60 reviews for YAMAHA R-N303BL Stereo Receiver with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth & Phono Electronics

1. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Customer – AMZN – March 8, 2024

   3.0 out of 5 stars

   Decent receiver with one catch

   The sound quality is not bad. I used Cambridge Audio SX60 bookshelf speakers which are moderately sensitive and Yamaha was able to drive. I exchanged the item because it does not cover the whole frequency range. The new receiver I got was R-N600A

   One person found this helpful

2. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Flossie – March 8, 2024

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Great product for the money.

   Purchased as a replacement just to have music in the house. The only thing I disliked was the users manual hard for older folks to follow.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   citiciti – March 8, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Amazing product.

   Amazing Av receiver, finally over wifi music listening. No more power up the receiver, and opening cabinets, messing with Bluetooth sometimes worked sometimes not. That time is over finally😅 if you thinking about this receiver just go for it. ! Highly recommended, setup was toke me 10 minutes easy. Love this receiver thank you Yamaha, oh yeah and half price of Sonos. 😄 that’s other positive about this receiver, if the Sonos stop pushing updates, than you screwed.Yamaha newer stops working, unless if you put water in 😁

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Paul V. – March 8, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Great Product

   Great receiver. Great sound. Great name in stereo equipment, among other things.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   M. Spector – March 8, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Certainly an upgrade from my R-S201

   I upgraded from the R-S201, which is the predecessor to the current R-S202 (both of which are/were $150).I am really impressed by the Bluetooth feature, and am pleased that it disconnects itself from my phone and computer as soon as I turn it off. My last receiver (the R-S201) didn’t have Bluetooth, so I used a Logitech adapter that would remain connected to my (and automatically reconnect) causing me to have to manually disconnect and forget the bluetooth connection. No more hassle with the R-N303’s built in bluetooth function.I can’t speak too specifically about the hardware, but regardless of this receiver delivering the same 100W output as my R-S201, the R-N303 is certainly producing a louder output. I am basing this off similar volume settings for the same MP3s I was playing.I believe if I read correctly, the R-N303 has a built-in DAC. The MP3s + Spotify tracks I was playing via bluetooth had slightly more definition/clarity/fullness.The bass and treble settings, which are the same as my previous R-S201, add much more definition on the R-N303 than on my previous receiver.I’m stoked about the additional features I now have in my receiver. Other than bluetooth, the optical and coaxial audio inputs will finally allow me to connect my TV to my speakers. Also, I’m happy to finally have a phono stage. My current turntable of 12 years has a built-in preamp, but I intend to finally upgrade my turntable and get a non-preamped one to take advantage of phono-stage.I hope this review helps anyone trying to compare this to the R-S202, which I believe is the same as my previous R-S201, but with bluetooth. This is the second hi-fi receiver I have owned and was certainly worth purchasing in terms of an incremental upgrade.

6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   RICHARD B. – March 8, 2024

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Not bad at this price point

   We bought this primarily for the optical input function for our TV . The output volume is pretty good with TV listening falling in between 50-70 range with a Max of 100 . This is using 2 , 100 Watt Monitor Audio (UK) speakers . We replaced a broken Cambridge Audio Amp with this Yamaha primarily because of the versatility. The sound quality is pretty good , but you cannot adjust the bass and treble with the remote . Only on the unit itself . Which can be troublesome when changing channels . There are no pre programmed “Sound Fields” either . You just have to get up and adjust it to your liking . Not used the Bluetooth much, so we can’t elaborate much on that . The tuner seems to be ok and picks up distant stations good . We only gave it 4 stars because of the bass/treble adjustment , which seems kinda primitive compared to the rest of the unit .We have been using the unit for about a month, and so far it’s been very good for the overall cost .

   One person found this helpful

7. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   MG – March 8, 2024

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Bought a second one for another location!

   I bought one of these last April (2019) and left a review titled “worth a chance”. After a month I packed the unit up and took it to my vacation home. Set up was still frustrating, but only took a couple of hours. Ive used that unit for 6 months and still love it.. It does everything I wanted and more. I keep an old I phone with the Music Cast App on my nightstand so I can listen to music until its lights out time… really convenient. Sleep timer works also, but limited choices on time (30, 60,90 Minutes.).Now that I am back to my regular home, I just ordered another of the same unit. (2 days from Amazon). I set it up this morning in under 2 hours. The unit still had to be reset totally (page 43 in the manual – reset-all) before it would send the wifi signal (slow to appear..give it a minute). But once I did that it paired with my phone and grabbed the WIFI setting (must be 2.4ghtz…not 5ghtz). I added this unit to the Music Cast App on 3 different iDevices. Cool, now to see if the App will still work with the original receiver next time I visit the vacation home. So Its a 5 star unit after you get it set up. One star deduction for the wonky set up, and the fact that it doesn’t come already set to “Factory defaults”??

   2 people found this helpful

8. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Luis MarencoLuis Marenco – March 8, 2024

   3.0 out of 5 stars

   Connection to Tv via optical

   I bought this, and the optical input does not work.I connected my samsung tv, selected Optical and nothing, please if anybody knows help me

   One person found this helpful

9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   William Goodwin – March 8, 2024

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Fantastic

   Buy it! You won’t regret it. Download the Yamaha Music App. It will make your life better!

10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    James A Mayer – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Skepticism killer.

    This replaced a vintage Pioneer SX-780 that is revered for it’s sound and cost the equivalent of of $1200 in the late 70’s. I had to have the Pioneer serviced one too many times and there were still some issues that I just don’t think can be affordably repaired. I wasn’t looking for a home theater setup with surround sound,, etc. I simply wanted to have everything that the Pioneer had (phono, tuner, multiple aux inputs, 2 channels) combined with modern streaming options. I’ve had it for a month and have been giving it a workout for hours every day. I’m mostly playing vinyl or Spotify, but have also used it with CDs, an old iPhone delegated to being a music server, and Pandora. I even have a 8-track player hooked up to it. I haven’t tried out the tuner yet as I can simply connect via Airplay to my NPR and TuneIn IOS apps.The R-N303 has been nothing but solid and I admit that the only thing I’m missing from the old Pioneer is the vintage cosmetics like the illuminated tuner spectrum and seeing the analog needles jump around while the music is playing. The Yamaha is rock solid and I’ve never thought for a minute that the sound quality was lacking in any way. I’m a vintage enthusiast but there are just so many nice features in modern receivers, like controlling it from an app, sleep mode, etc, that I finally caved. No regrets.The only thing I would change is to have the silver/aluminum version but it seems only the black version is available in the US.

    139 people found this helpful

11. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    Matt – March 8, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Turns itself Off

    Overall it’s solid, but the main issue I have is that at a certain volume if there’s a pop on phono or you hit the record at a bad point and it makes a loud sound it will turn itself off. Then when you turn it back it will have a message that says “check Speaker wires”. The speaker wires are fine. I have a Sony that is comparable in price but does not do this. I would recommend against this one and towards a different brand. Read the reviews.

12. 

    Rated 1 out of 5

    Daniel Kuhn – March 8, 2024

    1.0 out of 5 stars

    Worked out of the box- but then again, no.

    I have to say that setting up this receiver was fairly easy. Initially I had issues with the wireless, but once I got past that, everything else fell into place. I own an Onkyo and the web interface for that receiver is terrible. It constantly loses connection and reconnection takes a while. I needed another receiver, so I bought a Denon. The web app for that is worthless and every time I turned it on, I had to reinitialize the wireless, which meant you needed to have a display connected. This Yamaha is great, somewhat easy set up and once done, I never touch the settings again for wireless. Unlike the Onkyo, my pandora starts playing immediately, no 5 min wait.Update, my WiFi connectivity no longer works. I finally, after days of messing around with it, got the musicast to recognized the receiver, but no luck in getting the apps to work. All I can do is turn it off and on.

