Yamaha RX-V557 XM-Enabled 6.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver

AV receivers in the $300 - $500 price range now provide performance and flexibility that was once reserved for much higher-priced units. Having had a chance to use the Yamaha RX-V557, I must say that it is an excellent value, with the added bonus of XM Satellite Radio capability. For those wishing to get into home theater with a good performing entry-level AV receiver that is priced reasonably, the RX-V557 deserves consideration.

Yamaha RX-V557 Product Overview

The features of the Yamaha RX-V557 include:

1. 6.1 channels of amplification, delivering 90 watts into each of the six channels. A Subwoofer line output is provided for a powered subwoofer channel.

2. Dolby Prologic IIx, Dolby Digital 5.1/6.1 EX, DTS 5.1/6.1 ES, 96/24, and Neo:6 surround formats are included, as well as Yamaha's DSP surround enhancement options.

3. 6-channel analog audio inputs for SACD, DVD-Audio, or external decoder are available.

4. Center channel equalizer. Extensive speaker level, distance, and low frequency crossover settings are provided for precise sound setup.

5.Second zone preamp outputs are provided as well as Yamaha's Silent Cinema headphone output.

6.Audio inputs provided: 6 analog, 4 digital, 1 coaxial. Video inputs provided: 4 composite, 3 S-video, two component.

7. S-video to composite/composite to S-video conversion, as well as Composite and S-Video to Component Conversion is included.

8. An XM-Satellite Tuner is Built-in (antenna and subscription required). A AM/FM Tuner with 40 presets is also included.

9. Multi-function front panel LED display shows both Receiver and XM radio functions.

10. A Wireless remote control is provided.

Setup and Testing

Testing Setup - Hardware

Components used in the evaluation included a Denon DCM-370 CD/HDCD Changer, Panasonic LX-1000 Laserdisc Player, JVC XV-NP10S DVD Player - Code Free Version, Kiss DP-470 DVD Receiver, Philips DVDR-985 DVD Recorder,

Video display devices used included: A Syntax LT32HV LCD television and an Optoma H56 DLP video projector.

A variety of loudspeakers, including Klipsch B-3s, Klipsch C-3, Optimus LX-5IIs, a Yamaha YST-SW205 Powered Subwoofer, and additional speakers, in both matched and mismatched setups were used.

All line-level (including subwoofer) and digital audio connections between components were made with Accell and Cobalt Interconnect cables.

In addition, the use of a CNP-1000 XM-Satellite radio antenna and temporary sample subscription was provided by XM for the purpose of this review.

Comparison audio components used: Yamaha HTR-5490 6.1 Channel AV Receiver, Outlaw Audio Model 950 paired with a Butler Audio 5150 5-channel power amplifier.

Testing Setup - Software

A sampling of the software used included standard CDs: HEART - Dreamboat Annie, Nora Jones: Come Away With Me, Blue Man Group: The Complex and Audio, Lisa Loeb: Firecracker (HDCD), Blondie: Live (HDCD), Telarc: 1812 Overture.

One Laserdisc was used: Godzilla 1998.

DVDs used included: Kill Bill - Vol1/Vol2, Master and Commander, Chicago, Lord Of the Rings Trilogy, House Of The Flying Daggers, Alien Vs Predator, Moulin Rouge, The Mummy, Ed Wood (Region 3 - NTSC), and Crying Freeman (Region 2 - PAL). DVD-Audio/DTS music discs used included: Queen: Night At The Opera/The Game, Eagles: Hotel California, Sheila Nicholls: Wake, Alan Parsons: On Air. Also included: The Corrs: In Blue (Dolby Digital). Portions of other software titles in the above categories were used as well.

Overall Performance

The Yamaha RX-V557 proved to be a very good performer with each of the connected components and with all software program material used in this review. Stereo and surround sound performance was very good on a wide range of movie and audio-only material from both analog and digital sources.

In addition to the standard Dolby Digital and modes, Yamaha's Cinema DSP modes did a great job of placing the above soundfields into realistic environments, such as a movie theater or concert hall. Unlike some AV receivers in this class, the RX-V557 also holds up well in two-channel sound reproduction, providing good music-only performance.

Athough not as powerful as the its higher-priced and higher-end cousins, the RX-V557's amplifiers supplied enough power for an small to average sized room over long periods of time. In addition, the 557 was able to respond quickly to dramatic changes in sound levels. This was especially evident on intense audio clips such as the foggy battle scene in Master and Commander, as well as demanding music clips, such as Heart's Magic Man.

The 557 also performed well in the video department. The video conversion circuitry worked very well when used with both the Syntax LT-32HV LCD television using both component and S-video inputs, and also with the Optoma H56 DLP video projector using S-Video inputs.

On very color intense films, such as Moulin Rouge and the opening scenes in House Of The Flying Daggers, there was little difference between a straight interlaced component video signal and an interlaced component video signal that had been converted from S-Video.

The 557 also did a good job of transferring straight progressive scan component video signals.

Proceed to Page 2: XM Radio and Final Thoughts