excellent receiver, lots of functions
355582
Pros: . THD: 0.05 %: SOUND QUALITY IS SIMPLY UNBELEIVABLE
. EASE OF SET UP. I HAD TO READ SOME THROUGH THE MANUAL, BUT THE OSD and GUI are so easy, really, a cave man can do it.
. multiple decoding modes.
. Nice Blue screen with big letters and numbers.
. Sturdy, Well constructed, appears durable.
. programmable remote.
. 2 zones AUDIO control.
. beuatiful clear lows, and distinct highs, appeases to the musical ears.
. easy to configure manually, the base, treble, and eq,..
. nice shiny black. dimmable light, sleep mode. PS: the remote lay out actually makes sense, unlike my yamaha 565 (see appropriate rview).
.3 hdmi, 2 opticals, one coax, multiple other inputs,. easy to rename and reassign.
. ability to control crossover for subwoofer and manually set up your system. also can use included microphone.
.My biggest plus remains the beuatiful pure sound coming from the ceiling speakers. it blows my yamaha vx 565 away....far away

Cons: the manual may be a bit confusing, but once you get a handle on what button is for what, u can consult the manual less frequently. it is intuitive. also the osd diplay makes the set up a breeze.

I can not actually think of any con. having owned the yamaha 565 and 361, and sherwood receivers, i can say this one delivers the best sound and has the best controls. the price is eggcellent,..thank you newegg.

Other Thoughts: I received the VSX-919AH-K & was very anxious to set it up. i have researched it extensively before placing my order, and it came down to choosing between this receiver and the Yamaha VSX565 which i already own, but was on a discounted price prom. Avoiding duplicity, I bought this receiver knowing it has only 3 hdmi inputs and ability to upgrade signal from component only to 1080p, but in the next 1-2 years all video component would be alrready in 1080p, so unless you are using old system it will not matter.

I am extremely satisfied with the sound from this receiver, much more then the one in my main room, the yamaha 565, and here is why

. 120 watts versus 90 watts, and pay attention: 0.05% THD versus only 0.9 % THD on the Yamaha. yes the wattage is not the only criteria, getting a pure sound is the bottom line.
. great sound experience, hooked up to a 5.1 configuration with OSD speakers, C640i series, 150 watt ( each) spearkers and 100 w sub.
. easy to operate, and set up
2912971
I bought this receiver based on the advice given in several threads on the XBMC websites's forums.  So far, I've not been disappointed.

The HP 5188-1667 is a well build piece of hardware - an obvious improvement over many of the competitor's "dongle" type solutions.  The 5188-1667 also comes with a very generously sized USB cable, to ensure good placement no matter what your cabling situation.

I'm using the 5188-1667 with Windows 7 (x64), along with XBMC, and this was truly a plug-and-play installation.  Once plugged in, it "just worked", with no additional tweaking required.  As for performance, so far, I've been very pleased.  The IR receiver is very responsive, and the range is very good.  There's a small red LED on the front of the 5188-1667 that lights up when an IR signal is received, helping you know that your signal was seen by the receiver.

Ultimately, I plan to pair the 5188-1667 with my Logitech Harmony One universal remote.  I've not had time to attempt this yet, but once I do, I'll update this review as warranted.

As it stands, I'd have no reservations in recommending this product to anyone in the market for a solid, dependable IR receiver.
4949735
Best receiver in its price range, complete with features that can be olny found on more expensive models.
546717
I'm still figuring everything out with this receiver, but it being my first I can't complain.  The hookup was pretty simple, just time consuming from splitting all the wires I needed for my devices.  I really like all the options it has, including bluetooth that I was able to pair with my computer in the other room.  I was most excited about being able to hook this bad boy up to my turntable so that I could listen to my vinyl on a real soundsystem.
2672637
While I am biased to wards Denon, this receiver has all the features I wanted for my Home theater, at a price point I could afford. I had to do quite a bit of reading to un-tangle all the different new formats that are coming out. This one with do the 3D sound formats without any issue.
I have it currently set up in a 2 room format, music in one room and HT in the other. Works perfectly with pandora, apple play etc.
The app is quite useful for controlling the unit.
2938822
I highly recommend this receiver to anyone who plans on not purchasing another for quite some time.  It is jam packed with all the latest formats for your digital components.  It probably won't be outdated for another 10-15 years.
I did my research and was familiar with the features of this unit, but I still cannot tell you how many times I have been taken back and said "WOW!, it does that too!?".  I have had it for 2 weeks and play around with it every evening and am still discovering ways to improve my listening pleasure.  It's incredible.
I am running an upconvert Panasonic DVD player, a Mitsubishi 57" DLP TV, and Onkyo 6.1 surround speakers, among other things.  The sound reproduction of standard DVD's to 6.1 is reallllllyyyy good.  I can't wait to purchase a BluRay!
3106740
I have had this receiver since Aug. 1, 2009, and am very happy with it. It is missing some features like S-VHS inputs but none that I care about. I purchased it to use with HDMI devices in a 5.1 setup in one room. It works great for me and I highly recommend it.

