A Great Value in Home Theater
Written: Jul 08 '02 (Updated Jul 08 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Price, sound quality, power
Cons: passive subwoofer, receiver size, remote control
The Bottom Line: You can have it all in home theater with the Kenwood HTB-205 and not spend $1000 or more.
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| alg91's Full Review: Kenwood HTB-205 Theater System |
If you are looking for a reasonably priced, powerful, feature packed Home Theater system, consider the Kenwood HTB-205. For under $300, this system delivers the features and performance of many systems twice as expensive.
The HTB-205 comes complete with a surround sound receiver, subwoofer (passive with an internal amp in the receiver), front, surround and center channel speakers. The receiver is equipped with Dolby Pro Logic, Pro Logic II, DTS, and Dolby Digital decoders. In DSP mode, the receiver also provides numerous Cinema modes such as Arena, Theater, etc...
One of the nicest features of the HTB-205 is the variety of input and output ports. This system is capable of handling almost any input from standard RCA to optical audio and digital coax. The high number of physical inputs makes it a versatile system capable of handling the duties of most home theater configurations.
The HTB-205's auto sense mode is also a useful feature. When activated, the system will auto sense digital audio input from your CD/DVD or digital cable/satellite and engage the appropriate Dolby decoders. When the channel is switched to an analog source, the receiver will automatically transfer to the Cinema mode of your choice. This makes it easy to use for the less technical user.
Sound quality is excellent with 600 amps (100 x 6 channels) of total power. Mine is set up in a large room and it definitely rocks the house and then some. The subwoofer, although powered by an amp internal to the receiver, provides more than enough bass to bring the onscreen action to life. The front, center and surround speakers are good as well. They provide more than enough performance for the average user although a speaker upgrade would no doubt improve the overall quality of this system. Added features of the HTB-205, such as a night mode, which allows you to compress the digital audio range to achieve full sound quality at lower volumes, are uncommon in lower end receivers.
As a true receiver, the HTB-205 does an adequate job as well. It is replete with an intelligent memory system to help organize your radio presets and the sound quality is on par with mid-range receivers in the market today.
Set-up is a breeze with color coded cables that are actually long enough to fit reasonable configurations. Depending on your room size and cable routing, you may need to extend the cables for the surround speakers. The largest drawback in my mind to this system is the remote control. It is small and confusing and difficult to operate in the dark while watching a movie.
All in all, the HTB-205 provides a lot of performance in a turn-key home theater package for the price.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
alg91
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Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 2 members
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