I am really delighted with my new Yamaha Home Theatre system. I'd been looking at it on Amazon for a while, and when it went on sale at Amazon for one day, I grabbed it. I had a 10-year old Yamaha Home Theatre unit that didn't support Airplay, Pandora and HDMI, and I chose to replace it with the V677. It should be noted that I wanted to stay with Yamaha as I never had a day of trouble with my old unit.

I don't think any review of this product would be relevant without knowing the environment it will be controlling. My setup is pretty simple. I have a Samsung 50" HDTV, a Panasonic BluRay player and Apple TV 4th generation. My cable provider is Uverse. My speakers are 2 Altec 604-8g's, which I've had for a very long time and love. In addition, I have a set of Sennheiser wireless headsets that my wife uses to enhance the audio of TV programs.

I had a couple goals, all of which have been satisfied with the V677. First, I wanted to use HDMI for all of my hardware, thereby turning the V677 into the center of my home theatre system, kind of like an HDMI hub. This was very easy to set up. One HDMI cable runs from the sole HDMI out port to the TV. The BluRay player, Uverse and Apple TV all connect to the back of the V677. There are five HDMI inputs, so I have room for further expansion with this system. I ran an optical cable from the V677 to the TV for audio.

Next, I wanted to be able to stream music from the V677 without the use of a third-party device, like a Squeezebox, as I was doing with the previous unit. The two ways I wanted to enable were Pandora, and AirPlay via iTunes, iPhone and/or iPad. Both of these services are built into the V677 and work flawlessly.

Wireless was easy to set up, and surprisingly robust. My V677 is in an entertainment center and the wireless signal is a bit blocked. I only have two of four bars, but nonetheless, I can stream Pandora and AirPlay without a hiccup. (I'm listening to Pandora as I write this review.)

The ability to control the V677 has been well thought out. You can go up to the unit and do it manually, via the Yamaha remote, an excellent free iPhone app, or with the web interface via Chrome or Safari. In addition, I use a Harmony 650 remote to control the video to the TV. The takeaway is that the V677 has a myriad of ways to access and control it. Oh, I forgot to mention that if you use the Yamaha remote, you can use the on-screen interface for setup and to switch between units.

One thing I like about this unit is the use of what Yamaha calls Scenes. It works like an old car radio. Get a service configured just the way you want, then hold down one of the four Scene buttons, and that complete configuration will be assigned to that button. I taught my wife how to choose what she wants to watch or listen to in just a couple minutes. It's a very nice feature of the V677.

The only issue I couldn't solve on my own was to get the Sennheiser headphones to work. On the old unit they used the Audio Out port on my TV. Since the V677 is now generating all of the audio, that port didn't work at first. I called Yamaha Tech Support and they gave me a way to do it with a setting under the HDMI menu. It was working in no time. (Happy wife, happy life!)

I also want to comment on Yamaha's tech support. The technician answered the phone in about 5 minutes, and he was articulate and knowledgable about this product. He knew exactly what I was trying to accomplish and gave the me the settings to do it. The whole call was over in just a few minutes. I only wish all tech support was this good and knowledgable about the products they sell. Kudos to Yamaha!

In summary, the functionality of the V677 is top notch in my entertainment environment. It sounds wonderful, and has enough features that it will allow for future expansion as well as 4K video. It's easy to set up, although if you're a technophobe, you might want to get someone to help you. There's still quite a bit of configuration and wiring that needs to be put in place to get everything working, but I am comfortable with technology and didn't find a problem with any of it. If you're in the market for a home theatre controller, I can't imagine doing better than this excellent unit from Yamaha.

UPDATE: I've now spent a couple weeks with this unit, and if I had known what an improvement it would be over my older Yamaha HTR-5730, I would have pulled the trigger long ago! I love being able to control the unit from my web browser, and with the unit in network standby, just choosing AirPlay from my computer turns it on, chooses the appropriate input and starts playing. Pandora is exactly the same. The iPhone app is also very handy, and works as advertised. All in all, I am really delighted with my purchase, all the more so because it was on a one-day sale! I have only one request (definitely not a quibble), and that's to be able to configure all settings from my web browser instead of having to do it on-screen with my TV. But that's minor, and who knows, it may be available in an upcoming firmware update.

