Gadgetory

hey I'm Matthew moscovia Katzie net and we're going to take a look at the Yamaha rxv 475 this is a 5.1 AV receiver in the middle of Yamaha is line and it's currently selling for $400 like most multi-channel AV receivers the Yamaha has a big metal chassis that will take up a lot of space in your TV cabinet the two-tone finish on the front has a sleek look especially the matte black on the bottom although the front is cluttered with buttons that you'll likely never use it's kind of tough to say that any of these big boxy receivers look nice so if you're looking for a more attractive option check out my rancis slimline and our 1403 that's available for the same price the included remote is needlessly complicated even for an AV receiver there are all kinds of confusing design choices including two power buttons at the top a grid of small numbered buttons for selecting inputs and mysterious star buttons on the side that don't have any obvious function unless you have a lot of patience you'll be better off replacing it with a quality universal remote for $400 receiver the rxv 475 offers a decent set of features although most competing models offer a little more there are five total HDMI inputs which should cover most home theaters although Akio pioneer and Marantz offers six at this price the Yamaha does have an Ethernet jack on the back but it doesn't have Wi-Fi so you'll need to connect via ethernet to use its networking features which include built-in airplay Pandora internet radio and DLNA compatibility that's not quite as many services as other receivers offer but if you're a heavy streamer you'll likely want a dedicated device anyway Yamaha does offer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth add-ons for the rxv 475 although they're pretty expensive so you're better off using third-party accessories anyway unlike Denon Yamaha doesn't offer guided setup right out of the box although plugging in the set up microphone does bring up some on-screen instructions for its automatic speaker calibration the rxv 475 has a very basic text-based menu system which looks about ten years out of date although that's surprisingly common on Seavers at this price once we got the speaker's calibrated the sound quality on the Yamaha was excellent we had resident audiophile Steve Guttenberg give a listen to the Yamaha and he compared it to the pioneer vsx 823 - K and then on AVR e 400 and the Yamaha came out on top with the powerful sound that easily filled our listening room movies and music were handled equally well with plenty of detail and overall a balanced natural sound and that sound quality is ultimately the strongest reason to buy the RX v 475 over its competitors it doesn't have the most features and its design is a little underwhelming but it did edge out its competitors in our listening tests ultimately it wouldn't be my first choice at this price level as I find the sound quality differences to be pretty minor between these mid-range AV receivers but this is still a good value especially if you're a fan of Yamaha sound I'm Matthew Muscovy ak from C net and this is the Yamaha RX v 475