Kenwood VR-309 Dolby Digital Receiver Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As a previous owner of Kenwood recievers, I knew I would not be disappointed with the VR-309. On top of the great name, I was excited about getting plenty of "home theater" power, AND Dolby Digital/DTS Decoding. 100 watts to all channels has brought Dolby Pro Logic to new life. (Unfortunately, I haven't yet been able to test DVD). As far as versatility, you really couldn't ask for more...multiple video inputs, direct inputs for CD Players, and all of the latest connections (banana plugs, optical/digital hook-ups) make this a "capable" reciever for a long while to come.
My small gripes deal specifically with Kenwood's multi-brand remote and the input selector dial on the receiver. Kenwood certainly goes all out when trying to become compatible with other brands of remotes. Everything from Satellite controls, cable boxes, TV's, CD-players and VCR's seem to be covered. While Kenwood makes a nice attempt at diagraming and explaining usage of their remote, simple tasks like turning on your VCR or TV result in ridiculous three step process (instead of simpler methods). On the receiver itself, things also get "hairy" when attempting to switch from your tuner to your Video or CD units. Instead of assigning specific buttons on the front panel for immediate access, Kenwood jumps on the Sony bandwagon of using spin-dials. This becomes annoying at times when you want to tune into the radio and have to spin the "input selector" ten times to cycle through VCR, CD, DVD, etc just to reach your tuner. If you can overlook these few minor annoyances, I am positive you will be extremely happy with this product.
On a side issue, just last week I misplaced my VR-309 manual and couldn't find it. When I visited Kenwood's website, I was extremely pleased to find that the last four years of manuals are stored in ADOBE Acrobat format that you can download for free! Now that's service!
In conclusion, the only thing keeping this unit from getting 5-stars are the remote and the input selector dial. I love this receiver and am itching to hook my DVD player up...Happy listening!

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