Audio and video receivers come in a wide variety of styles, options and capabilities from a range of manufacturers. Yamaha has earned a reputation of creating quality audio and video technology and they make great audio and video receivers. This article will help you determine if the Yamaha RX-V367BL is right for your home theater system.
Video Inputs and Outputs
This unit features 4 HDMI inputs and 1 output for video. It also features the standard component connections as well. When you select an audio and video receiver for your system, you always want to make sure that it first has the number of inputs that you require. This unit would be considered entry-level because of the number of inputs. You need to consider if you need more than 4 HDMI inputs.
This unit is also 3D ready with a simple firmware upgrade which is free. This feature is not found in most entry-level units on the market today.
Sound Output
This unit features 5 channel 500 Watt surround sound at 100 Watts per channel. This should be more than enough to power your speakers.
This unit also features sound technology that you don't normally find in other units.
Cinema DSP is a proprietary Yamaha technology that creates independent sound fields that other technologies like DTS decoding and Dolby Digital do not. This makes for a much richer surround sound experience.
Virtual Cinema DSP is also another really nice feature of this unit. It simulates the surround sound experience without the need for surround sound speakers. This feature is really nice and could be used to save you some money.
SCENE Technology
SCENE technology is a fairly new feature of Yamaha receivers. SCENE is basically the addition of presets that can be controlled by programmable buttons on the front of the unit.
These buttons come with presets like "iPod Listening", "XM Listening", "Action Game Playing" and others. This makes it super easy to change a lot of settings at once by merely pressing one button.
These buttons are also fully programmable so you can tweak them for the exact sound settings you want one time and then just click a button when you want to use it. This is a very useful feature.
Expandability
It is important that the receiver you purchase be able to last you for as long as you need it. A key component of a good feature is its expandability. This feature can be difficult to find in an entry-level system so it is nice to see it in the Yamaha RX-V367BL.
This unit can be expanded by using the optional YBA-10 Bluetooth Wireless Audio Receiver or YDS-12 Universal Dock. These inexpensive devices give you the option to expand your receiver in the future only if you need them.
The YBA-10 Bluetooth Wireless Audio Receiver connects to the 367BL and allows any device that complies with the Bluetooth standard to stream audio directly to the receiver. For instance, you can stream music from a Bluetooth enabled laptop wirelessly to your receiver. This feature is extremely useful if you have a large music library on your computer.
The YDS-12 Universal Dock is a handy device that allows you to plug your iPhone/iPod directly into the receiver. It allows you to play music from your device and even view album artwork on your television.
What's Not To Like?
You can check out many reviews on the web from happy owners of the Yamaha RX-V367BL. I have been unable to find any real complaints about the unit outside of issues like no rotary dials being present on the front of the unit for minor sound tweaking. It is possible to tweak the sound through the interface but not with a rotary dial.
The Yamaha RX-V367BL has a list of great features that set it above most entry-level receivers on the market today.
