Yammy650rds on loan from richers...

Z

zoolander

Guest
Hi guys, not really a big AV fan, but thought it was about time i replaced my aging Yamaha rxv496 rds :rolleyes: Basically my surround system is really basic, Mission m53 mains, m7c2 centre and m71 rears and a entry level Pioneer dv444 dvd player. Oh and a Rel Strata III :thumbsup: The only thing that dissapointed me with the 496 was when the volume was cranked up, the whole sound hardens up and loses control plus there wernt much going on with the rear speakers either, surrond steering was slow and also not smooth whatsover, with lots of audible 'holes' in the soundfield.

I recently bought/loaned a Yamaha rxv650 rds for a bargain £269 :clap: but i initially went in to get the Dsp ax750 which they didnt have in stock, being an impatient person i jas had to leave with a new bit of kit. Now the 650 seems like much better value as the best price i could get for the 750 is £349 and it lacks the radio and is only 5 watts up in power. Has anyone comapred the two? Im asking because i have 12 days left to decide wether to keep the 650, at the moment its 50/50-it is a definate improvement over the 496 and sounds respectable in stereo too when used in pure direct mode-no match for my dedicated stereo system though. The automtaic setup was quite straightfoward and the results were pleasing except for the subwoofer setting which i thought was pretty poor as it set its crossover frequency at 80hz even though the mission mains can easily sink down to 25hz in room :eek: so i fixed that my setting it to 40hz. Ive looked at reviews for this amp and was shocked to read that it used low quality power amps internally which drop to a mere 50watts when all channels are driven :eek: even though it is rated at 95watts @ 8ohms. Ive also read that the 750 on the other hand uses higher quality parts and was half designed in the UK so isit worth me taking the 650 back for the 750-i think i can trade in my 496 for £50 and just pay the extra £30 in cash. At around £350 are there better alternatives? Radio isnt important as i will be investing in a DAB in the near future. Next will be a dvd player but i will post about that nearer the time.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Zoolander
 
Lycky guy, that was cheap!

Think 650 sounds super, even as a stereo amp. But it worries me that pure direct differs much from straight (or 2-channel stereo) when it comes to the sound field created between the two front speakers. The latter seems a little out of phase or something; people talking on the radio seem less focused between the speakers.

I thought that the main difference was that 750 has learning remote and pure direct button (+ it works with Denon DVD, see my thread under remotes). And that 750 auto-adjust the eq on center an has component upconverting and phono-in.

Lower quality power amps on 650? Who says? Not their fault that they can't get enough power from the transformer, that I think is about the same on 650 and 750 (same weight).

The 650 set crossover to 160 hz (because of my small surrounds?, I lowered it a bit), and my fronts to small. I took the latter as an insult (as my fronts have twin 8" and go way under 50 hz :)
 
Cheers for the reply Loewe, ive had it for 3 days now and am well impressed with it i think the doubting was psychological coz at £270 and the fact it has the radio it seems like better VFM than the 750 so im most probably gona keep the 650.

Zoo
 
As far as i know, 650 and 750 are pretty much the same sounding unit. If you're not keeping, then rather change to Sony DB795 or Denon 2105 or Marantz 4500... 50W is an average rate, while 80-100 is really good. Double power is only 3db:s in volume, remember. And those PMPO (Power for Marketing Purposes Only) rates are nothing to shout about. ;) That 50W is more than you'll ever need, different amps may sound a bit different though. (Some say Yamaha lacks a bit of bass)
 
If you have a fairly decent REL sub, I'd say that setting the crossover much higher is the preferred option, no matter what you think your speakers are capacle of going down to. If your speakers can go down to 25Hz, how much power would need to be going to them to produce those low frequencie. Far more than the 650 can provide, that's for sure. If you set the crossover higher, say 80 (I think THX is over 100), then the sub copes with all the low frequencies like it's supposed to, while the amp's amplifiers are left to cope with the much less power hungry higher frequencies. It's definitely the way to go. 40Hz is way, way too low to set the crossover. Go the the sub forum for some better advice.
 
Cheers Jasper, what you've said certainly makes sense, i will turn the sub x-over back up again but should i set all my speakers to small as the 650 seems to think my rear m71s are large too?! Im reall happy with the sound of the system as it is, even when watching a comedy like Alfie the sound field is satisfyingly detailed and ambient, certainly a big step up from ym older 496 and i think the 650 is definately for keeps :smashin:

Zoo
 

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