10 reviews for YAMAHA R-S202BL Stereo Receiver

1. 

   5 out of 5

   Eric J. – March 25, 2020

   This receiver is for our bedroom, which has just two, flush-mount wall speakers. It’s main function is to play music or relaxing nature sounds to help sleep. I did not need or want surround sound, or dozens of different preset environments, like concert hall, punk-rock band, movie theater, etc. Thus far I have not tried out the radio, and probably won’t for years to come. However, the blue tooth connection works well, and that was one of my main concerns. Sound quality is good, though it would be nice to have maybe a mid-range adjustment, or maybe a small, integrated equalizer to help compensate for less than perfect speakers. The controls are easy enough to figure out, and sleep mode, or whatever they called it, is an added bonus.My main annoyance about this receiver is that the speaker wire connections are too small. I’ve got a pretty long run from the receiver to the speakers, so I ran 14 gauge wire (through the wall), and it requires a lot of cramming to get them to fit Yamaha. Other than that, this receiver / amplifier has done what I wanted without needing to take out a second mortgage.

2. 

   5 out of 5

   Craig (Crash) KirbyCraig (Crash) Kirby – April 23, 2020

   What a reciever, what can I say. Well it’s awesome, a bare bones, CLEAN sounding reciever that rocks. Can’t believe I found one given the high demand for stereo’s during this pandemic. If you can find one, grab it you won’t be sorry. Yamaha has hit it out of the park with this one. WOW you can’t beat the price unless you want all the extras that surround sound gives you. Me, I like a basic stereo to listen to music. 62 years old and this brings back memories before it all changed. Pair it with some Yamaha speakers and you have a winner. Check out my review on the NS-6490 speakers. You can have a kickin’ stereo for around 300 bucks. WOW unheard of in today’s market! Thanks Yamaha! Also the bluetooth is awesome, didn’t have that in the 70’s.

3. 

   5 out of 5

   ReaderHal – May 15, 2020

   Mom’s Pioneer amp that I gave her in ’79 bit the dust, I found during this Thanksgiving visit, Ordered the Yamaha R-S202 to arrive while I am in town so I could hook it up. Promised by Friday at 9pm, it arrived Tues night. Very nice shipping service.Honestly, I did not expect much at this price, but the A-S500 integrated amp I use in my bedroom system at home sounds really good, and Yamaha has a good track record – and mom isn’t as picky as I am. So I connected the old Pioneer HPM-60 speakers that I gave her the same Christmas as the amp and tuner (there is also a TT and cassette deck).Anyway, I am impressed by the sound quality and functionality of this basic receiver. No, it has no phono input, nor a DAC – but we did not need those features here. She quit spinning vinyl many years ago, and streams nothing. She’s even stopped using CDs. FM and TV sound are what she wanted.Her smart TV was on when we turned the receiver on, and the sound was there. Bluetooth synched up with no prompting at all. Neat. The tuner is fairly sensitive, and while it may not sound quite as good as some of the better tuners from the past, it’s a difference many people would fail to notice. Clean sound on strong locals, Didn’t try AM.I have also owned the Sony entry-level stereo receiver. The Yamaha is audibly superior to that one, but it does cost a bit less. However, my main system includes Bryston, Levinson and Monitor Audio, so I am accustomed to more upscale gear. I was able to enjoy music with mom’s set-up, and she loves it. She likes the remote control, as well.Excellent value. Recommended.

4. 

   5 out of 5

   Derrick S. Hurley – June 27, 2020

   Was looking for an inexpensive stereo receiver to connect my computer to. This fits the bill.I’ve got it paired with a pair of Cerwin Vega SL5M speakers. I’m not an audiophile by any means, but this amp drives these speakers well and they sound great. I also have a pair of older KLH 15″ three way speakers connected to the B channel. More than enough power to drive these guys too. I only run one set at a time due to the difference in Ohms. I appreciate the F-Type connector for the FM antenna as opposed to the proprietary connection found on some other manufacturer receivers. Radio tuner works well enough.The form factor is great as well. I have it sitting on a small bookshelf and its depth is such that it doesn’t stick out over the edge of the shelf. Bluetooth pairing was easy without even looking at the included manual. I also like the standby feature that will shut it off after a predetermined time you select as there are times I leave my office without turning things off.As other reviewers have mentioned, you need to turn this thing up to at least 50 before you start to hear audio. Very weird, but it is what it is and not worth a drop in stars for me. There’s a menu option that allows you to set the volume level at startup. I set mine at 50. You can also set the max volume through the menu. Thoughtful features, good price and good sound make for a great 2 channel product.

5. 

   5 out of 5

   Matt – July 12, 2020

   I use this receiver with a turntable and a Sony CD player from the 90’s. Also, I use the Bluetooth via my iPhone 7.I didn’t need a receiver with a phono input because, my turntable has a pre-amp built-in and I also have a separate phono pre-amp.Initially, I connected my turntable directly to the receiver using my turntable’s built in pre-amp. This set-up caused a problem because my turntable has a ground wire, but the receiver does not have a ground screw. So I just left the ground cable unhooked. Unfortunately, at high volume (>70) I was getting significant hum through the speakers. To see if the hum would go away, I disconnected the turntable from the receiver. Then connected the turntable to the separate pre-amp (includes a ground screw) and connected the pre-amp to the receiver. Thankfully, the hum disappeared completely.With this set-up, the receiver works well. The remote works. Bluetooth is easy to set-up and play through my phone.Music sounds great. I haven’t turned the volume up past about 90. Too loud. I usually have music playing from 35 to about 70.My equipment:- Yamaha R-S202BL Stereo Receiver- Pro-Ject Audio – Phono Box DC – MM/MC Phono preamp with line output- Audio-Technica AT-LP3BK Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Stereo Turntable- ELAC B6 Debut Series 6.5″ Bookshelf Speakers by Andrew Jones

6. 

