I've been using mine since I bought it used in 2001. I feel compelled to write a review on this as I've just read a bunch of reviews on this tonight and have a few bits of advice to those who comment on the lack of power and bass. You obviously aren't setting this up properly if you think it lacks power! First off I was dissappointed in the sound qaulity when I first listened to music in 2 channel stereo, thought it lacked power and sounded tinny. Then I started experimenting with settings and found the best way to solve the volume issue is when you are setting the levels up in the test mode for 5.1 surround, turn the front speaker settings (L and R) ALL THE WAY UP. Yes this setting affects the speakers even in 2 channel stereo - once you set the levels to their max you will notice a HUGE difference in stereo music qaulity, And as far as the bass goes, make sure the subwoofer setting is correct, as if it is set to on/present then the bass is filtered out of the front speakers even in stereo mode. Also compare the difference between midnight mode being on or off. Once I figured these couple of things out (which was a whole YEAR later, I disconnected my old Kenwood that I had been using exclusively for music. I will say dollar for dollar, I couldn't have done better, but this is a SURROUND SOUND RECIEVER so of course it outshines itself with the movie/surround usage tover the 2 channel stereo experience. I hope this helps somebody.........

- 100 watts / channel
- Dolby Digital 5.1 surround
- Very little heat production from the KAM amplifier
- Simple to set up and use

- No DTS

The Kenwood VR-307 provides clear and crisp Dolby Digital 5.1 decoding. I have it connected to Cerwin Vega E310's, HT-SAT5 surrounds, HT-CTR24 center, and an HT-S10 subwoofer. The VR-307 pumps out excellent power to all speakers enveloping the listener in 5.1 discrete channels of crystal clear surround sound. When the receiver kicks into dedicated stereo mode it pumps out an extra 20 watts to the fronts giving 120 watts.

I have connected many different components to this receiver (satellite audio, cable audio, PS2, computer audio, DVD) and they all performed flawlessly.

I have had this receiver for over 5 years and still have no reason to upgrade. The Kenwood VR307 is still the best part of my home theater setup.

I would definitely recommend the VR307 to any one looking for a bargain home theater receiver.

Customer Service

I have never had a problem with this receiver.

Crisp powerful sound, no quirks or heat. Runs extremely cool. This thing rules

Weird volume display, runs backwards in numbers to 0 being the loudest. But all KW stuff is like that. If anyone knows why, let me know!

This receiver has suited me well for a few years. For all you canucks, it might not be quite enough, but this thing does well for folks who just want to enjoy home theater or stereo cd sound without complaining about the wattage or the 1db difference in signal/noise ratio in listening to the digital outputs compared to some other high-dollar receiver. This thing rocks like hell. As I type I am listening to some old Grateful Dead re-released on cd with digital re-mastering, and some say it only has 48 watts rms. I'm sorry, girls, this thing rocks my Bose 201s like nobody's business. I have Sound Dynamics center and surrounds, and a Sony 10" sub. I love this receiver!! It does everything I want it to, always runs cool, never coughs, never gives me headaches, and really gets the job done. I live in a small house, but I can appreciate good sound. I have never had digital sound, but the DVD and the CD are hooked up through the fiber optic input and the DVD is hooked up to the tv through S-video. I enjoy the sound and the picture. I don't care what anyone says, even on the tuner setting, this receiver rattles the house. So what if you have to turn it up to 38? You are just getting in to the power of this piece. If I had the money, I would buy Adcom stuff, but this cheap receiver allows me to enjoy the sounds of a higher priced unit with similar features. If you want more digital inputs, consider the fact that this thing has a digital input for the DVD and for the CD player. If you need more than that, you are in the wrong league of audio anyway, so quit complaining. I know that Kenwood is proud of their namesake, but hell they have been around a long time and they know how to build electronics.

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Sony, Onkyo, Technics

Value, ease of use, sound

no DTS (who cares?)

