Yamaha R-N301 Network Receiver - Silver

Cheaply put together. Had to return due to fault

I bought this as part of doing a household media system - which when I started a few years ago during my house rebuild has changed in application considerably. Then it was all about Philips Pronto and similar and I was just beginning to set this up when suddenly it all stopped and no more products were released. Of course Philips could see things were going the way of tablets effectively rendering Pronto obsolete overnight. And, I didn't want compromised amplifier either so that knocked the likes of SONOS and similar off my list. I wanted proper amps - but remotely controlled. Wiring wasn't a problem because I ran everything in the walls during the renovation work - all I needed was control. And here I am. A proper amp that has all the attributes of a decent separates unit - at this price point I may add - with the ability to control it over WiFi using an APP. Seriously what's not to love? Well, one small niggle. The selection of A and B speakers can't be done from the Yamaha APP - which is irritating because my plan was to fit three of these units covering six rooms. You can turn them on and off via the app - at least from standby (which is only 0.1w/hr) so in theory using my tablet I could individually have sound in each room with far higher quality than a really expensive wifi system or multi-amp. Basically an entire whole house audio system amp system for around £600. Now that is cheap. But the damned A + B speaker selection has to be locally as far as I can work out. Not a major issue but one that means it's not quite perfect. I've run this via my NAS drive which has music on it stored in various formats, mainly WMA Lossless - which isn't supported. FLAC is, however and as I'd already started down the process of changing over to FLAC this isn't a huge problem. Internet radio us native to the device and the APP controls it well so that's another box ticked. Sound is impressive using decent KEF speakers. Clean, precise and engaging. Enough bass to give power to rock music without being overwhelming. To be honest, this is a steal at the price. There are of course much, much more expensive amps out there but I'd bet in a blind listening this modestly priced unit wouldn't perform badly in comparison. Top value and top quality.

It's big -a 1980's style big hifi box, a throwback to when having big gear meant high quality. But it is also good in sound and features on first impressions. Plenty of drive for my big speakers and an exceptionally comprehensive device. As well as all the digital stuff it also has AM/FM radio which means it is good for almost all home listening needs. It has tape in/out for us legacy types. Finally, for the audiophile tendency, it's fully analog(ue) for the power amps, so much today is class D digital. (for the tech-heads half its size is power supply and heatsink, so it's generously designed) Because of the size you need plenty of room so I suspect it's staying in my den and won't get admission to the living room where compact and tidy rules supreme. It is exceptional value for money; if it was half the size I would buy 2 more and have one in every room. Important note though it doesn't have WiFi or Bluetooth, you'll need to cable the network and Yamaha have a bluetooth accessory. As an IT person I prefer physical Ethernet to WiFi where possible as I like rock solid connections.

100 WPC! As per usual, Yamaha deliver a (mainly) nicely built and hi-fi sounding unit. The controls are positive although I find I use the remote or iPad/iPhone control for almost everything. The Network card however was loose in the unit… but again, for the price, maybe it should be a DIY job. It's absolutely wonderful having Airplay on the network and internet radio. Soundwise, it sounds like a Yamaha… It's a sterile sounding amp with hardly any colouration which you may or may not like. I'm driving ESL's and Cones and so it is working a little hard but for now, it's a fantastic amp for the price. A sub output would be nice so I could bi-amp but for this price you really can't complain at all. I would highly recommend, specially for a single pair of traditional cone speakers.

This was a great all round amp until 2019 when all the net stations all stopped working unless you paid for a monthly subscription to Vtuner. Yamaha’s firmware upgrade to change the radio network from Vtuner to a free service was not included for this model, so stay clear of it. Yamaha could of included the firmware upgrade for this model because it is a very good amp but i think they thought the 4 digit priced amps were more worthy of the update. Shame on you Yamaha!