    One person found this helpful

13. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    john maherjohn maher – March 8, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Standby mode impossible to reset without

14. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Amazon Customer – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Awesome buy!

    I put my old circa 1970 Harman Karden stereo back in storage and replaced it with this. Works great all the nice features with wifi and bluetooth and still get to play my old vinyl and cassettes, yes cassettes I have 100’s of them that still are in great shape and sound great as well! Listening to Bob Seger recorded live in 1976 in Schaumburg Illinois as I am typing this.

15. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Cooper Woodard – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Easy bluetooth set up

    This has proven to be a well operating receiver. This receiver was so easy to set up with Bluetooth. Literally just turned on receiver, pressed Bluetooth button, turned on Alexa Bluetooth and the receiver automatically linked to Alexa. FM radio stations were just as easy to set up. Simply press tuner button and all available fm stations automatically tuned. Wish treble and bass were knobs that turned instead of buttons which increase in increments of 2 while increasing or decreasing. Knobs would allow more customized sound versus set button increments. Other than that, a great receiver for a great price!

16. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    JimmyJoeBob – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Setup Confusion for Some

    The setup directions were difficult for me to understand, especially for the network/WiFi. I got it working for Bluetooth and that is what I am using now. My iMac that is 10 ft away will not connect to it via Bluetooth for some reason (maybe it’s too old and the Bluetooth specs have changed?) My MacBook works just fine from the same location as does my iPhone. The unit is in a side room of my house and I just use it for my outdoor speakers. This is still a work in progress for me as well as the MusicCast app. I know I am missing something.

17. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    BIG AL – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    AUTOMATIC!

    Bought this for the “MusicCast” feature and it is PERFECT! I don’t want to choose all the songs, just the station and this works perfectly with SiriusXM! When you set this up the first time, just download MusicCast, log in to your SiriusXM account and play the music. I think this works through WiFi so the range is fantastic vs. bluetooth. Once it is set up, I now just turn on the receive and it picks up IMMEDIATELY where it left off on the SAME Siruius XM channel, same volume. Absolutely perfect. I have 6 speakers wired to it and paralled 4 of them and stayed below the ohm limit. I have concrete walls in FL and I have never lost signal from the pool to bedroom. LOVE THIS SYSTEM!

    One person found this helpful

18. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Tip – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great Quality for a Good Price

    This receiver gives us the connectivity with our Amazon Alexa devices AND all of our other network storage systems including our NAS music collection over our LAN and also the music collection on my phone via the Yamaha MusicCast app. Finally, our HiFi-to-WiFi connection makes sense. Great product!

19. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Mike-NewBernNC – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Really nice receiver

    I love this versatile network receiver. I stream music from a variety of sources as well as play radio and cd’s as well as vinyl. Pair it up with some good speakers and you really have a great audio system.

20. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    IROAR – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent sound quality for the money

    pros sound quality full feature remote number of presets (40) integration with many streamings services,Alexa and Google Homecons Instructions to hook up to internet wirelessly very poor. After an hour plus trying, I installed music cast app to iphone and got it installed. Still having trouble with bluetooth. Wondering if bluetooth is both ways. Anotherwords, can I get it to output sound to a smart speaker? So far no success.Overall a good product for the money.

    One person found this helpful

21. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Kindle Customer – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    The setup is easy and the manual is well written and easy to …

    I used this unit to replace my beloved Sansui amp that finally just wore out. The setup is easy and the manual is well written and easy to follow.I love the strength of the FM band with the antenna which was included. Really like the internet radio band and am looking forward to trying some of the other goodies like Spotify. For those who have digitalized their music collection, the “air play” feature works like charm once the unit is connected to your network. Both wireless and hardwired connections are available. I’m using wireless. The only feature I miss is a separate mid-range control, however I can compensate for that with the iTunes equalizer. This is a great unit at a great price

    One person found this helpful

22. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Daniel Solomon – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great sound quality and internet radio capable

    I have really enjoyed the sound quality of this receiver, crisp and clear with great bass. I also really like the Net-radio option which allows you to tune into a large number of internet radio stations that can be sorted by music genre and station location. The Net-radio menu takes a little getting used to but once you figure things out it’s all good. The Bluetooth transmission from this receiver only can be accessed through a smartphone app called Music-cast. If you have a smartphone it should work but if not you will need to use a separate Bluetooth transmitter. Other than the Bluetooth connectivity this receiver is great for the money.

    2 people found this helpful

23. 

    Rated 2 out of 5

    BW – March 8, 2024

    2.0 out of 5 stars

    Nice features and value, but fiddly and not the same sound as the old stuff

    I purchased this to replace an early-90s Denon receiver that finally gave out. The best part of this is the newer features like free internet radio and the option to connect to other online services. It also still has a proper phono connection for my old turntable without requiring a separate pre-amp like some models. Overall, the sound is nice and it is easy enough to use once you get it setup. However, I do agree with other reviewers that the sound is a bit overly clean and flat; I found myself adjusting the bass output to get a fuller sound from my Kliptsch tower speakers. The remote could be laid out better as well: too many identical and small buttons! Still, this seems to be one of the better values for getting a traditional 2-channel receiver without spending $1000s on a new one or tracking down a vintage model.***Updated****Came back after 6 months of ownership to knock my original rating down from 4 stars to 2. The wireless features have stopped working despite rebooting and resetting every part of my network. FM reception is poor and it cuts completely out if it perceives the signal as being too weak, which is more annoying than static. Sadly, the more time I spend using this receiver the less I like it.

    7 people found this helpful

24. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    John T – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    works great for us

    We have this unit installed indoors to feed music to outdoor speakers. We bought this particular model so we could control it with our smartphones. It’s working well for us. We mostly stream using SiriusXM. We can control it from either of our phones. Once in a while a phone won’t connect but restarting the phone has fixed the issue. I struggled with setup at first. I couldn’t get the receiver on WiFi. Turns out it’s not compatible with using guest Wi-Fi. I switched to using our standard wi-fi network and it worked first try.

25. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    mason – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    What a great receiver!!

    I love this Yamaha receiver! Originally, I thought that I’d use it more to play my classic vinyl collection. But I have found that with the Yamaha app, I use it all the time to stream Spotify or Pandora. And, I can control the whole system through the app. I’m in the kitchen cooking and a good song comes on. Want to turn it up? No problem, take your phone out and do it through the app. Love, love, love this receiver! Paired with my Klipsch speakers, it sounds so good…

    One person found this helpful

26. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Pat75501 – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Yamaha Quality Sound and Great Bluetooth Features!

    Easy to use and set up, and yes, you can use your Amazon Music account with the Bluetooth Features from your phone. Also, Sirius XM works great with Bluetooth. Yamaha Quality and dependability at a great price. Nice addition to my vintage Klipsch La Scala Speakers. Great Value.

    One person found this helpful

27. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    musicfanatic 2 – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Nice Receiver!

    I like this receiver, I only wish the bass was a bit stronger. I only use it for playing vinyl. I like that it has its own phono input.

28. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    DoomPoop – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Works great

    Replaced a 1970’s Pioneer and there is no difference in sound quality. Decent bass through my Bose bookshelf speakers. The WiFi streaming is a godsend. For those complaining about difficulty getting it setup on their network, it took me 5 minutes using the remote and the very simple display on the receiver so hand that remote to your kid and step aside boomer.

29. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Richard Roush – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Nice unit for music, not intended for home theater.

    A very nice receiver. It has a built-in phono pre-amp. This unit has no HDMI ports, but I was not looking for a receiver that had these. I needed this to replace a Sony unit that failed on me after several years use. It is being used almost exclusively with an XM satellite receiver attached to it, and it is driving a pair of ancient, but sweet-sounding Advent Maestro speakers and a pair of Advent Baby’s on the B speaker circuit. This Yamaha is not a home theater system receiver, but it is a very fine plain old stereo receiver, and that was what I wanted.

30. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Jeff Crain – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Great on all accounts.

    Had an old turntable and bought it for that but it has so much more, really nice.

31. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Amazon Customer – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great value for the price. It can play anything!

    While this system won’t impress the crowd that spends ten grand on a phono cartridge, and its 100 Watts of output power won’t rattle your neighbors doors, I can say this is a very solid, good quality system for the price, and Yamaha has always had a reputation for the high quality of its “Natural Sound” line of audio gear.If you have a decent, efficient set of speakers, this unit is enough to fill your living room, den, and maybe even your backyard if it isn’t too huge, with plenty of music power to please most reasonable people. If you’re looking for bass you can feel in your chest, then you’ll have to bust out a few more hundreds and go for a much bigger and heavier system, from Yamaha or someone else.While I wouldn’t complain about one more line level analog input, this receiver has plenty: Digital: You get an optical and coax input, selectable separately, so you can have one device with optical, and another with coax, and those are separate from the analog inputs. So, the CD player can come in through optical, freeing up the CD input RCA jacks for, as an example, your TV. You get three analog line inputs: CD, Line 1, and Line 2. Line 2 is set up for a tape deck (or other analog recording / playback device). If you’ve kept your vintage tape deck or get a new one, there are inputs and outputs there. Plus, of course, a dedicated Phono input with built-in preamp for magnetic cartridges. (Read the manual about the Phono input.) That’s not to mention the radio, Bluetooth, Internet (a multitude of services plus Net Radio), local network (Called “Server”), and AirPlay if you live in the Apple universe. (I wish it also had Android Auto.)Here’s a cool feature, especially to me, who was often afraid of switching to FM after playing records: Every input has a “trim” function, where you can adjust the level up or down so all your inputs match. So, you avoid turning it up for the turntable, and being blasted out of your chair when you switch to the tuner.One fault I would give it is with the FM tuner, which in most stereos today is pretty much an afterthought anyway, except for those of us who still like the immediacy of real over-the-air radio. The first thing I noticed is on weak stations, if you’re in stereo mode, it just goes on mute and (a) will not switch to mono, or (b) won’t let you hear whatever quality signal it’s getting (maybe some hiss is acceptable). However, on the station I was trying to hear, if I manually switched the tuner to mono mode, the station came in clear. Most receivers do that automatically, because it’s a safe assumption that those selecting stereo would agree that clear mono reception is better than silence, but the Yammy makes you manually change the mode, and of course you have to remember to change back to stereo when switching to stronger stations.The FM tuner does not pick up HD channels, and the US version does not pick up the RDS info that should tell you what song is playing. The workaround for the non-HD problem is to pick up the feed on line with the Net Radio feature. In Net Radio, it will (usually) display the song and artist that’s playing, as long as the station is paying attention and keeps it updated. (Looking at you, KCRW!)It would be nice if the music info on the display would scroll so I can see all of the long titles.Did I mention it has a phono input? With the resurgence of vinyl, this is great news to those of us who never really retired our turntables. The built-in preamp sounds as good as anything in this price range. If you’ve gotten used to a special phono preamp, or if you’re using MC cartridges, then keep your preamp and use one of the line inputs.If you have a NAS or PC acting as a music server, getting that working is pretty painless if you have a phone that can run Musiccast software. I would like it to also have a web interface so I can use my Linux or Windows machines to control the receiver as well.Speaking of Musiccast, if you have a large music library like I do, trying to find a song is extremely difficult, as there is no search function. This is a feature people on forums (fora) have been asking for, for a few years, and it still does not exist in the latest version, at least for Android. If I decide to play DJ and play from my music library, I’d much rather play directly from the NAS, than to pull from the NAS with a device that can search, and then go through Bluetooth to the receiver.About network connectivity, I highly recommend using a wired connection to your network. For some reason, this receiver’s WiFi only supports the old 2.4GHz channels and not the faster 5GHz ones, and the older WiFi is problematic in many areas, especially if you’re in a condo or apartment building. I used a wired connection and a modest 30Mbit Internet service, and Net radio (Internet) works fine, and of course my local network (Server input) works great. Audio really doesn’t require much bandwidth, but of course, if someone else is streaming HD movies, that can affect your music streaming.Bluetooth sounds amazing for what it is (streaming compressed bits over the air will never be as good as a clean analog connection to a good turntable and clean vinyl). If you notice a delay over Bluetooth, it’s probably the source. I have a few laptops and other Bluetooth devices and can confirm the worst of them is several seconds lagging behind YouTube videos, and the best of them are spot on. While it does take time to digitize, transmit, receive, decode, and convert back to analog, the best transmitters (including a very cheap transmitter / receiver I bought from Amazon years ago) have undetectable delay.If you experience annoying delays from your computer, it’s time to start messing with drivers, settings, and/or BT adapters, because that’s probably where the problem is.By the way, this receiver does not have a switched outlet, so if you have other devices you want to come on when you turn on the receiver (turntables, custom preamps, etc.), then I recommend you get the APC P8GT 8 Outlets (search here on Amazon). I can confirm that power strip works as intended with the R-N303 as “Master”. (Make sure you plug the receiver into the correct outlet.)That’s just an overview of the things I’ve tested so far. There are cheaper receivers out there that probably sound as good, from Yamaha and other respected brands, but none that I saw had the versatility, sources, and other features as this one for the money.

    57 people found this helpful

32. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Mr. DM Hansen – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    great so far for my setup using AirPlay

    As a straight up stereo receiver, it’s hard to beat this. It sounds great. If I didn’t want some WiFi capabilities, I’d go with either of the cheaper Yamaha or Sony stereo receivers. For my unique set up, this receiver is a great solution. I primarily use Apple AirPlay to send music from computers and cell phones to the receiver, and it works really well so far. Also, there are no cheaper receivers made by the top AV brands that have AirPlay, so this was also one of the more economical choices.My main complaints are more with AirPlay’s limitations than with this particular receiver. Basically, I wish AirPlay would operate more like Bluetooth where you can just stream whatever audio that is playing on your device to a Bluetooth receiver or speaker, but with AirPlay, you’re limited to streaming audio on AirPlay enabled apps, like iTunes, to AirPlay receivers or speakers. This generally works for my purposes and there are apps that expand what you can transmit via AirPlay, so it’s not a huge problem.AirPlay set up was very easy. Just connect your phone to the receiver via Bluetooth and then you can share your WiFi settings with the receiver so that it connects to the internet wirelessly. And from there, the receiver shows up on all of your devices with AirPlay. I can also start playing music through the receiver from my phone or computer when the receiver is off (or technically on standby mode), so I don’t have to turn the receiver on to start streaming music via AirPlay. And I can control the volume from my phone or computer. It’s fantastic and basically means I don’t have to mess with the receiver once I get it set up initially.In case someone has a similar set up, I’ll provide some details. Basically, I wanted high quality wireless connectivity to avoid having messy looking wires in our main living space. We have built in shelves on either side of a fireplace that also have some old school speakers set up in them in such a way that you can’t see any of the speaker wires. The speaker wires go from the speaker, into the attic, and then down into some cabinets in another room about 20 feet from the speakers. Our computer is in the room with the speakers but still several few feet away from them and I wanted to avoid having additional wires and electronics going from the computer to the speakers or receiver to keep everything looking nice and wire-free. AirPlay allows this and also allows for higher music quality since WiFi streaming has more bandwidth than Bluetooth. Another issue is that there is not a visual path from my computer to the receiver — the Bluetooth signal has to travel through a wall or two, which can also mess with the signal. Again, a WiFi receiver with AirPlay allows for me to easily play music on iTunes on the receiver.Bluetooth connectivity has ups and downs overall. It works great on my cell phone even when the signal has had to travel through a wall. In fact, I don’t notice a difference in sound quality between AirPlay or Bluetooth, but I was playing MP3’s, and I obviously am not an audiophile, so maybe a trained ear would hear the differences. However, my computer’s Bluetooth does not recognize the receiver and it never shows up as a Bluetooth device that it can even try to connect to. This may be because the signal has to travel through two walls to get from the receiver to my computer, but the Bluetooth signal from my phone to the receiver works great even next to the computer. My computer is only a couple of years old, just like the receiver, so I would expect them to be compatible. I also worried that the receiver’s Bluetooth capabilities would be disrupted by my internet router, which is located close to the receiver, but this hasn’t seem to be an issue. I’d give the Bluetooth high ratings overall if my computer could connect with it.So overall, this is a great receiver for my set up. Streaming via AirPlay has been fantastic.

