Yamaha RX-V3800BL 7.1-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver (Black)

by Yamaha

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 17.2 x 17.1 x 6.8 inches ; 38 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 44 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000V4YQGY
• Item model number: RX-V3800BL
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,510 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

From the Manufacturer The Yamaha RX-V3800 is truly a high-end home theater receiver, introducing new technologies and features such as 3D CINEMA DSP, the latest HDMI 1.3a specification support, upscaling to 1080p, full support for high definition audio formats signals, Adaptive DRC and Adaptive DSP Level, and Network Receiver functions.

On-Screen Display with GUI

An on-screen GUI (Graphical User Interface) display makes operating the receiver easy and intuitive. It is compatible with iPod, internet radio, PC and USB displays. Access and control everything you need from a simple and easy-to-navigate interface.

3D CINEMA DSP ensures total surround realism. View larger

Use the RX-V3800 as your portal to all your digital music

3D CINEMA DSP for Surround Realism

The RX-V3800 features surround sound processing with the enhanced capability of 3D CINEMA DSP. By using two presence speakers in addition to the four FL/FR and SL/SR speakers, the sound field is given an extra vertical dimension. Pressing the 3D DSP buttion provides a sound field that expands both upward and downward. HiFi DSP programs sound more natural, closer to the feeling of actually being in a concert hall with a high ceiling or a small live house where the sound seems to bounce up from the floor. CINEMA DSP programs have an added dimension of height that was previously difficult to achieve, so sounds coming from above have precise localization.

When volume is low, CINEMA DSP effects may be difficult to hear. Adaptive DSP Level overcomes this problem by evaluating the difference between the volume level and a reference level, and adjusting the DSP level to ensure optimum effectiveness--that is, the best possible sound.

Improved Compressed Music Enhancer

Yamaha's Compressed Music Enhancer is a popular feature that restores the sound of the original music from digitally compressed formats such as MP3. This receiver offers an upgraded version that processes multi-channel signals with a DSP algorithm, so all channels are enhanced, providing more accurate reproduction and more expansive sound. There are two modes: Straight Enhancer that enhances and outputs each input channel as-is, and 7ch Enhancer that downmixes the input channels to 2-channel and then outputs them as X-channel stereo (X being the number of input channels).

Adaptive Dynamic Range Control

Adaptive DRC is a new volume control technology that is effective for low-volume listening, such as at night or with headphones. It applies DRC processing to eliminate the volume differences between loud commercials and ordinary programming and to take into account our ears' loss of sensitivity as volume decreases. The compensation is performed automatically, so all dialogue is heard clearly even at low levels, and there are no sudden loud bursts of sound.

HD Audio Format Signals Capability

This receiver lets users enjoy the best possible and newest surround sound from Blu-ray Disc players and HD-DVD players. It supports the two lossy formats--Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD High Resolution--as well as lossless formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

YPAO Sound Optimization and Pure Direct for Highest Sound Quality

Yamaha's YPAO Sound Optimization system analyzes the acoustics of the room and adjusts various speaker parameters to provide optimum sound quality at the listening position--in less than three minutes! A new Quick Start function displays the YPAO Auto Setup menu when the microphone jack is inserted, so Start can be immediately selected. Six YPAO settings can be memorized.

Pure Direct is a special receiver mode that causes the signal to bypass all but the most basic audio circuitry, and even turns off the display to prevent any chance of noise interference. It provides the purest possible high-fidelity sound from all sources including USB and HDMI inputs.

The RX-V3800 does full HD 1080p upconversion from a variety of sources

Full HD 1080p Video Upscaling and Deep Color (30/36-bit) Transmission

The HDMI 1.3a interface upgrades the transmission of standard, enhanced, and high-definition video signals via HDMI for higher-than-ever quality through a single cable. With four HDMI input terminals, users and connect a variety of high-definition sources such as Blu-ray Disc or HD-DVD players and switch easily among them.

The receiver supports the latest HDMI 30- and 36-bit color depths, improved from the 24-bit depth of previous versions. This "Deep Color" allows the rendering of billions of colors for far greater accuracy. Colors are so vivid they seem to jump off the screen, with perfectly smooth tonal transitions and ultra-fine gradations between colors. It also enables many times more shades of gray, for higher contrast ratio.

Auto Lip-Sync Compensation

When video and audio signals are transferred via HDMI and the video shown on a display and the audio output by an AV receiver, the video delay time (time from signal input until it is seen) and the audio delay time (time from signal input until it is heard) are different, so the video and audio slip out of sync. The Auto Lip-Sync compensation function monitors the video delay time, and automatically adjusts the amount of audio delay to eliminate the difference, so you hear the dialogue just as the person is speaking.

Analog Video to HDMI Digital Video Upconversion

This is a function that converts analog signals from composite, S-Video or component terminals to output from higher quality HDMI digital video. This ensures the highest possible picture quality from the AV receiver to a monitor or TV via a single cable. It also performs down-conversion among component, S-Video and composite signals.

