Very LOW Priced, solid unit, with Dolby Digital and dts decoder. It has the bare bones you need for a Home Theater Set-Up on a budget.

No "small" speaker setting for the surrounds or center channel. DSPs are useless.

I bought this receiver for an inexpensive solution to surround sound in my bedroom just because the system in my living room spoiled all subsequent TV watching for me. The biggest advantage is the price seeing as you get an optical and digital coaxial input and it has Pro-Logic and decodes Dolby D, and dts. This is a bare bones unit. As said in past posts, the remote is terrible and my Universal Remote can''t even find a code to control the unit. So I have to use the AIWA as a 2nd remote to control volume. Scound quality is good, but don''t expect it to get loud, considering the low power amplifier. I do get slightly annoying audible clicks as the volume level moves each step above 10, making it sound like a cheap system, well which it is - so I can''t really complain. The one thing I am most dissapointed in is the switch from Digital (Optical or Digital Coax) to Analog (PCM) signal input can only be made on the unit - the remote does not change this function. So as I flip through channels, the channels that are only broadcast in analog will not play with the unit in Digital mode, and vice versa. In Digital mode the unit does have an automatic sensor which will turn on the Dolby Digital or dts decoder automatically when it receives one of those signals.

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Yamaha HT5460

affordable and quality

remote control

Excellent piece of equipment great dynamics has all the features of an high end receiver but at half the price.

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none

Price (purchased as part of a home theater kit.)

Remote is trash. Function labels are misleading and fixed.

The Aiwa AV-D58 fills my need for home theater audio. Obviously providing both Dolby and DTS digital support, and the Pro Logic support for analog signals from television and older movies, this box will fit the majority of the needs of the consumer home entertainment market.

Be careful when selecting an A/V receiver if you're adding it to your existing stack of hardware. While the unit has a full complement of RCA-type component jacks, it only sports two rear-panel video inputs. One is equipped with an optical/TOSLINK port and the other a coaxial digital audio port. If your DVD player only sports one or the other, and your satellite receiver is equipped only with the optical port as mine is, then you'll be fine. If you have more than two digital devices, or those devices only have one type of digital audio connector, you'll be wasting your money.

Since the unit doesn't support S-VIDEO or have more video inputs (there is a third component video input on the front panel, but it's inelegant to run cables to the front of your equipment stack) I wouldn't consider this a good investment since you'll limit future growth by populating all the inputs immediately. A somewhat more expensive model with multiple s-video and optical audio inputs would be a better choice, but the cost for these units begins at $300 and goes upward.

Aiwa generally does a nice job of designing user interfaces on their electronics - but on this model, they took a few shortcuts I'm disappointed with. The remote (as evidenced by other reviews of this product) is trash. It offers no universal support for non Aiwa hardware, and worse, it places frequently used features on secondary functions, requiring the use of a shift-key when tuning, for example.

This would be less of an issue but my Tivo remote doesn't support it - so I find myself using the Aiwa remote for mundane volume control changes. Find a good universal remote control before you leave the store.

The front panel controls are visually stylish. Two large knobs control input and volume, giving the unit a symmetric appearance. Most features have their own button, but some require the use of a modifier. The DSP, for example - which emulates various room accoustics, can only be toggled on and off with the DSP key. Changing the setting of the DSP requires the use of up/down tuning keys. This wouldn't be so bad, but the choices of the DSP are so limited that I would have preferred each to be assigned its own button. The same holds true with surround. You'll find yourself frequently switching between pro-logic and standard stereo as tv programs come and go, and selection of the surround mode is a single button on the remote, requiring you to progress through each analog mode in sequence.

An intelligent detection scheme may exist on higher end units, but I haven't spent any time with them so I can't speak to that. Once again, if you're looking to plan a system from scratch, it would be worth your while to invest in a model that has format detection capability or at least a better method for switching between them.

In the past, Aiwa has done a superb job in making their user interfaces both flashy and user friendly. I think they took too many shortcuts in this model.

Performance is good. Audio sounds clear at all volume levels with the included speakers. The speakers seem to lack midrange richness. You're left with emphasized highs and little else. The subwoofer does a good job producing a low-end, but theres a lot missing inbetween. A new set of forward speaks will be on my list of future purchases. The center channel sounds about as crisp as the stock speaker in your television set, which may be fine for over-the-air broadcasts, but digital satellite and DVD have substantially more fidelity.

I'm also scratching my head as to why theres a dedicated phonograph input on this unit. The input appears to be wired for the unusual signal produced by a phonograph, so it cannot be used for any other audio sources (although with inputs for a dedicated CD, auxilliary audio and cassette tape, you'll probably never need it,) but it does get in the way when you're toggling through functions by remote.

In short, if I had some creative control over the design of this unit, I would definitely have put frequently used features on dedicated keys (input selection for Video 1, 2 and CD or Tuner and Pro Logic/Stereo toggle) deleted the dedicated phonograph input, moved all audio configuration options to a single menu key (balance, tone, power saving mode, etc.) and placed the DSP audio models onto dedicated keys.