    13 people found this helpful

33. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Daniel R. Martin – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Not Your Daddy’s Stereo (or Grandma’s either)

    As of this writing (March 2018), I have owned this Yamaha R-N303BL Stereo Receiver for three months.UPs: Sound is very clear and powerful (worthy of 5 Stars). In other words, just what you would expect & demand from Yamaha.The digital optical Audio input link provided is both rare and essential to my home A/V setup, which is stereo only. All ROKU & DVD A/V streams go into the TV via HDMI cables, and the R-N303BL amps all sound coming from the TV via the optical cable (LG TV to R-N303BL). TV speakers are kept OFF. I believe “lightspeed” digital transfer of TV Audio to the R-N303BL via optical cable is necessary for proper sync of the Audio with the Video portions of TV programs (e.g., speech in perfect sync with lip movements, etc).DOWNs: The R-N303BL panel display is minimal, both in content, size, and brightness. I have 20/25 vision yet cannot read it sitting 15 feet away. Front panel controls are also minimal. The remote has 37 small buttons, none numeric, all labeled with even smaller print. An additional 5-button bulls-eye directional control is centered among them. Managing the AM/FM tuners without a tuning knob on the panel, or numeric controls of any kind anywhere is a super pain. Only worthy of 3 Stars here.SMARTs: Only 2 Stars here due because of the high futz factor during setup (DO NOT send a R-N303BL to your grandma 500 miles away). Setup of Wi-Fi & Bluetooth functions for the R-N303BL was slow & awkward and definitely fell into the reluctant-to-work category.Setup of the MusicCast app (free for my LG Android smart phone) was equally annoying, but in the end it all came together. So much so that the R-N303BL apparently was aware (via its Wi-Fi & internet connectivity) that it needed a firmware update. The clever R-N303BL so informed the MusicCast phone app, which in turn apprised me of its need on the app display. Upon my approval, MusicCast automatically engaged the software download, installation, and re-boot of the R-N303BL, all flawlessly and hands-free, in about 20 minutes. I was amazed.MUSICCAST: 4 Stars. The app is free & full featured. It claims to be able to control wireless speakers (must be MusicCast-capable) in multiple rooms (via the R-N303BL which feeds them audio streams via local Wi-Fi links). I did not test this feature, but I expect setting up the remote speaker links would be equally futz-ful.MusicCast does very well in organizing over-air AM/FM, and on-phone audio. Ditto Internet streaming radio such as Pandora. For superior frequency response, such streams go directly to the R-N303BL via Internet & Wi-Fi, not through the phones Bluetooth. MusicCast allows many custom audio feeds such as Favorites, Recent, Play Lists etc. One of the Questions sometimes asked is if the Yamaha R-N303 can ‘stream amazon prime music unlimited.’ I don’t know by direct experience but If it can not, that is probably a decision of Amazon’s rather than a shortcoming of the R-N303.The Yamaha R-N303 BL Stereo Receiver CAN receive any streaming audio service that is on the internet. Here’s how: The Yamaha MusiCast “master-app” for Android (and iPhones too) drives the R-N303 via your home Wi-Fi and includes many built-in “sub-app” buttons for Napster, SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify, Tidal, and Deezer. There is also a “Net Radio” button that can find and play internet audio streams worldwide (you can choose by genre, auto, or manual search). All that said, I am an Amazon Prime Member and the cannot find an Amazon Prime Music stream anywhere with the MusicCast search function. But, wait, Amazon claims their Alexa device can control the Yamaha ‘net receivers:

    MusicCast

    Bottom line is 4 Stars overall. I would buy the R-N303BL again. The longer I live with it, the more I love it.20190917 Update: I AM A BELIEVER. When I fired up the Yamaha MusiCast app on my Android phone, it immediately informed me that the Yamaha R-N303BL Receiver needed a firmware update. I assented and 10 minutes later the fully automated process was done using my home WiFi. Not only did the amp come right up afterwards, but I noticed immediately that the Pandora sub-app on MusiCast had also been updated to full visual mode, including a live list of my personally curated Pandora stations. It is reassuring to know that, almost two years after my initial purchase, Yamaha was still actively supporting their excellent R-N303BL product.20200423 Update: The MusiCast app has been updated again. On an Android tablet, MusiCast plays Pandora full screen and with full control including List of your own Pandora Stations, Thumbs Up & Down, and album cover. Good backup remote replacement for most amp functions.This makes my 4-Star rating go to almosr 5 !! You can buy the R-N303BL with my highest recommendation.

    270 people found this helpful

34. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    mei052 – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great connectivity and good value

    I bought this to replace a 20+ year old Pioneer receiver whose A/B speaker selector switches failed. I was looking for a simple replacement with a proper phono input, and speaker output connections able to take banana jacks. This model caught my eye, and I have another, more high-end Yamaha AV receiver that I have been quite happy with so decided to give it a try. The Bluetooth, Internet and Alexa features I viewed as something I was not likely to use, as the old Pioneer obviously did not have them. Well, it turns out I was wrong about that. I read over the manual before connecting, and discovered that if you connect an internet cable to the rj45 jack on the back before the first power-up, the receiver will connect to the internet automatically. No WiFi setup needed. Since my router is nearby, I tried it and sure enough, it did! So I installed the Yamaha Music-Cast app on my Android phone, paired it up with the receiver and started playing around with Internet Radio. This turned out to be way more fun than using a PC, I guess because the sound is so much better on real speakers. You can set up to 40 presets that include Internet radio, too. I also set up the two Yamaha Alexa skills for this device, and sure enough, I can turn it on/off, run volume up/down and change inputs between Tuner, Optical, Bluetooth, Phono, etc., all via voice commands. It works, but I’ve found that by far the best way to control the receiver remotely is via the Music Cast app on my phone. The receiver comes with a traditional remote, but I almost never use it – as the phone does everything the remote does, and more: It allows you to browse Internet radio and playlists on whatever streaming services you may use (Spotify, etc.). Oddly, even though this receiver can be controlled with Alexa skills, Amazon music is not one of the built-in supported music streaming services. However, I connected an Echo Dot to one of the inputs (which was how I did it with my old receiver) and that works just fine. The Bluetooth feature turns out to be rather handy as well: I can play over the receiver from a laptop or phone over 20 feet away with no problems. Sound quality is fine, as you would expect from Yamaha, and power more than adequate for my needs for a kitchen and dining room.There are a couple of minor things I would change if I could, however. The biggest gripe I have is that the lettering on the front panel is awfully small. I cannot read it without finding my glasses. That problem is not unique to Yamaha though. It seems all audio equipment goes for tiny lettering on an all-black panel. I wish I could order the “Large Print” edition :-). Since I mostly use my phone to control it though, this is not that much of an issue. The other problem I have may not be the receiver’s fault. I find that after a power failure, when the power comes back on, the receiver does not always reconnect to my router. (It is hard-wired via the RJ45 jack.) I sometimes have to unplug the Ethernet cable from the receiver for a few seconds after the router has fully restarted, and plug it back in. Then it connects just fine. This seems like it could be due to the receiver powering up first, before the router is ready, the receiver finding anything on the ethernet cable, and then giving up. Disconnecting and reconnecting seems to restart the connection.Bottom line: This has been a lot of fun – I wish I’d upgraded sooner.

