After owning a new Yamaha RS-500 stereo receiver for a couple of weeks now, I think it's time for a little review.
Our old Denon DRA-1000 stereo receiver gave up the ghost after nearly 14 years of daily use so it was time to look for a new receiver to replace the old one. I ended buying the the Yamaha RS-500 for EUR 329, which seems quite reasonable. Another candidate was the Harman-Kardon HK-3490 because of it's digital inputs. But since we have a DAC, I don't really need them in the amp and the HK doesn't really fit with our equipment.
We've had it playing for a couple of weeks now and we really like it. Nice sound to put in one word.
What we really like is the number of inputs and outputs, the very decent phono pre-amp (very nice sound from Pro-Ject record player) and the Pure Direct mode.
Tuner: good sound from the FM cable feed.
Extra features we like: Rec Out selector and A/B speaker switching with the remote control. It powers a second set of speakers in the kitchen. Plus a speaker impedance selector.
I can't really comment on the remote control (lots of fiddly buttons) because we use a Logitech Harmony Touch.
We've got a very nice black box in the living room. It sounds incredibly smooth with all sorts of music and we like it better than the old Denon receiver.
Anyone looking for a plain old good stereo receiver with great looks? I can really recomment the Yamaha RS-500.
Specs:
- Tuner FM/MW
- Line in: 3
- Tape: 2
- Phono MM
- Speakers A and B
Our old Denon DRA-1000 stereo receiver gave up the ghost after nearly 14 years of daily use so it was time to look for a new receiver to replace the old one. I ended buying the the Yamaha RS-500 for EUR 329, which seems quite reasonable. Another candidate was the Harman-Kardon HK-3490 because of it's digital inputs. But since we have a DAC, I don't really need them in the amp and the HK doesn't really fit with our equipment.
We've had it playing for a couple of weeks now and we really like it. Nice sound to put in one word.
What we really like is the number of inputs and outputs, the very decent phono pre-amp (very nice sound from Pro-Ject record player) and the Pure Direct mode.
Tuner: good sound from the FM cable feed.
Extra features we like: Rec Out selector and A/B speaker switching with the remote control. It powers a second set of speakers in the kitchen. Plus a speaker impedance selector.
I can't really comment on the remote control (lots of fiddly buttons) because we use a Logitech Harmony Touch.
We've got a very nice black box in the living room. It sounds incredibly smooth with all sorts of music and we like it better than the old Denon receiver.
Anyone looking for a plain old good stereo receiver with great looks? I can really recomment the Yamaha RS-500.
Specs:
- Tuner FM/MW
- Line in: 3
- Tape: 2
- Phono MM
- Speakers A and B