Price Paid:  $0.00 from Local Electronics Re

Summary:
Bought this receiver new when it was released in 1998. I've had it for 5 years now, and have not had a single problem with it. Not even anything minor. I really liked the universal remote, it operates everything in my setup just fine. Even the Sony CD changer that I bought second hand from a guy that lost the remote. As mentioned by another the 0.7% THD didn't impress me either, but that value is only for full power or 100w per chanel, at 50w per chanel the value is 0.02%, much more acceptable. I tested the unit with a zero-bit track for noise and the only audible hiss comes in after -15db. -90 to -20 or so is completely silent. I promise if you buy this product, hiss will not be a concern. I loved the optical input but wish it had 2. Radio reception is great. Plenty of connectivity for the average to above average home theater user. By now, it's a little outdated and won't decode some of the newest digital formats, but still it continues to run flawlessly. A big thumbs up. The only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because there ARE better products out there.

Strengths:
cost/features/quality ratio

Weaknesses:
none to speak of

Price Paid:  $299.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
I bought this receiver after I graduated high school and the 200 disc player that goes along with it. I am here to address the remote not working. It is actually the receiver not responding to the commands from the remote. I have Sony universal remote programmed for my TV, DVD player, VCR, Cable, and receiver. The receiver will not respond to the Sony remote, but the rest of the equipment will respond just fine. I thought it was the remote as well, so I purchased the Sony and found the same problem, so I'm assuming its the receiver. But a great receiver overall, I am upgrading to the new VR 7070. I was pleased enough with the 209 that I wanted to stay with Kenwood and go for the THX select.

Strengths:
Audio is great for music and Movies.

Weaknesses:
Not responding to remote commands.

Price Paid:  $250.00 from Local Store

Summary:
I have been very pleased overall with this unit. I replaced my old Sony receiver with this one so I could have surround sound. My old receiver was only putting 20 watts to the back speakers and was not cutting it. This one really did the trick.
I have had no problems with my VR-209. Although it is not the best thing out there, it is (or was) definitely one of the best values around. This is one piece of equipment that I actually have had no regrets about buying. There are plenty of inputs, and it sounds an works good; that's about all you can ask for.
As a previous reviewer mentioned, the remote is a little quirky and will occasionally stop working for a minute. I still don't know why that is.

Strengths:
Good power/price ratio.
Inputs.
Reliability.

Weaknesses:
Remote quirkiness.

Similar Products Used:
Sony

Price Paid:  $279.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
Overall, I have been fairly pleased with the performance of this receiver. The treble response is bright without too much sizzle. I have noticed an occasional bit of high frequency distortion in the rear channels during quiet movie passages, but it hasn't been overly annoying. I am not a fair judge of this unit's bass performance because I am using it with an extremely impressive powered subwoofer (Definitive Technology PF1500 15" w/ 250 watt amp). In addition, despite the fact that the receiver is minimally designed, the layout is smart and its functionality is adequate. Expansion is a little lacking, but tolerable. Up to this point, it has functioned well for me, but I am beginning to max out its connection capabilities. In Kenwood's defense, it was the lowest priced receiver on the market at the time to offer Dolby Digital processing which was exactly why I purchased it.

Unfortunately, all of my experience with this receiver has not been rosy. I must echo some of the comments of Brian, Wendel Schultz, and Jeffrey Barnes. The remote system for this receiver goes beyond annoying to completely disfunctional. Right from the start, I was not impressed with the remote which came with the receiver. It did not function in a logical way from my point of view, but I put up with it because I was planning on purchasing an all in one remote to run my entire system. I ended up choosing an All For One Cinema 7. On a side note, this is a great little remote, available for 20 bucks at Wal-Mart.

The remote design was not the primary problem. What typically occurs at least once a night is a "black out" period where the receiver will not recognize any of the remote commands. Since owning this receiver, I have actually used it with three remotes, the original Kenwood remote, the All For One Cinema 7, and a Sony programmable five device remote. The receiver exhibited the same problem with all three remotes, which could only be resolved in one of three fashions -- tapping the receiver's front panel, selecting functions from the receiver's front panel, or waiting 15-30 minutes for the receiver to reset itself. I discussed this with a Kenwood sales rep to no avail. This has tainted my attitude, and may parent's attitude, toward Kenwood products since their receiver exhibited the same problems. Hopefully, Kenwood's current model line-up is better.

Strengths:
Decent sound quality for the price. Very affordable, especially at the time, considering it was the advent of Dolby Digital and it was the first receiver to break the $300 price barrier.

Weaknesses:
Terrible remote and remote system, the receiver's remote sensing capabilites fail miserably in all regards

Similar Products Used:
Pioneer, Denon, Sony, Onkyo (some units personally owned, others owned by friends and family members)

Price Paid:  $250.00 from circuit city

Summary:
I like the receiver. But the remote often simply stops working. I've written to kenwood so if I get an answer I'll repost.

You need to use the unpowered sub out with this unit. Paired up with a nice powered sub though it sounds excellent. Really great sound when getting LFEs from an AC3 source.

I have it paired with the Bose cubes and the clarity is excellent. Add the powered sub and it rounds the sound out nicely.

Anyone else have these remote problems? It's really ticking me off.

Strengths:
Nice sound on unpowered sub out (needs it), bass response otherwise unremarkable. Nice 5.1

Weaknesses:
remote stops working for no reason. lacks some control flexibility.