Dolby Digital? Where?
Written: Jul 11 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Kenwood's reputation for quality and reliability
Cons: Difficult to hookup, useless manual, no Dolby Digital
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| GoodSyntax's Full Review: Kenwood VR-307 Receiver |
For months now, I have heard about the Dolby Digital craze and how, as an audiophile, I need it. A week ago, my girlfriend got me a Sony DVD player for my birthday (I had been begging for it for months), so I got the Kenwood VR-307 receiver which claimed Dolby Digital Processing. I also got Aiwa home theatre speaker package to connect to the receiver.
Now don't get me wrong, I have supported Kenwood products for years, in fact, all the speakers in my car are top of the line Kenwoods, but I was very disappointed with the VR-307. The manual was a series of pictures that weren't too informative regarding hookup for Dolby Digital. In the back the speaker hookup is one of the most strange I have ever seen. A center channel hookup, front-left and front-right are gathered into a series of screw type connections. Then there are four more lever type connections that are labeled left and right. Left and right what? A bunch of RCA connections for 3 video, and associated audio connections, and a redundant RCA for video 2 and an optical connection for video 3. Well, being a computer programmer and general techno geek, I thought how hard could this be? So I buy a bunch of gold-plated RCA connector, and connect the DVD to the receiver and the receiver to the big screen TV I got a couple of years ago. Turn everything on, pop in a movie and....hmmm, surround speakers don't work. Dolby Digital is not an option as it seems. After a few more futile attempts to rewire the system, I decide that I should be using a fiber optic connection between the DVD and the receiver (which to my surprise was $30 for a three foot fiber).
After some more struggling I try again. No Dolby Digital, no surround speakers. I can get it into stereo, something called Virtual Surround and Dolby Pro-Logic modes, but not Digital. I could do all of this with my four year old Pioneer receiver!
I conceded that maybe I don't know all there is to home theatre, but the principles are the same as car stereos, where I know a whole lot about. Why couldn't I get this to work? I tried visiting Kenwoods website for some hints, which proved a waste of time. Their ideas of frequently asked questions were 'Q: Receiver does not turn on, A: Plug in receiver.' Not exactly the questions I had in mind. I wrote an email to the support staff and a week later, still have no response.
As much as I would like to support Kenwood products, the VR-307 turns out to be a waste of money. It's probably a fantastic receiver for stereo and Pro-Logic applications, but I got it for Dolby Digital processing, which I still cannot figure out how to do. If the manual were more descriptive and had some text instead of vague pictures, I probably wouldn't be returning it.
If you're looking to get into home theatre, or just want a solid receiver, this is probably worthwhile for you, but if you, like me, want to get into Dolby Digital, Multiple Surround Channels and other advanced features, I feel that you will be let down by this receiver. While I was looking at different models, many fell into similar price ranges. Sony, Aiwa, Pioneer, JVC and many others offer similar receivers for a similar price, or if money isn't an object, there are the real top end stuff from Harmon/Kardon that would do an outstanding job.
It seems as with everything else in the world, you must do a lot of research and know the product and what you want to do with it before you make a purchase. Just because a manufacturer claims Dolby Digital doesn't necessarily mean you will be able to make it work, or even understand how to hook it up. If I were you I would look elsewhere for the technology know as Dolby Digital, because this particular receiver does not accomplish what it claims.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
GoodSyntax
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Member: Tommy Courtemanche
Location: Danbury, CT, USA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 4 members
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