Customer Reviews

Yamaha RX-V661BL 7.1-Channel Digital Home Theater Receiver

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was looking at receivers for months trying to make sense of it all. I was set on one of the similarly priced Onkyos when an AV friend of mine came out of nowhere and recommended this Yamaha V661.

I love it. Everything was very easy to use and setup, and there are tons of customization options. I couple this with some Klipsch Quintet IIIs and a custom sub, sound is fantastic. I love the fact that I was able to program my own customized input names. I have each input labeled "Wii" "Xbox" "PS2" "Cable Box" etc accordingly. Furthermore, with the use of the buttons on the bottom of the remote (can't remember the name but they let you preprogram inputs/settings for devices) you can program full names like "Nintendo Wii" or my other longer one "Xbox Media Center."

The auto setup was a dream, and the sound quality is fantastic. I love the amount of inputs, it even includes HDMI. What more could I ask for!?!?!?

Highly recommended.

I hooked this amp up to an hd flatscreen LCD and an upconvert DVD player using the HDMI input/outputs and 7 athena speakers 2 floor, a center channel, 2 rears and 2 sides. I also hooked up an XM reciever using the dedicated xm port and an IPOD dock using the dedicated ipod port (xm radio and ipod dock (and IPOD-DUH!) all sold seperately. THIS SYSTEM ROCKS. The radio and CD sound is amazing and this system is also great for full room surround sound theater purposes. I like it b/c it's got real conectivty and lots of features. You have a direct hookup for xm and for the ipod so the sound is much better than if you were to hook up your ipod using the ipod headphone jack out to 2 RCA cables. It's a great price point for a sophisticated amp with HDMI and a lot of extra features--especially ifyou are going to use XM or an ipod with the stereo.

I picked up this receiver as part of my recent HT upgrade. Samsung HP-T5084 plasma
television, Ascend 340SE speakers, Infinity Subwoofer, Oppo 980H DVD player. The
Yamaha RX-V661 receiver balances perfectly with all of my components. Sound is
wonderful, the unit is easy to use and set up (the YPAO works superb). For the money
I paid I am very pleased with it's performance. I am also pleased with what it DOES
NOT DO. This unit passes HDMI video AS IS. I did not want any processing of the
signal from my DVD player. The picture on my 5084 looks exactly the same whether
I run DVD through the 661 or if I run it direct to the plasma. Sweet !! dxr

I bought this receiver to upgrade my old Yamaha because I needed HDMI input to connect to my PS3. The PS3 doesn't have full 5.1 analog outputs, so I needed to upgrade.
This receiver has excellent sound quality, and enough features for this price range. It works flawlessly with my Sony TV and my PS3.
I tried the Onkyo 604 before this one but I had to return it as it made some weird and loud switching noises when the HDMI source changed codecs or just went on/off.
The settings menu is not output via HDMI (just analog), but you don't use often (just during initial setup) and you can also follow the small built in screen. I guess they made this compromise to keep the price low (which is a good thing). The Onkyo was the same.
If you just need a basic inexpensive receiver with HDMI inputs (x2) and great sound this is the one.

I fantasized a long time about having a home theater system that would sound like the ones in the audio salons, which can be superior to most real theaters. With this piece of equipment and a set of 7 Yamaha speakers costing less than $400 I have realized this fantasy. The sound is truly breathtaking, big and perfectly defined, and comes largely from the ability of the receiver to evaluate its own performance and adjust itself, all in the space of about 3 minutes after hooking it up. Before buying the Yamaha speakers I owned a set of Altec-Lansing Voice-of-the-theater speakers with 15" acoustic suspension woofers and multi-sectoral horn tweeters. I have the Altecs simultaneously hooked up to the RX-V661 and can easily compare them with the Yamahas. The Yamahas make a superior system. The remote control has an amazing array of powers, including choice of ambiance from rock concert to concert hall.

