Yamaha RX-A1000 7.1-Channel Home Theater Receiver (OLD VERSION) (Discontinued by Manufacturer)

I recently purchased this unit from Amazon to replace my old RV-1105. I tested Onkyo, Pioneer, Denon, and this definitely came out on the top. My RV-1105 was a great unit and I have had it for over 10 years and is still working great. I wanted to buy this because of the HMDI interface and the 7.1 Channel (although there are not a whole lot of 7.1 channel DVD's). I liked the unit because of the 2 HDMI out, which I use to connect my projector in the basement, and the TV in the living room. This unit also allows you to change the HDMI input even in standby mode, which is awesome. The hook up was a breeze, especially with YPAO. I haven't tweaked the settings yet, and everything is working like a charm. The audio and video are crisp. I haven't tested the DNLA or NET radio. There are lot more DSP programs that what I had in RV1105, and simulated 7.1 is really good. I have downloaded the iPhone app, and it works like a charm. There are a couple of things I dont like about the iPhone App. 1. The Demo programs - I am not able to remove these (I dont know if someone has found a way to delete it) 2. Even though the unit allows Input switching in standby mode, the App will not work with the unit being in standby mode. So if you use the App for switching you will have to turn it on. Now the things I dont like - The audio levels are much lower than my RV1105. Eventhough this is rated @105W/channel, the audio @-25db is no where near the audio levels of my old RV1105. My old RV1105 sounds so much louder than the RXA1000. I have to put it @-20dB to have a decent sound effect in my Home theater. I think the RXA1000 is trimming down the volume, and I have even complained to Yamaha with no response. The very obvious because when the unit is on standby the TV sounds so much louder than when it is on. I will update once I hear from Yamaha. I am not sure if someone has had this problem.In all, I am very happy with the unit. If only the App, and the Audio level issue can be fixed.Pros 1. Multiple HDMI out 2. HDMI switching even in standby mode 3. Probably the best DSP programs available on any receiver in this price range 4. Yamaha reliabilityCons 1. Audio levels are being trimmed. I have to crank it up 2. iPhone App requires the unit be turn onAlbertUpdates on the few issues I had reported.I found the issue with audio levels - There are a few things that affect the audio levels, and changing these settings makes a whole lot of difference 1. The Auto DRC. Turn this off, and the audio is so much better than the factory settings with this turned off. 2. There is a Auto Trim level, and you can tweak it to your requirement. It goes from -6dB to +6dB. 3. While YPAO does a decent job of caliberating, I found that you will have to tweak some of the settings to your requirement. I changed some of the speaker settings, and now the audio is really good. The simplest thing you can try is the factory presettings. Choose one of the factory presettings, and based on the one you like the most make appropriate changes to teh YPAO caliberation.Still no luch with iPhone Apps.Albert

I bought the RX-A1000 primarily because it was the base unit offering internet connectivity and web server support. My music is all on my NAS, and increasingly, that is where it should be. Why have music libraries locked into Apples AAC devices or buried on a scratched CD?Other, more knowledgeable, reviewers have commented on the audio aspects of the A1000. It is adequate, but not impressive as Yamaha technology used to be.Internet connectivity: Only supports DHCP, would is OK, except there are NO (none) documentation or other configuration (IP4/6?) settings. There is no status or diagnostic information. My amp periodically disappeared from my network. Eventually, I configured the DHCP server to give it a fixed IP address and I no longer refer to it by the cryptic machine name (that can't be changed by the user). This seems to fix the issue. (For folks who complain about lack of on-board WiFi, it is because you don't want a transmitter located near the amplifier electronics. So, I understand why there's a wired only network option.)The web server is so slow as to be unusable. The web control interface is something only the programmer's mother could love. Lots of fancy colors and slow loading graphics. Very little functionality. For an exercise in futility, try saving a net radio bookmark over the web server. I understand Yamaha has little experience with software QA, but really! This attempt was rank amature.The NET option is the most disappointing. There's a full section for phono and one for USB. But Rhapsody, TwonkyMedia servers, Sirrus, and Internet radio are all lumped into "NET". Switching between these modern media sources is clunky. The on screen and on web interfaces are cute but lack clarity and functionality.Before buying this unit, I read a review from someone lamenting the lack of clarity in switching on the external (5+2) speakers. It used to be a switch. Now, you've got to poke software buttons and wait (either on the web or you need to throw the kids off the TV.) You also need secondary channels run from all your devices to enable the 2nd zone to get content other than from the tuner. Why? (In "Party Mode" the same input channel goes to all speakers.) So, if you want to listen to a CD music downstairs while the kids are watching TV, you need an audio cable from the CD player audio in addition to the HDMI connection. I don't understand the difficulty or the cost in hooking the input channels up to a relay.Oh, BTW, the user manual is junk. Big, fluffy, and written by someone non-technical and likely bored silly. Here is the entire section on DLNA (pg 74). "A DLNA-compliant Digital Media Controller device can also be used to control music playback."And, BTW, Yamaha tech support is also a joke. They take 3 days to respond to email queries on questions and don't even read your question.So, if you're game to figure a buggy system out for yourself with no documentation and little twerps handling the tech support desk, this unit is for you.