Hi JohnK,
Your other comments notwithstanding, I would like to point out Dan Kumin's (who used to write for me) technical comments on the Yamaha:
"The Yamaha RX-V657 produced good numbers, but a couple of notes are required. A switch sets the receiver for minimum speaker impedances of 8 or 4 ohms. The 4-ohm position current-limits its outputs to approximately one-half of their potential power. All numbers here were taken with the receiver set to the 8-ohm position, which was contrary to Yamaha’s recommendation, because some of my speakers present real-world loads well below 8 ohms. But there were no ill effects as a result either on the test bench or in my listening tests."
Like many other Yamahas, this one has current-limiting if the impedance switch is set to 4 ohms. It's why Axiom recommends Yamaha owners leave the switch at 8 ohms (and I know you've recommended that as well) even for lower impedances.
I wonder if the other comment on "underpowered" was because the reviewer used lower-impedance speakers and set the Yamaha at 4 ohms, which would drastically limit its output power.
Regards,