    29 people found this helpful

35. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    CSO – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great receiver to create home audio setup with streaming capabilities!

    I bought 4 of these to connect 16 speakers total in 8 different zones. It is a great receiver in terms of sound quality, wireless capabilities, and ability to stream music from multiple sources straight from your phone. There are a couple of flaws and/or bugs but nothing that makes me regret this purchase and the setup I created for my home system. Now for discussing those flaws…1) The receiver has an A/B speaker zone setup which is nice because it allows you to connect two zones into one receiver. So, as an example, I connected my 2 ceiling speakers in the Kitchen into zone A and my 2 speakers in the Family Room into zone B. You can only play the same source on the speakers and cannot turn off/on a zone from the MusicCast app. My Kitchen and Family Room area is essentially one big room so it’s not a big problem for me, but it’s important to know this limitation because if your receiver is tucked in a back room in your basement and you want the ability to have these rooms as separate zones then you will need to buy a second receiver.2) When setting up, I was having trouble connecting to MusicCast setup on my WiFi network. I found the problem to be that you first need to update the firmware to the latest version. To do this, follow the steps on page 41 of the owners manual under “Network Update.” If you are having trouble, make sure that you connect your receiver to your WiFi network…I had to connect my manually per the directions in the owners manual on page 16.Outside of this, the receivers have been great. You have the ability to turn on/off a receiver directly through the MusicCast app which is really a nice feature so your receivers don’t have to be “on” constantly. The receiver has good power and is very reasonably priced to buy multiple units to power your in ceiling speakers. I use the receivers to stream my iTunes music that I have stored directly on my phone. You can also stream music from Amazon music, Spotify, Pandora, and others. Also, works with Apple AirPlay which truly makes streaming music foolproof. Lastly, the streaming is through WiFi so you are not dealing with the limited range and in/out capabilities of Bluetooth. I have a mesh WiFi network that covers a large home and the receiver has worked flawlessly.

    5 people found this helpful

36. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Chris – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Perfect little WiFi Stereo

    This thing works well. Does all the basics well. Good radio reception, sounds good. 200 watts was plenty for my outdoor speakers. I like that it has 2 zones too. The WiFi app is very simple but is incredibly useful and easy to use. I can control the volume, radio stations, etc all without having to go into the garage. I found the fact that you have to use a minimum of 8 ohm speakers a little odd based on all the other stereos I was looking at, but I put my 4 ohm speakers in series and it sounds fine to me (a total of 8 speakers, 4 in each “zone”). In conclusion, it’s a little pricey, but it is everything I wanted, no sacrifices! Well worth it.

    3 people found this helpful

37. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    Dr B – March 8, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    I liked enough to keep it BUT…

    I tested everything except bluetooth.I almost liked everything tested (features, sound quality, phono input, output power) except for one thing that leads to only giving it 3 stars.The not so good – for net streaming stations:1) After selecting a preset station with the preset up or down button, the receiver doesn’t actually switch to the station until you hit the select button. So, it’s impossible to sample station to station using the preset button – unlike all FM tuner remotes and TV remotes have done for decades. This is terribly inconvenient. and there’s no technological reason for this limitation. If I hadn’t liked the rest of the receiver’s features and performance for such a low price, I would have returned it.2) Worse yet, the preset up and down always starts at 1, rather from the last preset selected. But wait – there’s a workaround:3) Musiccast installed on iPhone 4S a) Connects easily with receiver b) Controls station selection much more easily than the Yamaha remote (that’s not saying much) c) The Musiccast app for iPhone is useable, but some parts simply don’t work or are counterintuitive d) For example, the Favorites list starts out empty – but when I tune to a station I like and go to to add it to Favorites, all the presets I had put in the receiver (using the remote) are there in the list of Favorites, assigned to the same preset numbers I had stored them in with the remote(!). Now, after adding a station to Favorites, when I go to the Favorites list, the station I just saved is there – but nothing else. Conclusion: One must save into Favorites all the stations one has already saved to the presets. e) Another example: when searching for stations, the app begins populating the list selected and a few stations appear. Below those are rows for other stations but all simply say “loading” and never populate. So searching for stations is nearly impossible. f) Workaround for (e) above: Select History. All the stations I had sampled using the Yamaha remote are there and can be selected. So anything I found previously with the receiver (not Musicccast) can be selected, and saved to Favorites. It’s fortunate that I had previously spent a lot of time searching with the receiver (using the remote) and thereby created a long list of stations in History.In conclusion: The Musiccast gets around my chief complaint with the receiver’s user interface although with annoyances of its own. So have decided to keep the receiver. It’s a good value for the price, but the poorly designed user interface and IOS app are really inexcusable.

    7 people found this helpful

38. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Tom MorrisTom Morris – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Use MusicCast app; Listen to iTunes Playlists

    I want to make two main points:*The main way to interact with this receiver is through the MusicCast app – which is sensational.*Accessing iTunes library and playlistsMusicCastI want to emphasize that the best and easiest way to control this receiver is via the free, non-subscription MusicCast app on your phone. Download it. Install it. You will love it.I bring this up because the description of MusicCast on the Amazon product page presented MusicCast parenthetically as an interesting, non-essential side option. Having had no experience with MusicCast, I had no context, and I suspected it was just another subscription service – that I didn’t want to pay for. Turns out it’s awesome. Get it. Use it.Despite that Yamaha has made other apps available in the Apple Store and Play Store for other receivers — for this receiver, use the MusicCast app.Finally, the manual that comes with the receiver has a single line in it that mentions the MusicCast app. The rest is devoted to manually controlling the receiver with its on board switches and dials. Forget about those, use the MusicCast app.In my house, two of us have the app loaded on our phones. So, both of us can control the receiver independently.The MusicCast app gives you access to all of the different net channels this receiver is capable of connecting to. This includes many of the different streaming services. I can access hundreds of net radio stations from all over the world. Just search with the app. Find one you like, save it as a net radio favorite. Very nice and easy. I like a jazz station from Scotland. I am super excited to have instant access to KROQ Roq of the 80’s (KROQ HD2) station that is faithfully reprising the station’s 80’s alternative rock playlists.I also use the app to get access to my iTunes music library. I’m going to talk about that next…Accessing iTunes library and playlistsIt was finally time to upgrade my 38-year-old Kenwood KR-65 trusty receiver. I had been playing my iTunes library through this receiver by hooking up either an iPod or a laptop to the AUX input. Using the laptop, I could access my live iTunes library (stored on my desktop computer) through my home network by selecting it in iTunes. The problem with any of these methods is that in order to listen to music, I had to turn on my desktop and my laptop, and load iTunes onto both machines. Time-consuming waiting for the computers to boot and settle down. And the digital-to-audio-conversion (DAC) was done in the ipod or the laptop – not high quality. I needed to have a simpler, speedier, and higher fidelity setup. But I still wanted to have access to my iTunes library. And purchasing a $1000-$2000 Apple iPad or Macbook just to play music was NOT the solution I was going to consider.Here’s how I did it.I bought a 128GB flash drive from Amazon. I plugged that flash drive into a USB port on my wireless router. Then, using my router’s admin app, I configured the flash drive as a Media Server (DNLA). In Windows 10, I configured the flash drive as a network drive. Next, I created the following folders on the flash drive…I:itunesflashiTunes Media(I: represents the root of the network flash drive. (You can designate the flash drive as a network drive and assign a drive letter to it.)Then I moved my iTunes folders from my desktop hard drive into the I:itunesflashiTunes Media folder. So my folder arrangement looks like…I:itunesflashiTunes MediaAutomatically Add to iTunesI:itunesflashiTunes MediaDownloadsI:itunesflashiTunes MediaiPod GamesI:itunesflashiTunes MediaMusicI:itunesflashiTunes MediaTV ShowsHence, all of my iTunes music now is physically stored on the network flash drive.You have to tell iTunes about this move, so…In iTunes do this… Edit->Preferences->Advanced. Then enter the new path in the iTunes Media folder location field.Mine looks like this…I:itunesflashiTunes MediaWith this arrangement, I can manage my iTunes music library mainly from my desktop and get access to it on the home network with the Yamaha receiver, PlayStation, Xbox…. So, what about playlists?In order to access playlists, I had to export each iTunes playlist one-at-a-time. I exported them to the following directory…I:itunesflashiTunes MediaIn iTunes, open your iTunes library. Select a playlist. Then do this File->Library->Export Playlist. Choose the *.m3u file type.Before you proceed to other playlists, open up the MusicCast app. Choose Server->YourLocalNetworkName->Music->Playlists. Check to see if your playlist shows up. If not, you might need to make some path adjustments so MusicCast can find your playlist on your network drive.If successful, then export all the playlists you want. The only thing is that you will need to export a playlist again if you make any changes to it in iTunes – or when you add new playlists in iTunes.As a result, and with the help of this fabulous Yamaha receiver, I have very successfully made the transition from an entirely wired home music system to a mostly wireless system (still have my Dual turntable connected). Now my principal Digital-to-audio-converter (DAC) resides in the receiver instead of the laptop or ipod. Music quality is stunningly improved. I now have greater access to my music from a variety of devices (Yamaha receiver, Playstation, Xbox) – and I have access instantly. I no longer need to turn on two computers in order to play my iTunes playlists through my receiver and vintage Advent loudspeakers.I hope this helps.

