Yamaha RX-797

[hashman]

I just ordered a Yamaha RX-797 today. It's the first piece of audio equipment I've ever purchased without first having the ability to hear it perform. Needless to say, I'm a bit nervous. This is also the first stereo receiver I've ever purchased --- an act I never thought I would do. In 1974 I bought a Sansui AU-9500 and the matching tuner, the TU-9500. The amp died several months ago. It was one of the saddest days in my life. I was hoping the amp would outlive me. Having the 9500, I've not kept up with stereo amps and receivers over the years and it was quite a shock to me to find the selection of available stereo amps/pre-amps, integrated amps, and receivers so limited. It also seemed to me that most of what was available was either garbage or way beyond my price range. And even then, finding something comparable to the 9500, well, it just wasn't going to happen.

At any rate, I'd heard several Yamaha amps in the past and they were always pretty good, so I thought I'd give them a chance. Most of the reviews I read for the receiver were good to excellent so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I haven't shot myself in the foot. If anyone out there has the RX-797 and would like to comment on it, I'd appreciate it.

 

[aabottom]

Hey there, welcome to AK.

I got an RX-797 last Dec, 2009. I really like mine. My old Onkyo A-5 was just too noisy and scratchy.

I have my 797 hooked up to Klipsh RF-7 speakers. This is the best system I've ever had. It sounds great. It passes a great test. Set the 797 to the CD source. With no source playing, crank the volume up untill you hear noise. There's almost none, even with the volume full up.

My main source is a Yamaha DVD-S2700 which plays Redbook CD, SACD, and DVD-Audio, very nice. The SACD & DVD-Audio discs sound incredible. I also have a Philips GA312 tt, which is working, but it needs a tune up. Other sources include cassette decks and a PC music server (in progess).

I like the RX-797 so much, I just bought (just yesterday) an RX-777 locally off CL. I'm still interviewing the 777, but so far it sounds as good as the 797. The specs are nearly the same.

What speakers will you be running with you're RX-797?

Good luck!

 

[Live_Wire]

I have the lower powered sister/brother (however you want) version of this receiver, the RX-397 and it's a great little receiver. The tuner is quite sensitive, pulls in all the stations I want with good reception.

The amplifier section is what gets me, it's quite powerful. It runs my Mach Ones and Twos quite well. I would have gotten the 797, but I can't find them local in Canada.

Needless to say, I don't think you will be disappointed. It's a great series of receivers, and should run whatever you want!

 

[hashman]

Hey there, welcome to AK.

I got an RX-797 last Dec, 2009. I really like mine. My old Onkyo A-5 was just too noisy and scratchy.

I have my 797 hooked up to Klipsh RF-7 speakers. This is the best system I've ever had. It sounds great. It passes a great test. Set the 797 to the CD source. With no source playing, crank the volume up untill you hear noise. There's almost none, even with the volume full up.

My main source is a Yamaha DVD-S2700 which plays Redbook CD, SACD, and DVD-Audio, very nice. The SACD & DVD-Audio discs sound incredible. I also have a Philips GA312 tt, which is working, but it needs a tune up. Other sources include cassette decks and a PC music server (in progess).

I like the RX-797 so much, I just bought (just yesterday) an RX-777 locally off CL. I'm still interviewing the 777, but so far it sounds as good as the 797. The specs are nearly the same.

What speakers will you be runing with you're RX-797?

Good luck!

I have a pair of JBL L150A's that will be mated to the RX-797. They're beasts, and will be a no stress match for the 797. Thanks for your input. Like I said, I'm diving into this blind and couldn't find any place even remotely close to me where I could here the receiver perform. So hearing positive remarks is reducing my perspiration.

 

[hashman]

I have the lower powered sister/brother (however you want) version of this receiver, the RX-397 and it's a great little receiver. The tuner is quite sensitive, pulls in all the stations I want with good reception.

The amplifier section is what gets me, it's quite powerful. It runs my Mach Ones and Twos quite well. I would have gotten the 797, but I can't find them local in Canada.

Needless to say, I don't think you will be disappointed. It's a great series of receivers, and should run whatever you want!

Thank you for your insight. You and aabottom are making me feel better. I expect the receiver to arrive on Saturday so hopefully I can report back with a smile on my face.

 

[aabottom]

I have a pair of JBL L150A's that will be mated to the RX-797. They're beasts, and will be a no stress match for the 797. Thanks for your input. Like I said, I'm diving into this blind and couldn't find any place even remotely close to me where I could here the receiver perform. So hearing positive remarks is reducing my perspiration.

That sounds like a great match. I've heard great things about JBL, but I've never really heard them. Are your JBLs vintage? Have they been refoamed? Recapped?

My speaker history is rather shallow: Realistic Optimus 2B, Bose 501 Series II, Klipsch RF-7, but let's include Senn. HD-650 headphones.

 

[hashman]

That sounds like a great match. I've heard great things about JBL, but I've never really heard them. Are your JBLs vintage? Have they been refoamed? Recapped?

My speaker history is rather shallow: Realistic Optimus 2B, Bose 501 Series II, Klipsch RF-7, but let's include Senn. HD-650 headphones.

