Great deal
Written: Oct 03 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great features, sound, connection options, and value
Cons: powerful remote is not easy to program
The Bottom Line: Excellent sound at an excellent price. Features and connection options typically found on much higher-end units. Don't pass this deal up!
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| benpatient's Full Review: Kenwood VR-409 Receiver |
This receiver is currently only available in the retail world through a bundle product that includes a 5 piece 100 watt/speaker set of surrounds and an 8'' 100 watt powered sub. All Kenwood products. There are so many connections and audio-video hookup options on this thing that novice users would probably do well to steer clear, or have a knowledgeabe buddy come over to help with set-up. And what a great bunch of ports they are! 2 digital optical in lines, 1 digital optical in/out, 5 s-video input/outputs, tons of standard A/V connections, several digitial coax in/outs, a dedicated, grounded phono-in set of inputs, 6 discreet channel digital inputs (for DVD-A or 6-channel DVD-Vid players), "a" and "b" speakers and a toggle switch on the front (for those of you who want to run speakers to your deck or patio).
gold-plated A/V connections on the front for console games, etc, digital surround-capable headphone jack on the front panel. DTS decoding, Dolby Digital 5.1, pro logic and 5.1 circle surround for cd/tv/radio.
The remote is from star trek. It is obviously very powerful(has it's own manual), and what I've gotten it to do is really cool, but i don't understand it all, and it can be frustrating trying to get everything sorted out. As a matter of fact, if someone would come and program it all up for me, i'd buy them dinner. Heck, i'd MAKE them dinner.
The manual(s!) could be more user-friendly, but as we are all learning, japanese modes of thinking and organizing are very different, and most if not all Kenwood product manuals are organized in a way that is typically quite frustrating for your average born-and-bred American.
I got the receiver and the 6 speakers for 250 dollars about 2 months ago, and I've had zero problems. the supplied speaker wires were too short for anyone's rear channels, even in a tiny room. This is probably because my wires came from a floor-model unit ( got more money off that way), so this may not be representative. I would buy this set again in an instant.
If you are getting the receiver separate from someone, be sure to hook up a powered sub, or you will be dissappointed. The one supplied in my bundle package had the neighbors ringing the doorbell at 8pm last saturday wondering if everything was ok. They saw the DVD playing and asked me to please turn it down. The volume was on -45 (00 is highest, -99 lowest). I've had it up to -30 without any traces of strain or distortion (except, of course, in the kitchen cupboards!), and it could probably go higher, but there is no need.
It makes me very happy when I find a deal this great and it doesn't have any catches. Who needs happy neighbors when you can have your own movie theater in your livingroom?
Great buy!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 249
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Epinions.com ID:
benpatient
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Member: Ben Frey
Location: Nashville, TN, USA
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Honest reviews. Honest.
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