Yamaha RX-V377 Receiver Preview

We are constantly amazed by how much technology they can put in a receiver these days. Entry-level receivers now sport features we remember being selling points in flagship receivers and processors just a handful of years ago. With the constant evolution of features and technology, manufacturers have to scramble to keep on top of consumers' demands. With 3D, 4K, streaming, and more all vying for consumers' attention, it makes it that much harder to pick and choose the features to be installed in a budget receiver.

The feature list of a budget receiver says something about what the manufacturer believes are most important to their consumer. Yamaha's new RX-V377 is a $300 offering, placing it firmly in the "budget" camp. It is a 5.1 receiver sporting 70 watts per channel (2-channels, full bandwidth rating) though they do list a 1-channel, 1kHz spec to hit that all-important 100 watt number. Even though this is a budget Yamaha offering, the amplifier configuration is discrete (a few years ago you'd have to pay >$500 for discrete amplification) instead of chip amps.

see:  Trading Amplifier Quality for Features A new Trend in AV Receivers? for more details on this topic.

Glancing at the back, we find four HDMI inputs and one output. The HDMI inputs can pass through 3D and 4k and have ARC (Audio Return Channel). ARC means that you can run an HDMI cable to your display and have the display send audio back to the receiver via the same cable. This is handy if you use your display to connect to the Internet and stream content (like Netflix). The RX-V377 has HDMI CEC so that you can use one remote for all compatible devices.

For a budget receiver, there are a good number of inputs included. There are two component video and three composite video inputs with matching outputs. At this price point, there isn't any video upconverstion to HDMI included or expected. Audio inputs include two coaxial and one optical digital audio and three RCA analog inputs. On the front, a fourth analog audio input takes the form of a 3.5mm port. The front USB port is Made for iPod/iPhone certified and the RX-V377 remote can be used to control your iDevice when it is connected.

There are five-way binding posts for the main left and right speakers and spring-type for the rest. Inside, the RX-V377 sports 192kHz/24-bit Burr-Brown DACs for all channels. Yamaha has wisely included their YPAO room correction system for ease of setup and calibration. The Yamaha has a full complement of HD Audio format decoding, including Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio. It has Yamaha's SCENE buttons for one-button switching between inputs and settings. The RX-V377 has Yamaha's exclusive Virtual CINEMA FRONT technology which lets consumers place all five speakers at the front of the listening area.

Don't do this. Please, for the love of all that is home theater, don't put all five speakers up front. 

The Yamaha RX-V377 has a Compressed Music Enhancer DSP (as well as 17 other DSPs for you to try and mostly ignore), Extra Bass low-range enhancement technology so you can eke as much bass as you can out of your system, and Adaptive DRC (dynamic range control) to keep the sound level the same over time.

Also we recommend steering clear of using the "low" impedance setting which won't be a problem if you don't fiddle with the default setting.

Conclusion

For $300, the Yamaha RX-V377 is quite the receiver. It has 4/1 HDMI inputs with ARC, CEC, and 4k/3D pass-through. It has two component/three composite video inputs and three digital and four analog audio inputs for legacy gear. At 5.1 channels and 70 watts per channel, it has more than enough power for most applications. The front USB port is Made for iPod/iPhone certified and the RX-V377 remote will control your iDevice. Basically, for $300, Yamaha is giving you everything you might expect and more. We expect this receiver to be a big hit for the company.

For more information, please visit www.yamaha.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.