Pure sound with great features

This receiver really out performs most others that may cost $200+ more. The high current amp (Yamaha's ToP-ART) provides incredible sound reproduction with no clipping or distortion. I put the HTR-6040 to the test, trying out numerous music genres ranging from Classical to Metal, DVDs, and XBOX 360. No matter the source, the HTR-6040 impressed me on all levels. On screen display with YPAO made set up really simple. In less that 5 minutes, using the YPAO mic (included), the HTR-6040 was calibrated flawlessly. I manually measured the distance from my speakers to the listening position with a tape measure beforehand, as well as know the size and position of my speakers; the HTR-6040 calibrated it perfectly. It ever took into account the obstacles in front of the speakers. Wow! Improved subwoofer control and flexibility making it easy to fine tune the LFE from 40Hz to 200Hz. The optional iPod bridge works great. You can control the iPod using the HTR-6040's remote with OSD and front panel display. What I found most impressive about the 6040 (and other Yamaha models) was the enhanced music DSP, both 2 channel and 5 channel. Not only does the 6040 blow away a lot of other makes and models in 5 channel stereo mode, but the compressed music enhancer restored the lost frequencies and smoothed out the artifacts (mostly heard in the higher frequency sounds like vocals or cymbals) accurately restoring the music to close to CD quality. Numerous DSP modes that recreate the atmosphere accurately (ie Hall, Pop/Rock) with Scene memory for easy assignment of the sound to the inputs. For the price and features, the HTR-6040 simply cannot be beat.