Customer Ratings & Reviews

Terrific receiver, easy connectivity with earc hdmi, truly dynamic and immersive. Enough power to rival the local movie theater when used in a home theater. Priced at $399, a ton of value for the money.

It seems like a decent starter receiver. I’m using it to replace the sound bar that I was using. Much higher quality than the sound bar. Using it with my paradigm speakers in A 3.1 set up. 

The Yamaha RX300A is one of the best entry AV receivers with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos that you can buy currently in 2026. If you’re looking to upgrade to surround sound for the first time or want to move up from a sound bar, this is a AVR you should consider especially at this MSRP. This is with the caveat that you need only five speakers and a subwoofer (or two) otherwise you should look into a AVR that supports more than 5.2 audio. I should start by talking about the build quality. Even though it’s cheaper compared to other AVRs, Yamaha didn’t spare no expense with the materials used. The interface on the front chassis is clean compared to some of the older Ymaha AVRs. Something worth mentioning is that there’s a fifth feet beneath the AVR, this helps with dispersing more of the vibrations that the AVR can emit. Yamaha is also conscious of the heat that the HDMI circuitry can produce and they added a heatsink to that area to help with cooling; this will help with the AVR’s longevity. Connectivity wise, I do like that all the HDMI ports are 2.1. This means that you can play at 4k 120 fps on the Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, or with a PC hooked up. You don’t have to fiddle or worry about which HDMI ports aren’t 2.1. However, it should be mention that this AVR does not have WiFi. This means no support for music streaming applications like Spotify. Still, you do at least have Bluetooth 5.3 multi point support; this means you can pair two Bluetooth devices simultaneously like your phone, tablet, or laptop. Also keep in mind that without WiFi, you will have to do firmware updates using a USB flash drive. Something to note that you don’t have to worry about using a Y-splitter when hooking up your subwoofer to the AVR like some of the older AVRs (like my Denon X1400H) as you can just use RCA cables. There’s a coaxial and optical out port for any older electronics you have that make use of those. It’s appreciated since some newer AVRs, especially entry-level ones, will leave those out completely. Room correction and calibration for your speakers is easy with the microphone that’s included. You just follow the onscreen instructions detailed by the AVR and let the microphone calibrate the levels for your speakers. This is great as for some people this might be the first AVR they own, and you want a no-frills set up experience. Note that although Dolby Atmos is supported, the height speakers are simulated virtually given that this AVR only supports 5.2 audio. This AVR comes highly recommend by me if you only have the standard five speakers and a subwoofer. If you have more speakers, want true Dolby Atmos support for height speakers, and need more HDMI inputs, you should upgrade to a higher end. Otherwise, this is a great first AVR if you just want an easy surround sound set up to enhance your movie and gaming experiences.

I have been a fan of Yamaha receivers. I have been using the HTR-5930 and love it. But there are things it doesn’t do because of its age. Mostly, the connections, composite and component connections. We no longer have TVs with those connections so I have to use optical cable connection which does its job. Now we have the RX300A. I made sure I can continue to use the speakers from the HTR-5930 and I can. The RX300A will do 70W per channel, slightly lower than my previous receiver but I’m after the more modern connections. On paper that’s a downgrade. But the difference is about half a decibel. I don’t hear the difference. My current satellites are at 30 watts so they’re not going to ask for the extra power anyway. I’m able to stream from my iPhone via Bluetooth and Youtube Music. I can also connect my Macbook Pro and stream music from there. This is the modern connection I’ve been looking for. It’s Bluetooth only though. No Wi-Fi or ethernet, so no AirPlay or Spotify Connect. It’s fine for how I use it, but letting you know just in case that’s what you’re looking for. I can now also use HDMI ARC as output instead of optical, which lets me use Atmos. That's where it gets interesting. This receiver does 5.2, or it does 3.2.2 with height speakers. It can't do both. I have four satellites, a center and a sub, which is exactly 5.1 with no spares. So Atmos means either buying two more speakers, or taking two of my satellites and mounting them up high, and then I've lost my surrounds. Until I sort that out, I'm running 5.1 just like before. The other big convenience gain is because I am using ARC, the receiver powers on and off with my television. I don’t have to manage multiple remote controls. The sound was not an improvement. It plays lower than my old setup. But I knew that going in. The ability to do Atmos, having Bluetooth, ARC, and HDMI ports are what I was after. The setup microphone is probably why it plays lower. You plug it in and it listens for where the speakers are and adjusts the settings. It’s optimizing balance across the room, not for volume. My old receiver pushed volts and let me sort it out. Loud is not always better. Balance is. I plan to also get new speakers. I currently have the NX-E270 satellites, NX-C270 and SW-P270 subwoofer. Overall, I’ve been happy with Yamaha receivers and great to have more connection options for the future.

