Yamaha DSPAX863SE-BLACK

+ Exceptional sound quality especially for the price.

- Took awhile to set up

+ This amplifier has it got it where it really counts; the sound quality is excellent. It does loud special effects, like in "The Dark Knight" brilliantly, but really shows its class with the superb atmospheric sound design on "The Orphanage", which sounds absolutely terrifying. It processes all kinds of formats, including HD audio, (7.1 DTS-HD on "Hellboy 2" is excellent) and it has a variety of decoders to suit different stereo sources. You can change all the variables to suit your taste for different inputs. Stereo CD music listening is also excellent in "pure" audio mode. Superb.

- Nothing major. Only one thing I've had a problem with; I have a 7.1 set up, it took me 3 hours to figure out that if your blu-ray disc/player outputs 5.1 Dolby True HD or 5.1 DTS-HD, it only outputs to 5.1 speakers, and not the 2 rear surrounds. (The front display just says "straight".) You have to set your blu-ray player to output normal DTS 5.1 or Dolby Digital 5.1 to get the extended surround (eg Dolby-Digital EX) to all 4 rear speakers. Slightly annoying, but a minor issue.

+ Overall Sound quality, good remote, surround sound effects options, setting up microphone

- Speaker wire connections difficult to connect with too little space for high quality thicker cables. Instruction book a little unclear on routing of input /output connections for different equipments and types of connection

+ It is an awesome amp and more, it does exactly what is says on the tin. I have put my xbox through the HDMI port and WOW.

- Their are no bad points but but the deisgn does not let you attach speaker cables with a bayonet fitting.