Vintage? Yeah, I suppose they are; I bought them in 1984. But then, if they're "vintage", what's that make me. A dinosaur? Yes, I had to replace the surrounds in 1993. What an incredibly tedious and nerve-racking task that was!
Just having an exacto-knife anywhere near those cones had me in need of some serious prozac. I had four 12" speakers to do, two drivers and two passive radiators. If the need ever arises again, you can bet I'll pay to have it done!

 

[Uhills]

Yammie

This is great stuff! I just picked up a 797 today from Craigslist. All these positive remarks have me excited. I'm basically buying this unit based on all the positive feedback that I've read.
Hashman, I hope you enjoy yours!

 

[aabottom]

This is great stuff! I just picked up a 797 today from Craigslist. All these positive remarks have me excited. I'm basically buying this unit based on all the positive feedback that I've read.
Hashman, I hope you enjoy yours!

Great the 797 club!

Let us know what speakers you are running, and how they sound with your RX-797 VS other amps you might have.

PS: If your looking for headphones, the Senn HD-650 sound phenomenal coming straight out of the 797 headphone jack- no need for a seperate headphone amp. I usually go straight to "CD Direct" or "Pure Direct" on the 797 when I use headphones- this bypasses the balance and tone controls.

 

[hashman]

This is great stuff! I just picked up a 797 today from Craigslist. All these positive remarks have me excited. I'm basically buying this unit based on all the positive feedback that I've read.
Hashman, I hope you enjoy yours!

The amp is due in tomorrow. I figure by tomorrow evening I'll have a good idea what the 797 can do. So long as it can drive the JBL's and produce a reasonable frequency range (it doesn't have to be great, my ears aren't what they use to be) I'll be happy. Besides, I'm hoping to get my old Sansui back from the dead if I can afford it. As I recall, all the reviews I read on the 797 were good except one, and you can't please everyone. It seemed to me to be a fairly powerful amp without any frivolous eyewash like multicolored digital power meters or electric knife sharpeners. I wish it had controls for mid-range, though.

I've heard enough Yamaha amps from the 70's and 80's to know that they've made some nice equipment in the past, I'm just hoping they haven't lost their touch.

 

[hashman]

RX-797 initial opinions

The 797 arrived this morning. I set it up and popped in "James Gang Rides Again" in the CD player. Not at all too shabby! I am overall pleased with the amps performance. There seems to be plenty of power to drive the JBL L150A's. It's still a bit disappointing that there isn't a mid-range control. I'm going to listen to Tull's "A Passion Play" later to see just where I'm at with middle frequencies. Where I was quite pleased was with the tuner section. I live in a valley in the middle of nowhere and have a very hard time picking up the AM station I like listening to during the day. I an able to pick up the station much more strongly with the 797 than I can with the other tuners available to me. Since I rarely listen to music from the radio, I didn't check out the FM side of the house, but if the AM band is any indication, it's probably quite good. I'm a little perplexed with the "CD Pure Sound" feature. It by-passes all tone controls and gives you the audio from the CD as is. Personally, I found the results to be flat and lifeless; a hotdog without any mustard. I can't personally imagine anyone listening to CDs like that. It could be my speakers. The L150A's are power hogs and not particularly efficient, but boy do they jam when you crank ‘em! They may need the tone and loudness controls to bring the music to life. Also, my ears have degraded over the years, so maybe it's a combination. Still, using the tone and the loudness controls, the amp sounds fine even at lower volumes. For a receiver at that price range, it gets my vote of confidence.

 

[aabottom]

The 797 arrived this morning. I set it up and popped in "James Gang Rides Again" in the CD player. Not at all too shabby! I am overall pleased with the amps performance. There seems to be plenty of power to drive the JBL L150A's. It's still a bit disappointing that there isn't a mid-range control. I'm going to listen to Tull's "A Passion Play" later to see just where I'm at with middle frequencies. Where I was quite pleased was with the tuner section. I live in a valley in the middle of nowhere and have a very hard time picking up the AM station I like listening to during the day. I an able to pick up the station much more strongly with the 797 than I can with the other tuners available to me. Since I rarely listen to music from the radio, I didn't check out the FM side of the house, but if the AM band is any indication, it's probably quite good. I'm a little perplexed with the "CD Pure Sound" feature. It by-passes all tone controls and gives you the audio from the CD as is. Personally, I found the results to be flat and lifeless; a hotdog without any mustard. I can't personally imagine anyone listening to CDs like that. It could be my speakers. The L150A's are power hogs and not particularly efficient, but boy do they jam when you crank ‘em! They may need the tone and loudness controls to bring the music to life. Also, my ears have degraded over the years, so maybe it's a combination. Still, using the tone and the loudness controls, the amp sounds fine even at lower volumes. For a receiver at that price range, it gets my vote of confidence.

Excellent, thanks for the quick-hear review.

It sounds like you may be a candidate for an equalizer between the pre-amp outs and the main-ins. Recently, I saw a few Yamaha equalizers pass by on CL. I should of snapped one up.

 

[brutal]

Excellent, thanks for the quick-hear review.

It sounds like you may be a candidate for an equalizer between the pre-amp outs and the main-ins. Recently, I saw a few Yamaha equalizers pass by on CL. I should of snapped one up.

EQ should be used in a tape loop.