yamaha RX-Z!

[hmmmm]

I have the opportunity to buy a Yamaha RX-Z1 from a friend because he is getting their newest Flagship model RX-Z9 (I think). Anyway, if I can get this for about $1,000.00, is that a good deal? A saleman told me that for that same price, I could get a new Yamaha with the Room equalizer and their newer features (love the idea of the equalizer). I'm sure he wants a sale but I thought I'd check here. I currently have a 6.1 setup and could easily hook up thier "presence" speakers. I had originally looked at the Rx-v750 or 1400. Also, I guess the RX-Z1 has no bass management. Is that a big deal? Someone else told me that the RX-Z1 would sound significantly better when listening to SACD's and DVD-A's. Any suggestions? Thanks

[woodman]

I have the opportunity to buy a Yamaha RX-Z1 from a friend because he is getting their newest Flagship model RX-Z9 (I think). Anyway, if I can get this for about $1,000.00, is that a good deal? A saleman told me that for that same price, I could get a new Yamaha with the Room equalizer and their newer features (love the idea of the equalizer). I'm sure he wants a sale but I thought I'd check here. I currently have a 6.1 setup and could easily hook up thier "presence" speakers. I had originally looked at the Rx-v750 or 1400. Also, I guess the RX-Z1 has no bass management. Is that a big deal? Someone else told me that the RX-Z1 would sound significantly better when listening to SACD's and DVD-A's. Any suggestions? Thanks

If you're interested in getting value for your money, then an RX-V1400 would be the "best buy". Yamaha is just now releasing a replacement model (RX-V1500), which means that the 1400 will be "closed out" at probably around $600 - even from authorized dealers. So, the salesman is misleading you just a bit on the price. On second thought, $400 is more than "just a bit" isn't it?

Would the RX-Z1 "sound better" than the 1400? Sure, it probably would ... but not in any meaningful way. "Significantly better"? No way, Jose'. Besides which, it lacks the YPAO feature, which IMO is the most important feature to be added to an A/V receiver in the last 30 years! Whether or not bass management is a big deal depends on a whole bunch of factors ... but I wouldn't make it a top priority in any event.

Hope this helps you

[hmmmm]

I'm going to check out Myer-Emco and see what they have. They are the only ones to carry the RX line in my area. I was invited to their "Private Sale" I doubt it will be that private!

[krinik]

To answer you question, does the RX-Z1 sound better than the RXV1400, YES IT DOES, i use to own a RXV3000 and upgraded to the RX-Z1 and yes you can tell the difference, BIG Difference and Power wise a lot more on low end bass. The detail of that reciever is so nice, i have no regrets upgrading to the RX-Z1. I bought my brand new from the Good Guys for $1200.00 + Tax. So you might want to ask your friend for a better discount, considering this is a discontinued item. I hope this helps.

[H2okie]

If you're interested in getting value for your money, then an RX-V1400 would be the "best buy". Yamaha is just now releasing a replacement model (RX-V1500), which means that the 1400 will be "closed out" at probably around $600 - even from authorized dealers. So, the salesman is misleading you just a bit on the price. On second thought, $400 is more than "just a bit" isn't it?

Would the RX-Z1 "sound better" than the 1400? Sure, it probably would ... but not in any meaningful way. "Significantly better"? No way, Jose'. Besides which, it lacks the YPAO feature, which IMO is the most important feature to be added to an A/V receiver in the last 30 years! Whether or not bass management is a big deal depends on a whole bunch of factors ... but I wouldn't make it a top priority in any event.

Hope this helps you


Yamaha is also coming out with a RX-V2500. The sales person I talked with said they should be out in the Dec. time frame. What he didn't know was if this unit would be replacing the 1400 or simply adding features and increasing the product line. The 1400/2400 are new models themselves.

[hmmmm]

I bought the RX-V 1400 and started setting it up this morning. It's weird that it has my front bookshelf speakers set to large and the center channel set to small. The bookshelf speakers only go down to 50hz and have a 6 1/2" woofer. The center channel is actually larger than the bookshelf speakers (2- 6 1/2 inch woofers, a midrange and tweeter) but it's not ported. The speaker manual says to set them all to small when using a subwoofer.
I haven't had time to mess with it yet but so far it seems to be a great choice. It also has my surround's crossover set to 160 when the speaker manual says 100. I don't even think the subwoofer's range goes that high (Hsu VTF-2). Hopefully I'll have time to play with it after work.