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AVReceiver

YAMAHA RX-V1600  £700 (approx)  01923 233166  www.yamaha.co.uk

THX receiver less

select than siblings
Richard Stevenson takes delivery of Yamaha’s baby THX Select2 RATINGS
receiver and asks: is this the ideal mid-range muscle amp? Highs: HDMI switching; multiroom with
twin remote controls; auto setup
Lows: Heavy; congested cinema
sound; limited EQ (YPAO) function

A
s the least expensive of RX-V1600 has been the victim of a Sound 1⁄2
Yamaha’s trio of THX Select2 hatchet job in the features list. Most Build 
receivers, the RX-V1600 is some noticeable, from the moment you power Features 
£200 less wallet-wrenching than the RX- it up, is Yamaha’s gorgeous graphic user OVERALL 1⁄2
V2600 that we slapped a well-deserved interface – or rather lack of it. The menu
Best Buy on last issue. Cosmetically it is is clunky and basic compared to its of the full-fat YPAO version.
all but identical, many key components pricier siblings, and a cursory run Gone also is the iLink input of the
are the same and even video up- through also reveals the YPAO room EQ V4600 and the video scaling technology
conversion to HDMI and the auto-setup system on this model is a shadow of the embedded in the V2600. The latter
routine remain. So does it represent version on the other models in the might not be a major issue if you have
even better value? Um, no. range. It does have parametric EQ across an HD source, a quality display or even a
While that spare £200 might get seven bands on each channel, but good scaling DVD player. You do get a
HCC PRACTICAL TIP you a miniature DVD library on Ebay, the nothing like the tweakability and scope de-interlacer for PAL and NTSC inputs but
Always use the YPAO optimiser to begin with, as chances are that you have a progressive
this automatically modifies the audio output to
scan DVD player and/or your flat panel
provide precisely the best sound for the
acoustics of the room. Not only will the unit
SPECIFICATIONS TV does the job before displaying a
optimise the sound but it will check your wiring ITEM SUPPORT DETAILS
picture anyway.
and speakers are in phase. You can always tweak Dolby Digital  5.1, THX7.1EX, ProLogic II
settings in the Manual Setup afterwards. DTS  5.1, 6.1ES, Neo:6, 96/24 On the up-side, the video up-
For high quality video/sound and convenience of AV Inputs  6 composite/s-video, audio (2 out) conversion to HDMI is superb for
connection, the RX-V1600 is equipped with 2 Audio Inputs  4, plus phono turntable
Component Inputs  3 inputs reducing your cable count, particularly if
in/1 out HDMI connection. Even a low quality
composite video signal can be up-converted to Tape Loop  2 inputs, 2 outputs you have a long run to a projector. You
an HDMI signal. AV Monitor output  3 (3 zones) get a two-in, one-out suit of HDMIs fully
When listening to music instead of using 2- Component output  1 output
Video upconversion  Composite and s-video to component compatible with just about every audio
channel stereo, try using Pure Direct which
bypasses unnecessary circuits and shuts down HDMI input/output  2 inputs, 1 output format bar Super Audio CD, plus wide
video circuitry to minimise any degradation of i.Link  None present bandwidth component video switching
sound quality. DVI input/output  None present
Multichannel input  7.1 configuration and a host of S-video and composite
Subwoofer output  1 output connections. The rear also offers a good
Digital Audio input  5 optical, 3 electrical selection of digital audio inputs,
Digital Audio output  2 optical
Phono input stage  1 input for vinyl fans 5.1 input and 7.1 output and speaker
LAB REPORT
Excellent

Average

Speaker out  7-channel + 2 main L/R ’B’ speakers + 2 terminals for Yamaha’s continuing affair
Good

‘presence’
Poor

with presence channels.