UPDATE: I've not spent a couple months with this unit and love it more than ever. It's more than I thought I'd get. As an example, with the unit in network standby mode I can simply choose what I want to listen to via AirPlay and it automatically turns the Yamaha on and starts to play. Also, the ability to play and control a second zone is better than I thought. We have a second set of speakers on the patio we use when we entertain. Not only can I control the volume separately in each zone, I can control the content. In other words, I could be playing one album inside the house and another outside. I just can't speak highly enough of the Yamaha RX-V677. I realize it doesn't have built-in Bluetooth, but with AirPlay, Pandora, Rhapsody and Spotify available, I find I just don't need it. I can stream from my computer, iPhone or iPad. (The newer version of this player has Bluetooth, and if you absolutely have to have it, you can add a Yamaha Bluetooth receiver on as an accessory.)

I received this receiver on June 12. I replaced a 9 year old Denon that had to be the most evil receiver in the world. After 9 years I still didn't understand the programming sequences and had to revert to the manual. I spent about a day researching units selling for under $400 and decided on this one for the Wifi, sound decoding options, number of HDMI ports, the available of component and RCA hookups, the bi-amp ability, and the remote apps. Plus, the price was great. I looked at the new models just released and for the extra money I felt that with a bluetooth adapter (which I already had) this unit still left me with room to grow. I can add 2 more surround speakers plus a second subwoofer if I want.

I disconnected all my speaker wires and connected the Yamaha. I bi-amped the front speakers using the rear surrounds since I have a 5.1 setup. I love the bi-amp feature. I admit I made a few errors with the setup process but fixing them was pretty easy.

I had downloaded the owners' manual onto my tablet making it great for referencing. I skimmed through most of the standard setup procedures and started playing around. It took me probably a good 8-12 hours over two days to get everything the way i wanted and to understand enough to be satisfied. There are a multitude of inputs to deal with, which is great. I used HDMI in for my Oppo DVD player, Roku 3, and Sony Playstation. I connected a logitech bluetooth receiver via the AV1 inputs. I used HDMI out to connect to my Sony DLP TV. I installed the crazy fun Yamaha remote app on my tablet on my smartphone. I connected to my home network via Wifi.

I'm really happy with the end result. The sound is really good for my living room, which is fairly large with a vaulted ceiling. The power to the subwoofer and rear speakers is much better than my old Denon. The bi-amped fronts sound crystal clear. The voice tracks to the front center are perfect.

I love using the Android app. I can sit on my couch and change the ambient size of the room when using one of the preset DSP modes. If I use 7 channel I can position the center of the room relative to where I'm sitting. I set up the "scene" modes so that with on touch I can turn on the unit and set up the Roku using the correct input and pre-chosen sound modes. I can use the internet radio to listen to hundreds of streaming channels. I can use the app to adjust treble, bass, bass boost, dialog volume, sound modes, inputs, just about everything. Very cool.

I can't speak to using cable TV as we cut the cord back in December and haven't looked back once. Comcast, you know...

In summary, I think this is a great priced unit with more than enough power and sound quality, along with a great interface and app.

It's getting much harder to find AV Receivers that have plenty of I/O for older electronics. In my case I wanted to be able to run a recording cassette deck, a VCR and a CD recorder as well as having a Room 2 out function. Fortunately with this receiver I had AV Out and AV In capability but not as many as I wanted. To get around this I purchased two additional products:

(1) a 4:1 Priority AV Encoder made by Atlona Model AT-AVSC41, and a
(2) a 1:4 AV Distribution amp made by Niles Audio (AVDA3).

This lets me have monitor capability for recording cassettes, VHS tapes, and CD's.

The newer RX-xx9 series did not have the necessary I/O, everything has gone HDMI and although I don't mind having some HDMI, I still want to be able to use my 1970's era turntable, 1990's era VCR's and cassette decks and recent CD-recorder.

