Great basic reciever

This is the second RX-937 I've purchased. Great sound quality, simple feature set. No problems. Its just a traditional stereo receiver, which is all I wanted.

Just what I was looking for.

The Yamaha RX-397 wa exactly what I was looking for. I wanted and Tuner/amplifier to replace a very old one that died. Did not want all the video stuff that seems to be on most amplifiers today. Very happy with the purchase

Yamaha RX-397 50W/Ch Stereo Receiver

First, the Amazon title is wrong: the Yamaha RX-397 is stereo, 50 watts per channel, not "100W". I was sold on Yamaha's "Natural Sound" amps after buying the AX-497 for my livingroom system (see my review). So, when I started looking for a smaller bedroom system, they were at the top of my list. The price is persuasive too. My bedroom is 10x16, and I use the RX-397 with a pair of Polk RTi4 bookshelf speakers. The sound is fantastic: tight low end, clear, natural presentation across the rest of the spectrum. Yamaha's power ratings are not inflated, so the 50 watts is real, and ample for my room+speakers. It's just a great combination that doesn't call attention to itself, ever, which is what I now consider to be "hi-fi". "CD/DVD Direct" bypasses the useful tone and loudness controls. With the radio as source I don't notice much if any difference though. FM sounds great, and it pulls in stations pretty well here in NYC (90% of the time it's on 96.3 classical). Build quality is very nice.  more

yamaha 397 stereo

This product does everything I wanted it to do. The sound quality is excellent. I can use all my components and receive all the AM and FM stations I want without any external wiring. Have CD, phono and tape decks attached. All work and sound fine.

Supports Yamaha Reputation

The "raw direct" button simply bypasses the front panel controls, so you can quickly switch back and forth to see what you have done to a sound. The continuous "Loudness" knob is just a midrange control. The more "loudness" you use, the more you have to turn the "volume" back up. OK--I just feel it's a little over-marketed. This unit seems to support Yamaha's reputation for conservative specs. The quality is excellent, the tuner sensitivity fantastic, and the 50 watts per channel seems more like 75. It performs as represented.