I listen to music a lot in my home office. I play music from my iTunes library and from a CD player (yes, I’m nostalgic), and I have a full stereo setup, with bookshelf speakers on my desk. I long ago realized that you can have much better sound with a real receiver than with even expensive speakers that you plug into a computer. And it’s a lot more flexible too, allowing you to connect other inputs. I used to run my music from my iMac, through a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100, then into a receiver. But as part of my recent decluttering operation, I wanted to get rid of that extra link. I also didn’t want to have to be able to play music through my iMac; I sometimes work on my laptop seated away from my desk, with my iMac asleep. I wanted a standalone receiver that could accept music from my iPhone via AirPlay. So I’ve switched to a different receiver, the Yamaha R-N301. This receiver has an onboard 24-bit/192kHZ DAC, and sounds comparable to the previous setup with the Cambridge Audio DAC. I had first bought this receiver to use in my bedroom, to replace a Denon Ceol, which was supposed to be a wireless AirPlay receiver. (It was, for a few months, then it stopped working. It was repaired, still didn’t work, and I got a refund.) The Yamaha R-N301 is an AirPlay receiver as well, but it doesn’t have wifi; it only works with AirPlay if it’s connected via Ethernet, or if you buy an optional wifi receiver that you can connect to it. After my experience with the Denon Ceol, I realized that the problem with these devices’ wifi capabilities was probably related to their hardware; more specifically their antennas, because another AirPlay device in the same location as the Denon Ceol worked fine. A number of people I heard from had had similar problems with third-party AirPlay devices, so I decided to give up on wireless AirPlay. Wired AirPlay, while not ideal, because of the need to connect an ethernet cable to a devices, is actually an improvement. There are no dropouts, and the device is always available. The only downside is that you need to get an ethernet cable to it. There’s a simple way to do this: use powerline adapters. These devices connect to AC plugs; you connect one to your router or ethernet switch with an ethernet cable, plug the second in where the device you want to access is located, and connect an ethernet cable between it and the device. I use Netgear 500 Mbps adapters, but if you’re just streaming music, you don’t need them to be that fast; 200 Mbps would be enough. So, back to the Yamaha receiver. I don’t intend this to be a review of its sound quality; it sounds as good as a $300/£200 amplifier can sound. It has all the standard features of a receiver of its kind, but also offers digital optical and coaxial inputs, along with ethernet. And it has two speaker zones; while this is not something I need now, I may want it in the future, if I move the receiver someplace else. And then playing music via AirPlay, its display shows the name of the track that’s playing, though it can be hard to read, as it scrolls along on a display of about twenty characters. I like Yamaha’s audio hardware. I’ve had their AV receivers for many years (I recently bought the RX-679 to replace an older Yamaha AV receiver that I had.) Their stuff is well made, and I’ve never had any problems. So if you want an AirPlay receiver that uses ethernet, the Yamaha R-N301 is a good choice. There are other brands that sell similar devices, and they start at around the same price point, and they’re probably just as good. I’m happy with my choice, and if you need a device to stream music to via AirPlay, this is a great option.

Ok, I'd had enough of small mini systems where MP3's sound as good as a CD. I decided to go back to a 'separates' system. After some research I picked out this gem. The really fab thing about the R-N301 is that it's a network receiver. So now I can get internet radio, stream my music on my iTunes from computer (PC or MAC) or music stored on iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch - you can also control the R-N301 from any mobile phone using iOS 6, 7 or Android device using the Yamaha 'Network Player Controller' app. Add some decent speakers (and put your TV and CD player through it) and you'l throw the mini system in the bin (or maybe the garden shed). My family can stream their own music to it from their own phones/laptops too (not all together of course!). There aren't many network receivers at an affordable price and this is simple to set up and use. You can use good old FM of course but why would you. I connected mine by fixed wire ethernet but if you want to connect it wirelessly you have to buy the extra wifi attachment (Ywa10) but at £60 might be better to use an ethernet mains adaptor. So all in all it's a great piece of kit. Oh you can use Spotify but you will have to have a paid-for Spotify account. Pandora only works in the US, Australia and New Zealand. Every home should have one.

