I really wanted to like this receiver. The price/features for a Digital Reciever was great.
I read most of the other reviews and was a little worried about overheating/rear speaker hiss and low bass output. I also read all the good reviews and decided on purchasing the receiver in a local store (it cost about $50 more than online, but I figured it'd be a lot easier to return the unit if I had any problems.

After one day of testing, It turns out I made a good decision (to buy the unit locally). I plan to return this reciever immediately.
After about ten minutes of use, I could smell the reciever - it was starting to get hot.
As far as the reviewer who said they never put the volume higher than 67 - in my case with some good JBL Speakers, 67 is normal TV Volume. The power output is not very good. After about 75 on the dial volume, the hiss starts real bad in the rear speakers (otherwise though, the real speakers are really quite - almost no power to them). Same with my powered subwoofer. Bass Output is horrible.
I reconnected my old Onkyo Dolby ProLogic Reciever - so much better. I guess I'll have to save up to buy an Onkyo Dolby Digital (hopefully with DTS).

I work in the Home Audio Dept. at Circuit City. I selected the RX884 to be my Dolby Digital Receiver for my home theater system. I think that for the price, you can not beat this receiver. I only use it for home theater. The receiver is running a pair of Polk RT600's for front, CS300 for center, LSFX for rears, and the PSW140 for the sub. This receiver makes all my Polk speakers sound great. I have not had a problem with hissing at all, but I also do not listen to the receiver above the Volume level of 55. I have sold a bunch and never had one come back with a problem. I wish I could say the same for Kenwood, Pioneer, Sony (the STRDE825 and 925 are nothing but problems--do not buy Sony receivers!!!) even the good old Onkyo, and Harman Kardon (I sold a guy a brand new AVR65, he brought it back because the first one was defective, got 2 more brand new models, lost the sale to a store that carried Denon). I can't wait for the new RX888vbk to come out. This receiver is a steal for the price, plus has 2 digital optical, 1 coaxial digital, 5 video inputs including S-video. You can't beat this receiver. I have been very pleased, plus I get to play with this stuff all day, so I really love this receiver.

I bought the 884 about 6 weeks ago for $320 online. The features that intrigued me were the Dolby Digital and S-Video capabilities for a rock bottom price. Also has the compulink for my VCR and Monitor. The sound quality is good, but not great. I have noticed the heat from extended use, but the heat is not excessive enough to worry me. My room layout (16' x 20' w/ cathedral ceilings) does not allow me to stand volumes above 60 on the dial. I have not noticed any hiss from my rears, but do have weak responses from my fronts at low volume. I have all Infinity as my HT sound. Fronts are Reference 2000.4, center is the CC2 which is an excellent choice, rears are the QPS1 quadpoles, and the sub is the BU 120. I beleive I have an excellent sound system for a cost under $900. So, the problem is not with my speakers. I will recommend this receiver to someone that is a casual listener on a limited budget who wants the advantage of DDS. But don't expect a top of the line amp for a bottom line price. Because of the average output at low volumes, coupled with the heat, I will give this receiver a rating of three stars.

First off, I'm beginning to suspect there is more than one version of this receiver. Perhaps the oldest batch has the problems described by some here and the newer hasn't. I recently purchased the 884R (which I suspect is the European counterpart of the 884VBK) and I have none of the problems that are described here. Here in the Netherlands, DD receivers are quite expensive and at $600, the 884 is just about the cheapest one you can get.
I was amazed at the options this receiver had. I had been reading several newsgroups to find out about DD receivers and I came to the conclusion that if I wanted a DD receiver with all the options I *needed*, it would cost me at least $1000. First of all, I did not want to by a seperate subwoofer. My front speakers are old, but truly incredible. I have a lot of friends which are true audiophiles and spend muchos dollars on their audio set-up. But all of them are jealous of my speakers because they sound so incredibly good. Second, I wanted a DD receiver with both coaxial and optical digital inputs. Third, I wanted to have the decoder and amplifier in one. And last but not least, I wanted power.

My brother wanted the same and couldn't wait. He bought the most expensive Sony DD receiver available. I waited and accidently bumped into this JVC. To my suprise this receiver had all the options I wanted. And it was the cheapest I had seen. I figured that the sound-quality probably wasn't all that good because the low price had to have a reason.

Simply amazing receiver. The sounds is *very* good. I can't understand the complaints at all about the lack of bass in DD5.1 mode. I tested one DVD: "Armageddon", and at a volume level of 60, I thought my windows were going to pop because of the loud bass... And it has a very good dynamic range also. You know those very low bass sounds that you can hardly hear but for some reason turn your stomach? That was what was coming from this receiver... The channel seperation was also incredible. No crossover whatsoever.

And about the hissing: when I turned the volume up to 70, with no sound playing through the speakers, I could hear a slight hiss when I put my ear against the speaker. But from a distance of more than a feet, I could not hear anything.

