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Panasonic SA-XR57 Multi-channel Receiver Review

SEKLEM

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I just bought a SA-XR55 (same features minus the HDMI) for $60 shipped on eBay. It was delivered quickly and the remote arrived not working. Took that apart and cleaned the inside (pop or juice was spilled on it I suspect) and presto, it works. The receiver could satisfy most of my needs.


For now I still prefer using the Yamaha RX-V659. Now that’s a receiver that’s worth testing! It was the hot receiver to have back in the early DTS-ES / Dolby EX days.
 

Newk Yuler

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Hey, Amir. Might be cool and interesting if you acquired a Kill-A-Watt to measure the power draw of the equipment you measure and include it as info in reviews. People may appreciate knowing what they will spend on electricity running the hardware. Be cool to get a sense of efficiency. Pretty cool toy to play with anyway.
 
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amirm

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Hey, Amir. Might be cool and interesting if you acquired a Kill-A-Watt to measure the power draw of the equipment you measure and include it as info in reviews.
I have one and have performed efficiency tests on some other amps (benchmark, hypex, etc.). It is work though to get it out and make yet another measurement.
 

Doodski

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All Yamaha surround receivers where the hot tickets worth testing ;) I sold Yamaha for 5 years and provided warranty service for it for several more. The servicing of it was like the lonely, "Maytag Repairman." It's solid gear and good value. Yamaha as a corporation to deal with in both sales and service was superb too.
 
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SEKLEM

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All Yamaha surround receivers where the hot tickets worth testing ;) I sold Yamaha for 5 years and provided warranty service it for several more. The servicing of it was like the lonely, "Maytag Repairman." It's solid gear and good value. Yamaha as a corporation to deal with in both sales and service was superb too.

For now they are still wholly owned by Yamaha Corp. while most AVR manufacturers are now controlled by one conglomerate. Sony is the only player left that isn’t owned by a multinational corporation of a different name aside from Yamaha.
 

Doodski

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For now they are still wholly owned by Yamaha Corp. while most AVR manufacturers are now controlled by one conglomerate. Sony is the only player left that isn’t owned by a multinational corporation of a different name aside from Yamaha.
Good old Sony. I provided warranty service for Sony of Canada for ~15 years. Parts availability was pretty good but sometimes we waited more than 6 months for what should have been a common replacement part for near current models. The compensation for warranty services provided often included waiting several months or more for warranty service payment. As a mechatronics specialist I provided service to some pretty interesting Sony devices but overall the accounting and payment experience was lame.
 

LuckyLuke575

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Just amazed Amir felt like spending the time measuring it when it's nothing but trivial information.

Think of it as scratching a curiosity itch lol

Granted, no one is expecting this amp to be the best thing ever made, but it's interesting to see the measurements from a "then vs now" perspective.
 

jhaider

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Amplifier Audio Measurements

View attachment 43135

Did you measure this one with the simulated load you used in the Behringer review, or measure the output impedance as you do on headphone amps?

This AVR is one of the few components I've found easy to distinguish from another while listening to music. One exception, at low volumes: Sonic Impact T-amp. While I sold it before I had the software and equipment to take good measurements, I always thought the issue was frequency response differences like the T-amp.

This old Panasonic amp is competently running by a TV about 6 feet in front of me while my geriatric dad gets his sick obsession of hating evil democrats filled with a day's worth of beaming FOX news into his wilted brain. :facepalm:

Sounds like the poor amp needs a thorough disinfecting.
 
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amirm

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Did you measure this one with the simulated load you used in the Behringer review, or measure the output impedance as you do on headphone amps?
No. Just built he load late last night and by then I had shipped the Penny back to its owner.
 

cookiefactory

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This AVR is one of the few components I've found easy to distinguish from another while listening to music. One exception, at low volumes: Sonic Impact T-amp. While I sold it before I had the software and equipment to take good measurements, I always thought the issue was frequency response differences like the T-amp.