This is a very versatile, capable unit with surprisingly good sound output. Audiophiles will want something more upmarket, but for the mere mortals among us the R-N301 is a great buy. I’ve been thinking of replacing my 25 year old Rotel amp/Sony tuner combo for some time. The Rotel sounds fantastic but has no remote control and its lack of digital inputs means a jumble of DACs and dongles if I want to play my TV or digitised collection through it. A recent knee injury elevated remote control of my sound system from ‘that would be nice’ to ‘really useful’ but I was still hesitating. Not wanting to spend a fortune, I was concerned I’d end up with a much more convenient system but one that sounded nothing like as good as the existing arrangement. Eventually I decided to give the Yamaha a go as I have friends who swear by their products, promising myself that I’d send it straight back if I couldn’t bear to listen to it. I’m happy to say that I’ve been very pleasantly surprised. As well as playing the TV through the stereo I listen to: Radio 3 and Radio 4; high quality Internet stations like Audiophile Baroque; my own collection in a combination of FLAC and 320kps MP3 streamed from my PC via Serviio media server or from Google Play if the PC isn’t switched on; CDs from time to time, played on a Sony Bluray player. Recently I’ve been experimenting with Spotify and Qobuz, controlling everything from an Android phone or tablet. I mostly listen to ‘classical’ music with an emphasis on baroque, choral and 20th century but also enjoy jazz and a wide range of other styles. A thumping bass isn’t my priority although I do need enough to make a classic funk track enjoyable. I’m mainly looking for clarity and no harsh edges. Hooked up to my venerable Mission speakers, the RN301 sounds surprisingly good – clear, immediate but not harsh or overly bright. It isn’t as rounded and rich as the Rotel but if anything it makes music sound more exciting. There’s much more of a feeling of having the performers in the room with you and details in the mid to top range really stand out. It’s not quite as good as the Rotel for speech as I notice more sibilance with the Yamaha, but it’s still a satisfying sound. What really impresses me is how well the R-N301 deals with 320kps streams, whether from Spotify, Google Play, Internet radio or my own collection via the PC. The music is smooth and clear and very listenable. I was about to pay for Qobuz FLAC streaming but am so impressed by the sound – and convenience - of Spotify through this receiver that I’m not going to bother (at least not until I find a simple way to get the Qobuz stream to the Yamaha without using wires or bluetooth.) In terms of convenience, this unit suits my needs perfectly. It doesn’t have wifi or Bluetooth, phono input, loudness control or a USB/3.5mm input on the front, but it does have 3 audio inputs and one out, one optical and one coaxial digital input, an Ethernet connection and a USB socket on the back for power out if you want to add a wifi or Bluetooth adapter (but see comments below on the latter.) The remote has tiny and rather fiddly buttons but genuinely controls everything, and there’s an Android/iOS app that does the same job if you prefer it. Internet radio is set up via the vTuner site, which is easy enough. Bookmarked stations can be arranged in folders for simpler navigation. I mainly use BubbleUpnp on my phone to control streaming from the PC or Googleplay directly to the R-N301. This is smooth and simple and well worth the small investment for the app. On the other hand, with a sensible folder structure on my PC and using the ‘folder’ navigation, it’s not difficult to find the music I want directly from the receiver, using the remote control. The display is small and simple, but clear enough from the sofa about 4 metres away. Spotify premium is one of the best features of this receiver. Select it from the smartphone app and the R-N301 automatically switches to Spotify as its source and off you go, with almost all the music you could want right at your fingertips in decent, although not HD, quality. It’s definitely enough to make me pay up for Spotify once my trial period is over, despite my gripes about its UI, which is far from brilliant for classical music listeners. Just for completeness – eg for listening to podcasts directly from my phone – I decided to add a decent Bluetooth receiver to my system. I tried the Yamaha YBA-11 but had to send it back as it made a popping sound every few seconds when connected to my phone (although not with other devices, strangely). I’m now using a cheaper Sony BM10 which gives a very good sound via one of the audio inputs. I’ve had to plug it into the mains, though, as powering it from the USB socket on the back of the receiver gave lots of horrible interference. This small inconvenience aside, I’ve now got everything I want in a pleasant-sounding, simplified package for well under £300, which can’t be bad.