After 2 years of great listening to the Yamaha AX-396 I can honestly give this unit the "thumbs up" for its ability to give beautiful audio reproduction. It has never faultered once and no matter what audio track you listen to, it sounds just perfect. It has enough bass to make the glass in my windows shudder and yet still reproduce those real low notes wihout distorting and the mid-range to high end audio (sometimes where it really counts) can compliment lots of speaker systems and make ever poor ones sound great. You can use the very best headphones on this amp too and appreciate just what can be reproduced into them and into your ears. This amp, I would refer to as "neutral", both in its ability to be be used with many other components and with its abilty to faithfully reproduce the signal going into it. Because of its neutrality, I have found that a quality Graphic EQ can be nicely matched to this amp to compliment its output to the 'enth degree. No matter which way you use it, you can rest assured that you can sit back and enjoy the resultant output.

With its clean lines, it looks mean, just like the neighbourhood bully and yet is surprisingly charming to listen to. Whoever designed this amp from head to toe, did a wonderful job. Whichever way you choose to describe its looks, the AX-396 does what it is designed to do, superbly. No bones about it, it is a champion in its class and would certainly take some beating. Apart from its bigger brother, the AX-596, I would say this is the best amp I have ever owned.

10 out of 10...

I was really surprised by the Yamaha AX-396, before this I had a Yamaha reciever and I got to say the differents was night & day....
The reciver uses complicated digital processing technology that enables to listen the music in 5 or 6.. channels but increases the sound distortion making the music or movie sound like electrical.
When I bought the AX-396 I compared it with the reciever and the difference was big. AX-396 was able to produce the sound with so much clarity & purity that the vocals and the harmony of the play could be felt in the room, like i was at the front row :)
With the AX-396, ex. listening instrumental sounds like Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton or John Mellencamp, it leaves very good rythm and treble was soft and clear.
The AX-396 can be used with the reciever also, (for the mains), but that depends on the listeners taste I think.
for speakers i would suggest Audes-speakers (jazz, blues, 037.1) - it has what they say "profeSsional sound".

If harmony & natural sound is important to you, then I would suggest Yamaha's amplifier: AX-396 or higher. (it has Total Harmonic distortion in CD/DVD: only 0,008%) - can you imagine that :)