Control up to three zones throughout your home with ease

Network Capability Makes Your Yamaha a Portal to All Your Digital Music

Using network connection and Windows Media Player 11, the RX-V3800 lets you play MP3, WMA, and WAV music from a remote PC. You can also listen to any of the thousands of stations available on Internet radio via LAN. And the RX-V3800 provides even more listening options: it can function as a Client in Yamaha's MusicCAST home audio network, seamlessly integrating with the MCX-2000. A USB terminal on the front panel makes it convenient to play music from USB flash drives and portable USB audio players.

Superior Custom Zone Control

Users can enjoy audio in three rooms as well as video in the second room with an extensive array of Custom zone Control features. These include Main/Zone 2/Zone 3 power control, front panel selection of XM/FM/AM tuning, volume and input source, Zone 2 video output and on-screen menu display, and Zone 2/3 tone and L/R balance control for ceiling or wall-mounted speakers. A separate Zone Remote Unit is provided and there is also an RS-232C interface for a touch-panel controller.

Product Description

The Yamaha RX-V3800 7.1-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver offers high-end sound and video quality to take your home theater experience to the next level. It provides 980 Watts of total power, pushing 140 Watts to each of its 7 channels. This advanced home theater receiver introduces new technologies and features including 3D CINEMA DSP, the latest HDMI 1.3a specification support, upscaling to 1080p, full support for high definition audio formats signals, Adaptive DRC and Adaptive DSP Level, YPAO Auto Setup with Quick Start, and multi-zone custom installation support and Network Receiver functions. High quality components, crystal clear sound and video clarity, and cutting edge technologies will make the Yamaha RX-V3800 the cornerstone of your home theater experience.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GREAT Multi-Purpose Receiver for HDMI, Internet and LAN, February 20, 2008

By 

George McAdams (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yamaha RX-V3800BL 7.1-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver (Black) (Electronics)

I confess, I am a electronic consumer nut. After "getting by" on SVHS and component hookups for my electronic equipment, I bit the bullet and started looking for a receiver that had enough HDMI inputs, enough SVHS inputs, an input for my iPod and RCA-phono/USB-phono, LAN and computer. Previously, I had a Pioneer VSX-9500, then a Yamaha model with about 5 SVHS inputs, and a Denon AVR 4802R with 7 SVHS inputs. After a couple of months of searching through the usual suspects, including the other brands I have had, I settled on the Yamaha RX-V3800 in black because it allowed me to do enough of what I wanted to do from my shopping list I mentiond earlier.

First of all, I was surprised to find that all the receivers I looked at had downsized their number of connections from four years ago when I bought my Denon receiver. I was having to look at receivers costing 2 to 3 times as much as the RX-V3800 before I could find one with as many inputs, and I found even Yamaha's RX-Z11 had the same number as the RX-V3800, and it ran almost $5,000.00. Then, I thought about it... what were the inputs I really used most of all: SVHS, BluRay, HD-DVD, DVR, DVR-VHS combo, CD player, cassette, and phono. There was one input remaining that I was able to use with a junction box for ED-Beta,Laser Disc, XM radio, and an DVR-R recorder, so the Yamaha RX-V3800 would do without me having to compromise too much.

But, let's get to the machine and all of it's pluses:

The sound... It is terrific! With my previous system, I had to gerry-rig the side speakers using a quadraphonic synthesizer, but the RX-V3800 has the following speaker connections: left-front, right-front, center, left-side, right-side, left-rear, right-rear and sub-woofer. My previous set-up had a rear-center, and after reading a little, I found you could hook-up a rear center by using the RCA connection labeled "Single (SB)." (There's a "SURBACK PRESENCE" that can be used, also, but it was designed for when you only wanted one rear channel). When you set-up the speakers, Yamaha has a special optimizer microphone you plug into the front of the unit and it balances your speakers based on where you have the microphone placed.

The four HDMI inputs are great, too, because it allows me to have the best picture and sound from my BluRay, HD-DVD, Satellite Receiver, and DVR-VHS unit.

The Internet radio is easy to use, and it is programmed with plenty of stations. The selection of stations with the Yamaha remote is easy and the sound is wonderful.

The iPod Yamaha YDS-10 dock option is a must if you have an iPod. Quite frankly, I probably won't use my phono, now, except to make digital recordings of out-of-date vinyl recordings because of the ease of operation of the iPod through the docking station, especially if you have the 80 or 160 GB model of iPod with all the music they can hold.

The XM set-up with the XM Extreme is nice and integrates smoothly. I, actually, use an older XM radio through two RCA inputs, but with the XM Extreme directly connected, it is easier to use.

