Yamaha RX-V1800BL 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Review
I recently replaced my old surround set up with a Polk 5.1 configuration, using RTI-A7 fronts, RTI-A3 rears, a CSI-A6 center and a PSW505 sub. I had been running these through a Yamaha RX-V659, which is a very nice receiver, but I wanted something with a bit more high-current ability to drive the new speakers. I also wanted a receiver with HDMI inputs that handle both audio and video for the best possible sound and picture for HD A/V sources. I did a lot of research on a number of different products from Denon, Onkyo, HK, Pioneer and the like, but I ended up settling on this one. I had been planning to replace the old unit a few months down the road, but when I stumbled into one of these brand-new-in-box at a large electronics superstore for an almost surreal 9, I took the plunge.
Pulling it out of the box, the build quality is exceptional; the RX-V1800 weighs a good 40 lbs. It's a pretty big piece of equipment, measuring 17" W x 17" D x 7" H. Make sure you have space for this. Everything feels very solid, and Yamaha claims its ToP-ART design technique creates virtually no additional signal distortion to incoming/outgoing signals.
Looking at the back of this thing may cause headaches for some. For an amateur audiophile like me, it's fantastic. The RX-V1800 has every connection type you can think of, highlighted by 4 HDMI inputs/1 output and 4 optical inputs/2 outputs. It has multichannel analog inputs for SACD/DVD-A. There's an iPod jack for the optional Yamaha YDS-11SL iPod Dock, which I also purchased. In addition, there's a port for XM connection (I do not have XM so I can't comment on it). There are still plenty of component inputs and analog inputs for those with older devices that do not support digital connections. The speaker terminals are made of metal; they are well-built and feel solid. The vertical layout of the terminals can make it difficult to use traditional wiring, and for many banana cables will be an easier way to go. You can wire a total of 9 speakers + sub using this receiver, which is basically standard 7.1 with 2 additional "presence" speakers added to the left and right fronts (only 7 can play simultaneously, however.)
Just to clarify - this receiver is NOT network ready. There is no ethernet port, and there isn't a USB port for connecting external hard drives, etc. For me, this isn't an issue - I have that functionality with the PS3 - but for some, it may be a requirement and hopefully this will eliminate some of the confusion due to the misleading product description on this page.
The different settings are too numerous to list, and I haven't had the item long enough to finish reading the entire manual (which is just as monstrous as this receiver). But of the most importance to potential buyers is the RX-V1800's ability to decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, along with any older encoding method you can think of. It can handle incoming decoded high-resolution PCM. It also supports HDMI 1.3a and can pass full 1080p. This is perfect for next-gen AV, as it can decode/handle any advanced multichannel format there is, including Blu-ray, HD-DVD, SACD, DVD-A, etc. This is perfect for me: I can run my PS3 through a single HDMI cable to the receiver out to the TV in full 1080p video, with Linear PCM/TrueHD multichannel audio humming through my Polks when I play Blu-rays.
There are a host of sound field settings available on the RX-V1800, some of which emulate concert halls, arenas, and clubs, others which are specifically tailored to TV/Movies/Video Games. These are marginally useful. I typically only use these programs with jazz and classical CDs - the Concert Hall and Jazz Club sound field programs are numerous and quite nice, adding surround ambience to stereo discs, which I like. My favorite settings however are Straight for AV and especially Pure Direct for Audio only signals. This shuts down all other processes (including the display) except the amplifier and sends the signal direct to the speakers with no additional processing. This setting really makes SACDs and DVD-As shine.
In terms of power, the RX-V1800 is a beast. It can pump out 130W x 7 RMS, which is as much power as most normal people will ever need. It seems (at least to me) to have a fuller sound than the RX-V659 did, which I attribute to the additional reserve power this unit has under most conditions. As such it's perfectly equipped to run multizone, configured with either one (7.1), two (5.1 in zone 1, stereo in zone 2) or three different zones (3.1 in zone 1, stereo in zones 2 & 3). I really like the fact that the different zones are powered by separate amps.
The remote control is standard Yamaha - in other words a mess. And this is coming from a someone who has owned (and liked) Yamaha components in the past. Setup itself is not very difficult (setting levels, speaker distance, etc.) but I still haven't figured out how to control the finer points via remote. I haven't used the second "zone" remote, so I won't comment on that.
I also haven't thoroughly tested out this receiver's video upconversion, but it seems OK not great. DVDs played through the PS3 connected via HDMI to the RX-V1800 to my Samsung LN46A550 46" 1080p LCD HDTV appear to be of similar quality as compared to connecting the PS3 via HDMI straight into my TV (the TV also has a decent upconverter). EDIT: 1/9/09 - after carefully examining the manual, the upscaling only works if you hook the incoming device up with component, S-video or analog connections. HDMI passes signal as-is. After hooking up my Yamaha DVD-S1800 upscaling universal DVD/DVD-A/SACD player with component video in to the RX-V1800, I can safely tell you the upscaling to 1080p is very, very good.
Look and feel is actually quite nice (this is sometimes a problem for Yamaha as their products tend to be built for function above form), with a black brushed aluminum front and ample ventilation grilling on top. A metal faceplate hides many of the on-deck controls when closed, giving the item a smooth and uncluttered profile.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this receiver thus far, especially playing SACDs and Blu-rays in lossless 5.1 multichannel sound. It's really let my Polks show off their large dynamic range in a new way.
Overall this receiver is excellent. It offers just about any features you could possibly want, and it was an unbelievable value for me considering the deal I stumbled into. I know I'm not taking full advantage of all of this receiver's capabilities, but I consider that a good thing. As with the speakers, I plan on keeping this receiver for the foreseeable future, as it's somewhat future-proofed and can be scaled to any size room (or rooms) I would ever need. I don't have space for 7.1 right now, but when I do I feel pretty good about bringing this receiver along with me. Recommended, especially if you can get it for below list. If not, you can get much of the same functionality with slightly less output from a Yamaha RX-V863 for a lot less.
Yamaha RX-V1800BL 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Feature
- 7.1-channel home theater receiver with 910 Watts of total power (130 Watts-per-channel)
- Latest HDMI 1.3a (4 in/1 out) specification supports deep color (30/36 bit) transmission, 120Hz and 24Hz refresh rates and auto lip-sync
- Analog video (480i or 480p) upscaling to full HD 1080p
- Supports Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio
- iPod compatibility via optional Yamaha YDS-10
Yamaha RX-V1800BL 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) Overview
The Yamaha RX-V1800 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver offers excellent levels of sound and video quality for total home theater enjoyment. It provides 910 Watts of total power, pushing 130 Watts to each of its 7 channels. With features including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoders, the latest HDMI 1.3a specification support, video upscaling to 1080p, iPod compatibility, YPAO Auto Setup with Quick Start and multi-zone custom installation support, it will become the cornerstone of your home theater experience.
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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 25, 2010 23:27:00
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