PRICE, s-video switching, on board dolby digital AC-3, on board DTS

AT 271 dollars, absolutely none.

271 dollars total price from Fry's Electronics. Even better than uBid.
How can you go wrong for this price. Finally replaced vintage 70's gear. Hooking up and getting everything working as it should takes a college degree but is big time fun if your a twidget like me. You can better equipment but not a better deal. Highly recommended.

Does what it says, and does it pretty well!

Weak bass (put a powered sub and you're okay), no DSP.

This receiver has it all. Dolby Digital (AC3), DTS decoding, PCM playback at up to 96khz, S-video and composite switching, automatic input naming (which can be quite neat when I consider I've always been using 'Video2' for DVD, 'DAT' for CD2 and 'MD' for DSS).

Quite robust system, with enough settings to please. I must say I wasn't impressed in the music department. (I had to expect that from a system without DSP).

Using it with my Bose Accoustimass 5 home theater speakers is like a perfect wedding. Sound is rich and detailled with DVD audio. Can't ask for more.

The remote is a bit complex but after a few headaches, I got used to it and now it's like every other remote.

It's worth every penny, and then some!

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Sony STR4507, Aiwa minitheater, generic Pioneer AC3

Feature; price

Weak documentation; diffucult (to understand) remote; mediocre stereo audio quality

Don't make the same mistake I did and buy this at UBID. I bid $214, paid $263 (after shipping and "handling"), and got only a 3 month guarantee from UBID. My understanding is that the standard manufacturer's warrantee of 2 years does not apply unless you buy from an authorized dealer. Today, my local "authorized dealer" put this unit on sale for $199. Given this, UBID was hardly a bargain. They also have a convenient "no return under practically any circumstances" policy.

After spending hours trying to hook this thing up, I finally got to hear some music. The quality was mediocre at best. Although there was no overt distortion, it lacked crispness and definition. If you are looking for high fidelity, go elsewhere. Specifications obviously don't tell the whole story.

The digital surround worked fine. The video switching also worked well. This unit is fine for home theatre. However, I'll be keeping my old receiver connected for listening to music.

If you buy one of these, remember that the video switching separates the S-VHS and composite inputs. For instance, if you plug your DVD S-VHS output to an S-VHS input of the receiver, the output is reflected only in the S-VHS output, not the composite output. I assumed that any S-VHS input would be available to both the S-VHS and composite outputs. When this did not happen, I assumed the unit was defective. Now I wish the it had been defective (I could have returned it).

The FM is pretty good; the AM is a little weak;

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Dynaco, Fisher, Sherwood amps/receivers

value, features, ease of use

none so far

Got for $199 brand new! Loaded with features, and after reading paragraph describing how first time use of remote changes name on the inputs, was breeze to setup. Drives my home theater quite nicely, and sounds great for music also. Remote is quite flexible, and I cant believe there is a receiver out there now delivering as much power, features, flexibility, and of course clean sound for this price! Dont get me wrong, if it sounded like crap, felt cheap, ect, it would be going right back! Highly recommend, although if you cant find the 309 for around this price, the 307 I had for awhile was very, very capable.

Similar Products Used:

kenwood 307

Price (for DD&DTS), S-Video, Style

Lack of bass, especially in Stereo

I bought this because it was the cheapest that I could find to incorporate DD, DTS and S-Video. At the time it seemed like the best choice. However, bass is weak, especially in Stereo. In fact, Stereo performance is less than stellar altogether. DD and DTS are its redeeming factors and not much out there within the price range can compete with it. 100 Watts seems a bit excessive. In fact, HT magazine rated it at around 110 max, so I'm guessing at around 60-65 minimum RMS.
I think that this is simply a matter of priorities. If money is not a huge issue, then don't buy it (I wouldn't buy it again). Rather, save up for the new models that everyone is starting to put out. As a cheap, short-term solution this is quite satisfactory. Of course, if money is not an issue at all, then you are looking at the wrong review.
The remote I think is a matter of luck. Others claim to have no problem, yet I cannot operate my DVD (RAITE) or CD (HK) at all. It doesn't even operate my TV's (JVC) or VCR's (SHARP) menus!

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Old Philips, Sony DB Series, JVC

DD & DTS, toslink input, 2 coax inputs, 3 svideo input/outputs, amazing 5.1 sound, price, remote, tuner

Read below

I first just want to point out that this receiver is the best in it's PRICE range. It seems the reviewers below that gave this receiver a lower rating forget that this a $300 receiver. Not a $1200 Denon. Price has to be considered. Kenwood made this a ridiculously affordable HOME THEATER receiver that is unmatched in it's class. People complain about lack of bass, no dsp modes and the stereo mode. C'mon!
This thing costs $300. Not $1000. Let's talk about what you DO get for this price.