I’ve been using the Yamaha RX300A with my Klipsch R‑800F towers and my full Klipsch 5.1 setup, and overall I’m impressed with what this receiver delivers for the price. The sound is clean, detailed, and pairs extremely well with Klipsch’s naturally efficient and bright signature. Even though this is an entry-level Atmos-capable receiver, it performs above expectations in everyday use. 🔊Sound Quality & Speaker Pairing: My Klipsch speakers don’t need a ton of power to wake up, and Yamaha’s tuning complements them nicely — smooth mids, crisp highs, and a very natural presentation. Bass it's good but maybe just enough for watching a good movie and music at loud but not concert Levels. 🎼Room Calibration & Tuning: The receiver comes with a microphone for room calibration, and I think most people should use it — it does a solid job cleaning up the sound. Personally, I prefer to tune my speakers individually, and the Yamaha gives you enough flexibility to do that. Once dialed in, the system feels tight and well‑controlled. 📳Bluetooth & Everyday Use: I first tested the RX300A in my hallway setup using Bluetooth for casual, everyday music. It connected instantly, stayed stable, and sounded better than I expected from a Bluetooth stream. For simple background listening, it exceeded my expectations. 📺Gaming & Passthrough Performance: Where this receiver really surprised me was gaming. I ran it with my PlayStation using passthrough to my LG G3 77”, and everything worked flawlessly — no lag, no handshake issues, no weird audio drops. The 4K passthrough is smooth, and the soundstage in games feels wide and immersive even without physical height speakers. ✅My Final Knowledge: The Yamaha RX300A is a great value receiver that handles movies, music, and gaming without any drama. It’s not as powerful or bass-heavy as my Pioneer SC‑LX701, but it’s clean, reliable, and easy to work with. For anyone looking for a modern, budget-friendly receiver with Atmos virtualization and solid HDMI performance, this one is absolutely worth considering.