PLUSES:

* Excellent audio.
* Good GUI that is easy to use, but you must read the manual first and consult it as you go (at least I had to).
* Good readable front and on-screen display with options for what is displayed while unit is operating (device, sound field, etc) and nameable inputs.
* Four HDMI inputs.
* Attractive design.
* Exceptional Auto Format Decoding that produces very good sound from 2-channel sources with clear centered dialogue and some LFE output. I use this setting exclusively for all devices and it unfailingly detects the proper format.
* Very easy and very accurate auto speaker setup using included microphone. It set my front speakers to large instead of small but other than that I didn't have to change any of the settings.

MINUSES

* Poor manual. Too small in size, not well-written. This seems like a common problem with electronics these days, but maybe it is just because devices are more complicated.
* You must purchase a separate device to use with iPod/iPhone.
* No S-VHS inputs (not at all important to me, but might be to some users).
* Somewhat confusing speaker input placement on back of receiver. (I would have put the front speaker inputs above the surround back inputs and next to the center channel input.)

I use the receiver with a Sony LCD TV, Samsung Blu-ray player, Cox Cable DVR, Tivo HD, Energy Classic speakers and Infinity subwoofer. No compatibility problems encountered. I use it is a smallish room (11 x 13) and hardly ever set the volume above 35, so it seems to have plenty of power.

Before I bought this receiver, I tried a Pioneer VSX-919, which is a good receiver that gets excellent reviews. However, I could never get it to sound right to me. The Sony sounded good to me from the get go. That doesn't mean one is better than the other, but for me the Sony was the better-sounding receiver. One feature I really liked on the Pioneer was iPod/iPhone support without having to buy add-on devices. Sony and other manufacturers should do that!

I am very happy with this purchase and would recommend it to others who want a mid-range receiver with good sound, good features and nice appearance.
3741420
This is an awesome receiver - great features - and it was very easy to install. Very happy with my purchase.
4288202
Bought this to replace a Pioneer 1022-K, which on paper is a far superior receiver, but in reality has issues.

My old receiver had HDMI problems with my Xbox One and Comcast Cable boxes, everything else worked fine, Xbox 360, PS4, Fire TV, Blu Ray, but both the Xbox One and Cable Box had an issue where when you switched back from any other input you would get a grey static screen and you had to switch it to that input several times before it would produce a picture. Enough about that.

I chose this receiver because it had the bare minimum requirements I need, and honestly puts out a lot lower power than I would have liked, my main speakers are a set of old Infinity SM122s, which are large speakers and love lots of power, and the reviews. I read reviews of every single receiver from every reputable brand priced between $250 and $700, and they all had the same reviews, great piece of kit, but lots of one and two star reviews because of poor HDMI performance and HDMI failure, except this one, when I bought it it didn't have a single one star review, and only a single two star (which came from a person who obviously hadn't read the description and wasn't reading the owners manual).

On to the good stuff!

This receiver is great, the sound it produces is fantastic, even without the gobs of power that the Pioneer was rated for, the old speakers sound better with this receiver. The ability to name the inputs is nice, very nice, my family aren't as thrilled with futzing around with electronics as I am, and having the display tell them that they have chosen "xbox1" or "FireTV" makes it much easier for them to live with. And most importantly the HDMI works perfectly with all of our devices, no annoying grey screens or having to toggle the input ten times to get a picture.

The networking feature is simple and effective, I am happy with that. That is another issue that the Pioneer had issues with, it had great networking features, but for weeks at a time the networking flat wouldn't work. I also like the smartphone app on the HK much better.