-DD/Dts decoding
-3 S-video in/outputs
-1 toslink and 2 coax digital inputs
-Subwoofer preout
-Automatic sound switching
-KAM amplification(prevents overheating)
-Ability to set volumes for each individual speaker
-Monitor switching
-7 sets inputs for a 7 speaker setup(4 fronts,2 rear,1 center)
-Remote that learns macros

All these features on a $300 receiver. Amazing.
So if you want all these features for your home theater setup, you got em with the VR-309. But if you want DSP modes and a better stereo mode, feel free to spend $800 on a Denon. So how does the VR309 actually sound? In a word, fantastic. Get your 5.1 setup and you'll be amazed. You're probably thinking the sound processors had to be sacrificed to make this unit cheap in price. The answer is simply, no. The DD and DTS modes are simply jaw dropping. As I mentioned before, the stereo mode isn't perfect, but like I said earlier, it just isn't a factor. DSP's? Go else where. This thing dosn't have DSP modes so feel free to spend an extra $300 on a different unit for 'em. Bottom line is, Kenwood should be applauded for this unit. The quality/value is simply unmatched. If this is your price range, it will not let you down.

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Pioneer VSX-D509S

Low price, easy installation, dts decoder, svideo, coax and toslink inputs

Considering the price, their really aren't any worth mentioning

I won this receiver on an auction a couple months ago and I couldn't be happier with it. I was a bit skeptical about getting a Kenwood because I never owned one before. Well, after over 2 months with it I can honestly say that the vr-309 is the real deal. I didn't think that a receiver can sound so good for so little. I'm not the richest guy in the world so I couldn't go with a quality hk or denon so I read about the vr309 on this site and seen that overall, people thought it was a good unit. I use it for home theater for the most part and I don't know of any receiver that delivers this much bang for your buck. Very clean, crisp digital sound. For now on, I think I might just stick with a Kenwood.

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technics, yamaha, pioneer, sony's

Digital Surround Sound- plenty of in/outputs- dts sound- low cost- svideo swithching

A bit tinny in stereo mode, but for the price I'm not complaning

This system is one of the better ones I've used. Bought the vr309 at Best Buy a little under a year ago. Got the floor model for just under $300. The second I used the Digital mode and my dvd I knew I got a great deal. It truly has great sound with good lows and excellent highs. Stereo mode is average, but the DD/DTS modes more than make up for it. Right now, I really don't see a reason for upgrading since this system is pretty much all one needs for a home theater setup. You do need decent speakers to do this system justice, but considering how much you save, that shouldn't be a problem. Overall it's a very fine piece. HIGHLY recommended.

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Used 'em all!

S-Video switching, flexible inputs,DTS, awesome price,remote capable of learning macros, awesome home theater sound, ability to ajust the sound level of each speaker

Bass output is weak (need a powered subwoofer), no DSP fields, instruction booklet for the remote is kind of difficult to follow

I am rating this as what it is meant to be purchased as. A Home Theater Receiver. (See the KenwoodUSA.com site)
I have to say that I am extremely happy and satisfied with this receiver. I bought it for the sole purpose of home theater and it has not disappointed. It is an excellent product given the price. I upgraded from Dolby Surround and WOW, what a difference. The sound is amazing, and you have to spend alot more dollars to beat it. To me, the Yahama 495 did not provide that earth shattering difference, if any, in home theater sound quality. The tradeoff was not worth it. No other receiver offers S-video switching and DTS in this price range. It has one optical and two digital inputs. The DTS sounds fanastic (Dragonheart, SPR). The bass is weak, you must have a powered subwoofer in order to compensate for this weakness. My living room and fixtures still shake when I turn up the subwoofer, so that is not a problem. It has no DSP fields, but let's think about what this receiver is really for. HOME THEATER APPLICATIONS ONLY. It is also sold as the HTB 502 and that also has great reviews. The bad reviews below seem suspiciously like followers of the Yamaha. That also tells me that they did not do their homework and realize that this was for home theater only. I would highly recommend this receiver to those who would like to get into home theater entertainment. It blows everyone else away in the entry level home theater level. An oh yeah, my wife says this system rocks!

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Aiwa, Yamaha

Power, reliability, low feedback, ease of use, great sound

Bulky remote, too many ghetto knobs, inconsistency between knobs and remote, weak radio antenna

I bought the entire 5.1 system from Circuit City for less than $600. This unit has been entirely reliable. I enjoy geat audio output from all the supplied speakers and 100W subwoofer. Wi8th these factory speakers there is plenty of power and Bass. There are enough inputs for a PC-DVD, a TV, an RCA VCR, a JVC DVD, and more. I like the ability to add two more speakers for a total of 7 and a subwoofer. You do lose power and sound quality when doing more than 5.1 however.

The remote could be a bit more ergonomic, the knobs and controls could be a lot more sophisticated (sometimes its like changing channels on a black and white television) especially when some options are on the base and not the remote. The system is definitel the best deal out there.

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Sony 27" TV, JVC DVD XVD 501BK, Kenwood Speakers, RCA VCR