My review is for the Yamaha RX300A 5.2-Channel 4K120 Dolby Atmos AV Receiver from Best Buy. The RX300A is an entry-level receiver but offers a few high-end features normally found in receivers costing much more. However, there are a few speaker configuration issues you should be aware of. For example, it offers Dolby Atmos for your home theater, but at the expense of using your surround speakers as the height speakers. Yamaha figured out a way to add Dolby Atmos and keep the surround speaker intact by creating virtual height speakers to simulate the effect of Dolby Atmos. I was not able to test it, but not bad for an entry level system. Of course, if you want the full Dolby Atmos effects from actual speakers and keep your surround sound intact, Yamaha offers higher end receivers if you are willing to pay more. The same is true with adding speakers to another room. That too is done at the expense of relinquishing your surround speakers for that to work. You might consider the RX500A as your best option. Starting with the setup out of the box, I ran into a couple of issues that had me tearing my hair out. The first issue…the remote was acting weird, some things would work but the power and volume buttons did nothing. Well to make a long story short, I discovered a small sliding switch on the side of the remote that either controls the receiver or remote speakers in another room. I was sure I had a defective unit until I finally noticed the switch was set to Zone B and switching back to Main solved the biggest issue I had. I did run into one other issue with my Bluetooth connection between our all-in-one PC in our kitchen and the receiver. I was able to pair and connect, but the streamind sound produced static. My only solution was to try a factory reset, and I was soon back in business on my second attempt. I should mention that the RX300A can connect to two Bluetooth devices, so for example, I can connect with either my PC or my iPhone and not have to go through the pairing process with each device. The remainder of the setup consists of connecting the speakers, connecting HDMI cable via the eARC connection on the back of the receiver to the eARC connector on the TV. The next step is doing a room calibration to configure your speakers and subwoofer to get the best sound possible. In my case, I had Best Buy install Sonance in-ceiling speakers earlier this year. The calibration went smoothly although I had to do it twice because our phone rang during the first attempt. The room needs to be quiet for best results. Assuming you will be using this for home theatre, one final step is to connect the receiver to a streaming source for your TV. We use an Apple 4K TV device, simply by connecting the Apple to the receiver using the HDMI 1 port on the back of the receiver. Of course there are more settings you can tweak, but this initial setup will have you up and running with a full home theatre system. The receiver even recognized the Apple TV device and the display shows “Apple TV” when connected. The online and downloadable operating manual goes into detail for configuring your system to best match your set of speakers. The manual is well written and easy to understand. I should mention that I had a home theatre system prior to the Yamaha RX300A, but that other receiver had a couple of issues that I could not overcome. It would power on by itself, sometimes in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Often when turning on the system, the TV would just go blank, and the only solution was to reset by turning the power off and on again. It apparently was a timing issue with the HDMI handshake protocol. I am happy to report that the Yamaha RX300A has performed perfectly with none of those issues. I will skip over all the setup nuances and specification details and mention what I like and dislike about the Yamaha RX300A AV receiver. - The front of the receiver is clean and simple but comes with a full featured remote. I once had an AV receiver that had dozens of buttons on the front. I needed a flashlight to change the settings and many of the settings were best left to videophiles and the like. The RX300A simply has a volume and input selection knob and a short row of buttons used for selecting scene settings and one to control the display. The scene settings are meant for configuring up to 4 input devices like Blu-ray players via the HDMI input connectors on the back. I will not mess with those as I don’t have any other devices connected to the receiver beyond HDMI 1. - - Solid construction. The RX300A weighs 17 pounds. My previous receiver was only 9 pounds. The difference is Yamaha builds the RX300A with a larger power supply, bigger heat sinks, and more robust amplifier section. This makes the Yamaha a more reliable receiver with better performance, lower noise, and longer life. - Hidden in the setup’s speaker menu is a 10-band equalizer. In addition, there are preset options like “Music” to best optimize the sound when using the RX300A as a Bluetooth speaker. There is a simple tone adjustment for bass and treble and things like Bass Boost for your subwoofer as well. What I consider a plus is something called Pure Direct, which routes music’s digital signal cleanly through the amplifier with no DSP alterations. It even turns off the receiver’s display to eliminate any sort of electrical interference from the receiver’s electronics. - It includes a built-in FM radio receiver and can store up to 40 stations in memory. - I have my receiver connected to a single high end dual speaker subwoofer, recently purchased from Best Buy. However, the RX300A can drive two separate subwoofers for more balanced sound in a large room. - Lastly, there is no Wi-Fi connection, so any firmware updates require some manual steps to identify, download, and install them via Yamaha’s support website and a USB memory stick. Being such a new receiver, I did not find any updates to install after visiting Yamaha’s website. That covers the main points of my experience with the Yamaha RX300A. Let me wrap up by saying the Yamaha RX300A has stepped up to replace my previous receiver in the best way possible and remain affordable. Yamaha is widely respected for their high-quality electronics and sound, and I am excited to have Yamaha’s RX300A as the centerpiece of my home theatre sound system.

