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Yamaha RX-V2500 Receiver Review

by November 01, 2004
Contributors: Gene DellaSala
Yamaha RX-V2500 Receiver

Yamaha RX-V2500 Receiver

  • Product Name: RX-V2500
  • Manufacturer: Yamaha
  • Performance Rating: StarStarStarStarhalf-star
  • Value Rating: StarStarStarStarhalf-star
  • Review Date: November 01, 2004 18:00
  • MSRP: $ 1099
  • Buy Now

7-Channel Powerful Surround Sound (130W x 7 RMS) [8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.04% THD]

Digital ToP-ART and High Current Amplification

Pure Direct Switch for High Quality 2-Channel and Multi-Channel Sound Reproduction

192 kHz/24-Bit DACs for All Channels

YPAO Automatically Sets Best Sound for Any Room, Any Speaker Placement

Dialogue Lift for Enhanced Dialogue Sound

9-Channel Speaker Outputs with Zone 2 Out

On-Screen Display with GUI (Graphical User Interface)

Main / Zone 2 Front Panel Power Switching

Zone 2 S-Video Output Terminal

Accurate Touch Volume Control

Audio Delay for Adjusting Lip-Sync (0-240 ms)

Digital Tone Controls for Bass and Treble

Rec Out/Zone 2 Selector

Selectable 9-Band Subwoofer Crossover

Subwoofer Phase Select

Speaker A, B or A+B Selection (Front L/R)

SILENT CINEMA and Virtual CINEMA DSP

Direct-Access (Macro-Command, Learning and
Preset Capable) Remote Control Unit with Macro-
Command Buttons and Illuminated Buttons

Dimensions: 17.125" W x 6.75" H x 17" D

Pros

  • Three (3) HDTV-compatible component video inputs
  • Accurate YPAO automatic speaker setup
  • Presence channels & Yamaha DSP
  • System memory with 6 storage banks (2 retrievable from remote)
  • Dialogue lift with presence channels
  • Independent volume trim for each input!

Cons

  • Auto Setup sets aggressive crossover frequency
  • No IEEE 1394/Firewire interface
  • Remote button labels limit usefulness of backlighting
  • No parametric EQ bands below 62.5Hz

 

Yamaha RX-V2500 Introduction

2004 marked a year when SpaceShipOne broke the status quo and became the first private company to successfully launch a reusable manned vehicle into space and return it safely home. That kind of innovation and leadership garners a tremendous amount of respect. Yamaha Electronics Corporation seems to understand the importance of product innovation and leadership. With the RX-V2500, it is apparent they continue to make tremendous strides towards product improvement and the development of new technologies.

It's been over two years since a Yamaha RX-V series receiver has occupied Reference System 3. As you can imagine, I was pleased to be able to integrate the RX-V2500 and see what surprises Yamaha has come up with in the last several revisions since my experiences with the RX-V3000 receiver.

Having just reviewed the Denon AVR-3805, I was anxious to test out Yamaha's YPAO system to see if it was a more productive setup and parametric EQ option for basic room correction. I also wanted to see how well the 130 watts/channel amplification could drive the 4-ohm RBH Sound 1266-LSE main speakers which require quite a bit of power to sound their best.

Yamaha has certainly not been sitting on its laurels of late. In fact, Audioholics completed a rather thorough review of the RX-V2400 receiver when it came out and I was pleased to note the following improvements from that model:

  • Additional 10 watts/channel for 130watts/channel (20Hz - 20kHz, 0.04% THD, 8-ohms)
  • DTS: Neo 96kHz
  • Pure Direct Mode
  • GUI Interface
  • Updated YPAO Equalization modes and shortened test time
  • Manual PEQ settings
  • Subwoofer phase select
  • Additional component video input
  • New remote control with backlit buttons
  • Shuttered optical connections
  • Improved components

The Yamaha RX-V2500 receiver was powering RBH Sound 1266-LSE Signature Series speakers in a 12 x 20 listening room in Audioholics' Reference System 3. Below is the configuration utilized for this review:

I'll address power issues later, but the Yamaha sufficiently powered my 4-ohm main speakers without any noticeable strain.

About the author:
author portrait

Clint Deboer was terminated from Audioholics for misconduct on April 4th, 2014. He no longer represents Audioholics in any fashion.

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