|
The receiver is basically now the equal to the newer 1900 less a few features that you may or may not need. Yamaha has released a firmware update to fix the BTB/WTW clipping issue, the receiver now passes full rgb via hdmi or component, it still will not upscale any signal input via hdmi or do OSD via HDMI but this is not really needed if your feeding it an HD signal ( why mess with the clean HD signal ). Edit.
I did upgrade my receiver to the latest firmware and did test with one of the BD titles known to have the pop issue, passed. While not as loud it is alot clearer and supports all the latest audio formats that you will generally need. I recently upgraded to the Yamaha 6190 ( same as the 1800 ) a week ago from another Yamaha receiver, I have previously owned other brand receivers like the onkyo 604 and pioneers as well.right off the speaker connections are very close together and using premade speaker wires bare or with gold crimp on connectors is difficult, banana plugs are the way to go here.
I did increase the levels to compensate for the loudness and that seemed to help but it was a slight letdown in what seems a generally fine unit. There is still an issue with the presence speakers not outputting any sound when bitstreaming dts master audio to the receiver but if you choose any of the matrix modes they work.So I have my sony 42" 1080p lcd, my bluray player, directtv, PC and cable box all into the receiver, no sync issues and no problems, it does get a bit hot with the volume cranked up loud ( I mean really loud ) but no worse than any other receiver so far ( alot cooler than an onkyo ).So now what was a great bargain just got even better. I also tested with a full rgb source to look at the btb/wtw issue but if you do calibrate our tv/monitor correctly it is not a really big deal and the bd titles I have tried do not show any issues nor via my pc in most situations but I can produce problems if I tried to increase gamma or brightness to high on subject matter that uses full rgb.
So next I popped in a music cd and immediately noticed that the difference in loudness between this and some older units, the 1800's inputs are slightly less sensitive than some other receivers and does not sound as loud.
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. 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. There is no ethernet port, and there isn't a USB port for connecting external hard drives, etc. In addition, there's a port for XM connection (I do not have XM so I can't comment on it). 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. If not, you can get much of the same functionality with slightly less output from a Yamaha RX-V863 for a lot less. It can pump out 130W x 7 RMS, which is as much power as most normal people will ever need.
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. There are still plenty of component inputs and analog inputs for those with older devices that do not support digital connections. Recommended, especially if you can get it for below list. For an amateur audiophile like me, it's fantastic. 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 RX-V1800 has every connection type you can think of, highlighted by 4 HDMI inputs/1 output and 4 optical inputs/2 outputs. This setting really makes SACDs and DVD-As shine. 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 $599, I took the plunge. 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. The speaker terminals are made of metal; they are well-built and feel solid. 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).
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. 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 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. Everything feels very solid, and Yamaha claims its ToP-ART design technique creates virtually no additional signal distortion to incoming/outgoing signals. 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. It's a pretty big piece of equipment, measuring 17" W x 17" D x 7" H.
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. 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. It offers just about any features you could possibly want, and it was an unbelievable value for me considering the deal I stumbled into. It can handle incoming decoded high-resolution PCM. And this is coming from a someone who has owned (and liked) Yamaha components in the past.
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. 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. HDMI passes signal as-is. Pulling it out of the box, the build quality is exceptional; the RX-V1800 weighs a good 40 lbs. 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. 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.
In terms of power, the RX-V1800 is a beast. Looking at the back of this thing may cause headaches for some. It has multichannel analog inputs for SACD/DVD-A. My favorite settings however are Straight for AV and especially Pure Direct for Audio only signals. 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.
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. It's really let my Polks show off their large dynamic range in a new way. This shuts down all other processes (including the display) except the amplifier and sends the signal direct to the speakers with no additional processing. I haven't used the second "zone" remote, so I won't comment on that. but I still haven't figured out how to control the finer points via remote. 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. I know I'm not taking full advantage of all of this receiver's capabilities, but I consider that a good thing.
It also supports HDMI 1.3a and can pass full 1080p. Overall this receiver is excellent.
Make sure you have space for this. Setup itself is not very difficult (setting levels, speaker distance, 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's an iPod jack for the optional Yamaha YDS-11SL iPod Dock, which I also purchased.
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).
My initial thoughts are: awesome. Can't get it to work.
i will write more on this soon.Guys if anyone can help me setup my mono woofer on this, i would appreciate it. BUt overall i like it.
i had just got my hands on this unit finally. i am struggling a bit with the woofer still.
The following are the items i am using with this AV:Yamaha RX-V1800BL 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black)Polk Audio Monitor Series CS2 Center Channel Speaker (Single, Cherry)Yamaha YST-SW325 8-Inch Advanced YST II and QD-Bass Subwoofer, BlackFront and rear channels are still stock Panasonic speakers Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD - Blu-Ray disc player - upscalingVenturer HD DVD Player - SHD7000OPPO DV-980H 1080p Up-Converting Universal DVD Player with HDMI and 7.1CH AudioApple MA711LL/A TV with 40GB Hard Drive been waiting forever for it.
the images on my Epson Powerlite Home Cinema 720 720P HD 1600 Lumens look just amazing via the V1800.
Other than that its a good unit. But if you do have a large room, just know that you will be able to use one or the other, presence speakers or rear surround not both. The models above in price to this unit do have this feature whereas, you can plug USB devices directly into the unit. They cannot be used at the same time as your rear surrounds if you have them. I almost sent this back due to deceptive advertising.
My opinion. The picture that is shown, is for the 3800 not the 1800. If you have a small room such as mine, the presence speakers are awesome, as I dont have the room to do a full 7.1 system. You can have both hooked up, but only one will play at a time. I think the complexity of the remote is not as bad as some here have complained. This reciever lists a capability called presence speakers.
You will notice that the page for this reciever lists a feature that calls this a "Network" reciever. I decided to keep the unit though, as I got a great price. I am using this, but do your research. Not true for this model. One other word of caution. I just hate the fact that someone else may have looked at the advertising and made a decision based on this, then would have had to go through an arduous return policy.
This model does not have that feature. (719.99) and that feature in all honesty would have gotten little use from me.
Everybody I call says "Our receiver is 'pass-thru' so there will be no signal degradation." Yeah, that's what Yamaha said too. Anyways, I am returning the receiver but now I have the problem of finding a receiver that truly will support 120hz refresh rate. so they just said that so people would buy them only to find out later that it was not true.
I bought the Yamaha RX-V1800 receiver because Yamaha claimed it would support that refresh rate. very disappointing once you have had 120hz. I recently bought a Samsung 52" LCD TV with 120hz refresh rate.
believe me.I called Yamaha and at first was told that this receiver would support 120hz but after I relayed my experience I was put on hold for a while and then told, "Sorry, it turns out that it actually does not support 120hz refresh rate." Yamaha customer service went on to tell me that, "When this receiver first came out there were hardly any tv's with that refresh rate." Huh. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.BTW, the audio on this receiver was fantastic but like others have said, the remote and on screen menu navigation left alot to be desired. Well, I am very sad to say it does not.
The most it would do was 60hz.
|
