With the ridiculous pace of DJ Fresh's X-Project (WipeOut Mix) driving the game, the bass is simply stunning. The beat has real weight and all the character that embodies the synth-drum of the genre.

As you collide with another racer the metallic-scraping on the relevant side is crafted with the sort of realistic detail that makes you wince.

The explosions simply resound around the room and the computerised female voice warning of impending obstacles has this amazing all-round character that cuts through the chaos – just as if you are hearing it in the cock-pit. In 1080p with a big-screen projector and the Yamaha wound up to ASBO-dB levels, the whole sensation is wonderfully intense and exhausting.

Succinct detail

Switching to something a little more sedate for a while, the RX-V1900 proves its worth with movies, too. The complex Chinese dialogue of Curse of the Golden Flower on Blu-ray is crisp, succinct and neatly presented without overt sibilance or chestiness – whatever the level.

The swooping martial arts sound effects and metallic tones of swords splicing air are spot on, and projected way beyond the boundaries of the speakers. Again the receiver does wonders with the ambience, imaging a really natural 'outdoor' feeling in the forest scenes. The tiny details and ambient clues add up to a solid presence that simply draws you into the scene.

On the downside the YPAO system was not quite as successful as I recall the V3800 being in my room. This may be partially due to some recent kit and furniture manoeuvres, but I suspect it has more to do with the limited tweaking options of the block-text interface. You simply can't get in there and accurately nudge the filters in a way that was possible with the more expensive GUI-enabled machine.

Running the YPAO still cleaned up the annoying mid-bass bloom in my cinema, but didn't really add anything more to the Yam's already fine ability to create the scene.

Loud performer

While I am being picky, I will warn that the RX-V1900's natural balance may require careful speaker-matching if you have a penchant for extreme volumes.

The up-front presentation is pushed forward when the bass runs out of steam at very high SPLs and this may well play havoc with some bright-sounding speakers. But that is rather like saying a sports car's rock-hard suspension may cause havoc on rough road surfaces. In ideal conditions the Yamaha really delivers the sonic goods and throws you into music, movies and games like few others at the price.

It's no shrinking violet, so if you prefer your films rated PG rather than 12 and have anything starring Barbara Streisand in your collection it might be best to look elsewhere. For the rest of us with a penchant for loud music, all-action movies and HD games to scramble your AV senses, Yamaha's RX-V1900 is indeed a bargain.