Yamaha RX-V481

Quality fail – I purchased a Yamaha receiver RX-V481 just 2 years ago from Harvey Norman. I turned it on for some music the other day and couldn't get any sound. I Googled, no sound from Yamaha receiver, and to my dismay, I wasn't the only one with that issue and it had happened to lots of people and lots of different units. I don't class 2 years of use, value for money, because I have to see if it's fixable firstly and if I need to replace the unit with something else. I called the Yamaha support, where I was directed to leave my name and number and they would call me back, they didn't. Totally disappointed, I don't have monyey to throw around, but buying one of these Yamaha receivers, means you will have your hand in your wallet. Not happy with product or their lack of service.

In Short it's a brilliant AMP / Receiver – I have had this Amp / Receiver for a couple of months now. In Short it's brilliant. This Amp was to replace my aging Yamaha HTR-5830, mainly because it lacked HDMI inputs which most modern AV devices require. I was considering similarly spec'd Harmon Kardon and Pioneer AV Receivers, but in the end decided to stick with the Yamaha and am happy I did.

This new Amp does not disappoint. It has breathed new life into my old 5.1 Yamaha speakers, It's got so many connectivity options ( i.e., wired / wireless LAN, Bluetooth, Yamaha Musiccast,, can connect to internet radio stations). It can be controlled / control devices that support. HDMI CEC.

Good Points

Great Sound, Supports 4K pass through, Reasonably Good Menu system given the units complexity and many config options. It offers lots of connectivity options, has a USB port on the front, connects seamlessly to my Bluetooth headphones, comes with a Mic that makes it easy to setup the amp for you, it's energy efficient and Unit can be controlled by HDMI CEC compatible devices. It supports just about every standard you would want and gives you a ton of decoding options

Not so good Points

Most are pretty minor really. The only point I found that may warrant some concern / be a deal breaker for some was that the unit only has 4 HDMI inputs. This is barely enough given the many devices that it will potentially interface with. Other than the above, the amp's accompanying doco is somewhat lacking, you will need to download the full manual to setup and get the most out of it. Again this quite minor and is easily rectified by going online.

I bought the unit online from excelhifi.com.au and would recommend them as they were very prompt with their delivery and communicated well throughout the process.