So my first impression of this receiver is, well, it's impressive! And compared to my brother's very expensive Sony? My setup sounds much, much better. The difference is the speakers. Connect a bunch of good speakers, use good wires and I'll bet you'll be amazed too.

After some unexpected financial problems my hopes of a new heavyweight receiver were dashed, so I traded my top of the food chain Pioneer Elite DPL unit in on a DD model-the JVC 884. Now my Pioneer was a few years old, and had a bevy of quirks that I despised, but one thing coninued to rock my world...a +10db gain at 45 Hz. But I just could not live with DPL so I had to make due, traded a friend with the JVC 884, for my unit and a middle line Mitsubishi VCR. It was an odd trade but with DVD, Laserdisc, and a new DD DSS I could live with Pro Logic no more. Well here is my summary: EXCELLENT stereo power and reproduction, with good control over tonal balance from 40hz to 20khz, the sub 50hz is helped a bit through it's loud control, but can never give you a heart attack- unless you spent alot on this reciever- which you won't. I have three 15" Sunfire 500W RMS subs one for each front main and one for LFE, so I have been able to completely overcome the problem of a slightly weak low-end performance in surround modes, which depending on the sensitivity and construction of yur mains/surrounds may not be a problem- my mains and surrounds are 98db at 1watt/1meter with 15" woofers and even with the subs off can give a more impressive show than most systems costing well over 5 times of this unit. The DSP modes are worthless, I went through them once and that was it! The adjustable EQ settings are very nice and give mellow tweaks- the center EQ is a godsend for all multichannel information. Very good OSD- sadly it is a pain to switch the loud setting on and off but hey everything has a drawback. video switching is first rate, nice to see S-video in a receiver this price. Here are the drawbacks- I've only noticed hissing (in surround modes) at 67+ and for the amount of sound coming from 98db speakers is to be expected in a budget receiver- at 67 my cones are killing me at 123db!- I'll live with the noise. The amps are not premium, but I didn't expect it to give Mark Levingston a run for his money- THIS IS A $350ISH RECEIVER! Don't compare this to anything above this price range without understanding that this is a BUDGET receiver, and a not to shabby one at that. The heat problem with mine is average, make a fan for $10, or here's a new one FOLLOW THE MANUAL ON HOW MUCH AREA IT NEEDS TO BREATHE! I applaude JVC for a versatile s-video, 3 digital input, banana plug compatable, listen to one source watch another, plenty of tape-MD-VCR looping, text compulink, DD, killer stereo performance and an attractive easy to read face. It deserves 5 stars for it's price and features, but hey- it's no Yamaha DSP-A1 or Marantz SR-18, and like it or not it is a 4 and 1/4 stars all around.

After some unexpected financial problems my hopes of a new heavyweight receiver were dashed, so I traded my top of the food chain Pioneer Elite DPL unit in on a DD model-the JVC 884. Now my Pioneer was a few years old, and had a bevy of quirks that I despised, but one thing coninued to rock my world...a +10db gain at 45 Hz. But I just could not live with DPL so I had to make due, traded a friend with the JVC 884, for my unit and a middle line Mitsubishi VCR. It was an odd trade but with DVD, Laserdisc, and a new DD DSS I could live with Pro Logic no more. Well here is my summary: EXCELLENT stereo power and reproduction, with good control over tonal balance from 40hz to 20khz, the sub 50hz is helped a bit through it's loud control, but can never give you a heart attack- unless you spent alot on this reciever- which you won't. I have three 15" Sunfire 500W RMS subs one for each front main and one for LFE, so I have been able to completely overcome the problem of a slightly weak low-end performance in surround modes, which depending on the sensitivity and construction of yur mains/surrounds may not be a problem- my mains and surrounds are 98db at 1watt/1meter with 15" woofers and even with the subs off can give a more impressive show than most systems costing well over 5 times of this unit. The DSP modes are worthless, I went through them once and that was it! The adjustable EQ settings are very nice and give mellow tweaks- the center EQ is a godsend for all multichannel information. Very good OSD- sadly it is a pain to switch the loud setting on and off but hey everything has a drawback. video switching is first rate, nice to see S-video in a receiver this price. Here are the drawbacks- I've only noticed hissing (in surround modes) at 67+ and for the amount of sound coming from 98db speakers is to be expected in a budget receiver- at 67 my cones are killing me at 123db!- I'll live with the noise. The amps are not premium, but I didn't expect it to give Mark Levingston a run for his money- THIS IS A $350ISH RECEIVER! Don't compare this to anything above this price range without understanding that this is a BUDGET receiver, and a not to shabby one at that. The heat problem with mine is average, make a fan for $10, or here's a new one FOLLOW THE MANUAL ON HOW MUCH AREA IT NEEDS TO BREATHE! I applaude JVC for a versatile s-video, 3 digital input, banana plug compatable, listen to one source watch another, plenty of tape-MD-VCR looping, text compulink, DD, killer stereo performance and an attractive easy to read face. It deserves 5 stars for it's price and features, but hey- it's no Yamaha DSP-A1 or Marantz SR-18, and like it or not it is a 4 and 1/4 stars all around.

