Bargain Basement Dolby Digital Sound
Written: Apr 08 '01
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Pros: Price, Value for $, 5+1 Surround Sound
Cons: Poor FM Antenna Supplied, Favorite Stations Buttons Only on Remote
The Bottom Line: The bargain basement price and great Dolby Digital 5.1 sound results in a fantastic price/performance ratio. I highly recommend it.
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| davidoikawa's Full Review: Kenwood VR-405 5.1 Channels Receiver |
I bought my Kenwood VR405 as a replacement to my old Dolby Pro-Logic receiver because I wanted to experience 5+1 channel sound when watching DVDs. Before, I go any further, I want to emphasize that I am not an audiophile. However, I doubt that many audiophiles would be interested in such an inexpensive unit, so they probably wouldn't be reading this anyway.
I don't have any particular feelings about the Kenwood brand in general. My buying criteria was Dolby Digital 5+1 sound and low cost. I have fairly efficient speakers so a lot of power was not a requirement. The VR405's 80 watts X 5 is plenty for me. I did not want to shell out the extra $ for a DTS capable machine, as I own and rent very few DTS movies.
The VR405 comes with a very poor owners manual. Set up with this unit is sometimes a matter of trial and error. However, once properly set up, and connected to 5 speakers and a powered sub-woofer, it provides fantastic sound at a bargain basement price.
The difference between my old Dolby Pro-Logic set up and the VR405 was amazing. I can't believe that I waited so long.
As far as the non-movie aspects of the VR405 go, playing cd's through the VR405 results in fine sound to my non-critical ear.
As far as radio reception goes, I don't listen to the radio that much at home. Usually I only listen to the radio in the car. However, evidence of where Kenwood cut corners to produce the VR405 at such a low price can be seen in the lack of favorite station buttons on the unit itself. These can only be accessed through the infrared remote control.
My biggest beef with the VR405 is the poor antenna supplied with the unit. It is the worst FM antenna that I have ever had on any of my 3 previous receivers. Worse yet is the fact that the VR405 uses a weird antenna connector, so I can't even find a decent after-market replacement antenna that will fit it. Luckily, as I said, I don't listen to the radio much at home, so this isn't a big deal for me, but if radio is important to you, you might want to consider another receiver.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 120
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Epinions.com ID:
davidoikawa
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Location: Oakville, ON, Canada
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
I really like to get value for my money.
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