Last week I wrote about the new Yamaha receiver I'd purchased and why, My New AV Receiver Is On It's Way. I told you I'd talk about hooking it up once I accomplished that task.
The installation was quite easy especially since I'd already gone through the procedure in my head. That's an important step any install tech learns. Know how you're going to connect things before you begin.
I removed the turntable which sits on the top shelf of my rack and put the new receiver in its place. The old receiver was one shelf below. This way it was simply a matter of unplugging things from the old and into the new. I got to remove a couple of component video cables and replace them with HDMI cables I'd purchased in preparation. Reducing interconnects, which switching from component video and digital or analog audio to HDMI accomplishes, makes for a cleaner look behind the gear.
As I proceeded with making the new connections I'd jot down which source was plugged into which input. For example, the U-verse box was connected to the HDMI 1 input and the Blu-ray player into HDMI 2. This is important so you'll know how it works once you're done without having to look behind the rack time and time again.
Once the connections were complete I pulled the old receiver out and, from behind, slid the new receiver into place. Now I could connect my turntable. Wait a minute. There's no phono input. My mistake.
In my haste when shopping online I thought I'd confirmed that the RX-V667 had a phono input. It does not have one. I was more concerned with the 6 channel discrete analog inputs I needed for my SACD/DVD-A player. No worries. The work around for a phono input is easy whereas there's really none for the discrete inputs.
I purchased a relatively inexpensive phono preamp online which will arrive this week. I hadn't realized the big use for phono preamps is now as an interface from the turntable to the computer for recording vinyl onto a hard drive. I'll use the phono preamp to interface between the turntable and an unused line level input on the receiver. If you plug a turntable directly into a line level input you'll get some unbearable noise and a less than desirable sound from your records. Turntables need this preamp which is built into higher end receiver models.
The last step was to re-program my Universal MX-450 remote. Remotes of this caliber have the ability to create what are called macro commands. That means with one push of a button a chain of IR commands will be sent to the equipment turning the TV and receiver on and to the right inputs. If you're not too technically savvy you may want to have a professional set this up for you.
My glitch came when I couldn't find the Yamaha code that showed my input configuration on the remote's LED screen. Even after plugging the remote into my computer via its flash port and updating the firmware and software online I couldn't find the right code. After google seraching and finding some message board threads on the subject I determined that the MX-450 didn't have the exact right code for the receiver. It would turn on the receiver and ramp up and down the volume but I couldn't change inputs easily as they didn't match. This necessitated me to have the MX-450 "learn" some of the buttons on the receiver remote. For example, HDMI 1 was learned on the MX-450 remote using the "CBL/SAT" button. This may sound a bit complicated and, again, you may want to seek out a professional like myself.
The project took just under two hours and I spent the rest of the evening being dazzled by the better sound and picture offered by a receiver that wasn't ten plus years old.
If you have a question or if I may be of service email me at radiohannibal@gmail.com
John Hannibal