    76 people found this helpful

39. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Paul T. – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    I give it a -B

    So this thing is a streamer, DAC, and amplifier. Best to use it with one of the high-res streaming services like Tidal or Deezer (a European streaming platform, library seems on par with the rest). Tidal and Deezer are the only hi-res streaming options for this model as the R-N303 does not yet support AmazonHD unless you Bluetooth it. Spotify doesn’t have hi-res and I’m not sure about Naspster, Pandora and the rest. It does support AirPlay so Apple lossless folks are good. This model does not connect to 5ghz Wi-Fi, only 2ghz Wi-Fi. So if you have dual band wifi make sure to connect to the 2ghz network. Setting up the wifi wasn’t the funest, if you’re not using WPS you have to enter the SSID and password manually which was a little bit of a pain using the remote and the tiny screen but once it’s done you pretty much never have to touch the Wi-Fi settings ever again (unless you someday change your router settings).The MusicCast app is actually pretty solid, no sign-ups or logins necessary and it’s not constantly trying to push some bs subscription service you don’t need. It acts as remote and lets you manage and play your music from whatever (supported) streaming service you’re using.The sound is excellent, very clean and neutral. I’m using a pair of Sony MDR 7506 headphones so I imagine it’s even better depending on the headphones or speakers your using.

    4 people found this helpful

40. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Good tunesGood tunes – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Denon home theater

    Set up could not be easier. Plug in the hdmi to the tv… oh yeah ya gotta buy that separately. I had an extra one turn on the tv and. Simple Simon Sound great. Running it through cerwin Vegas Would recommend it

    One person found this helpful

41. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    AezM – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Calidad

    Por el precio y relación costo prestaciones se me hace excelente, con unas buenas bocinas el sonido es sorprendente.

42. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    M. Kirshenbaum – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    I’m very pleased with this receiver

    I’m very pleased with this receiver. I’m not an audiophile so can’t speak to how it compares to higher-end units, but the sound it delivers to my Kef Q100’s is full, warm and clear. I bought this particular receiver, though, because of its wireless connectivity, in particular AirPlay. After mounting frustration with bluetooth connectivity across a range of devices, I’m pleased to report that the AirPlay connection between my iPhone, iPad and Mac with this receiver has been stable and flawless (at least after a few days of regular use). The receiver’s connection to wifi has also been very stable. I was able to share my wifi settings from my phone to the receiver and was connected in less than a minute. The receiver also has a nice standby feature where it clicks off and goes into standby mode after sitting idle for awhile, but immediately wakes up upon receiving a signal from an AirPlay device. Pretty cool. Lastly, you can also program internet radio stations into the presets and just hit a couple of buttons on the receiver (without going to your phone or anything) to begin playing favorite radio stations (although the process of programming the stations into the receiver is pretty cumbersome). All in all, this is exactly what I was looking for and it feels like it will be a solid piece of equipment in terms of sound quality and connectivity long into the future.

    30 people found this helpful

43. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Jack C. – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Gotta Hand It To Yamaha

    Really nice receiver with full, rich, deep sound, for my Vinyl, CD, and Tuner applications. Plenty of power to replace my vintage Kenwood, and drive my ADS L700’s.It was time, and very pleased with this budget friendly choice.

    One person found this helpful

44. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    Jay – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Didn’t work for my needs

    I don’t want to ding this too badly, because I knew it was a stereo receiver when I bought it, but I had hoped I could use my subwoofer with it through the line out. It did work, but the problem was that it would not change the volume with the remote, so whatever you set the volume at on your subwoofer is what it will be at all the time, no matter what volume you change your speakers to. I decided to return it due to this. It worked as advertised otherwise, just not for me.

45. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Deerail – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Good Stereo Reciever

    My 40 year old Adcom component system finally gave up on one channel and the price to fix it was just outrageous, so we opted to replace it. Found the Yamaha R-N303BL Stereo Receiver with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth & Phono which was just what I was looking for, as I have a Pioneer turntable, CD player and Dayton powered subwoofer. The FM reciever is excellent, pulling in stations with the stock antenna. Wireless connection was a one button push, Blutooth connected to both phone and laptop without a hitch and the sound quality through our Wharfedale speakers is everything I was hoping for. Couldn’t be happier. My 75 year old plus ears are happy with the clarity and separation as well as the solid bass. Would have been thrilled had we paid 4X as much as we were thinking of doing. Hard to find a stero only system as most things are for home theater, some of which set ups are great for explosions and gunshots, but not very musical. Listen to a lot of vinyl and classical music and and this Yamaha unit works better than expected.

    3 people found this helpful

46. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Glenn Bryson – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Perfect Network Stereo Receiver for My Patio

    I use my Yamaha R-N303BL network receiver to drive my Micca 8-inch ceiling speakers on the patio. The sound is excellent and powerful. The network functionality is impressive. The Miracast app allows my iPhone to control the receiver through my home network. I can play over the air radio, internet radio and stream music using AirPlay. There are 40 presets for the tuner and 40 presets for the internet. The simplicity of the audio mixed with the complete network functionality makes this a perfect choice for playing music on a patio. No other manufacturer has this type of basic network stereo receiver. You get exactly what you need, nothing more and nothing less. At 300 dollars, this product is a steal. Great job, Yamaha!PS – Since my network stereo receiver is located in a closet next to my home network equipment, I have no use for Bluetooth, which I did not give a rating. Additionally, I have no need for any of the physical audio inputs. For 50 dollars less, I would opt not to have these types of connectivity.

47. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Nestor NovoNestor Novo – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Hi Fi is back for me!

