Yamaha's new replacement

From Cnet

Yamaha's RX-V2700 joins the RX-N600 in the company's latest network receiver range. The receivers have internet radio, an Ethernet connection and port for Yamaha's iPod dock, allowing access to music from a variety of sources.

Upside
The RX-V2700B features 7.1-channel surround sound, with a total of 980W of power. High-def buffs take note: unlike the HDMI-free RX-N600, there are three HDMI inputs and one output, and the receiver is compatible with 1080p resolution.

The receiver works with Windows Media Connect for Internet radio as well as MP3, WMA and WAV file playback from a remote PC. It can also act as a client in Yamaha's wireless-streaming MusicCast network. A USB port allows you to listen to music stored on a flash drive or an MP3 player with a USB interface.

Audio enhancements include the Pure Direct design, which diverts signals away from unnecessary circuitry to limit interference, and a compressed music enhancer, which improves high and low responses for audio in digital formats.

There's room for custom installation with the V2700; the receiver is capable of multi-zone applications, and many AV inputs and speaker terminals are re-assignable.

Downside
The USB port won't allow you to hear tunes stored on an iPod -- you'll need to shell out around $150 for Yamaha's YDS-10 iPod dock. That seems like a lot of coin, but the dock also allows you to view images and video files from the player.

As with the RX-N600, the list of available Internet radio stations is set by Yamaha, and while it's a very comprehensive selection, the inability to add more radio streams may disappoint some.

Outlook
Yamaha's network receivers represent the merging of PC data and home theatre that's gradually been taking place over the past few years. It's great to see HDMI connectivity and video upscaling making an appearance on the V2700 -- digital music and video collections need not be experienced at low quality anymore.

The RX-V2700 is available now for $2499.