An outstanding sounding Dolby 5.2 surround receiver at an entry level price. Yamaha has been a major player in the home theater AV receiver space for a long time and the RX300A is a good example of why. The sound quality is clean, crisp and natural; as you’d expect from a Yamaha. I have it running a set of 5 vintage Mirage satellite speakers and a powered subwoofer. They’re all pretty efficient so the amp wasn’t driven too hard, but I do like it loud. Aside from the sound quality, what really impressed me are the tuning features that come with it. Setup is like any other AV receiver in terms of hardware. Actually easier, because it’s just HDMI ports, 2 stereo RCA inputs and an optical toslink port. There are 2 RCA outputs for subwoofers, which is pretty neat to see on an entry level receiver. It also includes a calibration microphone to automatically tune the sound for the room. I’ve had mixed experiences with these, but I’ll say the area should be totally quiet when using it. Unfortunately, my neighbor was having a party when I tried to set mine up and I got some wacky results. It wasn’t until I manually went through the settings that I discovered how good this receiver can sound and a big part of that was changing the EQ mode. I don’t know if the microphone is supposed to stay attached for the Auto EQ mode but changing the EQ to GEQ or even off really wakes up the sound, even with all of the bands set to flat! And if you go into GEQ mode there’s a customizable 10 band EQ for each speaker too! Did not expect to see that in anything entry level. There’s also an adjustable high pass crossover for the front, center, and rear channels. Surround sound processing is limited to Dolby Atmos, so no uncompressed DTS but almost everything is coded for Dolby anyway. Configuration wise, the receiver offers the flexibility to set up the rear channel amps as Atmos front height channels, but then you lose the rear surround channels. And I don’t see a pre-out for them either, so that means you can either run it like a Dolby Digital 5.2 system with rear speakers, or a Dolby Atmos 5.2 system with only front speakers. And I guess that’s where the “entry level” of things are, but it has more features than most people even use. The volume knob does feel cheap though. Like hollow plastic. It turns smoothly but it’s missing a tactile high end feel. Thankfully I mainly use the remote. If you have a lot of modern devices that use HDMI, you’ll love the capabilities of this receiver as a switcher. You get 4 HDMI inputs that can run at either 4k@120hz or 8k@60hz, but they also upscale the picture to 4k (and do an impressive job of it). From PC games to movies, I didn’t experience any issues with connectivity or speed. Overall, if you’re looking for a basic Dolby surround receiver or want a simple upgrade over a soundbar, the Yamaha RX300A is a fantastic choice. It sounds great, has 4 HDMI inputs, multiple tuning options, and offers 4k video upscaling. There’s even bluetooth connectivity (finally something for my bluetooth streaming projector!). If you want a simple upgrade to high quality sound, this is an excellent choice. PROS - Clear, detailed sound - Excellent overall sound quality - Good channel separation - Adjustable high pass crossover for front, center, and rear channels - Channel specific digital EQ - Multiple sound modes - Dolby Atmos Surround - Rear channel amp can be setup as Atmos height channels - Two subwoofer outputs - Bluetooth connectivity - 4k upscaling looks great - 4k@120hz and 8k@60hz HDMI connectivity - 4 HDMI inputs - Remote easily syncs with TV and FiosTV+ box through HDMI - Comes with microphone for auto tuning - Relatively compact size CONS - Limited inputs outside of HDMI - No DTS processing - Volume knob feels cheap - No dedicated Atmos output to grow beyond 5.2 surround - Mainly for modern electronics

It's been a while since I've upgraded my audio system's receiver but with the new TVs pushing crazier framerates and HDMI upgrades, I thought it was as good of a time as any. I'm pretty happy with the new receiver as it feels like it's a locked in, more bare bones experience which is exactly what I expect out of my receiver. It did have a couple of quirks while I was testing it out, though. Hopefully most of them can be resolved with future firmware updates. Setup is going to totally depend on your current setup. If you're swapping one receiver for another and you have your speaker wires somewhat labeled, you're basically just dropping in the new receiver. Either way, though, it's not so bad to just get it up and running. Plug in the speakers in the back. Plug in an HDMI to the ARC channel on your TV and that could be all you need. If you want to route your video through the receiver as well, just plug your things into the three HDMI ports on the back which should all be capable of 4k120. After your power it up for the first time, you'll pick a language and immediately get dropped into the sound calibration settings. There's a cute little cardboard standup you can build to put the sound test microphone on top of in order to simulate the height of a person sitting on your couch. The test doesn't take very long and sets up some initial volumes and distances for you so you don't have to mess with it. After that, there's not a ton more for you to do. There's a couple basic modes during usage. I usually stick to "Straight" which basically outputs the exact audio it's receiving in the exact channels it's supposed to. This can lead to some things being fairly low volume it they weren't made for multiple channels. There's a mode for outputting a stereo signal across all of your speakers instead of just the front two. Then a Movie and Music mode. Tinker with the modes and figure out what you like. Sound quality is good and will depend heavily on the speakers you give it. There really isn't much more to say about it. It's a good receiver and you'll get good sound out of good speakers with it. One thing I really like about this receiver over my old one is that it's not trying to do a bunch of things I don't care about. This has bluetooth and a USB port if you want to just play music from your phone. It doesn't try and include 10 other internet radio providers onto it and wifi. It just does it's media center audio, well. I don't know why you'd need internet radio providers on your receiver in 2026 but if you do, this receiver isn't for you. On to the quirks. The first one isn't really a quirk (I find it to be a feature), but it might bother you to some degree. This doesn't connect to your network. So there's no internet connected functionality at all. I really like that about it. But updating firmware and such takes an extra step of needing to download it on the computer and put it on a USB drive to plug in to the receiver. No biggie for me but maybe you'd prefer an easier update process. (Updates should be fairly rare) One of the more annoying things that I've found is a bit of an HDMI control delay when it comes to volume. This could just be my TV as well, but when I try and use anything other than the remote for the receiver to change the volume, pressing a volume button once every 2 seconds works great. But if I start to press any faster than that, the volume jumps 5 or 10 steps at a time. I'm hoping a firmware update can resolve this in the future. The larger quirk that made me go back to a pure ARC setup for now is some sort of HDMI handshake issue or just an incompatibility with my TV (there's a possible trend). When routing everything through the receiver, my TV would just blank out and nothing aside from unplugging and replugging it would get it back. I never experienced this with my old receiver so I'm thinking this is some sort of combination thing with my TV again. Going with just the HDMI cable to the ARC port on my TV works great, though. This is another thing I'm hoping gets resolved with a firmware update in the future. Bottom line is this is a good receiver. It sound great and works with a selection of pretty basic functions which is all it really needs. It needs to take the sound from my TV and give it to my 5 speakers and there really shouldn't be anything more complex involved. If you're looking for a ton of internet connected features, move on to the next option. If you just want a receiver that "just works", this is one that could be it. My old Yamaha receiver got firmware updates for a decade after it's release so I'm hoping any small issues get ironed out over time and make this an even better receiver than I already see it as.

