s-video switching, dolby digital, dts, price

weak bass output, svideo breaks up with loud audio

I bought this receiver about 1.5 weeks ago and I was happy with it until tonight. I was watching a DVD (Universal Soldier: The Return) and during a few scenes which included loud audio (gunshots/explosions) the video would break up severely. I hooked my DVD player up directly to my TV and the breakups were gone. From talking with a few other owners on the net I found out that Kenwood refuses to acknowlege that this is a problem. For that reason I returned it to Circuit City and walked out with an Onkyo TX-DS474. If they were willing to fix the units I wouldn't have a problem with it, as it had some great features, but now I am refusing to give Kenwood another dime of my money.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood VR-207, Kenwood 1080VR, Onkyo TX-DS474

Huge number of features for the cost, excellent sound when paired with decent speakers.

Not enough optical TosLink inputs (only 1 - DVD)

First: This thing sounds great. It's all in the setup.

So far I am totally satisfied with this unit. I have it paired with a full set of Athena Technologies speakers and an older Aiwa sub. No it's not the absolute best at music, but it's far better than my old Aiwa 75x75 Prologic stereo was. It depends on how serious an audiophile you are. It is very hard to beat for any TV, Satelite, or DVD use.

There's only one optical input, so I had to connect my DVD player to VCR1 which is Coax digital, and my DishPlayer receiver to DVD which is optical. No biggie considering the cost of the unit, the switching still works 100% it just says the wrong source when you cycle through.

No problems with the S-Video switching so far. I am using high quality AR cables for that just in case because of some of the earlier reviews I read on here, but so far I can not tell the difference between a direct hookup to the TV and a pass through the Kenwood for switching. If your unit doesn't work get it exchanged.

Also, I have already played a few DTS DVDs on this unit, and this is where this thing really shines. Excellent soundfield and quality that truly makes you feel like you are in the theater.

If anything major goes wrong in the next few months I'll make an updated review, for now though it's 5 stars.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DB830, Other sony 5.1 units

look,back panel connectors,built-in DTS

power(100 watts HAH!),crappy sound

After using this for over a month, I'd say NO MORE KENWOOD!
With the same price, do yourself a favor and buy a Yamaha RX-V495 instead. It has no DTS(and 60wpc only) BUT it is much MUCH BETTER THAN THIS CRAP!!!!

GO ON, BUY A YAMAHA!

I feel generous today so I'll give a 1.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha,Denon

ONBOARD DTS, S-VIDEO INPUTS, EXCELLENT QUALITY SOUND, VERY LOW PRICE

SMALL GRIPE IN THE SOMEWHAT LACK OF BASS IN STEREO MODE WITHOUT A SUB - OTHER THAN THAT, NO Weaknesses.

I picked up this receiver brand new for $200, which is an absolute steal. For that price range, this receiver has it all. First off it has DTS onboard, which is an extreme luxury for this price. DTS is the future sound of home theater so this feature is very important. Secondly, it has S-video inputs which is also a rare luxury for this price. Usually a receiver with built in DTS and S-video inputs alone sell for at least $500. Kenwood managed to squeeze it all in on the VR-309, and it came out wonderfully. Matched with quality speakers, the VR-309 is an absolute joy to listen to. The DTS mode sounds as good as any $800 a/v out there, and the sub feels like an 7.7 on the rictor scale. Another excellent feature of the VR-309 is the temp. Even after hours of play, the VR-309 manages to stay quite cool compared to 90% of other a/v's. The DTS plays thru the Optical TosLink input delivering top-notch 5.1 sound matched with optimum image clarity with S-video. The only MINOR gripe I would have with the sound is that bass is somewhat lacking without a sub in Stereo mode, but with good speakers and placement, this can probably be avoided. If not, a '10 JBL sub will more than do the trick. The remote? I like it. Some people complain about it but I think it works fine. The layout is simple and it's actually quite simple to use if you take the time to get a feel for it. But, everyone's different I guess.

Ratings (scale from 1 to 10)

Sound - 9
Features - 10
Remote - 8.5
Setup - 9
Quality - 10

Overall - 9.5


When it's all said and done, Kenwood delivered a receiver that's more than worthy of home theater treatment. The price range now for this gem is about $250-$300. That is if you can still find one. Is it worth it? More than you know. I find it hard to beleive some people on this site reviewed the VR-309 and said it didn't sound so good. Maybe they had the speaker's + connections connected to the - connections and vice versa. I don't know...
Anyway, if you're looking to build a home theater system, and want top-notch sound, onboard DTS, S-video, all in a 500 watt system, and do this all without going bankrupt, the Kenwood VR-309 is all you need. Seriously folks, it really is that good.

