YAMAHA R-S202BL Stereo Receiver

Got this for my classroom. Not an audiophile by any means and certainly didn't need the latest greatest features (along with accompanying higher cost). For what I paid, $150 on Amazon before sales tax, I'm very impressed with what it offers and can do. Installed it in my classroom today. Connected it to a pair of old Sony bookshelf speakers which I got around 10 years ago. Specifically got this receiver because the old Onkyo I previously used (still working even though it must be from 1980s or 1990s) was unable to handle audio input from my classroom desktop computer even though I had gotten an adapter cable that had a 3.5mm jack on one end and two RCA (red/white) plugs on the other end. Wanted to use the bookshelf speakers instead of the weak external speakers provided by school for whenever I would need audio during a lesson, video clips, etc. to be heard by students at the back of the classroom. After setting up this receiver and putting it through its paces, I am pleased with its overall performance.I connected my classroom's desktop computer to the receiver using that adapter cable previously mentioned and this receiver had no problems at all picking up the signal and transmitting it to my bookshelf speakers. Tried out the radio tuner and was pleasantly surprised by both how clear the sound quality is for many local stations (compared to the Onkyo I had previously been using) and for even decoding signals from distant stations (I'm using a spare cheap external FM radio antenna, not the wire antenna provided with this unit) which the previous Onkyo receiver (and even my car radio) can't pick up clearly if at all.The Bluetooth feature is nice. There's a cheaper version of this receiver without the Bluetooth feature but I decided that the extra $20 was worth it for providing additional possibilities. Had no problem pairing this receiver with my Nexus 6 smartphone. No problems streaming music from my smartphone to the receiver.So far, I've only encountered one problem. I thought about docking one star off for this problem but in the end decided not to do so because the overall functionality and performance of the receiver isn't significantly impaired by this issue. When I first powered up this receiver (after making all the necessary audio connections to speakers and computer), I thought I might have had a defective unit because I couldn't hear anything even though the volume was clearly set at 40 (out of a 0-99 scale). After some trial and error, what I discovered was that any setting below 45 is practically impossible to hear coming out of my speakers. Once I cranked up the volume to 50-55, sound was clearly discernible to anyone near the speakers. From 55-65, sound fills up my entire classroom nicely. From 65-75, it gets loud in my classroom and when I walked out into the hallway (and then continued walking down the hallway) I could hear the sound clearly from several classrooms away. I can only imagine how loud it might be (and how far the sound may travel) if I cranked up the volume beyond 75. So, for all intents and practical purposes, the sound on this unit works but I'm essentially navigating between 45 (quiet) and 80 (really loud) instead of the full range of 0-99. Like I said, functionality and performance doesn't seem to be impaired by this discrepancy, so I ultimately decided not to knock off a star. Not sure if this issue is particular to the specific unit I received or a recurring pattern in more units beyond mine. Not a deal-breaker and not worth going through the hassle of a merchandise exchange since it gets the job done.Looking forward to seeing how well this unit works out for this coming school year (and hopefully for many years beyond). If anything should arise to warrant editing this review, then I'll update as needed.

I’m very glad I found and purchased this receiver unit. My primary use is for AM/FM reception to listen to my radio stations during the day. The radio broadcast reception here is a bit weak. I have high-end AM and FM antennas to gather more signal strength, but that is only part of the solution. The quality of the design and circuitry inside the receiver plays a key part in solid radio reception, and here this unit excels. The resulting reception is far stronger than other receivers I have used. I also noted a high signal to noise ratio; I can detect no audible noise levels. All this speaks of the high quality and engineering that YAMAHA put into this receiver.The resulting sound quality is also top notch. Crystal clear sound all the way down to the lowest volume levels. No distortion is detected – gosh not a darn thing to even nit pick at. Power amp of ~200 watts are more than adequate for my needs. Too often manufactures sell their high power but skimp on everything else. This is my perfect solution at a price point that can’t be beaten.As an added benefit, the user interface is simple and intuitive. While many manufacturers go way overboard and load up their receivers with endless and complex (mostly unnecessary) features and functions, the ‘keep it simple approach’ from YAMAHA is very welcome. It’s a stereo receiver after all, not Mission Control.If you are in the market for a stereo receiver and are not interested in sound blasting your walls (and your ears) down, this one is for you.

The media could not be loaded. This system is really nice and I mean it! Not a lot of information on this unit but what I can say is this system gets extremely loud to the point where you can lose your hearing from it. There is no distortion from this system even at max volume. I like music loud but this loud is on the next level and this is coming from a guy who has a lot of audio equipment and experience in the audio and FM broadcast industry! The nice thing is FM sounds wonderful on this unit. FM radio sensitivity is just wonderful like a high end receiver or like a good car FM radio. The wire provided to get radio reception wasn’t the best but a good tip is to put the wire next to the speaker wires to act like a ground plane but I highly recommend to get a good FM radio antenna that goes on your roof of your house for superior reception. AND no, the speaker wires don’t interfere with reception!!!I was skeptical due to the lack of information on this Yamaha, but I took that risk. I always knew Yamaha always been a very premium brand for audio and receivers but then you watch videos online about this unit they hate on it for being a cheap system when this isn’t true. This unit is for someone who wants a: Basic Semi Audiophile Stereo (Left and Right Sound) FM Radio, Line In or CD Playback, if you buy the cd reader separate. The video I provide is this stereo shaking my cheap old school 80s 8 inch bookshelf speakers.The only con is no sub out port.Irrelevant information starts here:The setup you see in the video is only temporary as we are remodeling the house and garage this stereo is currently in. Are new house is being currently being built in the country and after are new garage is built I’ll be putting this stereo in there and be setting this up with 2 outdoor Yamaha AW-350s on our back deck by the fire pit and the 2 old school 80s speakers in the garage. (Also a FM antenna mast for extreme FM radio reception.) The idea is the backyard would have good audio for music and are front yard would also get some good ported sound from the garage. Overall me and my family spends a lot of time outdoors no phones and little to no internet time just hanging out listening to music. The reason I am sharing this is because this is what I see a unit like this being used for.