Home > Consumer Reviews > Yamaha RX-397 100 Watt Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Receiver

First, the Amazon title is wrong: the Yamaha RX-397 is stereo, 50 watts per channel, not "100W".

I was sold on Yamaha's "Natural Sound" amps after buying the AX-497 for my livingroom system (see my review). So, when I started looking for a smaller bedroom system, they were at the top of my list. The price is persuasive too.
My bedroom is 10x16, and I use the RX-397 with a pair of Polk RTi4 bookshelf speakers. The sound is fantastic: tight low end, clear, natural presentation across the rest of the spectrum. Yamaha's power ratings are not inflated, so the 50 watts is real, and ample for my room+speakers. It's just a great combination that doesn't call attention to itself, ever, which is what I now consider to be "hi-fi".
"CD/DVD Direct" bypasses the useful tone and loudness controls. With the radio as source I don't notice much if any difference though.
FM sounds great, and it pulls in stations pretty well here in NYC (90% of the time it's on 96.3 classical).
Build quality is very nice. I recommend it highly.

My 120 watt Harmon Kardon-amplifier finally gave up the ghost after over 30 years of service, so I replaced my old separate FM tuner, preamp, and amplifier with the Yamaha. (Each one of those components cost more than the Yamaha when I bought them 20-30 years ago.) The Yamaha was a great choice. It performs better than the H-K driving very high quality 4-ohm speakers (Braun), even though at least on paper it is not as powerful.

It is easy to set up and use - all the connections, knobs and switches are self-evident. It has knobs where it should, ie. the big volume knob. The remote is also sensible and easy to use. The "Pure Direct" feature results in a noticeable cleaner sound if your speakers are clean and crisp. In short, I love it, and for the price I don't think I could have done better.

This stereo amplifier is a must for owners of old school speakers. It has enough power for some old KLH model 24 speakers, which I recently acquired from my grandparents. KLH has a reputation for great sounding speaker systems at reasonable prices. The speakers and amplifier are almost built for each other. Great clarity of audio and easy to use controls. Great price, since the msrp off the Yamaha website is $299.99. If you have old school speakers and want to really make them sing, buy this amp!!!

The Yamaha RX-397 wa exactly what I was looking for. I wanted and Tuner/amplifier to replace a very old one that died. Did not want all the video stuff that seems to be on most amplifiers today. Very happy with the purchase

A few months ago I bought a Yamaha RX-497 (75 watts/channel) to replace a 15-year old Denon that powered 2 pairs of speakers in a living room and dining room. I like it so much that I got this Yamaha RX-397 (50 watts/channel) to replace a 20-year old Pioneer receiver supporting 1 pair of speakers in a small den. I wanted something simple, reliable and able to support a turntable, reel-to-reel tape deck and CD player. 50 watts/channel is more than adequate, even when I crank up the volume. Most receivers sold now are surround sound / home theater rather than a straightforward am/fm stereo receiver. Most also do not have a built-in pre-amp for a turntable. The Yamaha RX-397 is perfect in every way, and easy to set up. I'm not a techie and the reviews previously posted were very helpful. Be careful though to only buy from an authorized Yamaha dealer since the Yamaha warranty specifically excludes coverage from product purchased from any other source. I'm very pleased with my purchase.