Build,power(45 amps)and clarity.Good default position.Online upgrade for softwares

Can't think of any.

I was never happy with digital sounds,especially multichannel ability to play music.I thought it was a software problem,but I am a very cost conscious person and did not want to spend the money for a meridian or lexicon processor.I tried all the different formats ie HDCD,SACD,DVD AUDIO,VIDEO etc.I even bought a MSB DAC.Nothing made the grade and on the verge of giving up and ready for the big bucks,I picked up this B&K product as a DEMO at a post holiday firesale.No remote but my research revealed it to be a Universal remote product SL9000.I started it up and the rest is history.I wish I had not spent so much on my DVD/CD player(Denon 3300)Any old one with a coaxial link would work great.Don't know why but even the standard 16 bit 44.1 mhtz CD sounds great.I think there is some upsampling going on.Anyway I am very happy and I have finally parted with my Linn Sondek

Similar Products Used:

Marantz,Rotel,Sony,Panasonic,

Smooth, yet detailed audiophile sound. Even my Quad owning friend was impressed. Incredibly micro-adjustible tweakability.

Needs more analog throughputs

I personally have had no problems with this unit so far. Sonically, it is simply in another league from all the Jap stuff out there. I do not say this for any "rah-rah go USA reasons". It is simply a fact. I am a bit of an audio snob (own a lot of high-end gear) and saw the B&K as just another mass-produced receiver when I was looking for a do-everything centerpiece for my home entertainment center and first tried Yamaha and Denon because much better daels could be had on them. The Denon 4800 was ok for the $$$ and I think Yamaha makes superb electronics, but the major problem with all Japanese receivers (no matter what the price) is that their amplification sections suck! On the advice of the Store manager I decided to give the B&K a whirl. What a difference! The B&K is an honest to goodness piece of audiophile gear. I even use the preamp section to run my high-end tube amp with great results. Sonically, this unit is at a stratospherically different level from the Denon 4800 0r 5800 series. Don't believe everything you read in magazine reviews; advertising $$$ buy a lot! Probably the only other a/v receiver of this caliber is the one from Macitosh. If you want equal or better, you will have to go with separates. This is a unit for adults and those who value music reproduction first. To me, 5 stars means the absolute best available and when it comes to a/v receivers, this unit is. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH MASS PRODUCED JAP STUFF WHICH COSTS JUST AS MUCH!

Build. Sound quality.

2-channel stereo.

Went looking for some beef in an A/V receiver, and think I found it. Replaced a Denon AVR-2800 which I was happy with, but had heard good things about B&K, and wanted more 2 channel punch w/o going to separates. I have no "complaints" per se, but am a little confused using the B&K analog inputs from a rather pricy Rotel CD player. Having spent more than planned on high-grade interconnects, I have learned from B&K that the incoming analog signal is converted to digital, then back to analog (again?) utilizing the B&Ks onboard DACs. If this is the case, what''s the point of utilizing the Rotel DACs, only to have the analog signal be "re-DACed" in the B&K? Does this not limit you to PCM out of any CD player, regardless of the quality of the player? Why go through the same step twice? The only true analog option is to choose the "direct" option, but that eliminates the ability to use a sub. Am I missing something here? I''m feeling like I overspent on both CD player, and interconnects, and should go with CD transport in mind, and a good digital coax. I would appreciate any input from a more educated audio person than I appear to be. I''m not panning the unit by any means. It sounds wonderful in all modes, but I can''t get my hands around this issue.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Denon.

Upgradable, Build Quality, Value

Binding posts.