Similar Products Used:

VR407

Cost and performance

sound quality in stereo, lack of pre outs

Great reciever for the money, one of the best low end recievers. Got mine locally from Frys electronics for $249. A friend got his from ubid.com for $234, but it only has 90 day warranty instead of 2 year I got ! Also ubid charged $40 for shipping to CA. which is normally about$20. Everyone is dumping this unit right now at good prices. Watch out for ubid as they have their tricks and you cannot return products purchased.
4

Similar Products Used:

sherwood 8090

S-Vidio connections,Dolby D,Dts for less than 250.00

Remote not user friendly.

The Kenwood 309 has impressed me from day one. I visited every A/V retailer in the area, and listened to a varity of receivers costing two to three times the Kenwood without a significant difference in sound quility. I'm not going to try to B/S anybody about "soundstage", "subwoofer levels" ect, but I know what I like and the Kenwood fit the bill. Overall this unit is a excellent start into A/V.

Similar Products Used:

First A/V receiver

Dolby Digital

Where is my DTS?

I paid $289 with 6 kenwood speakers(center, 2 fronts, 2 rears, and sub) at UBid. I didn't buy the receiver alone. The sound is great at all sound modes. The only problem I have is no DTS output. The DVD player I use has a DTS digital out. Dolby Digital movies work perfectly. I was wondering if this receiver actually has DTS. I read someone's review saying that the DTS stopped working. How is that so? How can one digital signal stop working but another one is fine. Can this be fixed? I have no problems playing a movie with loud sounds. U-571 sounded really nice. The scenes with the barrel bombs were pardon the pun, explosive. The bass hit hard and loud. So really the only serious weakness is lack of DTS.

Home Theater

Music

This unit is great, after more than a year I have had no problems that I didn't cause. I had the cut outs during loud passages with DVD. I went out and bought a decent coax and Optical cable and they vanished. A full year without a repeat.
I have had much more expensive units tested in my home Denon 3801 and 4800, both have more features and sounded much better for music, neither beat the 309 for 5.1 or DTS listening.
If you are looking for an uncomplicated 5.1/DTS receiver this is it.
If you are not smart enough to get decent cables you will have problems.

Similar Products Used:

VR-3080. Denon 3801, Denon 4800

LOW price, DTS, DD, s-video switching, runs very cool, excellent remote (see below), plenty of inputs, sound quality

No 5.1 channel inputs (but 6.1 is in the works anyways), could use more bass output

Just purchased brand new last week from UBID ($189, $216.00 shipped!!). Despite previous reviews here(I've read them all), I felt setup of the system and remote was very simple. I don't know why everyone hates the remote, it is so useful: It can control every component of my system and I also programmed macros that allows me to turn my DVD player or VCR and set the reciever to the appropriate settings by just pressing 2 buttons (without the macro there are about 8 steps!!). There is plenty of power for a decent home theater setup. The bass output isn't horrible but could be better. I have a 200 watt 12" JBL powered sub so my system is great. Sound is very clean with no hiss from any speakers. Just a tip, don't waste your money on Monster Cable for digital interconnects, I used a Radio Shack Gold Series single RCA cable (about $8.00)for connecting the co-axial output from my Toshiba 1200 DVD plpayer and sound quality is perfect! S-video switching works fine. Oh, once the video and audio components are programmed into the remote, the name of the device switches to the appropriate name (ex, Video 2 switches to DVD, etc.) which is a very nice feature. A great reciever at any price!

Easy to use. Very good FM receiver.

Average at best sounding audio amplifier. Bass is lacking depth and definition. 20 bit decoding in surround sound modes is unremarkable.

I started out with a top of line early Radio Shack surround sound receiver. After two weeks, my fish bowl leaked into receiver. Repair was more than a new receiver, threw out at curb- Radio Shack has been reduced to battery purchases! The Kenwood was a superior surround receiver, but still was lacking to my ears. I returned to dealer 4 months later for full refund due to requesting 24bit/96khz processing at purchase. I replaced with a Denon AVR 87 (same as AVR 1800). I know the Kenwood is not in the same league, however, there is no comparison between the two receivers.

Similar Products Used:

Radio Shack (Pioneer) early generation.