This receiver is a great value. It is the same as the 309 except no DTS, S-video, and a different remote. There are only a few DVDs that have DTS and I have seen many reviews that say Dolby Digital sounds better. The manual is very good...you can set it up with the remote only and it is easy. I tried a Yamaha and it was horrible, Denon ok. Excellent in DD and stereo. Highly recommended.

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Yamaha 595, Technics, Denon 1600

Lots of features, onboard digital, lots of control.

If you compare it to my Nakamichi AV 500, it doesnt seem as powerfull or to have as good sound.

I was going to upgrade from my Nakamichi AV 500 (110 watts per front channel and 50 watts per rear channel, The Kenwood had more features and had digital onboard however, when I got it home and hooked it up I noticed immediately that it sounded much different...for the worst. Im not trying to put it down but it did not have as good of sound, nor was it as powerful. The sound seem as different as night and day to me and when I purchased the Kenwood I did not think that loosing 10 watts per front channel would matter that much but it did, from seeming like I was going to blow my house apart to ....well...kindof weak. But i imagine that if I went from something less powerful to the Kenwood VR307 I would have been completely happy with it. Needless to say I took it back to Circuit City the next day and got a refund. One more strong point for the Kenwood, when I changed from Video to cd or to any other mode, i got no *pop* from my subwoofer like I do from the Nakamichi which is my only real complaint about the it.

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Nakamichi AV 500

price, features, overall quality

no dsp, dts, optical digital

As one reviewer stated, vindicated as a consumer!! For $200 unbelievable what you get. Im a realist, Im sure it would not stack up well against some of the heavy hitters, and much more expensive. But I dont care, not only are all of the features there, they work, and the machine sounds great. The weakness's I stated to me are not that important. Ive read on these pages that co-ax is preferable to optical digital connection, DTS is overblown, and DSP, although important, I really dont care about. With some older Infinity's up front, a better car speaker as the center, and two bookshelf Pioneer's as the surround, Dolby Digital sounds awesome in my Apt living room. Defintely recommend. Have heard good things about Kenwood also.

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pioneer 3000 (over 10 years old)

Price,Style,Quality Sound

Not enough digital inputs

This the best receiver that I have ever purchased. Caught it on sale at Bryn and Mawr stereo and video for $199. It sounds great and has a sleek and cool style. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an affordable dolby digital audio receiver for a great price.

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Crappy Stereo Receiver

Cheap, no hiss in Dolby Digital, nice clarity, runs cool

-NO BASS OUTPUT
-Crappy stereo music reproduction
-100 watt power rating is way off
-DID I MENTION LACK OF BASS OUTPUT???

Over all, this is a decent reciever for a budget H/T system. I would love some more bass from my mains, center and surrounds. If your going to be buying a subwoofer/satellite system the lack of bass shouldn't be a problem but otherwise without a subwoofer, this thing SUCKS.

Other than the bass thing, this reciever is pretty decent except that my subwoofer just started making a LOUD humming noise and I am sure it is the amp that is at fault. It is being repaired right now and it is going to take 4-5 weeks to get fixed so in the mean time I might go buy myself a good amp, maybe a Yamaha or Marantz.

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First Dolby Digital amp

Plenty of inputs and plenty of sound.

None.

This product is a great bang for a small buck. I got this puppy over at Bryn Mawr Stereo. It only cost me $199.

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Kenwood VR-207

power, sound quality

use of tone controls in stereo mode only

This receiver is great for the $200 I paid for it at Tweeter. It has sounds terrific even with 4 ohm speakers and I am not in the least upset that I saved my self some serious loot by not getting HK, Denon or Onkyo. It doesn't have much in the looks dept but what I really care about is that it can do movies (no dts) and music without sounding thin. Its two coaxial and one optical input make the unit easy to add on digital sources and the unit has a three-way display dimmer and easy direct chapter access. By far the best bang for the buck out there!

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