Great amplifier, if you're not using it with DVD
Written: Jul 19 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: 100W x 5, good sound,
Cons: No DTS decoder, cannot listen to DTS in Dolby 5.1
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| Peteer01's Full Review: Kenwood VR-307 Receiver |
My parents just recently purchased a 55" 16:9 HDTV after our last TV decided it had lived a full life of 8 years. On our old TV VHS and a Dolby Pro Logic receiver seemed to provide us with quality video and audio. Unfortunately, our new set, being larger and wide screen, showed us how poor our picture quality was and suggested we buy a progressive scan DVD player. (We choose the Pioneer DV-434, read my review to find out why.) Of course, having a progressive scan DVD player and a 55" wide screen TV, the perfect present for my Dad's 49th birthday would be a receiver with digital in that could play Dolby Digital 5.1 audio from the DVDs, exactly as it was intended to sound.
I found the Kenwood VR-307 at Service Merchandise for 35% off their list price of $299, on sale because they are getting rid of their electronics department. I asked the salesman if they had any receivers with a digital in that would play all of the audio from a DVD player in true Dolby 5.1. The salesman assured me that the Kenwood would do just that and that for the price, it was a great receiver.
I went home that night and checked the Kenwood website, which listed, among the various other audio features:
Digital Audio Input: 3 (2 Coaxial, 1 TOS-link Optical)
Digital Signal Format Auto Detection/Auto Switching: Dolby Digital and PCM
Dolby 3 Stereo: Full Digital
Dolby Digital
Dolby Pro Logic
At this point I assumed that the Kenwood VR-307 was the Dolby Digital solution I needed to complete my parents' home theater system. The 100W x 5 was more than enough power, and the VR-307 was only mildly more expensive than the lowest price I could find for the Pioneer VSX-D309, which, while it had 2 digital inputs, was only 60W per channel.
The next day called other Service Merchandise stores and found that only the one I had been to the day before any in stock. I returned to the store and was told it was the last one aside from the display model, and was assured once again that this model was perfect for the home theater setup I was describing.
Upon returning home and setting it up, I found that the VR-307 does not have or support DTS Digital Surround, a feature available only in the VR-309 and some newer models. Between the salesman and the Kenwood website, I now had a receiver, which I purchased exclusively for it's ability to play AC-3 and DTS sound, which was unable to play DTS sound. The manual (although not the web page or spec sheet) clearly states that if it is receiving a DTS sound feed, there will be no audio at all.
Even though Service Merchandise states that all electronics purchases are final, the manager of the store allowed me to return it the next day after explaining I had been misinformed.
The receiver had good sound and inputs for 7 different audio devices, so it might have been the perfect receiver for someone else, but as the product I perceived it to be, it was woefully inadequate.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
Peteer01
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Member: Eric Peterson
Location: Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 10 members
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