Money better spent on something more reliable
Written: Sep 23 '02
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Pros: Inexpensive unit, good input/output jack options.
Cons: Unreliable remote sensor and optical sensor, warranty not long enough.
The Bottom Line: Just in case you happen to find this discontinued model used somewhere, I would definitely advise against it, because it is simply not reliable or durable.
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| steven778's Full Review: Kenwood VR-405 5.1 Channels Receiver |
When my parents decided to "splurge" and set up a small surround-sound setup in their new living room, I helped them select and inexpensive and (presumably) reliable model of receiver, this Kenwood VR-405, which was actually part of a home-theater-in-a-box set that came with five speakers and a subwoofer. The speakers worked and still work great, but after about a year-and-a-half the receiver began to refuse to recognize any signal from the remote control. Upon inspection of its interior I found that the sensor falls out of its cradle and is thus disconnected from the wiring. This can be fixed by tapping on the bottom of the display screen of the receiver, or picking up the unit and dropping it back down, but that is very troublesome and defeats the purpose of the remote control.
A few months after the remote sensor began acting up, the receiver refused to process sound from the optical digital audio cable leading from my DVD player. Thus sounded the death knell of the optical sensor in the back of the receiver, forcing me to buy a coaxial digital cable, which works fine, but I would have rather had the optical sensor continue to function.
Conveniently, all of these malfunctions occurred just outside of the one-year warranty that comes with this receiver. It still produces pretty good sound, but is only acceptable if you can do without being able to control the volume from your seat.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 200
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Epinions.com ID:
steven778
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Reviews written: 1
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