Touting support for several modern technologies and a second subwoofer channel, this seemed like the perfect receiver... priced very close to entry-level. Since we only have (and only want) a 5.1 setup in our space, it provides just about everything we need and comes from a respectable brand. Upon setting it up, most of this still applies, but we do miss some of the finer level of tuning we had in our last receiver and had a difficult time finding the singular setting we needed to get this to work for us. __ Design and Mixed Ease of Use __ The design is great. It looks a lot more visually clean than our prior one. No excessive buttons, nice knobs, and an overall organized look. This, in part, was the real attention grabber for me. But that simplicity is only partially delivered on. While general setup was a breeze, and the included microphone did it’s job to auto-adjust our channels to the space, we struggled for a long time to find a way to equalize volume across applications on a single input. Nearly all receivers, including this one do a good job of allowing refinement per HDMI input you have (an Xbox, Playstation, an Apple TV, etc.), but not all do a great job of normalizing volume across the applications and various codecs you get through them. It was fine for the game consoles, but it was all over the place within Apple TV - creating vast differences in how balanced sound and setting were across the YouTube app, Netflix, and my Apple movie library, for instance. We tried everything in the normal settings, perused the quick start guide and weren’t really getting anywhere. Yamaha simply didn’t have a real onboarding process beyond the mic-based room setup - which you may want in this day and age, and in an entry-level focused product like this. The singular solution we could find was to put our setup in Movie mode. I wouldn’t imagine this to be the thing to actually normalize volume, but it does by virtue of more heavily processing the input signal than any other settings available. There is no meaningful refinement exposed beyond this mode, but it works well enough to be acceptable. Compare that to our last receiver - which while older, was able to identify and handle various codecs and provide menus to adjust how each was handled. If this exists in some hidden menu, we haven’t been able to find or recognize it on this model. My overall impression of this receiver would have cratered to the point of being unusable had it not been for finding this single, workable solution. But once we did, we discovered that we get the benefit a bit more ‘boom’ in our action movies, which is great. The remote is also fairly well organized and switching between inputs is made easy, with dedicated buttons right at the top. The all black design makes it slightly harder to tell top from bottom upon first picking it up, but that hasn’t been a very big issue. This remote also immediately worked as an alternative to our Apple TV remote, allowing direct navigation without having to switch back and forth. A slight lag may occur, but’s nicely usable. __ A Good Price Point __ But all of this comes under a very respectable price point. I can’t falter this for providing just enough for our needs. With Movie mode on, we have balanced sound, good bass, and various sources of media - from Youtube and other apps via Apple TV, to our game consoles, seems to be handled in a way that we enjoy. It has properly utilized our rear channels as often as possible, and passes through the intended surround sound levels on movies that were already encoded with it. I’m impressed with this mode and this mode alone. Having it allowed this to feel like a value at this price. __ Overall__ While limited in features, to some extent, it provides just enough to deliver the sound we want from our 5.1 system. Its attractive, understated design helps it disappear into an exposed setup like ours while cutting out unnecessary wifi features we never used in our last system. Getting up in running was easy, but finding the one setting we needed (‘Movie’ mode, of all things) made it ultimately balance our audio in a way we appreciate. Assuming most people have similar setups, I’d recommend giving this one a try if you’re in the market.