    I was an avid audio and music freak back in the 70’s-80’s. I owned high-end audio components and enjoyed listening to music in the best quality reproduction possible and after vinyl records starting to lose ground to the digital age, I sold everything. Thirty years hence, vinyl is making a comeback in the high-end music audiophile world and I got the bug to start enjoying my vast collection or vinyl music once again. I just didn’t want to spend a small fortune buying equipment. So, thanks to the world of instant searches I found this little jewel of a receiver from Yamaha. And it had phono inputs which allow the use of turntables once again, a feature long lost. I bought the unit, a pair of Klipsch RP-500F floor standing speakers and the match was made in sonic heaven! The power in the Yamaha was more than enough to drive the speakers loud and without distortion. The Yamaha also has Bluetooth an streaming sources built in. I absolutely love the clear crisp sound, live presence and the mind blowing bass without the need for sub-woofers. I’m back in audio heaven!I higly, highly recommen the Yamaha R-N303BL!

    13 people found this helpful

48. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Alex Stephenson – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Hard to beat for the money.

    I bought this receiver in spite of the negative reviews because it has all the features that I wanted. Its primary function is to listen to records and drive a pair of Definitive Technology BP9020 full-range speakers. Its ability to stream SiriusXM and other broadcast sources with a net presence (like my local Birmingham, AL based Birmingham Mountain Radio and Substrate Radio) via the MusicCast app was icing on the cake. I had it hooked up, had the firmware updated, and was streaming XM within half an hour of unpacking it.The optical input is perfect for connecting a TV if you’re looking for something better than the built in speakers but not interested in surround sound.If you want to spin some records, stream some music, and watch TV with better sound quality you’ll be hard pressed to find a better deal than this receiver. Be warned, though…you may have to actually read the manual and possibly even watch some tutorial videos on YouTube to help get you going. With all these features in such an elegant package, though, it’s not surprising Yamaha had to make a few of the setup steps just a little bit cryptic.

    3 people found this helpful

49. 

    Rated 4 out of 5

    IPF – March 8, 2024

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    no hassle AirPlay connectivity

    Bought this amp to listen to my iTunes library through my old Klipsch speakers. Was a little hesitant with how it would connect wireless ( Im a “BC” (“Before Computers”) guy with a innate distrust of all things invisible and not connected with some kind of wire that I can see). To my surprise the wireless connection of the AirPlay feature to my iTunes library was easy and so far has been great. The sound is very good for a receiver at this price level and the old Klipschs are sounding fantastic again. I tried the Bluetooth and paired it with a Fire tablet very quickly and also sounded very good. There are other ways to connect to your network but I have not tried them yet. Overall, multiple connecting options with decent sound-a good value.

50. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    BriGuyBriGuy – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    If music is your goal, here’s your huckleberry

    Was looking for a simple stereo receiver with a true phono input, when I came across this little gem. It’s perfect for my needs, used to power nothing but my audio equipment – turntable, cassette, CD, AM/FM tuner. The added bonus of having WiFi and Bluetooth in such a relatively inexpensive package is the icing on the cake. There’s nothing musically I cannot do with this receiver. My analog music, my digital music, my streaming services (SiriusXM, Pandora) – it’s all right here. (No HD radio stations are attainable on this model. There’s another model that allows for that, but I stopped tuning into my HD stations a while back, so not an issue for me.)It does take a little time to set it up for WiFi and Bluetooth, so give yourself the time to do so properly. As an FYI, it WILL NOT connect to a 5GHZ WiFi signal, which was the only hiccup I experienced during setup – and that was on me for not reading the documentation first. Once I switched it to my 2.4GHZ connection, it connected without issue.An excellent purchase and my years of experience with Yamaha products leads me to believe this’ll be around for good long while.

    114 people found this helpful

51. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Scotty Hager – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Sounds

    Good sound quality ,plenty of power

52. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Robert M. Gregory – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    easy startup

    Previously purchased a Onyko it lasted one month so I could not return it. The Yamaha was way easier to hook up and works and sounds great you can’t go wrong with this one and the price was great.

53. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Vegas Luna – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    bluetooth + wireless too difficult to work with

    i have to put my laptop right next to the receiver for bluetooth. who knows for wireless . i have a wire so whatever . update: got wired working after getting cat6 cabled to it. netradio working great for me. everything came together with it.

54. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    Penny – March 8, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Nice features, but it frustrates me

    I replaced my old amp and pre amp with this single unit. It has a lot of nice options and I like being able to play music without being plugged in. However there was a learning curve. I had it set up to play with air play and about lost my mind. I could tolerate the slight delay but the constant disconnect for no good reason was extremely annoying. It would still be playing on my phone (no sound because it was air playing) but stopped putting out sound through the stereo. And it was not a wifi or speaker issue either.Next step was to try Bluetooth instead of air play. Same problem. I began to get very disappointed with my purchase and longed for the days where it played correctly by plugging in.Then I tried the Spotify option and that one seemed to work okay. But if I am listening to it and then shut everything down and get into my car and start playing music, it turns the unit in the house back on. So I have to make sure I’m out of range of my wifi before playing music in my car.I also can’t get the radio to work, and the antenna doesn’t seem to make a difference. I’m reading the instructions and following them but this is not working very well for me. I don’t profess to be an expert in stereos (that’s my son’s thing lol) but I do have enough knowledge that I should be able to operate it, especially with instructions. I have to admit I haven’t listened to it in awhile because I’m still disappointed and it feels like more effort to listen to music than it should be.

    One person found this helpful

55. 

    Rated 3 out of 5

    Mike G – March 8, 2024

    3.0 out of 5 stars

    Well was mostly functional till it was not….

    Well the product itself sounded great.I had three 8inch 4ohm 300w speakers hooked to speaker A and two 5.25inch JBL GTOs at 8ohms 100w hooked to speaker B and it thumped the house down, especially when i had my sound blaster EQ going with the bass. I had an older Yamaha receiver from 2001..thing lasted forever no matter what was hooked up to it. it sounded awesome also, bought it from best buy for 500 bucks. So when i saw this stereo i thought why not..time to replace the old system, for 300 bucks i was expecting almost the same sound and all. sound was actually better from this model, i was shocked in how it sounded..but it only took less then two years for it to putt out on me. 3 weeks ago i was playing it rather loud I admit..was playing like a bass dance kinda song called “we transform sound into light” by An-Ten-Nae about a min into the song…suddenly it made kinda of a loud popping sound through speakers as it clicked off, i turned it back on and when the second click came on it made a unusual clicking sound then shut back off, won’t turn back on now period, all i get out of it now is when i plug it in, the stand by light comes on. when i press the power button on unit or remote the light just pulses for about 5secs then stops..doesn’t even try to turn on. So kinda mad at myself cause it was probably to many speakers connected to it at a weird ohmage but also kinda mad that the stereo couldn’t keep up for years to come..like i said my old Yamaha took allot more beating over the years from the speakers that were hooked to it, it took it all..sold it about 3 years ago for 35 bucks on Facebook. Wish i hadn’t cause now i have no stereo atm. I just bought another Yamaha receiver from best buy that’s almost identical to this model..but a tad bit smaller with less inputs and it’s only 200w. Doesn’t have any of the smart features like this one does but it was only 150 bucks. Not gonna spend another 300 bucks on a stereo..at least if my new one goes out within two years I’ll only have spent 150 instead of 300 again which now they charge 500 bucks for it. I do miss that stereo allot, was the best sounding one i had, but apparently it doesn’t like being abused with that ohmage drop. Clicks off 2 easily when the bass hits low..only thing i hated allot was the Bluetooth, its absolute garbage.. Constantly lagging music cutting in and out, cutting off completely at times and losing connection. The reviews saids it all lol..according to the new one i got ppl complain about it doing the same thing so probably won’t use Bluetooth on that stereo either. Sounds like Yamaha needs to improve these models with better Bluetooth chips haha. I don’t like the fact it’s 500 bucks now. I coulda bought another but wasn’t gonna spend that much..i know what the stereo can do and all its smart features. Maybe 400 bucks but not 500 especially when i paid only 300 for it a year a half ago. Its not that fantasy haha..kinda another thing i wasn’t to crazy about it..the look is rather dull and boring looking. Need to add a light around the volume control our something. Have it stand out.

