Yamaha RX-V1700 Multichannel Reciever

AS YOU'LL READ elsewhere, Yamaha is going through something of a revisionist period at the moment. The company is omitting some traditional home cinema features in its AV receivers to free up budget for newer conveniences it considers more relevant, such as computer network capabilities and
DAB.

Well, that's the case at the more affordable end of the product range. The £900 RX-V1700, by contrast is a fully loaded receiver of the old school, heavily specified, lavishly constructed and brutally powerful.

It replaces the same-priced RX-V2600 and, as with its forebear, it's a seven-speaker design offering 130w per channel, together with niceties such as progressive scan video-processing and up conversion to HDMI. Some chopping and changing has taken place, though: having flirted with THX surround sound, Yamaha has reverted back to 'conventional' audio options, and the RX-1700 also omits the video-scaling and fancy on-screen menus of its forebear. Still, the 'V1700 does gain iPod compatibility, courtesy of an input for Yamaha's £80 YDS-10 dock.

From MP3 to movies - in style
Sonically, the Yamaha's key appeal lies in its stirring, sweeping dynamics and generous, lavishly detailed soundfield. No matter what the movie, the RX-V1700 presents with an assured, composed and thoroughly masterful touch. It shifts big action effects, such as the heat ray beam in War of the Worlds, with an intensity that borders on the breathtaking, its vice-like grip over all things seismic only adding to the drama. Musically, there's also much to admire, the Yamaha maintaining a respectably rhythmic touch with sounds as diverse as Elton John and Eminem.

There's no disputing the quality of this Yamaha. In a fearsomely competitive market, it works hard to justify itself against the best budget kit - and passes the test in style.

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