Yamaha RX-497 75 Watt Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Receiver

Other products by Yamaha

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 17.1 x 5.8 inches ; 25 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 23 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000FHA7E2
• Item model number: RX-497
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,951 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)

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  Electronics > Home Audio & Theater > Receivers & Amplifiers > Component Receivers

• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 24, 2006

Product Description

Product Description

Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Receiver, 150W, High Power and Convenient Features with XM Satellite Radio Ready and Multi-Zone Control Capability

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent stereo receiver, February 2, 2008

By	D. R. Schryer (Poquoson, VA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Despite the current fad for multi-channel audio/video receivers, many people -- including this reviewer -- still listen to music with two speakers and only need a two-channel stereo receiver to drive them. And Yamaha builds outstanding stereo receivers, including this new RX-497. Yamaha's power ratings are extremely conservative and this 75 watts per channel receiver will drive virtually any speakers to deafening levels -- which I don't recommend doing. More important than it's ample power is its very low distortion. Yamaha specializes in low distortion products for very clean sound. In addition to robust power and ultra-low distortion the RX-497 has a full complement of controls, including a versatile remote. As a fanatic audiophile, another feature, typical of Yamaha, which I particularly appreciate is a button which sends the signal from one's CD player (or any other non-phono cartridge input) directly to the amplifier -- bypassing the preamp circuitry, which is not needed except when playing LPs (which most people rarely do these days) -- for the lowest distortion and best signal to noise ratio. There are other slighty less expensive -- and less good -- stereo receivers available, but if you want suberb performance at a moderate price I highly recommend this Yamaha. Incidentally, this receiver is XM satellite radio ready for those who want this feature.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great receiver!, June 23, 2008

By	MSB (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This Yamaha XR-497 replaces a 15-year old Denon stereo receiver that was too expensive to repair. I have 2-sets of speakers, 3 components to hook-up, including a turntable. Most receivers sold now are surround sound / home theater rather than a straightforward am/fm stereo receiver. Most also do not have a built-in pre-amp for a turntable. The Yamaha XR-497 is perfect and it's easy to set up. I'm not a techie and the reviews previously posted were very helpful. Be careful though to only buy from an authorized Yamaha dealer since the Yamaha warranty specifically excludes coverage from product purchased from any other source. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great for both old and new media, June 4, 2008

By	appletree (new york) - See all my reviews

We bought this receiver initially since we still have a turntable, and this was one of the few products that still has this capability. It turns out that we couldn't be happier with our choice. Besides having the ability to play LPs, it also can play audio tapes and videos, FM/AM radio, DVDs and CDs and it also has a connection for DVRs, satellite radio and an S-video cable. It's extremely easy to set up and use, and everything we've played so far sounds great. I highly recommend it.