    2 people found this helpful

56. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Gobnait – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Old Schoolers, don’t give up!

    When my 1995 Pioneer SX 2800 finally gave up the ghost, the search was on for a new receiver that supported a phongraph, CD player and had a decent AM/FM radio….and was easy to set up. This Yamaha fits the bill. It received a high recommendation for both and so far has not disappointed. The set-up is straightforward with marked ports on the back. While the manual provides instructions for four speakers, it is easy to figure out how to hook up two. The existing banana plugs on the speaker wire did not fit so I cut them off (note: remember to mark the red and black leads before doing this). While the wire was thicker than the opening, enough was able to be jammed in for a secure connection. For those who still have a tower entertainment cabinet (base cupboard for albums, first shelf for turntable, middle shelf for CD player and the receiver on the top shelf), the power cord may not be long enough to reach a standard baseboard located outlet. I have a surge protector outlet elevated on a candle stand in order to make that connection. The FM radio connection is superior to the old receiver: scanning and specific tuning is possible. Clear reception. Volume numbers are noted. The possibility of presetting stations exists but I have not done that. Base and treble can be adjusted (alas, no multiple equalizer control slides, just a bar to press for increase/decrease). The control buttons on the front panel are tiny but not impossible to find and use. The receiver supports all sorts of wireless music input sources but there are of no interest to me. The manual, however, is very detailed for those who do that Bluetooth, iphone/tunes business. There is a remote and instructions on how to use it but that has been relegated to the album cabinet. Pushing buttons and turning dials are still preferred. I hope this machine lasts as long as the last one. In another twenty-five years there may not be a receiver for Old Schoolers.

    4 people found this helpful

57. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    newts53 – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    What a nice unit.

    I haven’t used the Bluetooth yet so I couldn’t rate that feature.It is great to be able to get my Pandora, Sirius and internet radio without having to attach additional devices.You may be able to find other units that will also do this at a better value, but I am happy with this model.

58. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Robert J. Leiweke – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    The Yamaha R-N303BL stereo receiver is superb for the money…..I

    After extensive internet research, I bought the Yamaha R-N303BL, and it is superb for an entry-level stereo receiver. There is one guy that gave a review saying all he sees on the display is “Not Connected” or something like that. He didn’t read the “trouble shooting guide in the instruction manual”. If you turn on the receiver immediately without reading the instructions first, you can have a problem like I did….wi-fi connectivity problem. But….simply reset the stereo receiver. To do this, turn off the receiver, push the “connect/return button” and simultaneously spin the “select” wheel clockwise. Then turn the receiver back on and immediately set up the wi-fi. Setup wi-fi FIRST before anything.I have a pair of E-712 Cerwin-Vega (8 Ohms, 300 W peak power, 98 dB signal-to-noise) speakers built in 2004 and I bought this Yamaha receiver to match (1) power capability of 100 W per channel at 8 Ohms, (3) greater than 100 dB sensitivity/signal-to-noise, (4) total harmonic distortion matching. The speakers have a frequency response from 20 Hz – 44 kHz (and roll off near 20 Hz), but know that this Yamaha has a low end roll off at 40 Hz!! Just saying. And no subwoofer capability….you need to buy the N808 ($800) if you want that stuff. This was N303 is good enough for me. Just make sure you match the speakers specifications to the receiver. I run the 4k HD TV optical audio output to the receiver and watch TV/Streaming internet with great quality sound now, and no time lag between audio and TV. I have not plugged my Blu-ray DVD/CD player RCA audio into the receiver yet.The Yamaha MusicCast App for my Android phone and Win10 laptop is INCREDIBLE!!! This is the way to go….you don’t need that hand remote control for very much…..you can power on/off, change rooms, play mp3 music (or separate server/cloud like pcloud.com), change to airwave or internet radio from your phone through home network wi-fi while lazing on the couch. Freaking awesome. No more getting up to change a CD or change the radio channel.Yamaha rocks, man.

    3 people found this helpful

59. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Jeannie Marsden – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    How to connect to Alexa

    I wanted to write this review to help others understand how this unit interfaces with Alexa as there seems to be a lot of confusion. I purchased this for my husband who is a musician and he loves the sound quality. I’m just the nerd who hooks it all up lol.1st connect the Yamaha to the internet via the instructions in the manual. I couldn’t get WAP to work, but I suspect that is my router. It may work for you. I manually entered in the password, which was a lengthy process, but completed without issue just following the instructions.After you are done, I highly recommend you restart the unit and see if there is a firmware update. It will say FW New Update or some such after you restart it. I had connection issues via bluetooth until I did this.After any updates are completed, I restarted again and then pushed the bluetooth button on the remote. The unit acted like it should at that point and brought up it’s bluetooth ID and was waiting to connect.Open your alexa app on your phone and go to Devices. From there, open up the Echo Device you wish to use to control the Yamaha. It will need to be within bluetooth range. Once you have the device info for your Echo open in the app, click on bluetooth devices. Have the app scan for new devices and you should find it. Once it comes up, just click to pair it to your echo dot. That’s it! It basically works like a bluetooth speaker. You will need to have the Yamaha on and in bluetooth mode to receive input from your Echo Dot.It really wasn’t difficult at all to do. I think a lot of people are trying to connect the Yamaha like a smart home device, which would be very nice, but it doesn’t work that way. You do not need any third party apps like some reviews state. All you need is an Echo device and the Alexa app on your phone.I hope this helps someone.

    8 people found this helpful

60. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Leonard R. – March 8, 2024

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Excellent Versatility & Connectivity

    Purchased mainly on the strength of the back-panel photo, this thing handles complexity like a champ.It easily swaps between MP3s from a Win10 PC or Linux file server over ethernet, smartphone playback via Bluetooth/wi-fi, digital TV audio from the S/PDIF connection, LPs on the turntable, AM/FM, and there’s plenty of room for input expansion.For example: I can be on the back patio and use my phone to power on the stereo (and the PC with a Wake-on-LAN app if needed), pick the audio source and route playback to outdoor speakers or a Bluetooth device in range, all without going inside.Sound quality is excellent, but of course your mileage may vary depending on the rest of your rig. Volume runs 0-99, but you can optionally restrict the max output if you need a lower distortion threshold. It also allows you to set a default startup volume level, which is a nice detail. Tone is adjusted with separate bass and treble controls instead of a multi-band EQ, so it may not have the fine-grained tone control some might prefer.A full-function remote is included (and recommended for system tasks), but Yamaha’s MusicCast app (Android/iOS) is more convenient for routine operation. There is NO Windows version of this app, but as a workaround it’s fully functional in an Android emulator for Windows. The receiver allows for multi-point synchronous instances running on different devices. You can start playback with an Android device (or emulator), then pause it or change audio sources with an iPhone or the remote; you can even adjust the volume with one device and watch it change in real time on another.Despite its good points the app is somewhat disorganized and has no help documentation, so it takes time and experimentation to figure out (especially playlist operation, long-press to add the contents of a folder but not any subfolders, etc). The MusicCast app’s annoyances and lack of a Windows version are *almost* enough to cost an overall star. Dropping the rating on the hardware over a separate software app wouldn’t quite be fair though, even when the manufacturer recommends using the app. Documentation, a Windows port and some GUI streamlining would go a long way.

    2 people found this helpful