First-Class Receiver!
Written: Dec 16 '02
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Pros: Easy setup and use, fantastic receiver
Cons: The remote might make you say...GEEZ!
The Bottom Line: Save your research time and go buy one! Two of us have done it for you and reached the same conclusion. I also recommend this receiver without hesitation.
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| zener98's Full Review: JVC RX-8020V 5.1 Channels Receiver |
All I can say is the other reviewer "tklung" has hit it ALL - right on the head. This is an absolutely fantastic Home Theater receiver in this price range. I went through all of my own research after reading his review of this receiver. I investigated Onkyo, Sony, Panasonic, Denon, Harmon Kardon, all on-line and then any that I could find locally in Circuit City, Tweeter, and Best Buy. The first thing I found out is that most of the chain stores don't even carry the JVC line of products at all. So, the only trepidation I had was that I would probably have to buy this receiver sight-unseen.
Giving credit again to "tklung" - when you do detailed research on HT receivers in this price range, you WILL keep coming back to the 8020VBK, without a doubt. There is no other system that will match the list of features and 100 watts per channel. I have owned many JVC products over the years, including professional broadcast video equipment, and there is no other company that has ever offered the most and best features for the price.
Don't worry about the THD mentioned by tklung - you'll never hear the difference at normal listening levels. See, it's difficult to find something wrong or negative about this receiver.
Regarding my particular setup, I have the 8020VBK connected to a Bose speaker system - - Acoustimass 5 front speakers with their own bass reflex cabinet, a Bose VCS-10 center channel speaker, and two Bose 161's for the rear channels. All of this inter-connected to a Sony 32" XBR Wega TV.
Regarding the Remote - I don't want to scare you - it is actually not that bad - it is just a little intimidating when you first look at it. Once you begin to use it, the logic of it and the layout become very intuitive. And, the LCD display shows you what component or adjustment is in "focus"... meaning what buttons on the remote are functional at that time... your VCR, Surround Sound adjustments, the TV, etc. Just push the desired button to adjust or control whatever device you want.
The DSP (digital signal processing) special effects are amazing also! Sound simulations of a "live club", a large or small "hall", a "dance club", or even a "pavilion" make for some fun and interesting listening situations in conjunction with the particular programming that you are watching. Experiment and have fun with them. You can make a football game sound like you are there with various echo, and reverb profiles of the different DSP choices.
It goes without saying that the ProLogic and PLII surround sounds are awesome - depending on what DVD or VHS tape you are watching. The system makes up for non-PLII media with a pretty good simulation. ANYTHING you watch with this receiver will sound impressive and will greatly improve your viewing experience...including the "All Stereo" DSP - which puts stereo signals into all surround speakers for a real room-filling sound.
This receiver is built to meet the future both in quality, functionality, and features. I could not find any other system that had the breadth of features, power, and design, for this price range. It even has inputs for a turntable for those of you that have a vinyl collection. One thing I did find out is that you cannot find a view of the back of this receiver anywhere! Not even on the JVC website. That is one thing that bothered me. But all of you contemplating this receiver, don't worry - it has everything you want.
The construction of the receiver - from what you can see through the cooling areas of the cover - is also top quality design. It has a very large heatsink for the output transistor drivers; probably one-fourth of the depth of the receiver. The separate channel amplifiers are mother-daughter board construction- meaning the individual channel amps can be easily replaced if they fail because they are not part of a larger circuit board - much like add-on boards in a PC.
I forgot to mention the one feature that I don't think is found in any other system (I could be incorrect so let me know if I am). This receiver also has an on-screen video display on your TV to setup all of the possible receiver adjustments! It makes it so easy to setup - obviously it can be done by reading the text display on the front of the receiver, but this is an added feature that just says that JVC always goes a little farther to make their products stand out.
One last thing - I for one sometimes doubt that these reviews are written by real people- rather, ringers for the products or the companies. Be assured, I am a real person with a fairly well-rounded electronics background, and these opinions are mine and are real and honest! And I could not be happier with this receiver. This receiver has a long life after purchase both in overall quality, features, and technology.
I bought it from "6th Ave" Electronics in NJ, and received it in less than a week, with no problems, stock, or shipping issues.... and the least expensive shipping fee of anyone that stocked this product.
(The Durability Rating of 4 instead of 5 is due to the way the rating here is worded - ... "5" says "it will last forever" -and we all know nothing built today lasts "forever"...! But that is another story.)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 277
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Epinions.com ID:
zener98
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Reviews written: 1
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