I recently purchased the VR-209 after I found it for 299.99 @ Circuit City. Not having the money to buy a Super System, I thought that this might be a way to get a Dolby Digital System with out breaking the bank.
I really didn't expect to be blown away, but after getting the VR-209 connected to my system and playing several different DVDs I found my chin dropping to my chest more than once. I have a Phillips/Magnavox DVD815AT and have been listening to it on an old Pioneer Pro Logic reciever and was impressed with the way that the Kenwood completely blew it away.

Yea sure, it would have been nice to have bought seperates, but as an entry level reciever this one really does a great job.

When I bought this receiver for $299 in March of '99, I was expecting good things, because I knew how well Kenwood had served my family's needs in the past. Boy, was I blown away. This little box now has my ears ringing and my checkbook just a little lighter than before. For the cash, you can't go wrong with this receiver or its replacement, the VR-309. I can't tell you how well this thing performs. Fairly quiet, with a fabulous remote control. Long live Kenwood.

40hz-20kz is what they rate the power at, not the frequency range of the receiver. If they rated it 20hz-20khz the power rating would drop from 100 to about 70-80 watts per channel. I've own 2 of these receivers, paying $274 each delivered, and could not be happier with my purchase. Would like S-video switching and another digital in and an a digital out. More power would also be a plus. But for a sub $300 receiver (purchased 6 months ago, cheaper now) I think it can't be beat.
What the amplifier lacks in power it makes up in sound quality. A very spacious sound stage. Made my narrow sounding Infinity SM series speakers come to life.
I was watching Star Trek - First Contact on laser disc and was 3/4 of the way through the movie before I realized I was in stereo mode instead of pro-logic. I when I finally went digital adding an RF demodulator and a DVD player for Christmas. Wow! Remote is better than most. Can control all my stuff without turning on the lights. Just some commands that would get used are missing here and there.
Only thing I would make sure is if you are buying this unit for you main room, a powered sub is a must. This alleviates alot of the stress from the amp, allowing much higher volume levels. Also try and get somewhat efficient speakers. My lil brother has my other VR-209 in his bedroom with the Infinity 5pc Minuette set. They are rated at 87db. I would not go any lower than that, especially without a sub.
Because of the price, this is definately a 5 star item. Sounds cleaner and more spacious than the Pioneer 608 that just came out.
I will be purchasing their DTS version (VR-309) to go with my Take 5 set in the living room. Very impressed with Kenwood's entry level line.

Feeling a little more well heeled than usual, thanks to a bonus check from work and a birthday check from my mom, I went out in search of something to upgrade my system. After already buying new speakers yesterday, ( Tannoy M2s,awesome see review)I realized my receiver (Kenwood 103AR) was decidedly lacking. Although it was lower in distortion and better than anything I had auditioned in my usual dim price range ,it was a bit flat and compressed sounding. So I ended up at Sears, where low and behold, the Kenwood VR209 is on sale for $319. Since I work at Sears, with my employee discount, I paid about $278. I knew that with Sears return policy, if I didn't think it sounded very good, I could return it. I was not prepared for the improvement in sound quality I experienced. I have had bad experiences with home theater receivers in the past, the sound being even flatter and thinner than my previous Kenwood, which was stereo only. I thought I was paying more for sound quality that way,instead of movie decoding. But the thing that intrigued me about the 209 is that it has built in 20 bit D to A convertors, so it's a major sound upgrade to my CD player and receiver in one package, because the 209's D to A convertors are more balanced and more detailed, although not quite as dynamic as the one in my Technics SL-PG480a CD player. This receiver has proved to me that 5-channel dolby digital stuff can sound as good as 2-channel. Five unhesitant stars for first class sound as a receiver, and for first class sound as a D to A convertor, of which inexpensive outboard ones cost as much as the 209!!

