This is the best receiver on the market, by far. I've had it for a number of months, using it solely for music (for the moment) and it has delivered uncolored, clean sound. I've driven it loud for long periods, and it has never strained or become too hot. For that matter, I've experienced NONE of the maintenance problems that seem to have popped up in the early days of this model.
Although I wanted to buy separates, I did not have the budget (not wanting to dip into the low-end just for the sake of having separates). Once I decided to get a receiver, my decision was based on 1) musical sound, 2) technology (e.g., DD, DTS, # and format of inputs/outputs, D-to-A conversion rates, etc.), 3) power, 4) appearance, and 5) price. After auditioning other receivers in the same category (i.e., Yamaha, Denon, Nakamichi, NAD, Harmon Kardon, Marantz), I settled on the more expensive B&K. It equalled or surpassed the other models in those 5 categories, and additionally it has an "open architecture" which will allow it to be upgraded when/if the technology changes. I intend to keep this piece of equipment for several years, and this was a crucial factor for me.

Give it a listen--it is a high quality, carefully crafted, well-designed component!

I am extremely pleased with my B & K. Sound is tremendous. A thunderstorm caused the unit to lockup once, but a quick phone call to B&K resolved all (had to CTRL-ALT-DEL my stereo!) I'm not thrilled with the front panel, you've got to fiddle to select the source instead of a button push, but then the BACK is awesome ! Jacks for everything and everyone. Since the standards wars seem to have audio DVD in limbo I saved quite a bit by choosing the 101 instead of the 202, same ProLogic, just no DTS. Its upgradable anyway. So far I'm glad I did.

I recently purchased the B & K AVR202 after comparing the Denon 5700 and Yamaha's product at or near the same price point.
The B & K sounded best to me on 2 channel music. I felt that the music was clearer and flowed more naturally; there was "air" and "space" in the soundstage which was appealing. In comparison, the Yamaha sounded thin to me (accented treble), and the Denon sounded slightly congested.

On movies (5 ch), the Denon sounded perhaps more dynamic then the B & K; however, the B & K sounded more smooth and, again, less congested.

The Denon has more features ( bells and whistles) than the B & K; this could be a deciding factor for some. I liked the simplicity of the B & K.

My dealer stated that there are no longer problems with current B & K receivers. Others on this site have had units with a noise (hum) problem. This problem has been corrected some time ago, and my unit runs without flaw.

As a enthusiastic music person since I owned a Mark Levinson pre=amp (when he was out of his garage} in the early 70's,I am pleased to to see that nothing has changed since then!! People are as passionate now about their music equipment as we were back then;and still are.I personally was forced out of my music hybernation by the perchase of a SONY cd/dvd600 carousel which forced my re-entry into the sterophile arena which I had thought I'd recovered from long ago!! Oh!! what too do????? Seperates!!! Hi-end Dig.systems etc.etc.....
Three months ago I purchased the B&K 202 and I have not looked back since!!!!! I will not debate the age old arguement of Seps.vs One on Ones except if you would care to debate the merits of the 202, as the bottom line is when it gets to this level of quality the nuances of listening and the listener's own individual physiology is what makes difference........

In case anyone hasn't figured this out yet; the B&K AVR202
is the greatest audiophile reciever/combined componet on the market!!!!!!

But,that's just my opion and really;what the hell do I know!!!!!!!!

I recently purchased some Martin Logan Sequel II speakers (used) to replace my Definitive Technology BP 2002's (which sounded really boomy in my large family room). At first, I was very unhappy with the Martin Logan's, until I realized that my Denon AVR 1500 just could not push these big speakers. To make a long story short, I wound up buying a new B&K AVR 202 reciever, and a new Martin Logan Cinema center channel speaker to replace my Definitive Tech CLR 2000 center.
Now I am in stereo/home theatre heaven. The Martin Logans absolutely kill in both stereo and home theatre, and the B&K delivers superb power. The unit does get a little hot when I really crank the Martin Logans, but runs cool under normal conditions. The receiver was really easy to set up, and I like the way it detects the incoming signal and automatically sets itself to Dolby Digital, DTS, or Pro Logic. My home theatre now sounds as good as any demonstration room I have heard. My friend called me up yesterday and said he couldn't get the sound of my setup out of his head, and this guy is not generally the kind of guy to say something.

I have one beef that is more philosophical than actual. The B&K has no controls for treble and bass. The salesman told me its because B&K wants to deliver the sound just the way it was originally EQ'd, but I like to tweak the sound a little, especially when I have to listen at lower volume when the kids are in bed. I say this is a philosophical beef because I have not found a need to adjust treble and bass at any volume -- the sound is just perfect. I can turn up my subwoofer if I need more bass, and the highs are just right -- clear but not harsh. I have sent an email to B&K asking about this issue, but have not yet heard back from them.

I was amazed at how easily I could set up the remote to handle my Sony DVD player, my Mitsubishi big screen TV, and my Denon CD player.

In short, I am very very happy with the B&K!!

This is a fantastic unit. I'm pleased to see that people are finally trusting their own ears and not just parroting web rumors. I've had my unit for over a year replacing a separates set-up. Yes, I did have emotional hang-ups and concerns about possibly taking a step back by going to a receiver but the proof is in the listening...flawless. I was talking about this concern with Sandy Gross, the president and founder of Definitive Technology last year and agree with his assessment that this is not a receiver..its a collection of separates just housed in one unit.
The sound is clean and pure. I have a very large home theater room where I'm running BP 2000's for my fronts and BP30's for my rears. (Although the audio purist will recoil at this statement) when the unit runs in Front/rear mode it always evokes extremely positive comments. Note: this is not the usual listening mode, but for parties and social situations (and the occasional live CD)its a godsend.

