Customer Ratings & Reviews

Great value....excellent receiver....best I’ve had

This product is more than I bargained for. I truly believe it’s the Best Buy for the money

Got new base unit to utilize more services not good Am/Fm on all stations

This is by far the best receiver I've ever used. There are tons of features, and while intimidating at first, the sound quality and options provide stellar value. This is my first Yamaha receiver, whereas generally I'd stick to Denon or Marantz. No reason why, just preference. After dabbling with this AVR, I'll reconsider who to buy next time around. It looks great, and isn't super intrusive. Not as heavy as my older Denon, which is a plus. Standard size for an AVR. Hookups in the back accommodate banana plugs if you have them setup. The 630w output is plenty enough for most setup, primarily with my 5.1.2 Atmos setup. Switching between different audio types is easy and the initial setup is a breeze with the mic included. It's fully loaded and can pass through all the new video standards, such as 4K, HDR, Dolby Vision, etc, all with no issues. Bluetooth and Spotify streaming was awesome, and being able to wireless connect to my home network and control the music from my computer or phone was seamless. The overall sound stage was slightly warmer, and more detailed than my older system, outputting significantly more power per speaker. I was shocked after the first hookup and test. The only cons I ever experienced was when streaming HBO GO on my Xbox One X, there were some audio hiccups. I attribute it to the receiver being set to pass through Atmos audio rather than traditional 5.1. Also, I've yet to figure out how to dim the display. A very minor issue, but some could find it too bright. Overall, this was an impressive AVR. Fully loaded and midrange receiver for the lower-end enthusiasts like myself out there. It has all the standard audio types, including newer DTS:X and Dolby Atmos, and is future proof video wise. Highly recommended.

Its everything thought it would be and more I would recommend it to anyone

Great reciever, But sometimes difficult to get sound right.

It did not take long for me to realize this receiver is easily a must have for anymore who wants more than just a tv plugged into the wall. At first I was worried I did not have enough components to make having this unit worth it, but before you know it I quickly had it connected to my tv, satellite tv box, blue ray player, and several speakers and it made me want to dig out our rarely used record player and subwoofer. And then I realized I was barely scratching the surface of what this receiver is made to handle. Within minutes I also had it set up with my pandora and spotify accounts that made broadcasting from my phone to house speakers so easy. Both the function buttons on the remote as well as the face of the receiver make it very easy to switch around to what component you want to use, and the remote is so advanced looking and has so many tools built in, but then you download the app and there are even more features! I can confidently say most people that want the most out of their tv or other components, this is a must have for them, and once you have it all connected, you cannot imagine going back to not using a receiver. A few things had me a little disappointed though. First one being the limited amount of adjustments available specifically for sound. I have looked really hard and so far only see that bass and treble can be adjusted, and that is it. A general equalizer function would have been great, especially in this price point. Also I was a little disappointed that in order to make any real changes to the system, even just for music, the connected tv has to be on. I understand the screen on the front of the receiver is only so big and can only show so much, however I am more used to older models that do not need a tv on to be able to use for music playback. And lastly I was bummed that with all the buttons on the remote and the front of the unit, that I still had to download an app on my phone to be able to use other functions like music streaming. I was hoping since the unit is connected to my home wifi, that I could maybe just open an app on the unit just like a smart tv, and log in and go from there. If there is a way to do that, I have not found it yet. Overall this is a great product, it is appealing to the eye, its user interface is friendly even for beginners to the receiver world, and its functionality really is endless. The amount of components, speakers, and settings that this receiver can work with is unreal.

Good good.. it was what we expected out of the Yamaha brand. Good quality

This is a great receiver!! Works with Alexa which makes it even better!

Switched from a Pioneer 7.1 receiver to compliment a 4k Samsung TV and really wanted this receiver to work due to eARC. Unfortunately it had issues above 50% power with it clipping and powering off. Checked all cables multiple times and it was a consistent problem. Plugged old Pioneer back in and it worked up to 100%. Returned and bought similar priced Pioneer Elite receiver and it worked flawlessly, and it passes through Atmos via ARC even though the model I bought didn't support eARC. Two months later and the new pioneer hasn't never reached max power output shutting itself off. Hopefully the pioneer lasts 7 years like the last one did.

