Lots of inputs, One-touch, EQ for each source, on-screen display, great remote

No switched outlets.

After enduring nearly 2 years with a receiver I didn't like, I finally went back to JVC and I am very happy. JVC is the best at system integration and ease of use. The sound quality is excellent. You have on-screen display of all functions and also listings of your FM presets and CDs with a JVC megachanger. This receiver gives you a user adjustable EQ setting for EACH source. This is a great feature that lets you get nice tonal balance when switching between sources. What is, in my opinion, the best feature of JVC is the one-touch operation. Previously called CSRP it allows you to preset all of your preferred receiver settings for each source. Just select a source and one-touch recalls your EQ, surround, dsp, and volume settings that you have programmed for that source. It is so simple even your kids can operate it and the proper settings are always recalled. This feature integrates nicely with CompuLink. Since my CD and Cassette are both JVC all I have to do is insert a CD or tape and press play. The receiver automatically switches to the correct source, and one-touch sets all of your settings for you. My whole family can operate the system with no problems now. No more long complicated instruction sheets! On a side note both my CD and cassette are 10 years old and the compulink is compatible and works flawlessly. I have read some of the other reviews and I have to disagree some on the remote. I really like the remote. It is layed out very logically and is easy to use. It controls my Sony DVD and Sony TV just fine. The buttons aren't lit, but the function buttons are large and have the correct shapes like a square for stop and a triangle for play. Volume and channel buttons are large and fit the thumb perfectly. Having a seperate tv volume button set is nice. Also having a TV Video select on its own button is nice. I have zero complaints about this remote and its functions. It works everything I have in my system well and is layed out well. There are some complaints on the volume control. I have to admit it has taken some getting used to. But here again JVC has put some real thought into this feature. You get much tighter control at lower volumes with the non-linear volume control. On other brands of equipment when you get down to the lower volumes you can run into it being too soft on one setting and too loud on the next click up. You won't have that problem with this one. Should be especially nice for those who live in apartments who need better control at lower volumes. Don't let the reviewer with the low power complaint fool you, there is plenty of power on tap. As for sound, just give DTS a try. I have to second the Eagles Hell Freezes Over DVD for its superb sound. DD and DTS is an excellent format for live music! For a feature packed receiver that is under 400 dollars this receiver is hard to beat.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STRDE915, JVC RX701 Circa 1989

Stereo Sound, attractive, bright display

Cannot dim the display for night use (more annoying than it might sound), DSP sound fields

I only use this for music, not home theater, though I do have rear speakers attached. After suffering through a lower end Sony which made music sound like my ears were filled with wax I accidentally poured liquid into it. (Could it be a Freudian spill??). I tried replacing it with a Kenwood 357, but I thought the Kenwood and its KAM-1 amp sounded just as bad and had no DSP modes to liven it up.

So instead I went with this JVC because it has the super-A amp which I know sounds nice from previous experience. And it does sound nice... .I was all smiles as soon as I heard the sound. I figured I would use a DSP sound field as I did with my Sony, but the decline in sound quality when using any of them was quite noticeable. Perhaps this unit just does a bad job at it, or perhaps after hearing the excellent stereo sound I just prefer no DSP on.

The volume knob calibration allows for precise volume adjustment at low levels, although at volume 15 it is difficult to hear any sound at all. I think some people might confuse this calibration with lack of power, but the sound is quite loud by the 30's. In this small room, anything above the mid 50's causes chest pain. I have not heard any humming from the rears in surround mode as some have complained about for various JVC receivers even when cranking it to volume 70 with a paused input.

A very major drawback of this receiver is the lack of ability to dim the display, which is much brighter to start with than on other brands which do offer this feature. While this display is excellent as long as there is some light in the room, when the lights are off this thing lights up the whole room and I have to cover it up with something when I want to sleep with music on. There was absolutely no excuse for JVC to shave a buck off their cost by leaving this out. For this reason I cannot give it 5 stars.

Similar Products Used:

old (1985) JVC super-A receiver, sony pro logic receiver (1996), Kenwood 357

Price, ease of operation, good amp and pre-amp performace.

Gets hot, no switched AC on back panel, amp channel gain not calibrate correctly, remote, brigh display and ugly.

Great product for the price. The Pioneer units have TERRIBLE pre-amps and one of them costs a lot more. They clip and distort all the time. I returned both of them. Try pluging headpphones to the Pioneer units and compare with other units at the same volume and check for yourself. The volume control on this unit is calibrated in a way that many users mistaken it for "lack of power". It is foolish to compare an "11 o'clock volume setting" on one make of reciever to another. Volume control is just gain, it has nothing to do with how much current the unit is capable of generating. This is a great unit.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX509 and VSX709, older Dolby surround JVC reciever, QSC amp

Handling many inputs, outputs, modes, and price

remote

I Love this receiver! It handles everything I throw at it!
I Can crank her up to 65-80 no prob without distortion.

My System:
TV - Toshiba 40H80 HDTV 16:9 Native.
DVD - JVC XV-S60 Progressive Scan DVD Player
AMP - JVC RX-8000V DD/DTS Receiver
SATS - Bell Expressvu 6000 HDTV receiver
VCR - RCA VCR 4 Head/HIFI

Speakers;
Fronts - JBL ND310 Monsters!!!
Rears - Sony SS-MF415
Center - Yamaha
SUB - Sony SA-W10 Powered Sub. <--next thing upgraded!

Similar Products Used:

2 Kenwood VR- Series, RCA MX series

Great sound, lots of features, compulink system

teenagers fool with the features, after I get them just right

My last JVC receiver was purchased in 1985 and worked just fine for almost 15 years. I'm confident that this one will give us the same service.