I use this receiver with my Bose Acoustimass home theater system and it sounds great. I'm sure there are some features which I have yet to learn to use, but for what I'm using it for, its great.

Pros:
-strong sound output (this thing can crank)
-easy to use (remove is intuitive)
-was not overly expensive
-has HDMI connections

Cons:
-physically larger than I imagined
-setting up speaker wire was tough, but I think thats with any receiver of this caliber

I wish my TV and/or cable box had additional HDMI capabilities, but they dont. This receiver has 2-3 HDMI outputs which is great for growth, but for now i dont use them all...

overall - recommended as a good, simple, but high quailty receiver to get at a good price. i looked at a bunch of other 7.1 systems and they were really much more expensive

I bought this receiver for two reasons: the excellent reputation of Yamaha, and the special features it offers. The quality of the audio is excellent; I have no complaints there. However, I have been hugely disappointed with the special features. First, the YPAO auto-equalizer feature sounded so great! In use, it produced the worst sound I've ever had from my very high quality speakers. With four full size speakers and a sub-woofer it had no bass! Naturally I tried everything to make it work, to no avail. I had to turn it off ( not easy! ). Next, the famous Yamaha surround sound fields. I really like surround sound and looked forward to this. Aaargh! They all have the same flaw: they do not remove the built-in reverb on the recording. This results in making the musicians sound too far away in front. By comparison, Dolby Pro Logic routes the built-in reverb to the back speakers for a natural sound. I hardly use the surround modes. The HDMI switching works but is very limited. Only the HDMI inputs are routed to the HDMI output; no conversion of other inputs. Even the system video display is not run through the HDMI! You must use another output. Lastly, the remote control is clumsy to use: it requires you to use a slide switch as well as buttons. It also has the weakest signal of any of my six remotes!
In conclusion, if you want the special features, be sure you investigate beforehand.

Bottom line: Superior sound, great value. Some design issues that do NOT affect sound; For example, video in/outs relegated to the right hand back of the receiver. Audios on the left, instead of the tradition yellow, white and red RCA inputs grouped together. Also, don't even think about wrapping the hard wire around the speaker prongs - they're too close to make that happen; Invest in banana plugs instead. Auto set up is sweet - works well, except the result of the "speaker test" said the polarity of my front left/right speakers was backward - it is not, but the manual says citing this as reversed is often the case. Setting up scenes is not as easy as it should be and I have yet to figure out how to activate MY combination of speakers for a particular source setting or scene. It is not intuitive and the manual regarding this is not easy. Not Yamaha's fault, but when I spin the unit around to add/change, the HDMI pulls out - and it's difficult to keep it plugged when you spin it back once completed with changes. Whoever designed HDMI was not the sharpest knife in the drawer. The Amazon price beat any other hands down - unit arrived in a timely fashion. Despite the weird input/output config (a loss of a star), it's a great receiver and value for the dollar.

I bought the unit searching the internet Went to all Audio/Video stores in Phoenix and settled on two units, but the unit I found on the net for the best price was the RX-V661, it had all the features I wanted and for the price nothing came close. The other unit was a Denon, the Denon and Yamaha have the same features but I found the 661 on line for about $90 less that was with shipping. My only real complaint has to do with the array of features it comes with, there are too many, it took me over 2 weeks to read and understand the manuel but I'm still learning the unit. The only problem I am having is with my Logitech Harmony 880, if I go from Cable box to DVD and back to cable back, it does not switch to the cable box, I have to reset the Harmony via online.. So I know its not the 661.. For the price this unit rocks, I have Infinity In wall and ceiling speakers as well as PS-12 sub, and can not be happier...

I too had fantasized about owning a system of high calibre, and this one fits the bill. I enjoy my ipod, and now can use through my system! HDMI is fantastic, so easy to set up!! It's also convenient for using XM radio. But the proof is in the pudding, and it's the quality sound that everyone will appreciate, as well as the ease of use!! Thanks Yamaha!!