Yamaha RX-N600
Editors' rating
Good
6.9
out of 10
- The good: The Yamaha RX-N600 is a 6.1-channel A/V receiver that offers connectivity to Ethernet home networks, USB storage devices, and (with an optional dock) the Apple iPod. It's also XM ready and supports component-video conversion from composite and S-Video.
- The bad: There are no HDMI jacks, and the receiver lacks an automatic setup option. You can't configure the list of available Internet radio stations, and the USB playback didn't work with some of the thumbdrives we tried.
- The bottom line: Digital music fans will find a lot to like about the Yamaha RX-N600, but its dearth of HDMI options will frustrate HDTV owners.
- Reviewed by:
- Steve Guttenberg
- Edited by:
- John P. Falcone
- Review date: 9/21/06

Intro of Yamaha RX-N600
Over the last past few years, the A/V receiver's role as a home-theater control center has expanded with the times. So while most buyers will hook up only their DVD player, cable box, and possibly a game console, an ever-increasing number of consumers would also like to use the receiver to play music from their ever-increasing digital audio collection--be it in the form of a satellite radio subscription, Internet radio, an MP3 collection on their PC hard drive, portable music player, or--of course--the iPod. That makes a lot of sense to us, since a home theater probably has higher-quality speakers than a computer's, and an A/V receiver's electronics are better and more powerful than a computer's sound card. With the RX-N600 receiver ($600), Yamaha covered those new connectivity requirements and didn't neglect sound quality. There are just two problems. First, serious digital music fans will lament some of the restrictions on the product's MP3-streaming capabilities. Secondly, the otherwise amply endowed Yamaha lacks HDMI switching, a feature that's growing increasingly critical for anyone who's serious about home theater.Buying choices
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