I have a 3.1 system now with a 5.1 on it's way and down the road it will be turned into a full blown 7.1 system. There are plenty of modes to enhance the sound when needed but for records I prefer the "Pure Direct" 2-channel button.

So if you have a lot of older devices, this is an AV Receiver in which you can still enjoy the older technology as well as the newer ones. I did have to buy an external pre-amp for my 1970's era turntable but that was an acceptable solution. To get a phono input would have meant moving into the higher end Yamaha Aventage products and not all of them had a Phono input.

All my HT equipment is plugged into a SurgeX Surge Eliminator (Model SX1115-RT). With this setup, inrush current is taken care of and I never have to worry about surges as they are totally eliminated. To expand the available outlets I have both a UPS and a 6-outlet outlet strip plugged into the SurgeX. A total of 22 outlets are in use and the load never hits more than 5 amps, well under the 15 amp rating of the SurgeX and the AC outlet on the circuit breaker.

It is really hard to find fault with this receiver, especially at Amazon's price. There are plenty of HDMI inputs as well as component and composite inputs for your legacy peripherals. Many new receivers are pretty much HDMI only and that is fine as long as you just use new components. Those of us that still want to be able to hook up a VCR for those old tapes or have an older video game console or DVD player and want to have inputs for them. Not only does this receiver have plenty of choices, but it up-converts all of them to HDMI so you only need one cable to your TV. If you notice, a lot of new TVs are pretty sparse with a variety of inputs so this receiver solves that problem. Another nice thing is that it has standby pass-through. That means that you do not have to have the receiver on to switch inputs and listen through the TV speakers. When you turn the receiver on, the sound does not pass to the TV speakers so you do not have to must the TV when listening to surround sound.

The YPAO did an excellent job of setting up the speakers. I confirmed the distances it set with a tape measure and checked the levels with an SPL meter. Both were spot on. The only thing I changed was to kick the base up a couple dB's. The sound is good and there are a lot of sound programs to suit your listening preferences. Most features can be selected from the remote as well as the on-screen display. That brings up my only complaint-the remote is too small and there are too many small, closely spaced buttons. It is not back-lighted, so until you learn where the buttons are that you use, it can be a challenge.

Many complaints I read on this receiver seem to be due to the Firmware version. Mine has version 1.77 and I have experienced none of the problems mentioned.

This receiver should suit the needs of the majority of users. If you think you might ever need HDCP 2.2, opt for the RX-V679 but otherwise they are pretty much identical.

This is not the first Yamaha receiver/amp that I have owned. In fact, I have owned at least four or five of this type Yamaha product. I received this receiver/amp near the end of June 2015 and am completely satisfied with the features, quality, and operation of this product. If I have one gripe it is mostly with the parametric equalizer. You will need to do some research on how to set-up this feature, unless you have done one previously. The three preset ones just did not satisfied me because of high ceilings in the room that I do most of my movie and music listening. I thought it was just my poor hearing, but my wife also agreed with the me about the three preset equalizer features. If anyone has any input or knows of a beginners article on how to setup a parametric equalizer feature, please inform the rest of us owners. Also, I hardly ever use the YAPO optimizer auto setup feature, but would rather manually setup using the the test tone and self adjusting. The cost of this product will be hard to beat because of the quality and features of this unit.

Another gripe is that I did not like the fact that the user manual was a PDF file, which came on a CD included with the receiver/amp, In fact, I decided to print out the 146 pages. I always prefer a hard copy, user manual because of my habit of using colored tabs and highlighting some of the features that I change most often.

My system includes a set of Pioneer SP-FS52-LR Andrew Jones Front Left and Right Speakers, Polk Audio, TL 2, Center Channel Speaker, four each, Polk Audio TL 1, Rear Satellite Speakers, and a Dayton Audio SUB1200, 12-inch Subwoofer.

I will update this review if I can add any useful remarks, gripes, or info after use this product for a longer period of time. I also have not had any of the problems that other owners have had with this Yamaha receiver/amp.

I do not work for or have any affiliation with Yamaha, Pioneer, Polk Audio, Dayton Audio nor Amazon.com.