Unbeatable Value in a Great Receiver
Written: Jan 02 '03 (Updated Jan 06 '03)
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Pros: Packed with features. Excellent sound quality. Low price. Easy to setup and use.
Cons: Organization of the user manual could be better.
The Bottom Line: A powerful, well designed and versatile receiver costing hundreds less than comparable units from other manufacturers.
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| comquest's Full Review: JVC RX-8020V 5.1 Channels Receiver |
I spent a considerable amount of time comparing and auditioning home theater receivers before finally making a purchase. After looking at models from Denon, Onkyo, Sony, Harmon Kardon and others (up to my $900 spending limit), the JVC RX 8020VBK was the clear choice.
Of all the receivers I considered, this is the ONLY ONE that combined every single feature on my wish list:
* Power: 100 watts/channel or better
* Preamp outputs for every channel
* Switchable support for two sets of front speakers
* Dolby EX, DTS-ES (preamp out for rear surrounds)
* Preprogrammed DSP modes and Digital EQ
* Front jacks for A/V, S-Video (also provides USB)
* Phono input
Best of all, JVC gave me all of this 'bang for the buck' at a street price below $300. What an incredible value!
Setup was relatively easy, although better organization of the user manual could help to reduce some page flipping. The speaker binding posts are so close together that connecting heavy cables (i.e. Monster) is somewhat challenging. The only caveat was setting up my DISH Network satellite receiver. On first test, I had Dolby Digital sound but no picture. The problem was soon solved by simply renaming the 'TV' source to 'DBS'. (The manual implies that renaming is optional. Trust me. It's required to see a picture.)
Now that I've set up my system, I could not be more pleased with the choice I made. The JVC delivers clean, powerful and accurate sound with plenty of headroom to spare. Every source -- from DVD and DBS to phono and audio tape -- sounds as good or better than the Denon I nearly bought for $850.
The front panel and remote controls are well planned and easy to use. The remote seems a bit daunting at first (as do most HT remotes) but its logical organization makes perfect sense. In addition, convenient on-screen menus are available for speaker balancing, tweaking the digital equalizer and many other setup functions.
Now I just need to figure out what to do with the $580 dollars I saved.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 269.99
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Epinions.com ID:
comquest
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Location: Atlanta, GA
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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