Price Paid:  $636.00 from OneCall

Summary:
Wow! I upgraded from an H/K AVR85 that I bought in 1998. I really loved that reviever but two problems came up recently that made me consider upgrading. First, the receiver stopped accepting commands from the remote. I reset the receiver and tested my remote on another K/K unit and it worked, so the issue was in the receiver. Second, I recentl upgraded my TV to HDTV and needed a receiver that could do component video switching. My AVR85 is rated at more watts and amps (85x5 watts, and 65amps) than the AVR 525 (70 watts and 45 amps), so I was concerned about the drop in power, but honestly this amp seems to have MORE power than my 85. I don't have to turn this unit up as much to get the same sound from it. The warmth that I loved from the 85 is there, but the highs seem clearer and slightly more pronounced. The abundance of surround modes is nice, but H/K stereo mode for music is really hard to beat. This unit does get really hot and the fan comes on for maybe 15 seconds every now and then to cool it down, but it isn't noticable except at very low volumes. This thing will definitely keep you warm in the winter months. I'm afrraid my enclosure is too restrictive to air flow eventhough it is completely open on the sides and front. The top doesn't leave enough clearance for the receiver to get cool air and the back is mostly open, but the fan is in the center where the cable are and the support post is for the component stand, so I may have to buy new furniture to accomodate this unit. It will be worth it though as I've fallen in love with H/K and my music collection all over again. Buy this unit before it gets replaced by the AVR630 while you can still get a great deal on it.

Strengths:
Warm, eveloping sound, and clarity on the high end. Unbeatable stereo mode performance. Loads of surround modes. Customizable crossovers by speaker groups and inputs. Power to spare.

Weaknesses:
This thing really does get very hot, but according to H/K it pulls over 1000 watts even at idle, where as my AVR85 pulls 300-400 at idle, but is rated for more watts and amps! So I guess it should get really hot then.

Similar Products Used:
AVR85 Various SONY and Kenwood

Price Paid:  $689.00 from One-Call

Summary:
Ok My first advice is like the first reviewer do not buy Z version factory refurbished. The longest my unit has worked is 24 hours. All it does is goes to standbuy even with nothing connected. So I took it in to a authorized repair center on 9/8/03 and am still waiting. Repair place says HK not returning their calls, but I can call them and get through. So I am stuck with a lemon and repair facility that provides lousy service. HK says they will call the repair facility today and call me back but no call today. Will review again once I get a working unit

Strengths:
Don't know yet

Weaknesses:
Mine is a lemon

Similar Products Used:
AVR 80 works great Pioneer VSX-D711 using now, picked up at auction for$85

Price Paid:  $550.00 from OneCall

Summary:
This is my 3rd HK receiver, starting with the original Grand Festival tube model. I have never been let down by the HK brand, or have never regreted any any of my purchases. Reliability has also been sited as a question mark, but for the most part, I have had none of those 'till now. I recently upgraded from an AVR 75 to the 525. After search for months for the best price, I bought it from OneCall. I have used them in the past, and decided that they are the only place to buy from. I had too many attempted scams from illegitmate sellers on the web. OneCall had the best price, and have a solid reputation. I ordered the "Z" or refurb model for $525. I was offered the "new" model as an alternative for only $50 more. I turned it down to save a few $ (bought a $3500 Sony Grand Wega at the same time, needed the extra change). The unit came a week ago, and is a lemon. The unit has locked completely up (no response to remote or front panel) twice. It also shuts itself off for no reason. I thought it could be speaker overload, but that is not it. It happens when there is no real audio signal (silent credits at the end of a movie). The left surround has a noticable drop in volume also. Could be related. The last thing, when I turn it on, I get a deep surge on my UPS/Line Conditioner/Surge Protector. The unit will immediately shut off. I can try to power it on again, and it will power up as expected. Called OneCall, and eventhough it is not there policy to accept returns on their refurb equipment, the made an exception for me (long time customer, $10K). They have FedExed me a new on (on their $) and will give me %100 credit on the old one (minus the cost for me to ship it back). Sounds like an ad for OneCall, not HK, and in a way it is. I will update this when I install the new unit. BTW, I rate this highly because it really is a great unit when it works. I really should have known better than to try to save $50 (1%). I got what I paid for with a refurb. Go ahead, skip the junk and buy the real thing.

