Yamaha RX-V367 review

Available for just £170, the RX-V367 is almost obscenely cheap for an HDMI-equipped AV receiver. It lacks certain features but it’s perfectly adequate for some people’s requirements.

The most significant omission is that it can’t decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks – the two most common formats on Blu-ray discs. This isn’t necessarily a problem though, as the vast majority of Blu-ray players can decode these formats and pipe the audio down the HDMI cable as uncompressed PCM.

Setting this up in the player’s configuration menus may be a little trickier than on the receiver but there’s no difference in quality. It’s possible that TV broadcasts might one day use Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio, in which case this amp would have to drop back to reading the lower-quality Dolby Digital or DTS soundtrack.

The V367 is a little short on composite video and stereo phono audio inputs, with three of each on the back and other set on the front. It’s hard to imagine many situations where this will cause problems, though. The good news is that there are four HDMI inputs, which should prove more than enough for all of your home entertainment kit.

The remote is far from pretty but it keeps things straightforward. We particularly like the button marked Straight, which switches off any enhanced listening mode and sends the signals straight to the speakers. Surprisingly, there’s no OSD, but the only time that the front panel display felt lacking was when attempting to adjust the graphic EQ. The chances are most people won’t need to, especially as there are simpler treble and bass controls for broader adjustments. In most situations, configuring the system will simply involve plugging in the supplied calibration mic and pressing Setup.

If your Blu-ray player can decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks internally, there’s little point in duplicating these functions in the receiver. However, if you want them included just in case, the Onkyo SR308 is a better choice, particularly because it has the edge for sound quality too.