No direct experience, but my friend had this briefly for sometime and then switched back to Marantz.......I had sometime to see it and experience it and even play with some settings....it is indeed a complex AVR.......with so many settings....
- Congrats on your purchase.
- This is one of the high end models from Yamaha and it has many settings so that you can take advantage of some and set the best experience for you.
- There were a few using the 10xx and 20xx models.....not sure if they are still using or upgraded.
- It is my belief that the USB slot in the front only can playback Thumb drives (FAT 32), please refer to the owners / operating manual which would have more clear precise details.
- Refer to YouTube videos uploaded by many users across the globe which can help in understanding faster and possible optimal settings...I do understand that the long manual may take time....
- I dont think it can play back an HDD as HDD are in NTFS format.
- There would be an app available for Yamaha which can help to monitor, somewhat control and fine tune certain settings.....check playstore / Apple store.
All the best!