If you haven't gathered I consider myself to be a "real world" listener and that's where this unit shines--a high quality system even my wife can operate. Excellent Music not just for dark single purpose rooms but a system that adds tremendously to my enjoyment of every day living.

I've been an audiophile in the past but traded my high end gear a couple of years ago so the entire family could enjoy home theater. I use 3 M&K s125 across the front with the in-wall M&K 85 for surrounds. Left and Right are sitting on M&K dedicated sand filled stand that make them look like a larger floor standing speaker. Sunfire subwoofer and B&K 101 (202 w/out the DTS) receiver. Last week I was blown away at a demo of all Krell amps and source driving Martin Login Sequels II. The system was playing Dianna Krawl and Patty Barber, some great female vocal recordings. System price was over 30K. Made me miss the high end. I bought the same recordings and went home to compare expecting to be dissapointed. Just the oppostite, the M&K 125 crossed over actively to the Sunfire at 80 HZ, driven by B&K in stereo mode had all the basic qualities I heard in the expensive setup. Involving, emotional, musical, it was all there. M&K S-125 deserve 5 stars for pulling this off. The B&K does also. I was left with no desire to upgrade.

Sound of both music and movies, Plethora of inputs and outputs, Upgradability, Build quality, Looks.

Skimpy user manual. Could use more flexibility in regards to bass and treble adjustments and crossover adjustment.

Has a real Neutral sound. No doubt seperates would be better, but I really dont have the money at this time to invest in such an indeaver. I will someday upgrade to them.
Jazz sounds so wonderful coming from this unit. It is lively yet clear with horn instruments. Percussion is deep and full and string instruments are also full and so realistic.
Blues is also very good as the vocals are right there without being in your face or sounding boxy. Great recordings sound just that and poor recordings are revealed. That is the only problem as I now have to do alot of research to find the best recordings available in Jazz and especially Classical music , but that is the fun and the payoff is worth the research time.

Home Theater use is very good also as my last reciever which was a Yamaha (I did like it) was very poor on dialogue when the going got tough, but this unit you can hear every word and is crystal clear.

I did get a great deal on this receiver and that is why i am giving a 5 for value. If I would have paid the MSRP or close to it I would have givin a 3 and actually would have bought seperates as I dont feel any Receiver is worth $2800.

Its the best receiver I have heard and that includes the Denon 5700 and Yamaha's DSP A1.

I am using MA Silver 5's.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Denon, Marantz.

I have listened carefully almost 20 receiver in the last two month. I read almost 100 reviews in the principals' Home theater magazines. I did this because I wanted to have the best Home theater receiver (my old stereo is a Carver). I was willing to pay up to $3000 for a receiver. After the two month my conclusion was that the two better options was the Yamaha DSP-A1 and the B&H AVR202. I started to pay more attention to these units. I bought the to units and I installed in my home for two weeks. I did all king if text with different speakers and my conclusion was that the Yamaha DSP-A1 has better performance than the AVR202. I never had any problem with HUM neither problems that I read in the reports about the AVR202 (They fixed - Serial 56400 or higher). The reason that I prefer the DSP-1 is:1- You have better sound quality using the Dolby Digital or DTS (you're getting 24bit/96KHz 128x oversampling instead of 20bit offered by the AVR202).
2- The DSP-A1 has different option of EQ that allow you to make the equalization of your room and adapt it better to the respond of your ears. The AVR202 doesn't have any kind of EQ neither Bass or treble controls (B&K said the reason is to avoid the degradation of the signal. Mmmm!!!).
3- DSP-A1 has more natural sound.
4- The DSP-A1 has the DSP option that is incredible if you know how to use it.
5- The B&K units doesn't have Un-switched and switched AC terminal in the back of the units (you don't have any control of the AC power from the receiver).
6- Yamaha is a very solid company that you know that going to be in market for a long time (I'm having some problems with my CARVER stereo because the company changed).
The good points in the AVR202 is:
1- Longer warranty (5 years - Yamaha is 2 years).
2- Gold connectors in the back.
3- Very good construction (the DSP-A1 is almost similar).
4- Smaller than DSP-A1
5- A little better details in the sound when you use Analog Stereo input (CD).
Now, Is your can decision but I still keeping the DSP-A1 ( I send the B&K back to the store)

Well, now that I've had this unit for a while I think I should follow up and say that it's still WONDERFUL. I do have a few minor complaints, and in the interest of fairness, I'll list them:
1) Less than stellar user interface
I'm used to Sony stuff and I tell you, although they take a lot of knocks for build quality and sound, Sony knows how to make a user interface. The Yamaha was worse, I thought. The B&K isn't bad, it's just a little cumbersome fishing through all those menus sometimes.

Well, that's my only complaint. This thing has taken everything I've thrown at it and laughed at me. The on-board amplification is wonderful. I've replaced my old speakers with a pair of Martin-Logans and the 2-ohm thing is no sweat. It doesn't even run hot. I can't vouch for older units, but mine has been wonderful and will play even these demanding speakers loud enough to scare the neighbors without breaking a sweat. Wonderful dynamics, endless soundstage. More inputs that you can ever use. How many recievers do you know of that have an S-Video input for TAPE, or an optical input for TV? The B&K Does.

I know there's a lot of "I bought it, it must be the best" going on around here, but I can honestly recommend this unit very very highly. I've heard systems costing 4 times as much, the Theta Casablanca with Classe' amplification was very nice, but I can also honestly say it's not worth $8k over the B&K.

5 stars, easily. The user interface just takes getting used to, I'm used to having more buttons.