(I posted this on the 307 section as well)
Thank you AudioReview for finally putting the new B&K products on the site. When I was at CES2001, I saw a guy with AudioReview logo on his shirt at Alexis Park Hotel and asked him why they were not updating the new products. He was unaware of this (they review multiple industries and have several sites) and I specifically mentioned B&K (one of the hottest products) and no way to review it etc. Who knows, maybe it helped. Hopefully they will be on top of this as it is a great site. They just added the 305/307 so this is why there are so little reviews.
As a B&K dealer who sells a fair share of their components, I wanted to let people know how the quality control is (considering the issues with the 202, it's predecessor), what the comparison is to other receivers, does it make sense to go separates, upgrade path of the 202, Will it be good enough for two channel, and what it works well with speaker wise.
INTRO:
I am a big B&K fan. I will also take some shoots in the thread below when it is needed.
For starters, the AVR305 and the AVR307 is a REF30 with built in amplification and absolutely no pre-pro differences. So how is it that the REF30 costs $2800 list and the 305 costs $3000 less street price?? Simple, the consumer views the value of a top notch 5 channel receiver at around $3K and a 7 channel Receiver at about $3.5K. If you were to examine B&K's profit margin, I would highly suspect the 305 is the least profitable, followed by the 307 and then the REF30. Saying this and considering the "price per pound" other pramp-processors like the Krell, Theta, Proceed Lex, Meridian and others, the REF30 is a hell of a deal! So how do they do it?? It boils down to Economy of Scale. A smart little component engineer over at B&K… The preamplification/tuner section is a PT3 that is used for their dedicated preamp/tuner. The transformer for instance was procured a couple of years back for the REF and AVR amplification and was over designed so they have one part number because when they spec'ed it in, they know they would be launching a 7 channel 7270 (just announced). Notice that the REF20 box is the same size as the REF30 and PT3. It is all about reducing part count and reducing NRE (Non Recurring Engineer costs). I had dinner w/ Brad Paulsen (B&K National Sales Manager) early 2000 and he mentioned grew from $4M to $24M in a few years which now means they have buying power on the components. To put in perspective, I am guessing EAD to be about $3-4M and Parasound to be $6-9M. Point is do not assume you are giving up anything strictly because the REF30 is 1/3 the price of a Krell prepro or under on third of a Class'e SSP75. You would be making a mistake if you did.
QUALITY CONTROL:
IF you read the 202 and REF20 reviews, you will see quality issues early on in it's design. Briefly stated, they learned their lesson about releasing early (it took 4 months post production to resolve the engineering issues the previous generation back in late 98). I have sold about 15 REF30's and 10 REF305/REF307's and have two bad units (loose card and was fixed here in MN) and the other had an analog left channel problem. Not to shabby. Another issue was fixed with the software (REV2.04) by my customer relating to a Pioneer LD locking issue. I have seen threads (and heard it from customers) that they hear a hiss when no music is on and if they CRANK the volume without a source, they hear a clicking noise as they turn the volume knob. I am sure this will come up on new posts. Hear is why… Nearly all pre-pro vendors put a relay in series and open the circuit when no source is inputted. This makes it DEAD silent the second you have some volume, the digital "hiss" is present but the signal to noise ratio makes it inaudible. The ticking noise when cranked is the digital potentiometer going though resistor networks. Neither one of these are a problem. Don't put your ear to the speaker and don't crank the volume up (dangerously) and you won't notice this. This is a design philosophy that I agree with because the relay adds cost and more importantly it corrupts the signal path. I will take this trade off.
SOUND:
In order to give an accurate receiver review, we need to closely view a receiver in three categories. Processor, preamp, and amplification.
Processor Section:
Whether you have a Sony or B&K. I think a lot of the PROCESSOR (not preamp) sections are less important to the total sound. The Processor section is a feature related questions should be asked like does it have on screen display, is it user friendly, multi zone capable, AC3, DTS, EX, THX, 7.1, 24-96, PrologicII, base management, special features that count etc. People who compare a processor based on discussing DAC's "such and such vendor uses Crystal or Burr Brown" is meaningless. Well friends, price of the worlds best DAC is $15 or so. Power supply design, implementation of reducing signal path, all of the other components etc has more to do with the sound. (Oh yea, B&K uses the expensive DAC's, a total of 8, for those who want to know) while many others use the $5 version.
Denon and B&K lead the war in highend receivers. . Interesting enough, Denon is Analog Devices DSP Beta test site and B&K is Motorola's and have an advantage of quickness to market. B&K passes all tests other than DTS-ES and is soon to be released. I do not mean to minimize the impact on processors because many are already behind already (Proceed, Meridian (DVD Audio) etc. I am just saying, the PROCESSOR section does not affect the sound all that much. THE major difference is upgradeability. Do not be fooled with "upgradeable" Japanese products including Denon. These guys want to sell boxes. Yes, firmware upgrades are possible but rest assured if it not an external box, it won't be upgraded and who wants two boxes. Still in doubt, picture you sending in your 5800 and having them add in different board internally etc. Not going to happen…