What were your impressions of both this and the T-Amp?
 

jhaider

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What were your impressions of both this and the T-Amp?

I did not prefer them. I quickly got rid of the T-amp. The Panasonic stayed around longer, but that was because I did not have the stomach to compare it to anything else. Multichannel disk players back then didn't carry 7.1 channel digital audio over HDMI, so there were a lot more interconnects to swap. I think I replaced it when I bought my the Oppo DVD player with multichannel HDMI audio output.
 

cookiefactory

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I did not prefer them. I quickly got rid of the T-amp. The Panasonic stayed around longer, but that was because I did not have the stomach to compare it to anything else. Multichannel disk players back then didn't carry 7.1 channel digital audio over HDMI, so there were a lot more interconnects to swap. I think I replaced it when I bought my the Oppo DVD player with multichannel HDMI audio output.
I did not prefer them. I quickly got rid of the T-amp. The Panasonic stayed around longer, but that was because I did not have the stomach to compare it to anything else. Multichannel disk players back then didn't carry 7.1 channel digital audio over HDMI, so there were a lot more interconnects to swap. I think I replaced it when I bought my the Oppo DVD player with multichannel HDMI audio output.

Cool, thanks for your impressions.
 

jhaider

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For some balance, a few additional details I culled from old Facebook photos.

First, technically the one I had was XR55, not XR57. I think the only difference was component video vs. HDMI. That is a whole lot of RCA cables for video and multichannel audio! No wonder I have a storage box full of them. HDMI, for all of its issues, is far more convenient.

Second, I used it for about 3 years (2005-2008), so it obviously wasn't offensive sounding. It was an upgrade to disk player and TV with HDMI that led to audio new electronics, not dissatisfaction with the Panasonic AVR per se. The new AVR sounded better, though.
 

Krusty09

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I have an xr57 modded buy vinne rossi and would send it in to see if the tests come out any different if you care to see it.

I remember one thing about it was if you sent a 24 192 stream to it from and old DVD player and the led one the front panel lite up 24 192 you were in for a treat. It really sound good.
 

SEKLEM

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I have an xr57 modded buy vinne rossi and would send it in to see if the tests come out any different if you care to see it.

I remember one thing about it was if you sent a 24 192 stream to it from and old DVD player and the led one the front panel lite up 24 192 you were in for a treat. It really sound good.

That would be very interesting.
 

ripmixburn

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What a thrill to see an old receiver of mine that I bought second hand get reviewed here in detail. I always thought that it was worth more than the $150 I paid for it over a decade ago. I found that with 8-ohm speakers using the optical inputs it was great, but with others like the KEF LS50 it was nasal. I've since lent it to a friend who is using it with an AirPort Express and mini-toslink cable. I wish there were more deals like this in amplification to keep people away from the temptation of SONOS.
 

SEKLEM

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What a thrill to see an old receiver of mine that I bought second hand get reviewed here in detail. I always thought that it was worth more than the $150 I paid for it over a decade ago. I found that with 8-ohm speakers using the optical inputs it was great, but with others like the KEF LS50 it was nasal. I've since lent it to a friend who is using it with an AirPort Express and mini-toslink cable. I wish there were more deals like this in amplification to keep people away from the temptation of SONOS.

You make it sound as if Sonos is inherently bad or some kind of drug. Lol
 

ripmixburn

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You make it sound as if Sonos is inherently bad or some kind of drug. Lol

That’s a fair assertion. I think the potential is there for them to become bad if they become too powerful. Imagine a world where the big record labels only work with the big streaming services who only work with Sonos. Recorded music could become owned by Sonos.
 

jeanft

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Hello,
Have been using the Pana 55 with cd players and lately with LG V30 phone, headphone out to AUX on pana streaming Tidal. I am using an Innuos Zenith in main system and planning to run a USB cable to a Monolith 788 using Ipeng on Ipad. Is there a way to connect it to the Pana, or impossible because no preamp- out on the Pana? Should I get an integrated with DAC and USB? 2 separate boxes?



 
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