Receivers sure have changed through the years, although you’d hardly notice from the front, but when you check the business end in the back, it’s a whole different world. HDMI connections have simplified back panels of receivers to such an extent that they seem almost bare, even though they contain amazing capabilities. Add in a few speakers, the wonders of digital signal processing and use of the automatic speaker compensation function with an included microphone and in this case, you have a high-quality, surround system that compensates for a room’s acoustic challenges at a fairly low entry price. This unit represents a very good starting point including almost all of the features that most people really need, with no frills. On paper, this receiver’s five amplifier channels are all rated at about 70 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.09% THD, with 2-ch driven). The speaker impedance is selectable at 6 or 8 ohms in the setup menu to match your setup. It’s unlikely the manufacturer would recommend using 4-ohm speakers, as they draw more current that amplifiers in this price category are unlikely to support or are designed for. At the cost of the surround capabilities, the rear channels can be configured to use as a second zone or for driving a bi-amplified speaker arrangement, requiring four of the channels to drive a two-way stereo pair. You can also forgo the rear channels to add front height channels and leave the rear channel’s previous surround function to a “phantom” configuration whereby the front speakers also project a pseudo rear sound field. There are two subwoofer preamp outputs (same signal for each channel) for a channel designation total described as 5.2. The four HDMI inputs and the one HDMI output connection are specified by Yamaha as HDMI 2.1, 8K 60Hz/4K 120Hz, VRR / ALLM / QMS, HDCP 2.3, CEC, Auto Lip Sync, Deep Color, x.v. Color and HD audio playback capable. In addition, the output is designated as eARC and ARC compatible. Other inputs include two stereo analog RCA pairs, an optical digital connection, a coaxial digital connection and a front panel USB-A connector capable of audio playback from MP3, MPEG4-AAC, WMA and WAV files from an external storage device as well as allowing a path for future firmware updates to the receiver. Bluetooth ver. 5.3 with multipoint capability and an FM tuner with an included antenna are also present. Lastly, there is a front-panel headphone jack and an input for the test microphone. There is thankfully a normal, full-featured remote included with batteries. The test microphone has an included cardboard stand that can be configured and placed at a close-to-ear-height position, so the test microphone can hear and calibrate the system as you would hear it when seated. This version of the calibration software requires only one measurement position so it doesn’t require repositioning and averaging like more advanced systems typically do. The initial setup of the receiver will be displayed on the television’s screen to make the process as easy as possible and will walk you through what is required to achieve the best possible performance with the speakers you have, in the configuration that you choose, in the room that you have them in. No complete printed operation manual is included, only a quick start guide that is provided in two languages. References are made to QR codes for some functions that steer you to sections of the complete manual online that supply more detailed information. There is unfortunately no network connectivity on this receiver of either wireless or wired variety. However, a slightly more costly model containing both networking formats and including two additional amplifier channels is available, and is designated as the model RX500A. My experience with using this product is that the on-screen setup makes the whole process just so much more intuitive than previous generations of receivers. Maybe it’s just Yamaha, a company I have great respect for, but after literally reading the whole manual on line, the descriptions used throughout are clear and unambiguous as read by someone who has years of experience but can empathize with those who do not. There are enough sound format presets and adjustability to handle almost everyone’s needs. Audiophiles may disagree, but then they are free to spend thousands more for whatever they feel they need. This unit specifies what they call “Scenes” associated with the four HDMI connections that allows you to customize many audio setting options including the ability to rename the “Scene” to make it easier to associate the input with the function. The average person will do just fine with this product. Regarding usability aspects, I can imagine the small speaker zone switch located on the side of the remote will bring nothing but grief to a family’s technical fix-it designee. Just too easily inadvertently switched for my liking. Also, my daughter just went through that same situation a few weeks ago on another brand receiver, so trust me, it happens. Another consideration if you’re trying to decide to upgrade to newer technology or not is the usefulness of HDMI control of connected devices. The seamlessness of turning on one device like a recently-made TV and having the receiver power up in the correct configuration and control the volume of the receiver from that TV’s remote is just so convenient. Would I recommend this product? Yes. Would I replace an older receiver with this one? Yes. If I was a card-carrying audiophile, would I buy this product? Yes, but I probably wouldn’t want to give up an exotic setup for it. I would, however, give up a sound bar.

