Advice on Yamaha YHT-698AU Receiver?

captaincabinets on 31/03/2016 - 18:33
Last edited 31/03/2016 - 19:02 by 1 other user

Hi all

I recently bought a Logitech z-5500 set from a friend for my PC and have been pretty impressed. It got me thinking it would be great to get a 'proper' 5.1 set up for the lounge. This would replace our little Denon F-107 system we currently have set up. I'd like to spend a max of around $1k on the whole system, so I understand this puts me in the budget range.

The room isn't going to be ideal for a sound stage, the dimensions are 5.0l x 4.2w x 3.3h, with a 0.9w x 2.0l bay window on the right hand side. Plus it has timber floors (with a couple of rugs).

As for the receiver it doesn't need to do much other than power the 5.1 speakers so I don't mind getting an older unit. HDMI is a definite plus. My personal preference is for deep bass, hence being impressed by the z-5500s. I'm not an audiophile so as long as the other components are solid quality, I'm happy.

I am currently looking at a second hand Yamaha YHT-698AU 5.1 set:
http://au.yamaha.com/en/products/audio-visual/hometheater-sy…
I can pick this up for around $450-500, well under my budget.

I am wondering whether I could keep the RX-V373 receiver if I wanted to upgrade components in the future. E.g. replace the sub with a Klipsch 12 inch, for example.

Advice much appreciated.

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  Mumbles on 31/03/2016 - 19:44

  Please don't get offended but I think your PC audio setup is already more than good enough. Your expectations are ridiculously high especially if you do not have the ears of an audiophile.

  If you haven't trained your ears to listen to detail from the Logitech z-5500 then honestly its a waste of your money installing anything better as you won't notice the improvement. You already have the speakers so I'd recommend try out the Logitech for a few months. Get your hearing attuned to hearing its detail. Then when you do decide to upgrade you will be able to rate how much better the new setup is when compared with what you've got.

  Since its a small room it is relatively easy to experiment with speaker placement. The subwoofer location is very important if you are particular about bass. Try moving the subwoofer to different locations.

  If you don't have ears of an audiophile the $1000 could be better appreciated by rounding out other areas of your PC/gaming/media centre. Eg. quality sound card, silent PSU/case fans, SSD drives for ultra-quietness, gaming headset with microphone, larger LED screen, TV tuner card. Alternatively $1000 can buy a lot of games, music CD's and faster internet.

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  captaincabinets on 31/03/2016 - 19:54

  I'm not offended but where did I say I had high expectations? Not sure you read my post properly, I want a second set up for the lounge. Is a 5m x 4m room small?

  Sorry when I say recently, I've already had the 5500's for several months also. Anyway, as I said this would be a second set up to replace the Denons..

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    Mumbles on 31/03/2016 - 22:21

    +1

    My bad. I misread it as wanting to replace the z-5500 with another 5.1 setup.

    It got me thinking it would be great to get a 'proper' 5.1 set up for the lounge. This would replace our little Denon F-107 system we currently have set up.

    You'd lose the DAB digital radio of the Denon F-107 since the Yamaha YHT-698AU doesn't have DAB. If you are looking for additional features I think Yamaha makes receivers with DAB radio + internet radio + iPod docking + DTS-HD 7.1

    If you do not need the extra features the Yamaha YHT-698AU is a fine choice. Based on the specifications it is much better than the Logitech Z-5500 (eg. THD = 0.9% vs 10%). Though its recommended to audition the speakers first as you may not like the sound signature.

    I am wondering whether I could keep the RX-V373 receiver if I wanted to upgrade components in the future. E.g. replace the sub with a Klipsch 12 inch, for example.

    Definitely not a problem. The Yamaha website mentions:
    - Features > Other Notable Advanced Features > 9 selectable subwoofer crossover frequencies
    - Specs > HTiB > Speaker System > System Frequency > Response = 35 Hz to 35 kHz

    The adjustable subwoofer crossover frequency looks flexible and can accomodate whatever subwoofer.

    The NS-50F Floor standing speaker has a good frequency response range which can reach as low as 35Hz frequency response. Means you won't have any trouble pairing them with virtually any subwoofer.

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  captaincabinets on 01/04/2016 - 19:00

  Thanks Mumbles, much appreciated :)