Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I've been using mine since I bought it used in 2001. I feel compelled to write a review on this as I've just read a bunch of reviews on this tonight and have a few bits of advice to those who comment on the lack of power and bass. You obviously aren't setting this up properly if you think it lacks power! First off I was dissappointed in the sound qaulity when I first listened to music in 2 channel stereo, thought it lacked power and sounded tinny. Then I started experimenting with settings and found the best way to solve the volume issue is when you are setting the levels up in the test mode for 5.1 surround, turn the front speaker settings (L and R) ALL THE WAY UP. Yes this setting affects the speakers even in 2 channel stereo - once you set the levels to their max you will notice a HUGE difference in stereo music qaulity, And as far as the bass goes, make sure the subwoofer setting is correct, as if it is set to on/present then the bass is filtered out of the front speakers even in stereo mode. Also compare the difference between midnight mode being on or off. Once I figured these couple of things out (which was a whole YEAR later, I disconnected my old Kenwood that I had been using exclusively for music. I will say dollar for dollar, I couldn't have done better, but this is a SURROUND SOUND RECIEVER so of course it outshines itself with the movie/surround usage tover the 2 channel stereo experience. I hope this helps somebody.........

MatrixDweller

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $500.00 from Future Shop

Summary:
The Kenwood VR-307 provides clear and crisp Dolby Digital 5.1 decoding. I have it connected to Cerwin Vega E310's, HT-SAT5 surrounds, HT-CTR24 center, and an HT-S10 subwoofer. The VR-307 pumps out excellent power to all speakers enveloping the listener in 5.1 discrete channels of crystal clear surround sound. When the receiver kicks into dedicated stereo mode it pumps out an extra 20 watts to the fronts giving 120 watts.

I have connected many different components to this receiver (satellite audio, cable audio, PS2, computer audio, DVD) and they all performed flawlessly.

I have had this receiver for over 5 years and still have no reason to upgrade. The Kenwood VR307 is still the best part of my home theater setup.

I would definitely recommend the VR307 to any one looking for a bargain home theater receiver.

Strengths:
- 100 watts / channel
- Dolby Digital 5.1 surround
- Very little heat production from the KAM amplifier
- Simple to set up and use

Weaknesses:
- No DTS

Price Paid:  $300.00 from The Brick

Summary:
This is my first Receiver I bought my hole system at once already had the 27inch TV. Also bought bose 301's for the fronts a bose 150 watt centre & bose 201's as rears. I find for the price it was a good buy & a good starter receiver at the time. I bought it back in 1999, it has only broke once & that was just a soter point which was covered under the warrenty. The remote has stopped working but I used it a lot over 4 years. All in all I have been very happy with it. Plenty of power for an apartment dweller. I am doing a big upgrade to a Denon 2803 but for the price & the time my Kenwood 307 was good.

Strengths:
a good low end receiver largly simple to use. With my Bose's even in stero mode I find that I get lot's of bass solid power for the price.

Weaknesses:
needs more S-video inputs & outputs no DTS which is starting to become annoying as more and more movies have DTS as an option or a requirment.

Price Paid:  $199.00 from hifidicks

Summary:
This receiver has suited me well for a few years. For all you canucks, it might not be quite enough, but this thing does well for folks who just want to enjoy home theater or stereo cd sound without complaining about the wattage or the 1db difference in signal/noise ratio in listening to the digital outputs compared to some other high-dollar receiver. This thing rocks like hell. As I type I am listening to some old Grateful Dead re-released on cd with digital re-mastering, and some say it only has 48 watts rms. I'm sorry, girls, this thing rocks my Bose 201s like nobody's business. I have Sound Dynamics center and surrounds, and a Sony 10" sub. I love this receiver!! It does everything I want it to, always runs cool, never coughs, never gives me headaches, and really gets the job done. I live in a small house, but I can appreciate good sound. I have never had digital sound, but the DVD and the CD are hooked up through the fiber optic input and the DVD is hooked up to the tv through S-video. I enjoy the sound and the picture. I don't care what anyone says, even on the tuner setting, this receiver rattles the house. So what if you have to turn it up to 38? You are just getting in to the power of this piece. If I had the money, I would buy Adcom stuff, but this cheap receiver allows me to enjoy the sounds of a higher priced unit with similar features. If you want more digital inputs, consider the fact that this thing has a digital input for the DVD and for the CD player. If you need more than that, you are in the wrong league of audio anyway, so quit complaining. I know that Kenwood is proud of their namesake, but hell they have been around a long time and they know how to build electronics.

Strengths:
Crisp powerful sound, no quirks or heat. Runs extremely cool. This thing rules

Weaknesses:
Weird volume display, runs backwards in numbers to 0 being the loudest. But all KW stuff is like that. If anyone knows why, let me know!

Similar Products Used:
Sony, Onkyo, Technics

Price Paid:  $75.00 from Audio Connexion (Used Audio Store)

Summary:
I got this reciever, used, because I wanted to take advantage of Dolby Digital with my new DVD Player. I couldn't figure out why it was in a used Audio Shop, and was still a current model. Silly Me, I traded my Onkyo tx-sv454 and $75 bucks for this reciever. ( what a fool I was, even if my Onkyo was only Pro-Logic)

Well, I got it home, hooked it up, fumbled my way through the manuals and was THUROUGHLY diappointed by the sound imaging I experienced. I then spent the next 9 months upgrading my cables, speakers, and rearranged my living room to figure out why this thiung sounds so poor. To listen to a DVD, I would regularly have to put the volume up to 38+.

Well, Now I know, the crummy thing is ONLY 48 watts per channel, RMS. Jeez. My boom Box has more power than that!

Anyway, I corrected my mistake by purchasing a Yamaha HTR-5450, and to date, have not regretted it a bit. Heck, I even got $124.00 out of the Kenwood on E-bay!!!!!

Save your money, don't be cheap when buying home theatre products!

Strengths:
SUPER Cheap entry level Dolby digital reciever

Weaknesses:
Not DTS, No S-Video Switching, Clumsy Interface, Lack of multiple optical interfaces, EXTREME LACK OF POWER

Similar Products Used:
Onkyo TX-SV454, Onkyo TX-SV575, Yamaha HTR-5450, Sony DRE-975ex, Pioneer VX-508s