I just recently upgraded 2 months ago from a older Kenwood DPL reciever that was a lower end model that i was satisfied with . It was time to upgrade to a DD 5.1 reciever model VR-209 for DVD playback . the perforamnce of the 209 is outstanding !!! It blows the older DPL away, with both 5.1 and DPL it is exceptional . Amplifier current is much higher it is accurate with much more depth to the soundstage the imaging is superb with my loudspeakers properly aligned and calibrated for optimal imaging . At $350 the performance is comrable to the higher end units i have heard for the price it is well worth it and with DVD there is no turning back . With any body upgrading form there past DPL to 5.1 Give the kenwood 209 and any other 5.1 Kenwood recievers you will be most happy with the performance . i am floored with the 209 ! Buy it and ENJOY !

This receiver has great sound for the price($249) at netmarket, it also has digital which is why i ended up buyin this one. I listened to several other receivers such as the sony str825, the yamaha of equivalent price(sorry cant remeber the model number) and a couple others. As far as features go i thimk the sony was a little better however, the kenwood just seemed to have a little more umph to it, it just sounded no felt like it had more presence when it was on, the yamaha was alright but i dont think they really shine unless youre in the upper end of their line. The one thing i dont understand is why it doesnt have any dsp modes, or s-video links, i guess they fixed the s-video problem in the 300 series but why no dsp's i mean really dont all prologic receivers have them? But other then those 2 problems i really like this receiver although i can only give it a 3 star for overall(cant give it a 4 or that would rank it up with receivers it shouldnt be ranked with) but if you take price into consideration then you cant beat this deal at any level so i give it a 5 for value. If youre thinkin about getting this however dont, get the 309, they added the s-video and dts or an extra 50 bucks, now thats a steal.

I bought this about a month ago at Onsale for $181 (+ shipping). I thought it was a good deal at the time (even though it was refurbished), and I still do. The clarity is better than I have expected. The one major flaw is that it really doesn't send enough bass to my front speakers, plus the "bass boost" feature sounds like crap. This flaw is pretty obvious with most types of music, and it is especially noticeable in movies. But since I am not a huge fan of wall-shaking bass, it doesn't bother me too much.One thing: if you are planning to get this receiver, don't get it at Onsale, try webauction instead, in their one hour auctions they sell for a LOT less than Onsale.
3.5 stars for sound, 4 stars considering value

I bought the Kenwod VR-209 the other day from Sam's Club for $249.99 (after $30 rebate) and must say that I got a heck of a deal. I am currently running some cheapo speakers (KLH 9123 fronts, Cerwin Vega HT-MDC center, 40 watt Realistic rears) and with the Dolby Digital feature they sound awesome. If I had good speakers and I powered sub, I can't imagine what it'd sound like! There are a couple of downsides to the receiver: a crappy bass boost, no DSP modes, no DTS (although very few DVD's offer DTS right now), however, it does offer 5.1 inputs, so if you have a DVD player w/built in DTS there should be no problem. Also the remote is pretty cool, that is after you've spent a week figuring it out. Just a tip, if you're trying to get Dolby Digital, make sure the DVD player is set on AC-3, and make sure the movie is set up in 5.1 English Dolby Surround (I had a few problems there, but it wasn't the receivers fault). If I bought this receiver for $600-$700, I'd give it 4 stars, but for the value I must give it a 5 out of 5 rating.

I purchased the VR-209 after my Denon AVR-900 receiver quit on me. I must admit the name Kenwood made me very skeptical but for under $300.00 I had to give it a try. The receiver is great and I recommend it for any one with a tight budget. Look for higher quality companies such as Denon and Onkyo to make a model to compete with the VR-209.

Purchased the 209 from Onsale for $184 + shipping. Got the receiver 1 week back and was impressed with its features and quality. I have the 209 hooked up to the Energy Take 5 + EXL-8 subwoofer. The front end is Toshiba VCR and Toshiba 2109 DVD player. Excellent audio quality and in DD I was really impressed. I have watched around 8 DVD movies till now and really enjoyed every minute of it.I would recomend this receiver as an entry level but all the good qualities of more expensive units.
Very easy to set up and the remote is quite flexible.
Highly recommended.