Yamaha RX-V2500 Receiver Review
Yamaha RX-V2500 Receiver
- Product Name: RX-V2500
- Manufacturer: Yamaha
- Performance Rating:
- Value Rating:
- Review Date: November 01, 2004 18:00
- MSRP: $ 1099
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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 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.
Clint Deboer was terminated from Audioholics for misconduct on April 4th, 2014. He no longer represents Audioholics in any fashion.
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