Yamaha RX-V577 AV-receiver

Yamaha has made up for being by letting its new RX-V577 to get its wireless tentacles into numerous services that were linked to the WiFi celebration, including DLNA streaming vTuner internet radio, AirPlay, HTC Join and Spotify Connect. Yet showing that you scoff your cake and can never have it, absent in the mix is Bluetooth, though it is possible to plumb in a elective Bluetooth receiver, in price.

Another important AVR advantage today is a program for commanding your kit by means of graphics tablet or a cellphone. The AV Control of Yamaha is a huge element of the RX-V577 narrative, and continues to be quite great for several years, keeping the tempo with the likes of Pioneer regarding usability and slickness.

In general, a healthy roll of characteristics which makes the RX-V577 a powerful proposal in the downandfilthy £500 stadium.

It is inoffensive from across an area and contains a fine legible dot matrix display, but its haphazard scattering of buttons and outlets leaves a bit to be wanted. Nor does one get the impression that its the most solid about, but this is expected in this marketplace.

At least outlets round the back's layout is adequate, with everything. Assemble quality of the casing as well as loudspeaker terminals is realistic, taking into consideration the cost, but removing the caps in the terminals demands significant strength and care to not damage the plastic.

Smooth operator

Insufficient Bluetooth aside, the wireless execution of Yamaha comprises Wireless Direct, which lets you stream music right from a cellphone or tablet pc in the lack of a wireless router, in addition to enabling complete charge of the amp utilizing the program, and is extremely remarkable. Especially great using the latter is the 3D room layout image that allows you to crimp to resize the space that is audio, as well as the EQ graphs that allow you to tweak parameters like reverb, delay 'liveliness'. The program also recreates all the options that come with the handset that is bundled and its own screen is infinitely preferable to the own onscreen GUI, which would not seem out of place of the AVR. Using the program additionally prevents getting over whatever you are viewing the menu appear. Thus, essentially... use the program.

WPS pairing prevents the hassle AirPlay does also for iOS devices and HTC Join serves users of HTC mobiles. You will want a premium Spotify account to benefit from Spotify Connect.

DLNA performance is top notch with complete folder structure observable in drives that are connected and seamless, gapless playback of standard-res and hi res melodies. Other niceties range from the Scene button on the remote, which immediately powers -connected components needed, say, for seeing a film (TV and BD deck).

Virtual madness?

As for its center home cinema responsibilities, the RX-V577 is a versatile animal, promising to even have the ability to create virtual seven-channel surround sound from only two or three front speakers (a huge thought in Europe, we are told) . Cinema DSP 3D offers a broad, high and dense soundfield from audio sources using a virtual existence loudspeaker creating what's peculiarly called 3-dimensional sound. There is nothing virtual about the YPAO setup, a rapid fire way of placing the loudspeakers using acoustic reflections. It's not foolproof, though, it got my rig is corrected for by all the spaces but made mistakes using the loudspeaker sizes.

Functionality-wise, the flowing sound skill of the amp is nowt short of brilliant. It is a doddle pick and to discover hires sound and 96kHz/24-bit ALAC and 192kHz/24-bit FLACs played consummate refinement by means of a pair of Q Acoustics Q7000 loudspeakers. The bass guitar is tighter whilst Susan Wong's vocals just like the higher octaves of the piano, are presented with energy and preciseness. The audio of the Yamaha is clean; like its Pioneer VSX-924 competition, some may consider it a tad overly clinical, lacking a little warmth.

At the beginning of the Japanese Grand Prix, carefully-put significant rain sounds like automobiles revving away to one side, rumbling thunder in the space and rain drops plopping finely onto the tarmac possess all a fine yet defined effect. Like its 2013 forerunner, this can be an AVR that loves discovering the important points in a soundmix. It is equally skillful with high-strength activity, like rapid hastening automobiles passing in a arc that is acoustic to match their motion on the other side of the display. Screeching, close ups and blistering tyres of pistons are intelligible. Really.

As an example, I discovered football by emphasising comment in the middle station, gained in the Sports mode.

Overall the RX-V577 is worth considering just based sonics on its home cinema. That it is satisfying to work (particularly through the program) and makes an adequate sound streamer is the icing on the cake.

Yamaha RX-V577 AV-receiver photo