Yamaha RXV 620

The Yamaha RXV 620 is the latest in Yamaha's line of Surround Sound Receivers and retails for $1299 (call us for our latest pricing). It offers 90 Watts RMS into 8 Ohms for all five channels. The circuitry incorporates Yamaha's Top Art design which offers slightly better audio performance than the lower models (the 396, 420 and 520). There are 5 digital inputs including one on the front panel which is great for connecting your Sony PS2 or Mini Disc Recorder. Also on the front panel are inputs for S-Video, Composite Video and Audio. This is a lesson Onkyo could well take note of on their lesser receivers as A/V throughput from the front is almost essential.

The RXV 620 is, in effect, the son of the RXV800. It has the same damping factor and audio quality but misses out on the centre rear decoding and Tri Field Surround. The Remote control is of the universal pre-programmed type which allows control of the major brands of DVD, TV, VCR etc.

Sonically, this thing has balls! It replaces the RXV 596 which was a great receiver but just lacked a little in the "grunt" department. Running my KEF Reference RDM 2's it sounded clear and open (as opposed to the Marantz SR8000 which had a slightly warmer sound). The 2 channel sound on CD was excellent although not quite as detailed as the RXV3000 which I use in my rumpus room. This is probably due to the 200+ damping factor of the RXV3000 as against a damping factor of 80 for the RXV620. The difference would probably not be noticeable with less revealing speakers in a less intimate environment (my media room is only 3.5 by 5 metres).

Running in the surround mode, the Yamaha automatically detects the type of signal and adjusts itself accordingly (after your initial set up). Running the Matching KEF C100Q Centre, Electrovoice S40 Rears and a Jamo D6 Subwoofer, the RXV620 had no problems running at any level prior to making my ears bleed. The bass management was good and the musicality on Steely Dan's DTS DVD was great. It beats the pants off the Onkyo 595 and the Marantz SR5000 in terms of functionality and even if the sonics were in the same ball park, unless the opposition butcher their prices, the Yammy wins the sub $1300 Receiver war hands down.