The smaller size of the unit frees up valuable space on the stand, which is nice, and allows more room for air to circulate. This receiver runs much cooler than the Pioneer as well, which I hope will lead to a longer life (although I didn't have the Pioneer long enough to find out if it lived up to the long life of my previous Pioneer products). My dad still has some HK components from the seventies that are soldiering on today, and still being used daily  (I grew up in a house with lots of music, mostly through that old Harman Kardon setup and EPI speakers). Honestly four or five years will be plenty, by then there will be new video formats to deal with, and all kinds of new features I will want (this networking stuff is constantly evolving),

If you are on the fence on this one, and your hangups are the number of HDMI ports or power output, don't be. For the power output I am running a pair of Infinity SM122 front speakers, and the 70WPC this receiver puts out drives them louder and harder than I will ever need, and while they are efficient speakers, they are huge and very power hungry old fashioned floor speakers, if you are using smaller home theater style speakers 70WPC and a good sub will be enough to blow you away, and the sound will be crystal clear, which is what buying HK is supposed to be about anyway. If you are determined to have a 7.1 setup, then why are you reading this? If you have gotten this far give this receiver an audition, you may find that while on paper it looks a little plain, in reality it is jam packed with great sound.
4629060
I've owned this A/V receiver for six months now and could not be more pleased. It is loaded with all the latest & greatest features a home theater receiver should have, including Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS-ES (6.1) and Dolby Digital-EX (6.1) processing, and six discrete analog inputs for high resolution audio sources like DVD-Audio and Super Audio CD. It also has pre-outs for all six channels plus subwoofer, four digital inputs (1 coax, 3 optical), and inputs for Phono, DVD, MD, TV/DBS, CD, CD-R, VCR x 2... Simply put, a receiver that can do almost everything and do it pretty well too. I say "almost" everything because the only area where it fell short was an additional amplifier for the back surrounds for 6.1/7.1 surround sound. In other words it is only powered for 5 channels (LF,C,RF,LS,RS). However I was aware of this and purchased a 2-ch outboard amp from [local store] for the "back" surround speakers. Undoubtedly adding the extra amp would have added to the price substantially when *most* people don't have 7.1 systems anyway (much less 5.1).
I originally purchased this receiver primarily in order to play high resolution DVD-Audio and the sound quality from this source is nothing less than spectacular. My feeling is that if a component (DVD player/receiver) can play music well then movies are no sweat and this is very true with this receiver. It handles music and movies equally well. Some people pay literally thousands of dollars to get this kind of performance from an AV receiver. At this price this is a steal!
4552919
I must say this receiver is a bargain at this price.  I replaced an older Onkyo that did not have ARC, so I had to use many optical and coax connections for the audio.  The features on this unit are amazing for the price.  The hook up was simple, especially for me as I had the 5.1 speakers already in place.  Only improvement I can recommend is more HDMI inputs, 4 is good, but many other units have 6.
3407471
I've had this receiver hooked up to my paradigm monitor 7s for a month now, and I have to say I'm thoroughly impressed. This was an upgrade from an Onkyo TX-sr504. And the Marantz truly puts the sr504 to shame.  Sound quality is excellent, very balanced and neutral sound, bass is smooth and where it should be. Listening to dialogue on the tv finally sounds natural and full, I was having a huge issue with my Onkyo and television dialogue. The onkyo made my center channel sound tiny, like I removed my tv speakers and placed them below my TV (yes I had the receiver set up properly). I used to think it was my center channel, now I realize it was the receiver. My center channel (Paradigm cc190) now sounds rich and more full (its still a smaller speaker). The audyssey setup was a cinch, setting up airplay and connecting the receiver to my home network was simply lug and play, I had to do nothing. The airplay feature is fantastic, I can stream my entire computer's iTunes library and use my iPhone as a remote. And I love the fact that when a song changes, the receiver displays the title or about 20 seconds and then the screen goes blank again, smart touch by Marantz. Distraction free, seamless streaming music! Also has internet radio, which I don't use at all since the quality of music is under 192kbps and sounds awful. The sr5006 sounded great right out of the box, a simple audyssey setup dialed my system nicely.

I'm really not sure why people are complaining about the interface. I found them to be perfectly fine, and easy to navigate. I've owned a NAD receiver that had a horrible interface, the GUI on the marantz is clean, simple and effective.

I definitely put sound quality ahead of any extra features and design, but I have to admit I'm enjoying the networking capabilities, and my wife loves the design of it (any audiophile will understand how great it is to get the wife's approval on some of your gear). Another feature I found useful was the dynamic volume. I hate it when commercials come on and the volume increases. Dynamic volume keeps the volume at a similar level to what played 5 seconds before. When you change channels the volume gently goes up. This is another feature I would been able to live without, but its a nice function to have.