Manufacturer’s Rated Output
120W (2 channels)
Measured power @ 1kHz
2ch driven: 175W into 8Ω
5ch driven: 110W into 8Ω
2ch driven: 260W into 4Ω
5ch driven: 170W into 4Ω
Fidelity firewall @ 1kHz/2ch
165W: into 8Ω (0.05%THD)
Distortion @ 1kHz
0.001%THD @ 50W (8Ω)
Frequency response
20Hz-20kHz +/-0.3dB
Headphone  Front-mounted behind flap
Amplification 7 x 120 If you want to forgo the RX-V1600’s
Tuner AM/FM 40 presets 7.1 Dolby Digital EX surround back
Dimensions 435w x 171h x 438d (mm)
channels you can re-assign the

Weight 17.4Kg

Also featuring amplifiers to Yamaha’s proprietary

Video up-conversion to HDMI, RS-232C terminal for AMX/Crestron presence channels. These are speakers

controller, Zone 2 powered stereo output, Zone 3 line-level stereo output,
Dual IR ports for Zone 2 and 3, dual 12v trigger outputs, 192kHz/24-bit set above, behind and slightly wider

DACs for all channels, basic YPAO room EQ; Pure Direct mode, Dialogue Lift than the main front left/right
feature to enhance dialogue, 9-band subwoofer crossover with reversible speakers and use a processed mix of

phase control, audio delay for adjusting lip sync, two remote controls,
macro programmable main remote control, RDS data system tuner, left/right/centre to increase perceived

supplied setup mic depth of the front soundstage. The effect

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HCC128.10_yamaha 2/24/06 3:50 PM Page 67
‘The RX-V1600 turns even the most
sedate of films into a visceral affair
full of gratuitous LFE bludgeoning’
is always surreal (I have a set of
speakers on the wall just for Yamaha’s
receivers with this feature) and never
worth binning true 7.1 surround sound
for. If you don’t fancy either solution you
can always assign the channels to
another zone and go multiroom instead.
In fact, the RX-V1600 is quite a
multiroom star. It offers independent
audio outputs for a Zone 2 and Zone 3
and comes with a secondary remote to
save moving the main remote around
the house. You will need an IR sender
or room-to-room IR relays to make this
work, but it is a feature that must be
applauded and saluted.
Claimed power output is 120W per
channel, and while this is 10W down on
the other two models in the range it
should make next to no difference in
Solid build quality characterises
the current Yamaha receiver range
M AY 2006
ultimate grunt. In real world
measurements, we rated power output
at 110W, with five channels driven.
There is also a Pure Direct feature
which shuts down all the video gadgetry
in favour of pure, unadulterated musical
amplification.
Performance
As a default the RX-V1600 runs a full
setup routine, checking your speaker
wiring, placement, size and levels and
applies its limited version of its YPAO EQ.
It’s heavy going wading through the
viscous text-only menus to disengage
this and I even had to refer to the
instruction manual (shock horror!).
The setup routine does work
excellently, however, and within a few
minutes I was greeted with something of
The handset demands its own
learning curve
a house sound for this series of receivers
– big, fulsome and robust. There is a
mass of grunt on tap and the RX-V1600
turns even the most sedate of films into
a visceral affair full of gratuitous LFE
bludgeoning, monstrous battle
sequences and leather-clad warriors.
Sadly I was watching Garfield: the Movie
at the time...
Engaging the EQ system shows the
chasm of difference between this and
the other two models in the range. The
full YPAO on the RX-V2600 strips away
this over-burdening malaise to reveal a
faster, tighter, punchier sound – the RX-
V1600 just gets heavier. In fact, the first
run of the EQ system set my THX
subwoofer to +10dB above the main
speakers and routed bass to both the sub
and the main floorstanding speakers
simultaneously. Understandably this
caused quite a stir… across most of the
neighbourhood.
Shifting the mic placement
dramatically changes the EQ pattern
applied to the sound. After much
Backside connectivity is good, although audiophiles will regret the loss of an iLink
Tried&Tested
experimentation a happy medium can
be found – but don’t expect
instantaneous sonic nirvana. The
atmospheric Batman Begins offered a
great test of the amplifier’s resolution
and grunt, and it took a long time to find
an EQ setting that had anything
resembling a balance of these facets.
The Pure Direct mode did win back a
couple of points for the RX-V1600, being
smoother and less congested than the
standard (non-EQ) cinema sound.
Conclusion
In isolation the RX-V1600 is a fair
performer – it’s well appointed, well
connected and has a huge sound that
makes for impressive, if a little tiring,
home cinema. But the RX-V1600’s
Achilles heel is sibling pressure. The RX-
V2600 is only £200 more and gives you
full progressive HD video scaling, a far
better Room EQ system, gorgeous GUIs
and more power to boot. Against such
competition the RX-V1600 is
overshadowed by its bigger brother.

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