If higher-end home theater vendors do not manufacture it themselves, upgrades will be very difficult. The VAST majority of vendors I have toured do not have the resources to do upgrades. One way to call it upgradeable is to make it expensive. Price out a progressive scan upgrade on a Theta DVD player (last year pricing) to a Progressive scan. Only $2k (gulp)!!! I can get two Sony 9000's for that without the "Jewelry" of the Theta box. The B&K is extremely reasonable priced upgrades as witnessed by the previous pricing. Upgradeability is even more important when using a receiver as good amplification is bolted to the prepro. Look at some $3K Marantz receivers going for $250 now. Still decent amplification in them but they are now worth nothing. Protect your investment, buy product that is TRUELY upgradeable and cost effective.
Specifically on the B&K, the OSD is simple, with feature rich software like flexible bass management, notch filters to take out standing waves (it works!), flexible multizone (try getting your Denon to work right, it is tuff), simple operation or "wife friendly" wih it's Plug-and-Play. The B&K DSP modes are good but will loose to the cool Lexicon modes that do work. Comparing the DSP modes on every other product, they are equal or better and I have demoed mostly all them all.
Pre-amplification Section:
Pre-amplification and the analog section is a major reason why people spend extra $$'s on a B&K, Lexicon, Parasound etc over Denon, Onyko etc. This is what will also impact the stereo sound the most as well. It boils down to the analog power supply design, ability to steer the signal, implementation of the short signal paths, quality components etc. Mass market and midfi vendors look at the price of a 10 cent capacitor and spec in a 3 cent version to save money. B&K and others do not. B&K also has an analog bypass for you stereo lovers who have a DVD or CD player with superior sound and are attempting to bypass base management and DSP's. I have done an comparison of two channel components at one sitting comparing the EAD, Theta, B&K, Lex MC-1, Denon 5800, Sherwood NewCastle, Parasound 2500u, and Proceed AVP. I was with a customer (who checked out the brands I did not carry) and we both concluded the EAD Ovation Plus the slight winner followed by a virtual tie between the Proceed, B&K coming in 2nd . Theta (with its long signal paths) came in a close third. (I can email you the reference equipment if you like.) Message being, it is in the upper tier of performers.
Amplification:
Another big reason that people pay bigger $$'s on the 305 or 307. All of the bigger $$ Japanese receiver vendors current limit the amplification for protection and prefer a 6 ohm load. Do a frequency sweep of your speakers and you will see many impedances drop below 4 ohms which will starve the dynamics of your speakers. FYI, make sure you do an A-B comparison with the B&K amplification "broken-in". It sounds tight, thin till 3 SOLID days of play. It will open up a lot. The write-up is getting long, email me techniques of break-in and why this is needed. It is not voodoo like wire brands etc. It is obvious.
The B&K amplification is a little warmer sound that will be an especially good fit on livelier speakers like NHT, Monitor Audio, DynAudio, PSB and others. When choosing speakers. The B&K receiver amplification has plenty of CURRENT (notice I did not say power) for most relatively efficient speakers. It will still sound very good if you deliver it a challenging loads like Proac or Dynaudio but you will hear a more obvious difference when you use a good quality separate amp. Careful to assume that say, ATI for instance will sound better than the built-in amps of the 305/307. I am talking about good quality sounding separate amp like Bryston, Class'e, REF7250 by B&K, SimAudio, EAD, and others. I have yet to hear a system that the 5800 sounded better on than the B&K and is mainly due to the amplification in my view. The 5800 is very good, just that the 305 has a cleaner sound with increased dynamics and airiness.
If you are a 70% 2 channel guy and 30% home theater. I have a trick for you. Buy a 305 and use a separate 2 channel amp for left and right. You can take it to your dealer (assuming you bought it their) and have them open the top, switch around the connectors to put the left and right to the rear channel. Now you have the receiver amplification on your 305 to the rears, sides and center. The operation is 10 minutes and if you are a technical geek like me, it is as easy as it gets. I can fax or email you how to do this and it does NOT void the warranty. I got to take a shot and the speaker binding posts.. They are "good" but I wish they would of spent another $15 on the set to complete the exceptional fit and finish. We would all pay for this.
SUMMARY:
The AVR305 and 307 is the best receiver on the market and uses the world class REF30 inside of it. At $3000/$3500 respectively (less street price), you cannot go wrong even diehard separate types (I know, I have the 305 with the 2 channel trick in my system).
The 305/307 gets darn close to separates at a reasonable price. With many less challenging speaker loads, you may find it hard to distinguish the difference between separates. Upgradeable in the true sense. You cannot go wrong! No, I am not a B&K employee, just a dealer who thinks great products should be noticed and a little tired of magazine reviews that refuse to do comparisons and pick favorites. Please feel free to call or email me if you have questions. I will try and save the world from bad audio!
Steve (Owner) of Sound Video in MN
763-753-9349 email herra001@tc.umn.edu
Sound Video
Custom Home Theater & Audio
Authorized Dealer Featuring: Aerial, Acurus, Aragon, Bryston, B&K, Class'e, Cinepro, Denon, Dynaudio, EAD, Gershman Acoustics, Gallo, Harmonic Tech, Kimber Kable, Lexicon, Marantz, Meridian (within 1 month), Monitor Audio, M&K, NHT, Parasound, Pioneer, Plinius, PMC, Runco, Speaker Craft, Sherwood NewCastle, Sim Audio, Stewart
Filmscreen, Toshiba & Velodyne
I also carry everything from inwall speakers, distribution audio, etc.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Denon, Onkyo

