excellent sound

only one subwoofer output

I just purchased this unit from sears, I was walking through and I have been looking to upgrade my reciever. I was the avr85 on the shelf with a special tag of 338.00 because someone had returned it after a couple of days, maybe they couldn't afford it. I asked them if they could give me a discount and they gave me 20 percent off so I ended up paying 271.00 for the reciever and didn't have to pay any shipping so I think by the reviews I have read I got a pretty good deal. If anyone has any good ideas of how to hook up two subwoofers when you only have one output email me and let me know thanks. kellywalker@wwdb.org

Similar Products Used:

Harmon kardon avr20

DIGITAL DOLBY IS TERRIFIC! Great bang for the buck $307 at UBID. 5 channel stereo is nice, too.

Programming the FM tuner takes a while.. I do prefer SOME sort of knob or something. LOL Doesn't have a loudness or low level boost like my other Denon 435 has. BTW - that lil' Denon has terrific sound and really sold me.

Great reciever, nice for watching DTS - I've got CV 15" fronts, Advent Center, and those JBL MUSIC ONE for rear speakers (they work fine, actually) Plenty of volume. I do have a BIC 10" 150 watt sub woofer, however it's almost a moot point, as the Woofers on the Cerwin speakers are bigger (Why I didn't think of this when I got it - DOH!)
**IF YOU CAN FIND THE JBL DECADE 10 SUBWOOFER - GET IT! I Have that and like it better than the BIC - I've carpet in the living room, and the BIC is muted as the speakers point down into the carpet, the JBL driver faces out to the room - in a "DEAD" room - I've found this to work better.

The Denon is really nice in Dolby Digital. The MATRIX DVD kicks butt! For $307, it's GREAT BANG FOR THE BUCK!
The only other reciever I have that offers a better value is an Harmon Kardon AVR70 (Refurb, UBID, that I grabbed for 115 for the guest BR. By the way - overall my experience w/ UBID has been terrific w/ Stereos - and POOR with the computer CPU's I've got there. If you can find this for around this price, I think it's a super bargain with great sound. Go for it! I also just picked up some MUSIC TWO speakers from JBL and I really like them so far in the office.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Dolby Prologic (can't remember the number) I like this a lot better. JBL ESC550, HK AVR70

Ease of use, good HT

no DTS, no SVHS switching, remote, Radio station programing

The AVR-85 is a unit designed for Sears. It is a hybrid
AVR-1700 with 5 additional watts per channel putting it at
75/channel.
The unit is impressive in terms of operation
and ease of use. The remote is a bit stupid in that it has very few pre-programmed codes for DVD players etc. Fortunatly,
it has a learning funtion which helps a bit. Also, the unit will only program FM channels with only the signals it picks up in a scan, no ability to save AM stations. Wierd.
Overall I am satified with the Prologic and DD sound. However, I found the overall tone of the amps a bit bright or thin for my CDs.

Caution: Ubid advertised the unit as new. It is not as indicated by the 90 day warrantee. They have never responded to my faxes or e-mail. I will keep the unit because I like it and the price was right ($327)inspite of UBID. They suck, I should call the Ohio atorney general's office. Buyer beware.

Similar Products Used:

Carver 551.1, HK 45 prologic

I see lots of people have ordered this unit from online sources for more than $300. I picked one up through redtagoutlet.com for $299 + tax, no shipping. total cost was $311 delivered to my door. Although it is a factory refurb, it has zero signs of wear and tear. It looks brand new. I don't know their web address off-hand, but I would recommend searching for their site if you are interested in one of these receivers.

I will post a review on this unit later on. I am going to compare it to some other equip before I do. Not too pleased with the musicality so far, but I will compare to other equipment first.

To post this, I am only giving 4 stars. Until I compare, I can't say that it's "best in it's class". But then again, for $300, maybe it is! OK, 5...

Needless to say

Have no SVHS input, and no DTS

This receiver is absolutely great. For the price I paid for this receiver I think, this is the best receiver. It is awesome. No matters you are listenning to the music or watching movies, this receiver will take you to the another world of sound. Even though it is no DTS for this receiver, it still has the magnificent sound. I could spend more than a day just by telling how great this receiver is, but I think, it might be better if you can get one and try it for yourself. Then, you will understand what I and others who has had this receiver are talking about. Denon is always number 1 in my heart. Onkyo is the second.

Crisp Sound, nice look.

I purchased this unit from consumer-direct.com. They have a nice price($350 + s&h), and overall their service was very good.

I also like this unit very much. It perfectly matches with my Infinity RS-5 speakers. I've also looked denon Avr-3300, and avr-2800. They are nice. However, avr-85 definitely is a good deal when you don't need all their fancy feature.
One thing I miss is a s-video connections. but no big deal.