One note of caution, if your room is larger then a medium to large sized apartment living room, I would consider getting something with more power. I find myself toward the 70% mark on the volume pretty often. Perfect for my setup, but I can see this being an issue for others.

This is one fine piece of equipment, and for $799 a great value.
2094564
You'll be hard pressed to find a receiver with more features in this price range. I spent ALOT of time researching receivers and for the money the VSX-919-AH-K was it. I am extremely pleased with it. For the price, you get lots of features, some not available on units 3 or 4 times the price. Sound, the sound is excellent, very clean, match it with quality speakers and people will think you spent alot more than you did. The on screen programming is really cool, and the MACC (auto calibration), which will configure speaker level and to some extent the sound parameters is really helpful as it allows you to get it up and running right away. As you learn more about the functionality you may want to tweak the auto settings, but you won't have to. It was nice being able to run 3 HDMI and,or Composite devices through it eliminating some cables. It has a clean look to it, and the remote can be programmed to operate multiple devices. The manual could use some work. The informaiton is in there, it's just not well written. Sometimes the auto select for the surround mode does not choose what you would expect, but you can change it. The setup was not all that difficult. If this is your first surround receiver (or in my case first reveiver that also controlled the video), it can be a little tricky. Remember whatever format you put into the receiver, HDMI, Composite, etc, you have to have that same format going out to the TV. You can't plug all your devices into the recevier and then just have the HDMI or Composite, etc going to the TV. All in all a good receiver at a great price. I am using Klipsch Quintet speakers and a Klipsch 10" powered sub, and as for the rated power of 90w @ 8ohms or 120w @ 6ohms, I cannot turn it all the way up and stay in the room, at least not comfortably.
2161548
I've had this receiver for 5 days and I'm very happy. The menu system allows very good control over all functions. The ability to hookup and arrange speakers is very flexible. I'm using this with a Comcast digital cable box. The box I started with did not have an HDMI connection, only RGB cables. This combination would not work correctly when my Sony Brava was connected with HDMI; in various combination I could get sound or picture but not both. I had to get a HDMI cable box to make this work. The Brava sync feature mostly work well. If I turn on the TV, the receiver comes on and turns off when the TV is turned off. My Sony DVD player will switch the receiver correctly as well. It can be awkward switching back to TV from DVD.
My only complaint is the manual is simplistic and leave you wondering about how things work.
I think you get a lot of bang for the buck with this product
4696382
So far, so good. Easy to setup and use. Large display readouts and plenty of power, excellent sound with many options for enhancement. This receiver has more than enough inputs to satisfy just about anyone. A well executed overall design by Yamaha that I expect to last for many years.
Thanks to Amazon for an incredible deal on a refurbished unit. Cosmetically perfect and performs flawlessly.
2532394
I've had this over a month and thus far I'm very pleased with this receiver.  I have this system hooked up to my Klipsch Reference speakers in my basement.  I upgraded this from a 2009 Sony receiver and I can tell the difference when playing Bluray movies ---punchier bass not boomy, clear highs and mids for dialogue and special effect sounds.  I ran the auto calibration and it helped quite a bit, though I ended up manually changing some settings.  When playing music, it's a plus that this unit has built-in Airplay --the connection with mac and IOS devices is flawless and works well.  I also bought this because it has a dedicated record payer input for our turntable --works great and vinyl sounds fantastic .
So far I have been using with original factory firmware.  Onkyo recently published a firmware update designed to decode DTS-X ---I have not upgraded this yet.  Not a problem since there are very few DTS-X bluray movies out there.  I will probably wait another 6 months before performing the upgrade in case yet another one is released.
The only complain that I have is with the antiquated remote control (too many buttons) and also the remote keys do not light up, so it's hard to see when playing a movie with lights off or dimmed.  I was able to download the remote control app for iPhone and this works great.  Darkness is no longer an issue as the app is brightly lit on iPhone.
Overall, this is a good mid-range receiver and it works well for watching movies and listening to music.  The price is okay for this category of receivers and after a month of continued testing I don't have any issues that some of the other reviewers have mentioned.
3845883
I've had this for about a month now and I love it. However, my last receiver was over 15 years old, so I suspect even the cheaper models would have been a big step up.  It was easy to set up and has quite a few bells and whistles I'm still trying to figure out.  I did some research before I bought this one and am pleased with my decision.