Very nice AVR by Yamaha. Finally, they decided to update their entry lines to give them updated features. Its nice to see them keeping the price relatively low, while still bringing very nice features that their more expensive models have. To start with, they include in the box the receiver itself, a cardboard stand for the calibration mic, the calibration mic itself (very long cable), a radio antenna, remote control (batteries included) and a small quick guide. The AVR carries from their more expensive lineup, the little wedge in the middle under its belly, that gives it more stability when placed over a table. Installation was easy (my speaker wires have banana plugs, so its a quick connect for me). You can plug up to 5.2 speakers (2 front, 1 center, 2 surround and 2 subs), or you could sacrifice the surrounds and have a 3.2.2 one (2 front, 1 center, 2 Dolby speakers, be it ceiling or up firing, and 2 subs). Whatever you choose, there is a setting in the AVRs menu to virtualize speakers. So I chose the 2nd option, because I like my Dolby Atmos up firing speakers. The AVR still makes a good job at virtualizing the surround back speakers when there is none. I don't know how it does it, but I swear it does a good job and I can hear stuff coming from the back (I think it uses sound bouncing around). It will ask you to plug in then the calibration mic and it will send tones and calibrate room acoustics, speaker distance, size, crossovers etc. with this. I must say, it does good job. Once done, I was good to go. Updated finally, is it offers now modern gaming features, like 8k60hz, 120hz, VRR, ALLM, HDR, Dolby vision etc. and they all work fine. I was able to plug in my PC to one of the HDMI ports and it detected all the high refresh rates and features just fine. The remote control buttons feel crisp and responsive (don't shine in the dark though or backlit). There is tons of customization in the menus, like you change and assign "scenes", if you save one, you can have it have a certain customization or sound mode on a preferred input and recall it with just one button press. Sound quality was great and has several modes. There is pure (no processing), straight decode (straight as the source), and other modes. The one that really surprised me was its Movie mode. It uses all the available speakers and it sounded great and dialog super clear too. The only CON is that its not Wi-Fi or ethernet enabled, it should have had that, at least for future firmware updates (they can still be done, if any in the future, via USB port). Great value for the price, specially with the new updated features, mainly the gaming ones!!!

Yamaha - RX300A 5.2-Channel 4K120 Dolby Atmos AV Home Theater Receiver With nearly 40 years of experience in AV receivers and a reputation for serious audio engineering across all price levels, the RX300A is Yamaha's new entry-level AV Home Theater Receiver. The RX-V385 has served as Yamaha's entry model since 2018. It has been replaced by the updated RXS300A for 2026, which costs the same but offers features like Dolby Atmos, HDMI 2.1 with 4K/120, dual subwoofer outputs, and Bluetooth 5.3 with Multipoint. The front panel has a cleaner, more minimal design than Yamaha's previous models at this price, with an upgraded, sleek, more expensive look. You can run it as a standard 5.2 setup with no height speakers, or configure it for immersive audio with overhead channels. The RX300A is rated at 70 watts per channel into 8 ohms with two channels driven simultaneously, measured across the full 20Hz to 20kHz bandwidth at 0.09% THD. A nice surprise is the included Bluetooth Multipoint. Two devices can be paired simultaneously and you switch between them instantly without going through the pairing process again. The Atmos setup with physical height speakers supported by the receiver follows a 3.2.2 configuration: three front speakers, two subwoofers, and two height channels, which can be either in-ceiling speakers or Dolby-upfiring speakers that reflect sound off the ceiling. Keep in mind that the RX300A has five amplifier channels total, so using two for height channels means you lose rear surround channels. This results in a configuration of three front channels plus height, rather than a full 5.1 surround with height. The receiver supports DTS Virtual:X. This is a post-processing algorithm that simulates overhead sound from your existing floor-level speakers using psychoacoustic techniques. It gives you a sense of height without additional hardware and works reasonably well. Four HDMI inputs and one output, all running HDMI 2.1 with 40Gbps of bandwidth. That bandwidth is what enables 4K at 120 frames per second over the connection. The output supports eARC, so your TV can return audio to the receiver over the same HDMI cable you are already running for video. No separate optical or coaxial cable needed if your TV supports eARC. Gaming features include ALLM and VRR. Auto Low Latency Mode tells the display and receiver to prioritize low input lag when a game signal is detected. Variable Refresh Rate eliminates screen tearing by syncing the display's refresh rate to the GPU output. Both work with the current generation of gaming consoles. HDR support covers HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Hybrid Log-Gamma. A setup microphone is included in the box. The calibration process evaluates your room's acoustics, identifies each speaker, and automatically adjusts distances, level trims, and frequency response corrections. It's simple enough for first-time users and significantly improves the overall setup of your room's system. Once it's calibrated, you can fine-tune the system to your preferences using the System settings displayed on your TV, eliminating the need to navigate these settings on the system’s display panel. Zone B output allows you to connect a second set of passive speakers in another room, using the same source as the main zone. Volume can be adjusted via the remote. While it isn't a completely independent zone, it effectively provides background audio for spaces like a patio or bedroom. Yamaha includes their Anti-Resonance Technology Wedge, or A.R.T. Wedge, on both new receivers. It is a fifth foot mounted at the center of the chassis base that works with the four corner feet to disperse mechanical vibration. The RX300A also features various sound modes tailored to specific content types, such as movies and sports, allowing users to customize their listening experience. This flexibility ensures that sound quality matches the moment, enhancing the enjoyment of different types of entertainment. There are also several Scenes that you can customize and save, which is a nice feature. If you need a detailed manual, a URL-driven manual is available from the Yamaha site. The Yamaha RX300A excels at delivering high-quality audio; you experience a significant sense of depth, with crisp, clear dialogue and rich, dimensional sound that fills the room. The receiver’s ability to create lifelike soundscapes makes watching films and playing games feel more engaging.

