Difference between Yamaha's HTR5890 and 5990?

[3db]

Is the difference between the two that 5990 is THX certified and as such comes with afew more THX related DPS? Or is there more? And what is the price difference of the two?

[kexodusc]

I think the price difference is $100-$200 or so...THe 5990 comes with HDMI in/outputs.
That could be handy.

[teledynepost]

The 5990 has hdmi and some XM radio thing.

[Woochifer]

The HDMI switching is the big feature that's been added to the latest Yamaha receivers. The HTR-5990 is equivalent to the RX-V1600, but I'm not sure what features might have been changed between the two models. In the past, Yamaha eliminated a feature or two with the HTR version in order to maintain the value with the RX-V series, which goes to specialty retailers with the HTR series going to mail order vendors and mass merchandisers.

The new midlevel Yamahas are HDMI 1.1 compliant, which means that they can decode both audio and video signals from a single connection. If you have a HDMI-capable HDTV, then the receiver can do the video switching from the DVD player and any other sources (such as HD-DVR or satellite receivers) that have HDMI connections. Another feature that the receiver has is the ability to upscale analog video to digital HDMI video. That's potentially important if you mix a lot of video sources together with analog S-vid and component video connections.

Another nice feature is that the receiver can use the HDMI connection to decode DVD-Audio signals. Previously, DVD-A was limited to analog outputs because of copy protection restrictions. But, because HDMI is a secure digital connection, it allows for the DVD-A signal to get passed through.

Another enhancement over the previous model is the XM radio tuner. If you subscribe to XM, or are interested in exploring it, then this is another nice feature to have.

But, in general, if you've bought a HDTV in the past year or so, and are looking to upgrade your video chain, the 5990 is a great receiver to have because it can take care of a lot of different things as the video market tranitions over to HD resolution and digital video. The 5890 is a lot more limited because it only outputs analog video, and analog is on its way out with TVs and set-top devices.