| Yamaha RX-V3900 7.1 A/V Receiver |
| Written by Gabe Lowe |
| Thursday, 14 May 2009 00:00 |
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Page 5 of 5
Conclusion When you get into the price range that the RX-V3900 competes in, it is pretty unusual to find something that is bad. At the same time, if you are paying close to $2000 for a receiver, it should certainly be better than just "good". The RX-V3900, simply stated, is stellar. I was reviewing my notes from my testing period, and only found two real negatives. I have already mentioned the inability to set video processing at the per-source basis, which is far from a deal breaker. The other thing I noted was that often times when switching between HDMI sources or skipping ahead on my DVR, the audio dropped out. It could not be brought back unless I skipped back again, or changed the volume level. This was a big deal to me, as I would not want to have to employ that workaround every time I fast forwarded a program on my DVR! I went to look for support on Yamaha's website, and noticed there was a firmware update (version 1.07). I quickly checked the installed version, and it was only at 1.02. One of the three main improvements/fixes in the firmware was to improve HDMI and iPod connectivity, and they were not lying. As soon as I applied the firmware update, not only did this problem with the audio dropouts go away, I found that this is the fastest HDMI switching in any receiver I have owned or tested. Problem solved and performance improved! Now you also see why it is so nice to have the ability to upgrade the firmware on a receiver! If I were in the market for a receiver today, and this was in my price range, the Yamaha RX-V3900 would likely be at the top of my list. It's huge range of features and the incredible performance make it a true winner in the mid to high end receiver category. Comments (17)
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written by Dave , May 14, 2009 Looks like another top quality product, yamaha now needs to buile 2 or 3 different priced processors with XLR connections.
I liked the review
written by Michael Bauers , May 14, 2009 Hello, I own this receiver, and I felt the review was fair and extensive. It's hard to review all the 3900's features, so I suggest reading all the reviews you can find, as well as user reviews and comments.
Good Point Michael
written by Gabe Lowe , May 15, 2009 Thanks for the response Michael! You are absolutely correct. I could not possibly have included every single feature in my review, and in truth, wasn't even able to test every feature (such as satellite radio, for example). So, for those who don't own this receiver and want more opinions, definitely head to the forums and discuss!
Bench results?
written by ws , May 17, 2009 Have you had a chance to run the benchmark tests on the amps? Thanks,
No benchmark on this unit
written by Gabe Lowe , May 22, 2009 Unfortunately we don't benchmark every single receiver we test, and this one is not going to get benchmarked.
Yamaha sound
written by derek , May 25, 2009 I dont believe in high quality of the yamaha amps , ive had yamaha components over 20 yrs or so and recently had replaced yamaha -2095 with the rotel 1065 and finally my B&W's started to sound like they supposed to to the author : do you see big difference between your 992 and the new 3900 in terms of sound quality? derek
992 vs 3900
written by Gabe Lowe , May 26, 2009 I can't give you a fair comparison, since I no longer possess the RX-V992, and hadn't had it hooked up in 2 years. All I can say is that during my review period of the RX-V3900, I found the amps to do a superb job. Granted, I don't have a huge listening space, and have only a 5.1 speaker set up, but it definitely did a wonderful job of making my Boston VR series speakers work to their potential.
rx-v3900 vs denon avr-3808
written by techgal , June 05, 2009 I am currently using 2-channel with my home theater and want to switch to surround sound. I am wondering how the Yamaha rx-v3900 compares with the Denon avr-3808 on 2-channel music. I listen to classical and jazz and love having the wide sounstage, dynamics and air provided by Conrad Johnson gear. While I understand I am going to have to sacrifice some (or maybe quite a bit of) sound switching to an AVR, I do want to get the most for my money. Denon is phasing out it's avr-3808 and it seems to be selling for a little over $1k. So, 1) is the Yamaha worth the extra $800, and 2) which one has a sweeter sound, more air, and a tighter bottom end. Thanks.
3900 vs 3808
written by Gabriel Lowe , June 16, 2009 Techgal- Sorry for the delay in my response. It is hard to give a definitive answer on any question that is basically "which sounds better" when comparing similarly spec'd gear from reputable companies since it becomes very subjective. I like both of these brands and models. Since I use my AVR more for watching TV and movies, the video and surround performance is important to me, so I have never personally compared receivers on stereo alone. That being said, I hold by my statement in the review that I found myself wanting to listen to music more than usual while reviewing the Yamaha because of the warmth, depth, and overall quality of the sound it produced. So, for what it's worth, the Yamaha is an EXCELLENT receiver if you want to use it mostly for stereo music listening. Is it worth $800 more? Hard to say. I suppose that depends on your definition of "worth" and what your budget allows you to do.
Upgarde
written by Angelo -Montreal , June 27, 2009 I have a Yamaha RX-V2600 ~2.5 years old,and a Blue Ray player Panasonic DMP-BD55, because of the new sound codes i.e. Dolby True-HD & DTS-HD Master Audio,that my unit can covert i am considering buying the RX-V3900. In your opinion is there a significant difference in sound that is worth making this upgrade Your comment/suggestion is greatly appreciated.
RX-V3900, TX-NR906, SC-LX71, AVR-4308A
written by Altug Yalin , June 28, 2009 Hi, many thanks for the review. With this review, I am now really close to choose RX-V3900 among the others stated in the title. I also wonder if I could have a full performance from my JBL LS 5.1 system. Or, would you suggest one of other receivers instead. I'd highly appreciate your comments on my choice.
RX-V3900 or AVR-4308A
written by Altug Yalin , June 30, 2009 Based on reviews and forums only (not on the dealer suggestions since they totally confuse me), I have now refined my selection of receivers down to two: RX-V3900 or AVR-4308A. Besides, I should note that I had no chance to listen to any of those four receivers with my JBLs. TX-NR906 seems the most powerful unit of all, but it may have downsides for me such that I might feel uncomfortable with the GUI, remote controller, speaker setup, WEB support, may be heat problem, etc. (btw, I have neither read nor heard a solid reason for this yet). And, SC-LX71 wouldn’t be in the same range basically. I noticed that I didn't define my JBLs which are LS80 fronts, LS60 rears, LS40 and LS120P. In general, audio/video capabilities will suffice for me in this range, but if the power of the unit would be an issue, then I will need to jump to a higher model. This is another issue which I haven’t resolved if the power is not really enough for the speakers. There is a big price difference between this range and the next more powerful range, e.g. RX-Z11 and AVR-5308A. The latter does not exist where I live, but I wouldn’t like to raise the bar that much high anyway considering my practical usage at home. Would you be confident with staying in this range by bi-amping the fronts (I am not meaning bi-wiring.) I am impatiently looking forward to your kind comments on the best match.
RX-V3900 or AVR-4308A
written by Altug Yalin , June 30, 2009 Correction: It should be LS Center, not LS40.
yamaha 3900
written by wlk , July 17, 2009 finaly decided to get yamaha 3900 with my b&w cm7. took me quite a while to compare wit denon 3808 and rotel 1550. love the pure direct features that yamaha implement. from price, features and sound quality it wont be beaten. Write comment
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