Clean sound, lots of power

none

Excellent unit, very pleased so far. Lots of power, clean sound. On 2 channel stereo music comes alive. Saving private ryan feels like you are in combat. Was looking at the REF 30 and an amp. This is essentially a REF 30 wiht a 5 channel 150 watt amp included. If I need more power for the fronts later, can always add a 2 channel amp and reconfigure the reciever. Listened to the Denon 5700 and went with the B&K. B&K does not have all the features of the denon, but seems (at least to my ear) cleaner sound

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300

Sound Quality, Build Quailty, Flexibilty.

not very user friendly, difficult to set up.

This is sort of a pre-review considering that i just purchased this unit and only had it less than a month.I will do a follow review later. The avr 305 is the same unit as the avr 307 without the two internal amps for the back surrounds, so this is not a weakness because I chose to purchase it this way due to the fact that i have no need for back channels, should that change I could always have them added to this unit, thus making it the 307.

About this unit, its the best sounding receiver there is period. Some of the other top flight receivers have the B&K's beat on features, like the Denon 5800. But when it comes to sound, B&K wins, music and movies, the sound its just dynamic and powerful. I love Denon's, I considered purchasing the the 5800, I'm big advocate of Denon receivers,but when someone told me that B&K sound better I had to check it out, at first I didn't want ot believe that outside of separates, anything could sound better than Denon's, Denon's sounds better than Yamaha's, Onkyo's, Pioneer's, Marantz is the only receivers that run neck to neck with Denon.

Even when the B&K 307 and Denon 5800 was compared side by side, when I notice that B&K sound better i still was in denial, I tried to stay loyal to Denon, but the truth inside me wouldn't let me, I had to go with B&K based the superior sound quality. Don't ge me wrong, I would be happy with the 5800 as well, but the extra little sonic benefits you get from B&K would have haunted me had I not chose it.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 4800, Denon 5800*, Yamaha RX-V1* [*intensely auditoned]

Excellent sound and flexibility. Easy to set up and use. Wonderful with all inputs when it works.

Consistent failure of the unit.

Let me start out by saying I love this unit. It produces simply wonderful sounds from all input sources. The flexibility in input was a strong selling point as well as the upgradeable processor.

Having said that, either I'm cursed or B&K quality control is non-existent. My first unit worked wonderfully for about two months. Then I realized that when I was using analog inputs, irregardless of source, I lost all left channels. And yes I tried every analog input to verify.

Sent the unit back and received a new unit from the factory ten weeks later(mostly distributor incompetence). This unit was set up and ran effectively for six weeks. I then received a "Please Wait" screen on initial power up that would not go away. Software error. Back to the factory.

Six weeks later I receive the unit and hook it up. Nothing on power up. Having thought I may have blown a fuse, I went to the hardware store and bought four more. Verified that the outlet actually worked. Tried all four new fuses. Nothing. The unit which was supposed to be repaired is dead as a doornail. I'll deal with the distributor tommorrow and I won't have many good things to say.

I've owned this unit for 9 months and it has actually been up and running half that time. Hopefully 4th times the charm.

Again, when functioning I've found no match for this receiver. I'd just like to use it more.

Similar Products Used:

B&K, Audible Illusions, Sony

Build quality, sound quality with music and HT

Popping noise when changing CDs while in digital decoding mode

Overall, I have to say the 305 is a great product. While I was using the Yamaha RX-V 3000 for about 2 month (which sounded quite good), I had the nagging feeling that I was missing something, especially with music material. Therefore, I sold the Yamaha and got the B&K instead.

