Yamaha RX-396RDS

Author's product rating:   

How is the Sound Quality?	Excellent
Ease of Use	Simple
How is the Look & Design?	Excellent
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Value for money, good sound
Disadvantages:	Won't fill large rooms, confusing remote

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

When the police come knocking at your door saying `we have reports of gun shots coming from this house`, you know you have a top notch home cinema system (or a rough neighbourhood) But belting out True Lies or Terminator 2 at full volume is not going to prove anything if you don’t have the correct sound system.
All DVD players on the market are equipped with Dolby Digital (the theatre standard digital sound) and the likelihood is your VCR will attain Dolby Surround (the theatre standard of the Eighties and early Nineties) The only way to reproduce this sound in its entirety, is with a Home Cinema amplifier or decoder and the Yamaha RX-396RDS is just one of those amplifiers waiting to be heard.

The Yamaha what?

Ok, they make bikes and their hi-fi equipment is renowned for being somewhat expensive but anyone into their sound will know they have a reputation for being pretty good.
This large, heavy piece of kit is a one stop sound shop, providing a base for Home Cinema, your tape decks and CD player, Radio and anything else you want to plug in to it (within reason please)

FEATURES -

The whole principle of a home cinema receiver was to provide a unit that could be bought on its own and added to at a later date. As a stand alone unit, all you need is a pair of speakers and your all ready to listen to the radio, simple.

Dolby Digital/Dolby Surround :
The main feature of this unit is the ability to reproduce cinema style sound in the home. The basic requirement for this is a DVD player with Dolby Digital (connected via digital socket) or VCR with Nicam (connected normally) You will also need the 5 speakers, two of which are the main music ones and the other 3 can be small, low spec speakers. One sits in the centre on the telly and the other two at each side at the back, normally raised behind the sofa. In Surround mode, you get stereo sound effects out the two front speakers, speech out the centre and mono sound effects out of the ones at the back.
Dolby Digital creates a stereo sound effect out the rear, for a complete circle of sound.
The Yamaha handles this very nicely but as this is a standard Digital system, I suppose they all do.

DSP :
Yep, those good old DSP modes will echo your sound and split it up amongst many different speakers to just try and confuse you. This is only really for sound effects and can come in useful for some computer games but I find them generally quite useless. The best thing about this option, is the off switch.

RDS Radio :
This offers you all that RDS can, with EON and network text, supplying loads of information about the radio station.

Two speaker switch :
You can plug two sets of speakers in at once and switch between the two at any given time. I can only imagine this being useful for listening to the unit in another room, whilst muting the system’s sound in the room of origin. Again, you don’t have to use it, so a bit of a bonus.

Speaker volume :
Yes, apart from the normal volume dial, you can adjust all the volume levels manually for the extra speakers. May not sound like much but very useful for the more obscure shaped rooms to customise your home cinema experience.

Inputs :
DVD, VCR, TAPE, TUNER, PHONO, TV and AUX. Not short of places to plug your bits into.

Specs :
Delivers 60 watts over 5 channels (active subwoofer socket separate)
2 Main speaker outputs (switchable)
3 Surround speaker outputs

SOUND -

As far as home cinema sound goes, its good, really good. Video reproduction is punchy in Pro-logic, with the sounds effects loud and bolshy and speech crisp and refined. Incidental music is sweet, blending in nicely with the foreground sound effects, though can get jumbled with powerful scenes and heavy bass.
DVD Dolby Digital is more subtle though, almost handing you the sound gently than throwing it in your face. As a result the audio is quieter and easier to listen to. This unit lacks a certain vibrance that can only be found in the £500+ market but delivers a loud, powerful sound when turned up.
The music side is suprisingly good. Couple this unit with a CD player and it will deliver strong, accurate music to your ears, whatever your musical taste. Peter Gabriel’s `Don’t give up` is vocally sharp and harmonic while the Prodigy’s `Firestarter` is heavy on bass but sensible on vocals.

BUILD -

Units this size can be made out of paper and still sit tight in your cabinet. The Yamaha is a sturdy unit compared to its cheaper rivals, with a solid metal frame and smooth plastic fascia.
The Yamaha is natural looking without being too plain and boring. The buttons are well positioned and the volume dial large enough for the bigger sized fingers.
The dainty remote is a bit of a let down, complicating popular buttons with strange functions that leaves you feeling slightly confused.

EASE OF USE -

A baby chimpanzee could get his head round this one, so no excuses. Plugging your existing stuff in is as easy as reading the writing on the back of the unit.
I suggest reading the manual for instruction on setting Dolby Digital sound levels, it is not the best idea to plug in and play.
The modes are dial operated on the unit and the buttons simple to follow. Very disappointed in the Radio operation though, as it took me way too long to store my presets and too many preset modes have spoiled the simplicity.
Basic operation is good and the plain `bass` and `treble` dials allow the natural sound to flow through without filtration.

VALUE FOR MONEY -

Set around the £250 mark, you are not going to find much else in this league.
The Technics equipment in this range excel on power and features but lack the refinement and precision of the Yamaha. Companies like Harmon Kardon compete well with this and it is advised to listen to a few before making the final decision.
Yamaha lasts the distance and is worth every penny in build.

USE IT WITH -

When coupling with existing equipment, bear these points in mind :
CD Player - When choosing one, make it lively and aggressive. The Technics range go very well with Dance and Rap and Marantz can deliver a sharp, subtle sound.
Speakers - Very important one. The Yamaha will suit most ranges from Wharfdale to B&W. Try to pick out less sensitive bookshelf speakers, whilst looking at accurate floorstanders.
DVD/Video - Much less fussy and will go with pretty much anything and everything.

YES OR NO -
Big thumbs up to Yamaha, who do it again on the home cinema amp front. I have this one (ex display) and it has never failed to impress.