Fantastic Bang for the Buck!
Written: Jun 12 '02 (Updated Jun 20 '02)
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Pros: Sound, power, functionality, ease of use, features, tuner, price, good instruction manual.
Cons: Using DAP fields *requires* rear surround speakers.
The Bottom Line: Unless you have money to burn on fractional improvements or seldom-used features, I'd say: "Buy! Buy! Buy!"
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| hsjawanda's Full Review: JVC RX-6010V 5.1 Channels Receiver |
I wanted something to play CDs with. In considering my options, I went from Portable CD Player to Boombox to Micro system to Mini system and finally, all the way to a component system. I am now very happy with my choice. Sure, it cost me a few hundred dollars more, but I am happy :-).
I spent an *intense* three weekends researching receivers in the $180-250 range. I started off by researching the features & specifications of various models online. I narrowed down to competing receivers by JVC, Sony, Kenwood & Aiwa. Then, I went and listened to these receivers (a very important step for any potential buyer) in stores (combination of Circuit City and Best Buy). This wasn't the best sounding receiver (that honor goes to the Sony STR-DE485, which was more expensive and less powerful) by a very small margin, but then, neither was it the most expensive. Of these, the JVC provided the most bang for the buck, so I bought it (Circuit City).
The JVC RX-6010VBK (BK for Black) receiver has very good sound and is very easy to setup. The initial setup took me just 20 minutes, including hooking up all the cables. You can set delays for the center speaker, front speakers and rear speakers. Further settings available for the speakers are:
Front speakers: LARGE, SMALL
Center speakers: LARGE, SMALL, NONE
Rear speakers: LARGE, SMALL, NONE
The instruction manual gives detailed information on setting up the receiver. Finally, of course, you have to rely on your own ear - you have to decide what sounds good to you. The output of the sub-woofer pre-out can be set in 2dB steps from -10 to +10dB. There are bass, treble and balance controls too. The cross-over frequency can be set to 80Hz, 100Hz or 120Hz. I choose to use 80Hz and it works just fine with my setup.
The built-in DTS and Dolby Digital decoding (don't forget the Dolby Pro Logic decoding) lets you enjoy suitably encoded (which is close to 100% of new movies on DVD) DVDs to their fullest. I use an optical digital cable to give undecoded output from my DVD player (Panasonic DVD-RV31K; will write a review for that too) to my RX-6010VBK and let it do the DTS or Dolby Digital decoding. The result is a truly fantastic Home Theater setp. Coupled with my KLH 120 watt subwoofer, I get floor-shaking explosions and wonderful surround sound.
Thanks to my Home Theater setup, I can now listen to sound from the DVD Player, Satellite TV and VCR through this receiver and the difference in sound quality is noticeable even with (relatively) low quality sound input. I sometimes even listen to cassettes played on my Walkman through my receiver ;-).
There's a lot of technology built into this receiver. However, it still does the job of playing plain old stereo sources well too (like music CDs). The RX-6010 has spoilt me to the extent that I'd rather not listen to music than listen to it on a system that doesn't measure up to this receiver.
My room mate has a satellite receiver installed at home. When I watch TV, I turn its volume all the way down to 0, and listen through the receiver alone. It makes even TV audio sound more expansive and open (the TV speakers, of course, sound flat).
However, buying a good receiver is only half the game - you need to be much more careful selecting your speakers. That choice can make or break your whole music system.
Here are some extra specifications ({left out/insufficient details supplied} by Epinions):
Digital inputs: 1 co-axial, 1 optical
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): 0.8% (40Hz - 20KHz)
Power: 100 watts min. *RMS* x 5
Hookups: 3 A/V, 1 Audio-only
Main (Front) speaker outputs: 1 set only
Now for the Gripes(!).
As mentioned in the cons, both rear (surround) speakers need to be connected for the 5 DAP sound fields to work. In the move from RX-6000VBK to RX-6010VBK, the RX-6010 (the newer model) lost something (a second set of main speaker outputs) and gained nothing. As far as I am concerned, this means negative marks for JVC as a whole.
However, neither of these gripes mar my happiness and satisfaction by an appreciable amount.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 200.00
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Epinions.com ID:
hsjawanda
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Location: Cherry Hill, NJ, USA
Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 1 member
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