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
Design
Features

Design of Yamaha RX-N600

The front panel of the Yamaha RX-N600 is clearly organized, and the large orange front-panel LED display is easy on the eyes. The receiver measures 17.1 wide by 15.5 inches deep and weighs 25.8 pounds, and it's available only in a black finish.

Unlike most Yamaha receivers we've tested over the past few years, the RX-N600 doesn't offer the company's YPAO (Yamaha Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer) auto-setup program, but the manual setup and onscreen menu are easy enough to use. The receiver offers an unusually wide range of subwoofer-to-satellite crossover settings--40, 60, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 160, and 200 Hertz--which helps ensure that no matter how small or large, your sub and sats will produce seamless bass. You can use the Center Graphic Equalizer feature to adjust the tonal balance of your center speaker to more closely match the sound of your main left and right front speakers. We found the EQ adjustment easy to set, and it created a more seamless balance of our front three speakers.

The remote control has a side-mounted slide switch that toggles between Amp, Source, and TV, which makes it easy to control different components. Layout is fairly intuitive as compared to other receiver remotes, but--as always--you'll be better off if you invest in a good universal remote control.