That about wraps it up. Very good for the price, I'd say, but I expect a bit more in design prowess from Aiwa, given their track record in the past.
-b-

all the features of a high end receiver but for half the price

remote-too fiddly

I have had this for a couple of months,and I am really pleased with it; it has every thing I need, sound is great be it dolby digital or dts or dolby 2.0 even pro logic no complaints in the sound department.I recently added an active sub woofer to my system and it has just enhanced my enjoyment even more.My PS2 is also hooked up to my receiver so playing games sound wise, boosts the experience to another level.One minor complaint is the remote too fiddly and not having total control over the receiver via the remote,but as i said a minor complaint.Overall, great value for money and definately worth purchasing.

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none

It did everything I needed it to do for my a/v system.

Clean Sound, low price.

Difficult to set up, not very pleasing to look at. No Pro Logic II

I like it. I was tempted to get an Onkyo receiver, because I really love the sound from the TX-8211, but I wanted to try out Aiwa's less expensive model first. It sounds fine, even with my inexpensive AudioSource speakers. This being the first time through set up of a surround system, I found myself wanting more helpful instructions. Once this little puppy was up and running I found it to be fun to use and easy on the ears.

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Onkyo TX-8211

DTS and Dolby 5.1, 80 watts/channel, enough connections for most users. Easy to set up. Does the job of receivers twice the price.

Remote control is very non-universal. Buy a better universal yourself. No Dolby Prologic II decoding.

In the odd world of home theater, one can easily spend a $1,000 bucks on a single speaker, and 4 or 5 times that for a receiver. In my more tightly budgeted world, the Aiwa 58 is the cornerstone of my economy home theater system and it does a fine job. 400 watts plus a 100 watt sub fills my room with thunderous sound in movies and does not disgrace my classical music collection. Yes, there are better receivers but not for less than twice the price. And Onkyo/Denon competitors in the $300-$400 range give you less power than the Aiwa does, generally 50-60 watts/channel rather than the Aiwa's 80. The Aiwa's THD is a tad higher (.1 vs .05-.08) but if you can tell the difference than you are either unusually gifted or are playing your stereo way too loud! The only real tragedy is that there is no Dolbly PL2 support, but this is not a huge loss especially at this price point. And the DSPs don't sound very different from each other, but even at the high end this is a controversial gimmick anyway so why spend more? The remote only works for Aiwa equipment, so get a good universal. You'll need it anyway. Spend $150 on this receiver and $500 on the right speakers and you'll have a fine sounding system, though not much of a status symbol.

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Panasonic. Onkyo. Denon.

Very affordable, clean, clear sound, dynamic bass

remote control

For only $130(after rebate) I decided that I wasn't going to get a better receiver under $200. Of all the brands I listened to, this Aiwa is the best sounding, except for the Onkyo, but that one was over $300. For price, this thing cannot be beat. It's sounds great, and the bass rocks. I was wanting to buy a sub later, but I doubt if I will now. With the Super T-Bass system, it almost sounds as if there were a powered subwoofer in the room. The only thing that sucks is the remote, which is too darn small and doesn't control everything on the receiver that I would like it to. Besides that,this receiver rocks. I love it.

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Pioneer, Onkyo, RCA, JVC, Kenwood

Great Price Perfect for small to medium room
Pretty decent power Multiple DSP soundfields
Multiple A/V In/Outs very neat looking face
Dolby Digital/DTS works great

Shift button on remote uses too many important
functions but the remote is small enough
to combat that complaint easy to memorize the buttons.
Poor FM reception
If it goes into speaker protect mode
It loses all preset treble/bass settings

I have this receiver hooked up to a Samsung Dvd player
connected to the optical output with a Monster Cable Fiber
Optical Cable. It is hooked up to an Orion 27 inch stereo tv. I play Sony Playstation, Sega Dreamcast and N64 and it is awesome to play realistic games in Pro Logic mode.
My speaker list includes
Mains 2 JVC Digital series AV-SP555 12 inch woofer/passive radiater three way floorstanding speakers from late 80s-early 90s. ($30 from a crackhead)
Center RCA (2)5 1/4 inch poly woofers with 3/4 inch dome tweeter in a plastic inclosure on a plastic stand with a metal supportrod(adjustable angles).
It has a removable speaker cover. ($40 from Radio Shack)
Rears 2 RCA 4 inch paper cone woofer with 3/4 inch dome tweeter. (basic bookshelf speakers) ($20 a piece from Radio Shack)

No sub yet but looking into a Sony 120 watt 12 inch
powered sub

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KLH 2 ch 200 watt stereo:I blew it in 81 days
(gotta love that 90 day warrenty) by
listening to bass CDs with two Audiovox
Rampage 10 inch car subs.for $100 I didnt care.

10 year old AKAI stereo receiver (unfortunately
doing the same thing before realizing the
mistake I made :.(

Excellent value for basis of Home Theatre System. Lots of inputs and outputs to do anything you want. Sounds great with my separately purchased Home Theatre Speaker package (Jensen) including powered sub-woofer. Especially good using DVD digital (coaxial) input. I have no complaints at all about the receiver.

Not only is the remote difficult to use and the manual hard to understand re the remote, by Sony universal remote won't operate it. I have to find yet another new universal remote.

I am pleased with this receiver and its capabilites. Satellite TV sounds great and the floor shakes with the bass when you watch a DVD. I agree with a previous reviewer who said to buy this receiver and spend your saved money on speakers.

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Only my old Pioneer receiver, but I compared this to other systems and the value is there.