   5 out of 5

   P_J_PP_J_P – July 16, 2020

   I’m going to address only a few aspects of this receiver now, as I have had it less than 1 month:First and foremost, it worked right out of the box. So far, I find sound and volume to be sufficient – something others complained about.I bought this for one job only: To route the sound from my TV & DVD player (which has terrible speakers) through to my 2 Klipsch speakers.The first question I will answer, as I saw many people ask and many people answer it (many incorrectly):Can you use the headphone jack and still have audio output to the speakers? The answer is YES. This is important to me, and I’m sure to some others as I have a family member who must use headphones to hear properly. I hooked up a set of wireless headphones through the PHONES jack and both he and others can hear quite well. You also have the option to shut down output to the speakers using the speakers A/B buttons.The second question I noticed is: Can I connect a turntable to this receiver? You can, but ONLY if you use a pre-amp for the turntable (or maybe the turntable has one included). This unit does NOT have a PHONO line input. You cannot simply plug your turntable into any of the inputs and expect it to work.In closing, I will mention Bluetooth: I didn’t purchase this for Bluetooth use; however, I decided to test it. Within a minute, I had my phone connected to the Yamaha and was able to play music from my Amazon music account. No muss, no fuss, and, again, very adequate volume.And a last word on Bluetooth: If you have a set of Bluetooth headphones: NO, the receiver will not broadcast sound to them – unless you attach some other gadget to the receiver of which I know nothing about.Want a Yamaha with more features? https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-R-N303BL-Stereo-Receiver-Bluetooth/dp/B074F246M9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515782165&sr=8-1&keywords=yamaha+r-n303For now, with my limited time with the Yamaha, I am pleased with it.PS – for those wondering: The speaker balance control is on the remote.PS #2 – Because of confusion I have seen on the subject, I have attached a photo of the input jacks on the rear of the receiver. They are called an RCA connector. Not to be confused with the 1/4″ Phones or headphone jack on the front of the unit.

7. 

   5 out of 5

   Thelonious – July 23, 2020

   Wow! This amp provides exactly what it says it will and more! I came from a really nice vintage NAD amp and receiver, so I was a little wary spending just $120 on something new. I knew it was coming from a good brand from a country that has a history of producing the best audio equipment, but I had to hear it to be sure.I’d also like to say that this amp fits in the open space left by AV receivers on one side, and violently expensive stereo receivers on the other. Some people are looking to drive some speakers, and don’t need Dolby Atmos, 15 different 4k inputs and everything else you can get with a $600 AV receiver. I wanted to drive two good speakers, and this amp was perfect for thatWith my vintage KEF C-35 speakers, I had a hard time hearing a great difference between this unit and the NAD receiver. The claim of up to 100 watts per channel is also totally verifiable. Some companies engage in a little bit of trickery when it comes to the wattage numbers on their units, but this one can deliver 100 clean watts per side, I promise.The one issue I had was that the Bluetooth input was WAY hotter than that form my computer. I wish the computer could provide the same kind of signal as the internal Bluetooth receiver in the unit.

8. 

   5 out of 5

   Ed willsonEd willson – August 1, 2020

   First off let’s deal with a couple of the common complaints. Low Bluetooth volume/muddyness and low volume for the speakers.It has Bluetooth 4.1. you also need to remember to turn up the phones Bluetooth volume. Mine is usually set at 60% Everytime it connects to a bt device. Likely due to hearing loss lawsuits. Just crank that to the top. It sounds great. Also your streaming source has to be decent too. Use the highest quality playback possible for your music, usually that means downloading it to the device rather than streaming.As for the low volume… Use sensitive speakers. I have a pair of 99$ Klipsch that are rated at 90db sensitivity. This is literally twice as loud as a speaker rated at 87db. They also sound great. Volume at 50 and it fills the garage at a comfortable level. 8 ohms too. Don’t go hooking up a 6/4/2 ohm speaker. You’re asking for trouble.All said this is a great garage radio/Bluetooth. The whole setup was 230$. I have no regrets.

9. 

   5 out of 5

   Ron in MichiganRon in Michigan – September 6, 2020

   Originally purchased the cheaper Insignia model with basically the same features. It lasted less than an hour before dying. Couldn’t even get it passed half volume before shutting itself off. Returned it and purchased the Yamaha.PERFECT! GREAT unit. I put in on my deck to be a part of my outdoor entertainment center. Flawless. Powers the four Kicker KB6000 speakers I paired it with without issue. One set on the deck and the other set 120 feet away at the bonfire pit.At 120 feet away the Bluetooth (streaming Pandora) AND remote both work. Although I primarily listen to Sirius or the iood. I should have purchased this unit the first time.

10. 

    5 out of 5

    Joshua Wright – September 29, 2020

    I have been using this receiver for about a week now. I am upgrading my stereo system from my old 35 year old Pioneer D705s. From other reviews I read some people had issues with it shutting off while using Bluetooth. I played it all night long and when I woke up it was still playing, at least for me this was not an issue. Other issues people mentioned was the volume knob had to be turned really far to get a good sound level. I agree I found around 50% volume to be where I would like my speakers at, while my old system only needed to be turned a quarter way. However this is not an issue, after comparing the outputs each system provided the Yamaha provided 150 less watts than the pioneer so it makes perfect sense that you would need to crank the volume up a little. I also tried it at full volume and I promise this Yamaha receiver can go louder than you will ever want it to go. To sum things up all the complaints I read in the other reviews I did not experience or if I did I realized it actually is not an issue. I am very happy with this receiver and would buy it again.