( 33 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 10 2009
First, the Amazon title is wrong: the Yamaha RX-397 is stereo, 50 watts per channel, not "100W". I was sold on Yamaha's "Natural Sound" amps after buying the AX-497 for my livingroom system (see my review). So, when I started looking for a smaller bedroom system, they were at the top of my list. The price is persuasive too. My bedroom is 10x16, and I use the RX-397 with a pair of Polk RTi4 bookshelf speakers. The sound is fantastic: tight low end, clear, natural presentation across the rest of the spectrum. Yamaha's power ratings are not inflated, so the 50 watts is real, and ample for my room+speakers. It's just a great combination that doesn't call attention to itself, ever, which is what I now consider to be "hi-fi". "CD/DVD Direct" bypasses the useful tone and loudness controls. With the radio as source I don't notice much if any difference though. FM sounds great, and it pulls in stations pretty well here in NYC (90% of the time it's on 96.3 classical). Build quality is very nice. I recommend it highly.
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Posted: Jun 13 2009
This reciever is BY FAR the best sterio reciever on the market (within the price range). I studied for a while on what to by. Im a huge audiophile so it was important to have good sound even though I wasn't looking to spend a lot. I know this is about a 100 bucks more than a sony reciever that lots of people have bought but I rolled the dice. After having this reciever for a few days, i've noticed that even in lower end models, yamaha still keeps their great sound and quality. I love the output terminals for the speakers. They are screw in terminals rather than "pinch" terminals which means they can support a bigger gauge wire and that it will hold the connection better. All around, the radio gets great reception. The most important thing is how user friendly the reciever is. This is one of the easier recievers I've ever dealt with (as is yamaha in general) as far as dialing in the perfect amount of treble and bass. I couldn't be happier. Spend the extra money and get a quality reciever.
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Posted: Mar 7 2009
This product does everything I wanted it to do. The sound quality is excellent. I can use all my components and receive all the AM and FM stations I want without any external wiring. Have CD, phono and tape decks attached. All work and sound fine.