Strengths:
Fantastic power! As everyone knows, it is the high amp (not watts) that matters here. Great punch and response to quick peaks. Fairly well cooled, but still can get warm. Keep it open and let it breath. As with most DD and DTS receivers, lots of soundfields, but adds Logic 7 and VMAX. Adds a little dynamic to the older non Digital content. Great control over the crossovers and inputs. A real plus since I use mutiple subs. The unit itself is astheticly pleasing to look at, and not too cluttered with buttons and needless display info. Switchable front inputs to outputs even with optical and coax digital (smart!)

Weaknesses:
See above for lemon faults. Other weaknesses: Hmmm, not too many. No video conversion from svideo to component (Denon 3803). I thought that was important at first, but my Sony uses a fairly good line doubler and digital conversion on the Svideo, that the Denon does not. So that really does not matter too much. The remote is marginal. It does everything I need it to do, but lacks flair and good labels. I can't beleive that if you set it to control another source (DVD), the volume and mute buttons do not work. You have to switch back to the AVR mode. Think HK, isn't the purpose of this thing to control the sound of many differnet sources (that have no ability to create sound themselves?). Possibly not enough component ins, 2 is the average, but I think soon it will see a standard for all video sources (or DVI).

Similar Products Used:
Denon, Yamaha, Sony.

Price Paid:  $699.00 from J&R MusicWorld

Summary:
I have been purchasing Kenwood receivers for years, because I always felt that they provided good bang for the buck. I had recently purchased the 6070 to replace my older THX VR-510 when I began thinking about making a "true" upgrade. I returned the 6070 and bought the HK AVR-525. What a great move. Even if the sound quality were identical between the two units, the HK would still be worth it due to the configuration options. I really like having the ability to direct the low frequencies to both the FL and FR, as well as the sub. Setting crossover frequencies for EACH individual input is heaven to me. Back to sound quality, the HK is richer, fuller, and more true to life than any Kenwood I've ever used. I will never again get caught up in the "watts game", because this 70 watt/channel receiver will go head to head with ANY Sony/Kenwood/Yamaha 100-110 watt receiver. It's also great to have bass/treble controls on a Dolby Digital receiver that can be used in Digital mode. I've never had this with any of my previous receivers. The high current design is what it's all about, baby. Between the styling, features, impeccable sound quality, and reasonable price point, I'd highly recommend this receiver.

Strengths:
Sound quality, Styling, Feature Set, Connectivity Options, and Configuration Possibilities

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
Kenwood VR-510, 6070, 7070

Price Paid:  $700.00 from OneCall

Summary:
It was time to move from my DD Pioneer A/V reciever (no DTS) to something better. After listening to a number of receivers including Pioneer Elites, Yamaha, and Onkyo, I was happy to upgrade to my HK receiver. OneCall had a price that couldn't be beat, too. The manual could have been laid-out a little better, but the information is all there. For me to now have DTS was a big step, but to add DPLII (music, movie) was a nice surprise. My "old" CD's sound new again. I personally like the remote, mainly because the buttons are backlit. Althought I have a Pronto, I find I use this remote just as much. 70 watts per channel? Unless you have a larger listening area, you won't miss the 10-30 watts you "may" get from other receivers. The on-screen display is very nice and you can do a lot of customization, although I couldn't get the EZSet to work well for me. I would highly recommend this unit for anyone ready to move up from the $200-$300 receivers one can get at Best Buy or Circuit City. It looks and sounds great. Word of warning... be ready to want to upgrade your speakers, too! I now use Paradigms, very nice! For the price, feature for feature, this unit is hard to beat.

Strengths:
The receiver looks great. Lots of sound processing options: DD-EX, DTS-ES, DPLII, and more. Backlit remote. On-screen customization. Sounds great! Play sMP3's from your computer.

Weaknesses:
The internal fan does click on to keep the unit cool. Give it room to breathe. I noticed a second or two of sound drop-off at the very beginning of CD's/DVD's when switching sound processors (ie. DD to DTS). Definately the biggest annoyance for me. I'm wondering if others have experienced this as well.

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer A/V receivers