input for the unit. However, after reading the manual a little closer, I was able to specify the input as one of the optical ins. Using the digital inputs verses a regular RCA cable does improve the sound quality.

This replaced my 10+ year old receiver. Needless to say, features and quality were a dramatic improvement. I like the Yamaha line - not too many buttons on the unit like Sony sometimes has. Great sound, and good value.

Rating:
Summary: Great home theater receiver
Review: I replaced my Sony str-dee 335 which was a 5.1 channel receiver and 100W per channel. The Yamaha 5740 has a much improved power output and a very clean sound. It easily fills a large room and powers my large floor model Klipsh speakers quite well. I believe the technical specifications above are wrong, and it is 100 W per channel. It is interesting to note that Sony reports power per channel but only when running one channel at a time. There is a sharp decline in power on the Sony product when all of the speakers are running. The Yamaha is much better in this regard. I don't particularly care for all of the different sound options (concert hall, jazz hall...), but they can add some new variety to old music. Thankfully, the receiver has a "straight" button which cuts out all of the different sound field options and just plays the media as intended. My only real complaint is that the receiver needs one more digital inputs for optional devices (such as an x-box), but I am able to hook up my TV, VCR, DVD and X-box without too much trouble, but I had to set it up slightly differently than the manual suggested (for instance I have to have my VCR on to get stereo TV broadcasts). The Yamaha compares very favorably with higher priced Dennon units. I find this to be a great buy, and would purchase it again.

Rating:
Summary: Great home theater receiver
Review: I replaced my Sony str-dee 335 which was a 5.1 channel receiver and 100W per channel. The Yamaha 5740 has a much improved power output and a very clean sound. It easily fills a large room and powers my large floor model Klipsh speakers quite well. I believe the technical specifications above are wrong, and it is 100 W per channel. It is interesting to note that Sony reports power per channel but only when running one channel at a time. There is a sharp decline in power on the Sony product when all of the speakers are running. The Yamaha is much better in this regard. I don't particularly care for all of the different sound options (concert hall, jazz hall...), but they can add some new variety to old music. Thankfully, the receiver has a "straight" button which cuts out all of the different sound field options and just plays the media as intended. My only real complaint is that the receiver needs one more digital inputs for optional devices (such as an x-box), but I am able to hook up my TV, VCR, DVD and X-box without too much trouble, but I had to set it up slightly differently than the manual suggested (for instance I have to have my VCR on to get stereo TV broadcasts). The Yamaha compares very favorably with higher priced Dennon units. I find this to be a great buy, and would purchase it again.