home_audio_113

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $50.00 from Best Buy

Summary:
Let me start out by saying I am generally satisfied with this unit and it's speaker package. I currently have the unit hooked up with the KLH 9000 H.T. speaker package which sound quite well during movie or gaming. I purchased this unit at Best Buy for a misely $50 simply because the box was torn and they put it in clearence to be sold as-is. I opened the box to inspect the unit and it turned out that there was absolutely no damage what so ever. The speakers were in exelent condition as well.

I applaude the multiple inputs and 5.1 dolby DVD input and amazingly easy operation of this unit. The unit has a simple desing and has many options such as listening modes and individual speaker volume adjustment amongst others. I was sadly dissapointed when I went to listen to music on this unit. I have noticed this unit has a touchy tuner and poor sound quality when it comes to music.

Another problem I have noticed is that it doesn't seem to have the power it is believed to have. luckly I can say i have had no problem with the rear channels as some other unit of simalarity have had.

In a scale from 1 to 5 I would give this unit a 3.5 simply because of the options and many uses it has.

Strengths:
excelent sound when used as a surround sound unit or amplifier unit, simple design, relatively easy setup and use.

Weaknesses:
poor sound quality when music is played, sensitive radio tuner, not as strong as believed to be.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I can't say that I personaly have much to critic about the VR-306 unit, as the owner of the system that I wish to talk about is my brother in Laval Québec. I visited him this past weekend and we decided to watch a VHS film together. What I have is question regarding the outputs in surround mode. In any of the modes, including the Dolby Pro-Logic mode, the sound only comes out of the front and rear left and right speakers. No sound comes out of the center speaker and unfortunately he does not have a center sub-woofer either. In other modes, I was able to get sound out of the center speaker but then we lost rear sound. Is this normal to never be able to get sound out of all five speakers simulataneously? We tried a couple different movies, all of which had the Dolby trademark on them, but still no difference. Is the problem his setup or is there a problem with the micro in the unit?

Price Paid:  $149.00 from eBay

Summary:
As other reviewers have stated, this receiver doesn't impress me as much as it did when I first set it up. Over time, I've developed the strong opinion that this unit is designed to go into an entertainment center and be used first and foremost for watching movies. It does not serve well as your primary stereo receiver if you're a big music listener.

I found it to be lacking a bit in power. I have a pair of Sony tower speakers which get MUCH louder when attached to my older Kenwood receiver which has the same wattage rating stamped on it. On the other hand, it gets as loud as you'll probably ever need if you live in an apartment or condo, or just want to use it at normal listening levels.

On the plus side, it's rock-solid reliable. I've always appreciated Kenwood's tendency to build their receivers on the conservative side. No flashy multi-colored EQ lights all over the front or anything like that. They stick to the basics in all of their "value priced" receivers, so they'll last for years and years with no breakdowns.

For the price you pay, you won't go wrong with one of these -- expecially if you own a DVD player with Dolby Digital 5.1 outputs. (My Apex DVD player doesn't provide these, so again, this receiver doesn't make the best match to the rest of my own personal system.) I'm ready to move up to something a little nicer, but I'll probably try to stick with Kenwood. The rest of my Kenwood equipment (CD changer, tape deck, etc.) has never done me wrong.

Strengths:
Looks good, high stated wattage for the dollar

Weaknesses:
Realtively poor sound quality for music

Similar Products Used:
Technics, older Kenwood receivers, Realistic/Optimus

Price Paid:  $98.00

Summary:
the problem with weak bass is solved with a subwoofer...all the low ranges are pumped through the sub pre-out, not the mains. i have this hooked up to a KLH-9006 H.T. speaker package with a sub and it sounds phenomenal...they obviously designed this thing to be used with a sub. Sounds better than my old setup, and the speakers were only 120 (5 speakers plus 100 watt sub, not bad). A great buy, would recommend! KLH speakers by the way are VASTLY under-rated!

Strengths:
bass problem fixed

Weaknesses:
absolutely none

Price Paid:  $140.00

Summary:
BTW...this review also is for the VR-305 model.

I was happy when I first got it, but the more the months go by the more I become dissapointed with the 305. Its a cinch to set up and use, but the sound is just not good at all. The highs are really tinny and irritating-sounding. The bass is non-existant, meaning the resulting sounds go all though the mids. This is not so good when you are playing music through it. My speakers have 1 1/14 inch tweeters, 3 inch mids, and 12 inch woofers. Compared to my last receiver which diplayed clean sounds, it now souds like my mids are being pushed to the limits...at any loud volume the sound is loud and distorted. Its not the speakers because the last unit I had hooked up to them was a 120+ watt per channel monster, and my speakers handled it with ease and no distortion. Everything on the kenwood is crammed to my mids, and as a result vocals, snares, etc. are muffled and sound like garbage. The so-called bass adjustment really only boosts the mid-range on music. I dont want to spend money on a subwoofer so I'll learn to live with it, but I use my receviers more for music than movies (which this receiver was obviously geared towards) so I'll be a bit unhappy with it as long as i own it. The highs are a bit better and they are crisp, but TOO crisp...they lack any sort of real definition within that crispness, resulting in a kind of harsh, tinny sound. Acoustic music sounds just flat and dull on the 305.

The unit is not all flawed though. I like how each individual speaker's volume can be adjusted. There are alot of complaints about the weak rear channels here, but if you cut the main L and R down to about -6 or -7 db, the rears are plenty loud. The receiver will compensate for this by raising the maximum volume, meaning if you cut the mains down you'll still get the same volume level if you turn it all the way up.

For this price you get what you pay for I guess. They just dont make stereos the way they used to. It's ok for movies but I wouldnt recomend this receiver line to anyone...if you're in it for the music your best bet is to just get a straight s channel non-surround amp. My pick would be the Sony STR-DE135, costs about 120-130 and sounds just awesome for music (100 times better than this kenwood). They need to put emphasis back on sound quality rather than mulit-dimensional sound fields and flashing lights. I'd recommend you to shop around a bit before buying this receiver.

Strengths:
Good bang for the buck and easy to use, also good speaker adjustability

Weaknesses:
weak bass, not too good for music...sounds too artificial

Similar Products Used:
too many receivers to mention