Yamaha's DSP-AX759SE is a respectable surround sound amplifier that sacrifices some home cinema niceties in favour of top-notch audio quality. Its fairly basic home cinema facilities are unlikely to rival models designed as the ultimate AV hub, and its most notable omission is the lack of HDMI inputs and digital video switching.

The UK-tuned badge on the front means that it's sonically balanced to appeal to UK buyers, and has a 100W rated power output to each of its seven amplifier channels.

Thoroughly grounded

Music enthusiasts will be pleased to find the inclusion of a phono input with a grounding connection, and a Pure Direct mode that switches off everything but the analogue audio circuits for the best possible stereo music quality.

Setup and onscreen menus are very basic. But Yamaha has incorporated its Parametric Room Acoustic Optimizer (YPAO) to tailor the amplifier's output to your specific seating position and speaker package, making light work of integrating the receiver with other components and ensuring the best performance for your situation.

Analogue video signals pass through the Yamaha with no hint of degradation with component video signals, and the bleached colours while viewing Jarhead on DVD are precisely rendered. Up-converted video signals suffer some detail loss and colours appear less vibrant, but these are small sacrifices for the convenience of synchronising picture and sound switching.

Its sound is reassuringly solid, and movie soundtracks are very easy to enjoy. There's no hint of the brashness that's often associated with surround amplifiers, and Yamaha's attention to hi-fiaudio quality reaps sonic dividends for movie fans too. The Jarhead soundtrack on DVD is expertly handled, and superbly balances atmospheric surround effects with the musical soundtrack.

Selecting the Pure Direct mode for music listening reveals smoother musical textures without any digital mush, and has a noticeably more engaging listening experience thanks to a more solid soundstage.

Port of entry

iPod playback hasn't been overlooked, and Yamaha's add-on YDS-10 dock, costing £80, can be fitted to the port at the back. Playback automatically activates the enhanced music DSP mode and the remote provides basic iPod control.

Despite the lack of the most current home cinema facilities, the Yamaha DSP-AX759SE is a lot of amp for the money. If you're a music fan looking for a surround sound amp then this is one of the most enjoyable amps that we've heard.