It happens every year around the same time, Yamaha releases the current year model of each receiver in their catalogue, with the exception of some of the upper range which tend to have a longer model cycle. Sometimes the changes are cosmetic and sometimes they strip off things that shouldn't have been touched (such as front A/V inputs and A/B speaker switching). This year they've put back those items which should never have been removed in their two base models, although the price has risen accordingly. The RX-V440 which replaces the RX-V430 which was always a bit on the "bottom end" of HiFi. It had spring clips for speaker terminals, no A/V input on the front and no A/B speaker switch. The new model, RX-V440, addresses all these issues having banana plug compatible binding posts for all speakers (including the B speakers), front A/V inputs albeit no digital input on the front, A,B speaker switch on the front for A or B or A+B. The RX-V440 is $799 against the old model RX-V430 which had a RRP of $699.

    The power output remains the same at 65 Watts RMS into 8 Ohms however it now has 6.1 channel output (centre rear channel) instead of the 5.1 system of the RX-V430. Strangely there is no S-Video switching although Composite and Component switching is included. There are still only 2 digital inputs (assignable) which precludes the technophiles from getting too excited about the whole thing.

    The exciting aspect of the new model is the output stage of the power amplifier, it now uses what Yamaha call their "High Current" system (I'm really not quite sure what that means) but the damping factor has risen from 80 to 100 which will benefit owners of speakers with larger woofers or difficult to drive loading.

    How does it sound then? Well, it's no longer a bottom end receiver, with a RRP of $799 it's now in the realms of lower middle class equipment. It competes with Onkyo's SR-500 and Marantz's SR-4300. It may not quite have the musicality of the Marantz but it sure beats the heck out of both those units when it comes to Home Theatre. Using Yamaha's own 32 Bit Cinema DSP LSI, the separation and delivery of movie soundtracks are impeccable (given it's market segment) and the new "High Current" output stage seems to allow delivery of transients that the RX-V430 would struggle with. Musically, it is a little on the thin side, not as bad as the Sony or Pioneer but lacking a little compared to the Marantz. I suspect, however, that the Music/Home Theatre Brigade will opt for the more powerful and smoother RX-V640 or 740 ($1299 and $1599 respectively).

    As always, it's the speakers that are the ultimate determinant of the sound and with the DB Dynamics Quantum 42 Speaker System with a Paradigm PDR-10 subwoofer the RX-V440 delivered the goods. Playing the new Matrix copy "Equilibrium" the ricochets of bullets and explosions were enough to make me want to duck when the volume was turned up. Only at very high volumes was the limitations of output power evident (and I mean LOUD), I'd suspect 99% of the purchasers would never approach those levels. As mentioned earlier, the music is good if not a little light on punch. Playing the Eagles, Hell Freezes Over (for the 2000th time) I noticed I could warm up the sound by adjusting the level and crossover of the subwoofer although I had to tame it down for the next movie I watched.

    The RX-V440 is way better than a bottom of the range receiver should be. If it had 2 more digital inputs, a $999 price would place it correctly in the market. It's way better sonically than the model it replaces although it's also more expensive. I would suggest that for the novice or for someone not looking for the ultimate in upgradeability, the RX-V440 is the ideal choice. At $799 it has no competition currently in the market place, although this will obviously change as the other manufacturers catch up. Yamaha have done it properly this time and made the new model an improvement on the old one!