The upgrade was definitely worth it. Compared to the Yamaha, the sound was smoother, more refined, and more controlled. Having used both units extensively, I would say the biggest difference is the authority of the 305 in playing low bass, resulting in a much better soundstage. It does even a very good job in driving my Nautilus 802 speakers - being affected by the audio virus, I spent way more money for my system than originally planned. In comparison, the Yamaha was not even able to handle the 804s, I auditioned at a dealer. In HT the difference between the Yamaha and the B&K was not that great.

Depending on your speaker configuration, the AVR 305 might be the better choice than the 307. If you plan to use some serious main speakers than it might be better to buy a good 2 channel or 2 mono amps and reconfigure the 305 to drive the rear speakers. That is what I am planning to do in the future.

My system:

B&W Nautilus 802 (Main)
B&W HTM2 (Center)
B&W CDM 9NT (Side)
B&W ASW 2500 (Sub)
B&K AVR 305
Technics A10 (use it for CD, DVD-Audio and -Video)
JPS Labs Ultraconducter interconnects and biwires for center and main speakers
DH Labs Q10 biwired for side speakers

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V 3000

IT,S A B&K!!

YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO USE IT (BUT FOR THAT YOU WILL BE REWARDED)

NEXT TO MY ........NO THIS IS THE BEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE PERIOD.I FEEL SO LUCKY

Similar Products Used:

ADCOM

Best sound I have heard from anything other than Most expensive seperates

Remote sensor has a bit of tunnel vision

I actually had stuck this in the older model's review page. Now that this page is up, I am repeating it here, with some minor tweaks at the end since I have owned it a while:

The most important thing, if you read no other part of this review: This unit has NOTICABLY better sound than ANYTHING else I listened to, including some mid-priced separates (Adcom, Parasound)-- hands down beats Denon's best. WHile I do not claim to have demo'd separates costing thousands more, which might arguably be equal or even slightly better than this unit, I cannot imagine buying anything else unless I were looking to spend at least twice as much -- and then I would still have to be absolutely blown away by the quality. Unlikely. I compared to several Denon models over the same wiring and with the same speakers using the same DVD. I could not believe the difference the receiver could make, after all the rhetoric about the speakers being all that mattered (although they are certainly important too!). Even my girlfriend, who thinks "home theater" is my fathers' old Super-8 projector, remarked at the difference. There is a preciseness about the sound. In Matrix, bullets feel like they are hitting the ground; in music, instruments can be visualized. Denon seemed muddled by comparison. Sounds much more blended in Denon -- although still sounded great. Just no comparison.

As for features, all of the problems complained of with the earlier models seemed to be corrected. The remote is superior, although it does not have the LCD type window (except to tell you what device you control). It is a true learning remote that also has presets for every known existing piece of equipment. You can combine learned with preset functions. VOlume control has been fixed as well. Added THX Ultra certification and Surround EX processing. 307 has amp and speaker outs for the extra two channels. I opted for 305, at $500 less, which has same chasis and guts, but no amp or speaker out for the extra two channels. It does have processor outs, however, so you can add a cheap rear amp for the two extra speakers when ready. Also, no fan, so whisper quiet. Did I mention MADE IN USA? Not what I cared about when buying, but nice feature.

Bottom line: I am a neurotic, obsessive when I shop for this type of stuff. I would not even have learned of B&K but for my persistence in trying to find the best. I demo'd everything at its price and under, and a few a bit more. NOTHING COMES CLOSE. BEST SOUND YOU CAN BUY FOR EVEN CLOSE TO THE MONEY.

By the way, I use JM Labs speakers, having demo'd B&W, Alon, and some others. JM's had best characteristics for versatility between Movies and music. Really true sound -- not overly bright.

Sicne having written this review a couple of months ago, I note the following:
1. The system remains the best I have heard for home theater. Period.
2. About the only thing I can think of that could be called a "negative" is that the remote sensor on the unit (i.e., the eye that sees the remote) is a bit weak. I need to be pointing my remote pretty sqarely at the front of the thing. I can be pretty far away, but need direct line of sight. And that is using a Philips Pronto, which is VERY bright. All in all, this is a pretty petty comment, but I wanted to demonstrate my "objectivity" by criticizing something.

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Marantz, Sony, etc.