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATION: The Yamaha RX-V685 is a new Home Theater receiver, positioned to sit at the top of market offerings today & for the near future. Positive Attributes: 1- Sweet, clear Yamaha sound 2- Best speaker connections in the business, allowing direct banana plug-in and wire screwed-in 3- Generous Input & Outputs to satisfy most Theaters 4- Pre-amp outputs enable direct connection to an external power amplifier 5- 12 volt trigger to control shades, movie screen, etc. 6- Component Video Output works with Retro monitors, pre-HDMI. This is a great feature! 7- Two Subwoofer direct pre-outputs enable connection to stand-alone, powered subwoofers. 8- Optical & Coaxial audio output for versatility. 9- Multi-zone for whole house sound. 10- Alexa can control the volume. 11- More than ample power with 90 watts per channel into 8 ohms with 2 channels driven. 630 Watts Total Output. 12- 4K Ultra Pass Through. 13- Rugged construction with 23 # weight. 14- Included microphone for proper set-up. 15- Dolby Atmos built-in. Concerns: 1- Oversize Remote Control 2- No HDMI on the Front Panel 3- Power cord is fixed, and does not unplug. This adds complexity for tight, hidden installations. CONCLUSION: The concerns are nit picking. This is a tremendous powerhouse, and a great value. Highly Recommended!

I have owned many different brands of receivers over the years and Yamaha keeps being my go to brand. The functionality and output of both HDMI signal and audio signal are both fantastic. While this is certainly not a Magnolia receiver or really high end it is everything you need for something standard with a kick to it, with the inclusion of Dolby Atmos. I have 7 Klipsch audio speakers hooked up with two 12" subwoofers. Dual zone is more common on most receivers now if you wish to use it so I can use my 6 and 7 speaker as a rear height or dual zone speakers to play something different in another room. The bluetooth and wifi functionality built in are great features. My older Yamaha had the wifi support but not the bluetooth so that's a nice addition instead of using a seperate bluetooth transmitter. The menu for the receiver comes up on your tv (when hdmi plugged in between the two) and has a lot of sound and video options that are very easy to change being on the tv and not on the face of the receiver. The sound quality is superb to me using the Klipsch speakers. I can crank the volume to very high levels with out distortion or cracking or buzzing from the speakers. It has many different sound environments available if your watching either movie or listening to music. I hope to be able to upgrade to Atmos speakers now that I have a great receiver to handle them. The HDMI has 4k up scaling if you have a 4k TV. My tv already does its own up scaling but just using the receiver seems to give a better picture. Good for watching cable tv, or blu ray movies if you have a 4k tv but no 4k blu ray player. The quality is great for being a pass through system. One gripe I do have with Yamaha is their YPAO microphone system for balancing your room. While the idea has always been great, The sound quality after programming with it is just never up to par in my opinion, and I feel not even using it yields much better sound results. Now this is just me and might be different for others. Overall, there is a vast market of audio receivers to choose from and it can be tough making the "right" choice. In my experience with Yamaha, it is hard to go wrong.

The quest started from upgrading my 15 year old Onkyo to a new receiver that supports the latest surround sound formats. Initially I bought an entry level Onkyo but was not satisfied with the lack of sound adjustment and the insistent results of AccuEQ. There was just not enough dynamic range to the content. Something was missing. It also caused my 12 year old 65" Samsung TV to turn off its black light when a dark scene comes up. Tech could not help me other than to get a new TV. I returned that one. Then I tried the Denon X1600. It was a very hyped up brand so I decided to give it a try. The UI of the Denon looked like something from the early 1990s and runs in the mixture of 480p/1080p so my TV would flash every time I press a button. The front of the display had very low resolution and could only display very limited info. Also, adjust the dynamic range or turning on Audyssey EQ requires many button clicks from the very low quality remote that it came with. The sound lacks details. It also has the same HDMI issue with my older TV that plagued the Onkyo. I returned it. Then comes the Yamaha V685. This thing has a beautiful advance user interface that integrate seemlessly with the content. The custom adjustment is phenomenal, probably 2x or 3x the amount of settings than the Denon or Onkyo. The remote control is very high quality and everything just seems very well designed and well made. The HDMI issue that plagued the Denon and Onkyo is nonexisted. HDMI communication is flawless even with my older TV. Most of all, when you play music, you can hear every single details embedded in the sound. This is something that I couldn't hear with the Onkyo or even the Denon. I'm very happy with this receiver and for the current price point it's a no brainer to get it.

