Yamaha Introduces New 63-Series Home Theater Receiver Line-Up
Yamaha has announced its latest line of Home Theater Receivers that bring more advanced features to an affordable price level. The five new Home Theater Receivers: RX-V363, RX-V463, RX-V563, RX-V663, and RX-V863 are all Bluetooth and iPod compatible (via optional docking stations), feature HDMI switching, and include Yamaha's convenient SCENE mode selection. The SCENE mode is a set of preset listening options that work in conjunction with input selection. The user can either select the default settings for DVD, CD, TV, and Radio, or can select from other options including iPOD, XM, TV Sports, or Video Game.
In addition, to make setup even more simple, all the receivers, except the RS-V363, also have on-screen menu displays and Yamaha's YPAO automatic speaker setup function. Added features on the higher-end RX-V663 and RX-V863 include two subwoofer outputs (great for large rooms), analog video conversion to HDMI, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD decoding, and Second Zone operation that allows the user to run a 5.2 Channel setup in one room and a 2-channel Stereo setup in another room simultaneously.
As far as the basics go, the RX-V363 has 5.1 Channels (100WPCx5) and carries a suggested retail price (SRP) of $229.95.
The RX-V463 has 5.1 Channels (105WPCx5) and carries an SRP of $349.95.
The RX-V563 has 7.1 Channels (90WPCx7) and carries an SRP of $449.95.
The RX-V663 has 7.2 Channels (95WPCx7) and carries an SRP of $549.95.
The RX-V863 has 7.2 Channels (105WPCx7) and carries an SRP of $999.95.
For more details on Yamaha's announced features and specifications for all five new Home Theater Receivers, check out the RX-V363, RX-V463, RX-V563, RX-V663, and RX-V863 Product Pages. Watch for further product profiles and/or reviews of these receivers on this site.
Photos of RX-V363 (left) and RX-V863 (right) - (c) - Yamaha Electronics Corporation, USA
Comments
Wow! Yamaha is usually pretty conservative about bringing in new features but this year they have gone all out. Every feature I could have hoped for, including HDRadio, is now on the table. Unfortunately, the 863 is still a little underpowered for me but now I know what to expect when the new 4-digit series comes out. I just hope I don’t have to wait until September to see them.
Feature set is good, except they left out USB support for flash drives and the units are not “network ready”, like there other ones. Also could use more power. Talked to Yamaha and they said the next “new” line would address these issues when released at the end of this year.
Currently the only Yamaha Network Receivers available are the RX-V3800, and its immediate predecessor, the RX-V2700.
They had a previous, more affordable network receiver – the RX-N600, which is no longer in production, but may still be available at some retailers:
http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=451033&CTID=5000300
The new models coming out the end of year most likely be the next step is the 00 model series – perhaps numbered RX-V1900 and 3900, but as soon I have access to the actual model numbers and information, it will be posted on this site.
Robert Silva
Guide to Home Theater
http://hometheater.about.com
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I forgot to include the fact that the
the RX-Z11 is also network equipped – However, it is way out of the affordable price range
for the vast majority of consumers.
Robert Silva
Guide to Home Theater
http://hometheater.about.com
Become an About.com Guide: http://beaguide.about.com
About.com is part of the New York Times Company