This is an embarrasing review. Very much so...So I got my 884 from 800.com, good deal but I could have gotten it cheaper but they threw in some speakers which I do not use and gave free shipping. Hooking it up was easy as they always are and when I finally got it going, I found the sound to be acceptable. I have different standards for audio Hi Fi vs Video Hi Fi. In my opinion, video HF should be an intence experience with as much kidney damaging bass as possible. Audio Hi Fi should be refined and in a different room all together. Just an opinion...But sonically, the JVC does what I want it to do. Shake the walls.
But there is truth to the axiom that those who cannot write, write technical manuals. The JVC manual is the POOREST manual I have ever read. And read it I did. This is the embarrasing part. Ready??? I know all about audio. I worked in a high end audio salon. I know the gear. But I spent literally spent 14 weenie shrinking hours trying to get the Dolby Digital to work!!! First, the speakers would only be pro logic, then the DD would kick in and only the front speaks would work, then all audio info would go to the sub. I finally hit the right buttons in the right sequence--that the manual did not tell me what that sequence was--and poof--the dog I was about to hear did indeed come from the left loudspeaker only. ( He who is an audiophile, let him hear)
So five stinkin speakers for value, another five for performance and two for thaty damn manual.

I bought the jvc 884 and it is the best receiver that I have ever owned. The Digital Dobly makes my DVD movies com alive. The sound quality for CD's was just unreal. For the money this was a great buy, and worth every penney.

It's interesting to read reviews of a product that I have owned and been happy with for over a year(I never read a review before I bought it), especially when their mixed from poor to great.I've been nothing but impressed with the quality of this unit since I bought it (for $499 in June 98)and I would look to JVC again for another purchase of this kind.To tell you the truth, I don't think this unit "looks" any nicer or any cooler than any other unit, I bought it for the Dolby Digital decoder,S-video/optical inputs,the power/wattage rating, and of course the reasonable price.I do not use the S.E.A EQ for bass & treble (I like to keep movies and music the way they were intended to be), I don't use DSP modes (Dolby Digital,Pro-Logic, or Off only), and DTS is totally a non-concern for me (my DVD is not DTS capable and either is the 75 DVD's in my collection).I have my unit hooked up to a Polk Audio speaker setup - RT600 fronts,CS275 center,f/x500 rears (which rule) and no sub...yet.I do agree that in order to really kick some butt I have to turn the volume to about 54-57, but once there it's movie theatre quality all the way and I have no hiss complaints at all.The on-screen gui is easy to work with and a must have for any enthusiast who is constantly adjusting and tweaking to get it "just right" (the settings need to be slightly adjusted when going from Starship Troopers to The Jerk)
I realize this review is a total non-issue, considering that this model of receiver probably isn't sold anymore because of newer 1999 models and nobody is going to be looking for a review before they buy this new, but after I read all the negative reviews I just had to get my opinion off my chest.I've heard the more expensive models from Yamaha,Denon,etc and I do agree that they are nice and have new features but I am totally happy with my JVC.

I purchased this model refurbished from webauction.com for $225 + $13 S&H. It took about 3 hours to set everything up. Most of the 3 hours was spent determining that the tuner didn't work and the subwoofer output didn't work. I'm aware the subwoofer has to be set to yes. The tuner produced a dead air hiss sound in the left front speaker and nothing in the right front speaker. The same result occured when testing with headphones on AM and FM and with three different antennas. On a side note, the antenna that shipped with the receiver had U shaped connectors which can't be connected to the antenna inputs on the receiver. I used other antennas with stripped wire connections. I took the unit into an authorized JVC repair shop to fix the tuner and subwoofer about 5 days ago and it hasn't been repaired yet. I know when you buy something refurbashed your taking a risk, but the reciever had a tested OK document with it.
This is what I liked about the reciever 1) The dolby digital sounds great without a subwoofer. I'm assuming that if the subwoofer is set to no, the bass frequencies go to the remaining speakers because the bass sounded fine. 2) I liked the s video inputs. S video definately looks sharper than coaxial or rca like connections.

This is what I didn't like (Besides it's defects) 1) The assignable dolby digital isn't completely assignable. It's multiple choice. I wanted to have my DSS on 3 and DVD on 2, but it's not an option. I had to have my DSS on 2 and DVD on 3. Not a big deal though. 2) I'm used to receivers with volume controls that go from say 0 to 10. It gives me an idea of how close I am to maxing out the receiver. The volume control on this receiver just goes round and round with a +DB setting. How can I tell if the volume is up half way?