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Here is a link to the HTR-6260 on the Yamaha website:
http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=5028502&CTID=5000400
Let's start with a look at the receiver. This is a 7.2 channel
A/V receiver with 4 HDMI inputs, which was something that I was looking
for as I want to run the cable box, Blu-ray player, Xbox 360 and
PlayStation 3. The specs claim that it has 90 watts of power in
surround sound mode and that it offers all the latest Dolby Digital
formats.
The set up was quite simple. Plug in the four different HDMI
inputs and the output to the TV and everything was good to go. It also
offered an audio bypass, which I set up for my wife because she is
happy to watch TV without the surround speakers on. So I set up the
remote so that the TV and cable box are turned on, the receiver turns
to HDMI input 1 and then turns off.
With all of the HDMI connections plugged in switching from one
input to the next was simple. A push of a button and it switched from
one input to the next. However, the inputs did not seem to change even
when using other input types. I set the system up to use the smart
conversion to upscale 4 x 3 images to 16 x 9 but it did not have an
effect on standard definition channels even when I used component
cables instead of HDMI (which is a direct feed instead of an upscaled
feed). I did find that the video signal quality using HDMI connections
was clear and did not suffer from being processed through the receiver
instead of leading directly to the TV, although there were lip synch
glitches when switching input types while watching a movie but these
were solved by pausing the BluRay player and waiting for a few moments
before resuming.
Setting up the speakers was very easy as well. Yamaha utilizes
YPAO, a proprietary method of detecting the location of the speakers at
a given position and adjusting the levels accordingly to have a
consistent sound at that location. Essentially you place the provided
microphone at your listening position and with a few button pushes it
sends out test signals from each speaker to determine how they should
be set up. The system worked well and the distanced detected from my
sitting position was quite accurate, allowing for what should have been
an optimal set up. However, I did increase the volume levels in the
surround speakers, and the sub, to try to get some additional effects
from them.
The receiver includes the latest Dolby listening modes,
including Dolby True-HD and DTS HD Master Audio. As well, it has 17 DSP
effects to improve the sound for different types of listening
atmospheres, including action, adventure, RPG gaming, and various music
styles. These were interesting to play with to see if there was one
that really caught my attention. However, and this may be limited to
the speakers, none of them really wowed me to the point where I felt it
was the best one to use.
One aspect that was a bit frustrating was the power. Instead
of having a separate on/off the receiver has a power toggle. This works
fine except when trying to program activities in the Harmony 890
remote. For example, if my wife wants to watch TV without using the
speakers the receiver turns on, switches to HDMI input 1, and turns
off. But then if she turns off the TV the remote sends a signal to all
of the components, including the receiver, to switch power states.
Since there is only a power toggle the receiver turns back on. I was
able to rectify this by having the remote send two power toggle signals
to the receiver on power down from that activity, but this means that
the receiver will turn on and then off every time she stops watching
TV.
I would say that the Yamaha HTR-6260 was a decent receiver. It
was simple to set up and use and offered a number of nice features,
including DSP effects and a quite accurate YPAO system. With a 90 watt
output it should have enough power to drive most speakers you would
want to connect to it, and if you need more than 90 watts chances are
you are not as budget concerned to be considering lower end receivers.
Time spent analyzing the system " 2 weeks.
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