Yamaha RX-V661 & PSB Alpha 5.2 System

chewke88 — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 22:24:27 +0800

Hi Guys,

I'm a newbie and just wanna give a write up of my audition of the following systems. I am interested in Yamaha RX-V661 coz IMO, at this price point, the yammy 661 is the most feature pack which can handle 7.1 PCM via HDMI (HD audio? I'm ready!).

Before the yammy 661 stock arrives at my dealer, I have initially planning to match it with the PSB Image series ~ B15 (front), C40 (center), single PSB SubSeries 5i (sub) and a different brand for surround, i.e. NHT iC1 in ceiling speakers. I tried them with Marantz SR6001 and it sounded good! The Marantz is way out of my budget, therefore I have to stick to the yammy. When the yammy arrives at the shop, I tried it with the above speakers and they sounded really harsh! Hated it and have to re-choose the speakers again.

Then I tried with following speakers:
1) PSB Alpha B1 (Front)
2) PSB Alpha C1 (Center)
3) PSB Alpha B1 (Surround)
4) PSB SubSeries 5i (Sub) x 2 units

Total a few hundred RM more expensive eventhough Alpha is a lower model compared to the Image bcoz of the 2 subs.

I auditioned it with WOTW dvd and at the scene where the pods first rises from the ground, I felt like I was really in the middle of the action! There are lots of really low bass at that scene and the dual subs really shook the room until the downlights at the ceiling was vibrating!! I would of course prefer two units of 12" which will go even lower and louder but then it's out of my budget.

The yammy 661 have enough juices to drive the speakers and it matches nicely with them. I tried the yammy with some minor manual adjustment (sub+3db) and it sounded good. There after I tried the auto setup (YPAO) and it sets all the speakers as Large and I have to change them to Small. It also sets +3db to all the channels and -2.5db for the sub. I reset the sub to 0db and leave the rest as it is.

Tried the same scene again and they sounded even better!! Even though the sub was -3db difference from the initial test (I set +3db earlier and after YPAO set at 0db, hence the -3db difference), the bass really comes out fuller! The overall sound was clearer and louder of course (+3db to all channels).

Then it's time to try 2-ch music. Played some female vocals (Ema Fujita) on Pure Direct, the sound stage were good and there's still some nice tight bass. Of couse I don't compare it with bigger and more expensive bookshelves or floorstanders. At this low price, I believe it's as good as it gets. Then I put on some fast paced music (dj spin, techno, etc) and put the yammy on Stereo. The subs really integrate nicely with the speakers and then I tried 7-ch Stereo, turn the sub louder (+2.5db) and also increase the master volume. I felt like I was really in a club!!

I'm really in love with the system and will be getting it for my new house. It will be in my living room and I hope it is loud enough to cover the space (about 6500 cu ft). My house will only be ready early March and I will give an update on how the system sound in my living room.

Just my newbie 2 sen worth...

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Yamaha RX-V661 & PSB Alpha 5.2 System