Ok, I purchased the top I could get and stayed with Yamaha because I thought it would be one of the best AV Theater units. My mistake. You can read the other reviews about what the hookup/features are like. One of the reasons I got this was to hookup Bluetooth headset so I could listen to Movies without bothering the whole house. It turns out that YAMAHA, on all their receivers, introduces a significant delay in their Bluetooth transmissions. This makes the video and what you are hearing out of sync and it's terrible. I looked all through the horrendous interface to see how to fix and could not find anything. Checked the manual... nada. Finally called/chatted with their support. One support engineer told me that Bluetooth is only meant for music. That's funny, I thought the unit I bought was an AV Theater unity. Just disregard the V and Theater in the name apparently. A second tech told me it's not anything on the AV unit but my headset. I finally got angry and asked if I hook a second headset up and it shows the same delay, then would it be bad too? I did and guess what the result was... It sucked too. Finally, they had another expert tech call me. He just said that Yamaha, on all their receivers, will take a while to decode/encode/transmit over Bluetooth. Nothing can be done and they have no plans on addressing this. WOW. Support bad, advertising misleading, no remorse or ability to help. If you plan on doing anything Bluetooth, look at another brand. The other brand may not work well either (or it may) but we know that YAMAHA will NOT. If I was within the return window, I would return this and buy a Sony.

I bought this as a replacement receiver. I returned it because it did not work well with my other components. The return process was very easy.

within 2 months of ownership, began to lose HDMI ports. Was down to 2 working inputs and 1 working output by the end of the 4th month. then it simply refused to turn on. support says it is low voltage failsafe to prevent damage. it is currently in the a Yamaha service canter being repaired. Great kudos for the support staff! they were extremely responsive and helpful.

I believe this Yamaha receiver offers a home TV and audio experience beyond what the typical sound bar or extra speakers could ever provide. The amount of inputs and control features available on the RX-V685 will make any music or TV source sound more immersive and fuller. Blu-ray movie viewing as well as high definition viewing is enhanced with the many audio controls offered on this receiver. It also allows streaming tons of content from the internet with its built in WiFi capability. It can handle your Bluetooth devices for streaming their content. Add the full complement of speakers including subwoofers (it can handle 2 subs) to maximize the sound blast. With 5 HDMI inputs and 2 HDMI outputs I can't foresee running out of devices to connect. AM-FM is also there for old school listening. A microphone is provided on a very long cable to utilize an automatic speaker balancing function. All handled from the extensive remote control. Yamaha even supplies batteries. For the more technically adventurous, one can connect their computer, and a networked hard drive NAS unit to stream music content on this receiver. Many of the functionality is easily view-able on a TV - or on a spare PC monitor via one of the 2 HDMI outputs. Highly recommended.

Purchased in August completely Died December 31...Luckily Geek Squad had it repaired under warranty For free by the Super Bowl ..... Bought to upgrade a 10 year old Sony receiver. That we have paired with Klipsch Speakers The sound was much better with the Sony.

Very. Good but needs more amps for rear speakers plus having to raise lower. Mains for formats

For simplicity sake, this is a great choice for getting your home theater system setup. As far as connectivity goes, if you have something, it'll most likely connect to this. Whether it's speaker wire, mono, Wi-Fi, HDMI, etc., rest assured, you'll have no issues getting it connected to this receiver. For speakers, there's plenty of inputs for those as well. You also get two additional rear/surround sound speaker inputs which is nice. Sadly, my speakers are old so they're in need of replacing soon. A couple features I like about this is the ability to control the receiver via the companion app. The remote on this thing is big and quite unwieldy. Having the ability to use your smartphone/tablet as the remote, makes for easier usage. There is a little microphone that's included with this receiver, the YPAO mic, and it helps adjust the sound by analyzing the acoustics of your room and adjusting accordingly. I live in a condo so having this little thing make the proper adjustments is really cool. There are also two outputs on this allowing you to project either to your TV or a projector. Both can be plugged in and used as needed which is nice. Overall, I really like this both from its functionality and usability. I do need to upgrade my speakers at some point however, the media devices I have will now have a nice place to hook up to and work seamlessly together.