This unit has so many inputs and outputs you can configure it in many different ways. A little pre planning will help make things go smoother. The sound quality is excellent with plenty of power to drive my Polk Audio RM6600 speakers.

The graphic equalizer does a great job in stereo mode, it's important to turn it off when using home theater mode so you don't modify movie soundtracks.

The compulink system is one of the neatest things about JVC equipment. When you insert a DVD the receiver automaticially switched to DVD. When you hit play on a VCR tape the receiver switches to VCR. Pretty neat.

The video switching capability is also a great feature. With many home theater systems there is constant switching of the TV to go between video sources. This is especially true if you have direwct TV or Dish network. Just watching the local news can be a video switching nightmare. The JVC pretty well solves this problem. If you connect your off air coax to the VCR, and use S video for everything else, you can leave the TV set to Svideo and use the VCR as the TV tuner. The connections to the JVC receiver make this easy and also make the VCR capable of recording from any source, a really neat easy to use feature.

We're quite pleased with our receiver and the rest of the JVC components as well.

Similar Products Used:

older JVC receiver

Lots of features, DD and DTS decoders, JVC compu-link, JVC quality, sounds great, best bang for the buck, SEA settings

all the features might seem overwhelming at first! :)

I wasn't sure if it was worth changing to DD and DTS sound as soooo many people told me there wasn't a huge difference. I finally "took the risk" and boy was I blown away! The difference between Pro-logic and DD/DTS is like night and day! I chose JVC again because I have never had any problems with older JVC equipment. Also, for $350 US you just won't find another receiver with all these features! I think the sound quality (clarity, bass etc.) is incredible. I don't have any high-end or super high quality speakers but the sound is extremely clear. I haven't heard any hissing (like some other reviews mentioned) on any DVDs yet. The remote has a button for just about everything =). If you follow the instructions you'll set up the system without any hassles (it does take a bit of time though). The JVC-8000vbk really is a great receiver. It's definitely above mid-end systems!

Similar Products Used:

older JVC pro-logic unit

Price, Brand name, High current amp, too many options to say

No dimmer for sleep mode.

120 watts of high-current amps and supreme clarity. Not to mention every option under the sun for an extremely great price. This receiver is truly amazing.Example: dsp modes with adjustable amount of effect 1-5, center speaker tone adjust from softer-soft-flat-crisp-crisper, adjustable frequency for 80-100-120hz on small speaker choice, two sub preamp outputs,- you really don't need a sub if you have good speakers because of the sea (equalizer) and bass boost. I have a 10 yr pair of advent prodigy towers- 8in long throw and 1in dome tweet and my feet vibrate on the couch with the bass boost off! My neighbors thought they heard gunshots when watching The Crow- shooting fun boy. Don't be fooled by high end products give this reciever a try and take it back if you do not like it. No I am not in sales. But I am a very picky shopper. Check the specs...

Lots of features.

Lack of Power.

At present time I am in search of a low cost Audio-Video Receiver. I reviewed this receiver with the Pioneer and Technics. I really liked the features of this receiver. It looked solid and the controls had a good feel to them. After checking the looks and feel of this unit I decided to give it a listen, Boy was I disappointed. Who determines what the power output of these receivers should be. I had the salesman set the controls of all three receivers to 1/4 of the volume level. First I listened to the JVC, it sounded good, then he switched it to the Pioneer, and WOW the sound level was twice as loud. I had to crank the volume of the jvc to 60-65 to equal the same volume level of the Pioneer (Still a 1/4 turn). The max volume level of the JVC is 90. The big surprise is when he switched the Technics on, the sound level was the same as the pioneer and louder then the JVC. What is it with manufactures like JVC and Kenwood where they rate a receiver at 100W and the power output is more like 40 watts. If this unit was sold as a 40 watt receiver for about $250 the would be a great receiver. But as a 100w receiver for $350 it is not a great buy. I give this a 3 for this. For features i would give it a 5. I really wanted this receiver after reading about the features, but after listening and comparing I would take the pioneer over it.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX-D458, Technics SA-DX930

Power, easy to use

Remote is a little intimidating

So far my unit has been great. This is my first attempt at building a home theater and I relied quite a bit on recommendations from this site. I don't use mine for music very much, but for home theater it absolutly ROCKS!!!! I've watched about 20 DVDs in the last few months and I have no complaints. Some people have mentioned it's not very powerful, well come on over. I watch movies at 45-50 (volume goes to 90 exponentially) and my system makes the windows rattle. I haven't have any overheating issues either. Sure it gets warm after a few hours of use, but not hot. Overall I think this is a great unit. I've had JVC products in the past and have never been disappointed. I continue to be impressed.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, older model JVCs

large informative display, binding posts

remote will not operate non-JVC CD player, no dimmer, volume has to be set rather high for normal listening levels

This is a very nice receiver at an attractive price. It has a large display that can be easily read from a distance. The display is a bit bright though and there is no dimmer feature. You'll find binding posts for all of your speaker connections unlike similarly priced Sony models. The remote will control non-JVC DVDs, VCRs, TVs and CATV/DBS units. Unfortunately it doesn't have any built-in codes for Sony CD players and is not a "learning" remote either. Also, the remote is not backlit so you won't be able to use it much in the dark. The receiver does have onscreen menus though so you only need to hit the menu button to access many of the features. Unlike other reviews here, my receiver barely gets warm to the touch after a 2 hour movie at high listening levels. I'd surmise that the problem lies with the impedance switch rather than any defect in the receiver. If you're running 4 Ohm speakers at the 8 Ohm setting, it's gonna get warm on you so be careful. The biggest drawback for me is the volume control. It is adjustable from 0-90 and I always find myself cranking it up to 55-65 for decent volume with movies.

Similar Products Used:

older JVC receiver