Yamaha RX 497 Receiver

I've had this Receiver for a few weeks now. So far I have not used all its features but what I have used and listened to is great so far. The amplifier is crisp and clear. The FM reception is good for the station that my roof antenna is oriented for. The FM sound is great. I can hear things in the music I have been listening to that I had not noticed before.

A couple things I don't like is I wish the Tuner control was a larger button (or knob instead). The one big issue with this (and probably most newer) Receivers is the AM reception is really poor. I do listen to sports on AM. This and most newer products have no internal or attached Ferrite Antenna. The small supplied Loop Antenna is very inadequate. The whole issue of AM antennas is complex and a big pain. I solved the problem partly by attaching my own built tuned antenna (salvaged ferrite antenna and air variable capacitor). My old Pioneer SX-650 has much better AM reception with its built on ferrite antenna.

I wanted and needed only a "plain" stereo receiver. So I passed on the 5.1 and 7.1 models. I had also considered the Onkyo TX-8522. The Yamaha RX-497 was higher rated in reviews and I was able to get a great price on the Yamaha.