My entertainment center is currently a 5.1 set up but I have been looking at adding a subwoofer for fuller bass. My current aging receiver only supports 5.1, and Yamaha RX300A is a reasonably priced receiver with the upgrades I desire. Last time I updated my receiver, I was required to manually adjust each speaker for the best possible listening experience. Even though I have an ear for great sound, automated self-adjustment could replicate my listening preferences. The RX300A provides an effortless setup, with the included microphone, for just these types of adjustments. During setup, I was instructed to leave the room since the testing could get loud. After just a few minutes, the set up was complete and was ready to test out. I watched a sci-fi movie and was greatly impressed with the accuracy and quality, but felt like the subwoofer needed to be repositioned. Since this receiver supports two subwoofers, I will be upgrading my speakers next. Overall, the setup was quick and easy and the results are astounding. If you are looking for a great 5.2 receiver without the highly technical setups, like the majority of listeners, then this receiver should be on the top of the list.

So...basically needed to replace an extremely old Onkyo receiver which bless its heart it lived for ~20 years serving several theater style TVs with devotion. Alas, tech support told us it appeared to be failing on several of the speakers (which I guess is what happens to some circuits). Well, we selected this Yamaha based on price and functionality. Easy ship to BB for pick-up and honestly, it took about 15 minutes to set up. It connected straight away to the Samsung TV...super simple. Really cool microphone optimization scenario and wow - we are back in business and didn't realize the sound quality we were missing. Speakers are all fine but the new Yamaha is definitely optimizing the sound for us.

After my old Denon finally faded away I started researching for a new receiver for my television. I reviewed several brands and after reading their reviews I went with the Yamaha 300 A. I reviewed comments from 1 and then up to 5. I like to read the negatives first to get a feel for the product. The Yamaha had the best reviews and I bought it and then replaced the old receiver and the sound is very good. Installation was not difficult and I would recommend this to a friend or family member.

Very good with great features for the price point, easy set up and nice sound for my Klipsch speakers

A Yamaha AV receiver is a smart choice for anyone building or upgrading a home theater system. It offers the right mix of sound quality, reliability, connectivity, and everyday usability. While it may not be the cheapest option, its performance and feature set make it a strong value for users who want a receiver that can handle movies and streaming with confidence.

As an entry-level receiver, it has all the features necessary to provide crisp, clear and powerful sound in your living room. Has lots of input to attach to speakers and sources.

Easy to set up. quality is excellent. I would buy this product again.

Replaced my monster pioneer receiver with this wee gem and have been enjoying it for the simplicity and surprisingly good sound quality