Yamaha RX-497 75 Watt Natural Sound AM/FM Stereo Receiver
See it at Amazon.com for $229.12Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)Excellent stereo receiver
Despite the current fad for multi-channel audio/video receivers, many people -- including this reviewer -- still listen to music with two speakers and only need a two-channel stereo receiver to drive them. And Yamaha builds outstanding stereo receivers, including this new RX-497. Yamaha's power ratings are extremely conservative and this 75 watts per channel receiver will drive virtually any speakers to deafening levels -- which I don't recommend doing. More important than it's ample power is its very low distortion. Yamaha specializes in low distortion products for very clean sound. In addition to robust power and ultra-low distortion the RX-497 has a full complement of controls, including a versatile remote. As a fanatic audiophile, another feature, typical of Yamaha, which I particularly appreciate is a button which sends the signal from one's CD player (or any other non-phono cartridge input) directly to the amplifier -- bypassing the preamp circuitry, which is not needed except when playing LPs (which most people rarely do these days) -- for the lowest distortion and best signal to noise ratio. There are other slighty less expensive -- and less good -- stereo receivers available, but if you want suberb performance at a moderate price I highly recommend this Yamaha. Incidentally, this receiver is XM satellite radio ready for those who want this feature.
(5 out of 5)great for both old and new media
We bought this receiver initially since we still have a turntable, and this was one of the few products that still has this capability. It turns out that we couldn't be happier with our choice. Besides having the ability to play LPs, it also can play audio tapes and videos, FM/AM radio, DVDs and CDs and it also has a connection for DVRs, satellite radio and an S-video cable. It's extremely easy to set up and use, and everything we've played so far sounds great. I highly recommend it.
(5 out of 5)Great receiver!
This Yamaha XR-497 replaces a 15-year old Denon stereo receiver that was too expensive to repair. I have 2-sets of speakers, 3 components to hook-up, including a turntable. 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 XR-497 is perfect and it's 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.
(5 out of 5)Great Stereo Reciever
I purchased Yamaha RX-497 because my old ONKYO stopped working. I decided to buy this stereo receiver because I listen to music CDs most of the time, and ONKYO's TX-8522 doesn't have a subwoofer output. I cannot be happier!
The purity and depth of the sound is just amazing! I love the "pure direct" button which allows me enjoy the music in its original form (the receiver still outputs to the subwoofer in "pure direct" mode). The headphone jack can drive my Sennheiser HD600 beautifully!
(5 out of 5)sounds great
Arrived new and ready for use. It made the perfect present for my husband; he is very happy.