Yamaha RX-V371 review

Audio options are just as plentiful; two analogue, two optical and two coaxial digital inputs plus another analogue output make this a well-connected amplifier. However, it’s worth noting that while the front speaker outputs use binding posts, the surround and centre outputs use spring terminals. This will make it difficult to use thicker speaker cables, so you may need to settle for thinner ones.

We’ve experienced some questionable sound quality from Yamaha amplifiers in the past, so we were interested to see how well the RX-V371 would hold up under our testing. When watching movies, we noticed that high frequencies such as cymbals didn’t sound as crisp as they did on other amplifiers; even after a trip into the menus, we couldn’t match the vibrancy of similarly priced units from other manufacturers. It was only a slight difference, but it did dampen our enthusiasm for this amplifier.

Considering it costs less than £250, the RX-V371 has an impressive set of inputs and outputs, and its automatic calibration is an unexpected treat. However, the lack of an on-screen overlay can make advanced configuration a laborious task. Finding the right balance of frequencies and crossover points is important for a good home cinema setup, but doing so using the one-line LCD display is rather time consuming. The similarly priced Denon AVR-1312 has fewer inputs, but the on-screen menu system is much more helpful for beginners.