The computer set-up is not as easy as the manual would make you believe, but it is easier if you do the following: Make sure your PC has XP Service Pack Two or Vista on it AND you have Windows Media Player 11 installed, have your 232 Serial Ports between the computer and the Yamaha RX-V-3800 connected, and have a networking guide for your operating system. Once you have those done, you go into Windows Media Player, select "Library" at the top, and then select "Media Sharing" to allow the tunes on your PC to be shared with your receiver. For other PC's on your LAN, it would be best for you to already have those tunes shared, but if you connect an iPod, that might not be necessary. While I am at it, I will say this about Media Player ll: once you've checked the right boxes, it does a good job.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the Yamaha RX-V3800. I did think that they could have done a better job with the manual... for example, in setting-up the PC, you start reading the instructions and it refers you to two other sections of the manual, and when things just didn't seem to jell, one finds that later in the manual, they show you how to do the set-up more thoroughly and manually, if needed. That said and done, though, I would buy this receiver again. I do wish it had more inputs, but then again, most people don't have as much to hook-up as I do. If there were a four-and-a-half stars rating, I would give it, but I'm stuck giving it only four.

UPDATE: It is two months after first doing this review, and I still love this receiver. I bought a great pair of outside speakers that look like rocks, HiFi Works 30020 HFW 6.5-Inch Rock Speakers (Pair), and use the "Room 2" with the X-10 Powermid remote extender, X10 POWERMID Remote Control Extender Kit PM5900. This set-up is wonderful! I sometimes have the iPod play outside, while inside they are watching TV on the HDTV. One caution, when setting-up the "Room 2," it will ask you what is the initial volume you want the "room" to have. I had not paid that much attention to those dB settings on the volume you get across the screen of the TV, and the first time I used Room 2, you could hear the music over a block away... Those speakers didn't flinch and their tone was terrific! (Unfortunately, our house was so sound proof, I didn't know I was blowing-out the neighbors.) Using the X-10 remote control extenders really is a blessing. If you use the extenders in other areas of the house, be sure to have your remote receiver up close to the Yamaha.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Musical A/V Receiver, December 27, 2007

By 

E. Becker "snowghost" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yamaha RX-V3800BL 7.1-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver (Black) (Electronics)

The RX-V3800 is my 5th Yamaha DSP A/V receiver since my first (DSP-E300) in 1990. Having owned other A/V amps including the first ever Dolby Digital compatible (Pioneer). Yamaha's major feature to me is the natural sound on all their DSP Soundfields. Every other receiver listened to does movie surround sound decoding just fine, but if you are into listening to 2 channel music processed through different venues such as The Roxy, The Bottom Line, various concert halls in Europe etc. nobody does it better than Yamaha.

Indeed other receivers have phony sounding processing for anything but normal movie surround sound. I think the key to the Yamaha is the original research and recording done back when they designed their first DSP unit the DSP-1 in 1986 or so. As a matter of fact, I liked the processing on my Yamaha DSP E-300 so much that I daisy chained it to later more state of the art A/V amps so that I could use it for music listening. Now with the RX-V3800 it has just about the same amount of concert venues as the E-300, plus a bunch of DSP Cinema Modes as well.

Aside from its DSP, the receiver is extremely full featured for those who need "all the bells and whistles". One of the few left on the market with a Record Selector (allowing recording from one source while watching or listening to another), plenty of inputs including 4 HDMI, video upscaling, iPod integration, and a learning remote with macro capability. And those are just a fraction of all it has.

Of course for those primarily interested in Blu-Ray and HD-DVD, this iteration of Yamaha now has the capability of handling the bit streams of Dolby True HD, and DTS-HD Master, as well as having HDMI version 1.3a. I pump both DVD formats through the Yamaha, and it performs flawlessly on all sensory fronts.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars PS3 and Dolby True HD, March 29, 2008

By 

Palsgraf (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yamaha RX-V3800BL 7.1-Channel Network Home Theater Receiver (Black) (Electronics)

I bought the RX-V3800 to take advantage of the new HD lossless audio formats, particularly Dolby True HD. The RX-V3800 has truly superior audio processing and, when watching HD-DVD on my Toshiba A35, the results are impressive. Of course, that's like saying my Ford Edsel handles like a dream.

For those of you who had the foresight NOT to invest in a doomed technology, it's a little tougher to take advantage of True HD. My Playstation 3 can process Dolby True HD internally, but it cannot output bitstream audio in quantity sufficient for the Yamaha to use it's own processing power to output in True HD. Instead, the PS3 outputs linear PCM to the Yamaha which can amplify the processed True HD audio. Unfortunately, the Yamaha can only perform this function in its "Pure Direct" audio mode. Even more unfortunately, the RX-V3800 cannot output video through HDMI when in Pure Direct mode. So, in order to watch BluRay with True HD audio, you have to output the video (through the PS3's component video output) directly to your tv while the Yamaha is set to Pure Direct.

I wish Yamaha had not limited its' Pure Direct mode to audio-only. If you don't want to go to all the trouble of stringing extra wires from your ps3 and changing the output settings to switch to component video, you'll have to settle for Dolby Digital Plus or some other lesser audio format.

I hope this review is helpful to those of you who are trying to get True HD audio from your PS3. Hopefully, Sony will come out with a firmware update that will streamline this process by allowing an outside receiver to internally process bitstreamed BluRay sound into True HD. Ah, the pitfalls of early adoption.