Kenwood VR-7080 6.1 Channels Receiver

Pros: THX FOR UNDER $340 - BRAND NEW - NOT REFURB! with preouts to boot!
Cons: You gotta be a tech geek like me to figure out the setup.

I purchased this Kenwood vr-7080 from eCost.com for $339.99 (no tax & free shipping), plugged it into one and a half SETS of KLH Plat-6 5.1 speakers, and ran the preouts to another Kenwood amp to power the other left over KLH speakers in another room. All i have to say is AMAZING! Total FULL HOUSE surround sound for UNDER $780 BUCKS. Can you freakin' believe it!?!

Pros: Dolby Digital EX and DTS-ES, THX Select Certification for $320
Cons: only 8ohm stable amp (but it does have 6.1 pre-outs for outboard amps)

I looked for several months for a receiver that had all the latest surround sound modes and could drive 4 ohm axiom speakers. I have looked at receivers from MARANTZ to Outlaw Audio (and trust me, everything in between). The bottom line is that it doesnt exist this side of 2 grand. So the next best thing would be a receiver with all the trimmings that ALSO had pre-out on all channels.

Enter the VR7080.

For $320, you get everything you need to start an awesome sounding hifi theater. I still cant believe Kenwood put out a THX rated product for this price!

As for real world performance (subjective of course) this thing sings! Crystal clear, very powerful (watch the 8 ohm impeadeance though) and the remote actually controls everything I own (thank you Kenwood).

A word of advice, if you buy a refurb (which most of these units are now). Only buy from "official" Kenwood outlets. Check the kenwood site for locations.

Pros: Futuristic Remote; all its digital sounds; auto-recoginze ability; THX certified
Cons: Speaker hookups; learning the awsome remote capabilities (could take weeks)

For the price, this Kenwood receiver packs a big punch. The sound is great and will knock your socks off with a good progressive/digital dvd player attached. The remote is huge and very impressive (maybe too impressive) and with that baby in your hands, you feel in control of the universe!
The only drawbacks I have found so far are the speaker connectors on the back (really cheesy) and trying to meander through the initial setup (it's tough). Otherwise, this receiver is so smart it can determine what the DVD input source is and play it accordingly - so the setup can be accomplished at any time. Nice, inexpensive THX certified receiver - well worth the money and well within my budget of under $500.