Does it really matter? If you're happy with the way your system sounds, just listen to it. |
+1 zd. fwiw, i'm currently using the s700 (yamaha integrated) and like it just fine. i've heard the outlaw 2150 and various rotel and they're very nice, but i doubt they're an evolutionary step beyond the yamaha. |
Thanks Loomisjohnson. Well stated. I am a newbie with 2 channel stereo. Just trying to get educated and obtain the best sound possible.
The Yamaha R-S700 2 channel receiver is one of their higher end models with 100 watts per channel. I guess because its more of a "commercial" receiver than a boutique "audiophile" receiver, it gets overlooked by various "High End" magazines and online editorials. |
Yamaha is way underrated. I always liked their Natural Sound Receivers that you can find in various estate sales or salvation army stores for small pocket cash. |
"Thanks Loomisjohnson. Well stated. I am a newbie with 2 channel stereo. Just trying to get educated and obtain the best sound possible."
The best way to learn is hands on. Do a lot of listening and try different setup options, like various speaker positions. Also, I see you are reading reviews. Keep in mind, they can hurt just as much as help; especially when you are new to audio. The less you have to rely on them, the better.
Here's something else you can try. Find reviews on products you can find in stores where you live. Demo the product first and write down some basic assessments. Then read the review and compare it to your notes. Trust me on this. It will be time well spent. |
Great advice guys. Thanks. I was able to listen to various receivers including Marantz, NAD, even my friends Outlaw receiver. All wired with 12 gauge speaker wire, copper cables and various Bowers and Wilkins Speakers. Yamaha produced the purest, if I may, most honest sound production. Honestly I am very pleased with my purchase. I have played music from - Miles Davis- Kind of Blue to the Eagles- Remastered "Hotel California" and back to Norah Jones CD'S. All sound amazing to me and whoever happens to be listening with me.
I agree that Yamaha is way underrated. I do believe that magazines like TAS tout products that are paid advertisers first. Apparently Yamaha doesn't need to pay to PLAY- so to speak! This is just my opinion. |
agree with all of the above regarding yamaha--i feel like even in the 80s and 90s, when their peers like sony were churning out junk, they were maintaining a higher standard. i've observed that the big mass market players like yam, hk and onkyo have made a renewed foray into higher-end 2ch of late and, from what i've heard, are producing very credible gear. if you think about it, because of their sheer scale (not to mention their long histories) these companies should be able to throw more into r&d, source better parts for less, and deliver a better product for less than say, a boutique manufacturer even if they lack the brand cachet. |
Hello, I don't want to highjack this thread, but I do have a question about this Yamaha receiver.
I too have the Yamaha R-S700 Stereo Receiver. I am using B&W CM5-S2 Speakers with sub-woofer, a Denon 5 CD changer and Yamaha YDS-12 iPod Dock with iPod Nano.
I think the receiver sounds quite good, but perhaps a little "bright" for my tastes. It has a lot of useful features and appears to be built rock solid.
I do have one question which perhaps can be answered here;
I'm not sure that the "Main In" & "Pre Out" connections are of much use. I did connect a Behringer 31 Band EQ to the Main/Pre connections, it gave the system a wider sound stage and more volume. But other than that, I was not that impressed.
So, my question is; what else can these connections be used for? The manual dose not say too much regarding this.
Thanks for any replies. |
Excellent product. I really enjoy mine. The Pre main out jumpers should be replace with a nice interconnect. I use a Transparent Music Wave. I also swapped out the stock power chord for a Shunyata Diamondback. This unit is a lot better than you can imagine. |
Yamaha makes a variety of solid, consumer and professional grade gear.The above mentioned brands would be more of a lateral move than a quantum leap upgrade.
That being said, and this is highly subjective, I'm more of a Denon fan. I did use a higher end Yammie AVR from the 90s that was well built and reliable. |
Wcc10, The pre out on any receiver is used for hooking up another amp. Something like an equalizer would be used in-between the pre out and amp in connections. |
"I too have the Yamaha R-S700 Stereo Receiver. I am using B&W CM5-S2 Speakers with sub-woofer, a Denon 5 CD changer and Yamaha YDS-12 iPod Dock with iPod Nano.
I think the receiver sounds quite good, but perhaps a little "bright" for my tastes. It has a lot of useful features and appears to be built rock solid."
You may want to invest a little more time in the issue before you make a final judgement as to the source of the brightness in your system. You may end up being right, but the biggest complaint about B&W speakers is a bright treble. If you try a different speaker that has a softer treble, I think the problem will go away. |
My brother just bought the same Yamaha as yours I think,he loves it.It's his 3rd or 4th.I bought a new Yamaha 3090 in 1997 when I was heavily into home theater.I still use it now in my secondary system. |
Do you often play CDs? Could you borrow a single disc player to try in your system? A single disc player may smooth out the sound over the 5 disc one. |
WCC10 for future reference. The Pre-out/in is rarely seen on systems today, but it has a use few people understand. 1)The receiver may be used as a power amplifier should you desire a new audiophile preamp. 2) The pre-out allows you to disconnect from your amp and use the receiver as a preamplifier should you need say 250watts/channel, and there are many quality power amps out there. I hope this explains this setup better.
I read constantly the stereo buyers want to know why the sub-out is not controlled by the receiver with cutoff settings. Please understand that was created for AV-surround world. When you have $2000 speakers with multiple woofers, you don't want to loose that. This allows you to set you subwoofer to fill in the bottom end of your speakers (and few can output below 40 Hz. When you play music you hear the richness of the sound without realizing there is a sub sitting somewhere in the room. All of the sound seems to emit from the main speakers. I hope this helps to understand why Yamaha and numerous others use this output for the subwoofer.
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Yamaha receivers and amps sound great. and are reliable. underrated. rotel is overrated. arcam, nad, etc. will not sound as smooth as the Yamaha. Marantz has a clear sound, but kind of dry like- not so natural sounding. as for main in- used to connect separate preamp so using only amp section of yamaha. pre-out- connect to power amp so using only preamp section of yamaha. Yamaha is a fine product and a good value. I sell jolida tube gear. I have heard lots of gear. Yamaha would be my choice for solid state gear. |
The pre-out/main-in loop can be used for the previously mention purposes or using the R-S700 as just a pre-amp or just a power-amp, but it can also be used to add an external equilizer. This is particularly useful with many older KEF speakers that have a KEF Kube equalizer that enhances their speakers, or and old school graphic equalizer. Sad that even Yamaha stopped offering this feature on any of their current Stereo receivers. |
