B&K Components AVR202 A/V Receivers

B&K Components AVR202 A/V Receivers 

DESCRIPTION

- Stereo - Dolby Pro Logic® - Dolby Digital® (AC3) - DTS (Digital Theater Systems®) - 105 watts-per-channel (5 channels) -Analog inputs & outputs: seven inputs all with stereo, composite video & S-video connections. -Digitally synthesized AM/FM tuner with 20 AM and 20 FM presets -Digital inputs & outputs: six coax inputs, five optical, one 1/8" mini input; one optical and 1/8" mini output with auto format conversion -Analog inputs & outputs -AM/FM tuner and seven audio video inputs that are independently selectable: all seven with S-video and composite video

USER REVIEWS

Showing 21-30 of 97  
[May 10, 2000]
John
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Great sound, easy to use, great sound

Weakness:

Haven't figured those out yet

My Yamaha 2095 life was cut short due to a lightening strike - I loved that reciever and thought it sounded great. But being a person who likes to upgrade I decided to check out what was out there from Dennon, etc... I went to my local HiFi Buys store and they had one last B&K AVR 202 - open box - Well I did some research and found out that this was a highly rated reciever so the next day I went back and bought the reciever for $1400 (what a steal). I will never go back to Yamaha or Dennon. I have never heard music so crisp, clean and precise since I hooked this bad boy up - I just can't wait to have my amps replaced in my speakers so I can hear some bass again.

You won't be dissapointed with this reciever!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 2095 - Dennon

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 15, 2000]
Robert Rogers
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Sound, Power output,Ability to memorize up to 20 different configuration

Weakness:

Would like to have had the option of tone controls,Not able to have video while using non video sources

I have had this unit for over a year now,..It is powerful and very accurate. This may pose a prob for bright sounding speakers..I find that on music the ability to bypass the digital converters is very useful. I have had no problems with this unit and tech support is good. I do feel that they have there own ideas about what they want in a product and I am not sure they are interested in what consumers are interested in. I think tha some form of equilization ability would be useful as well as the flexibility of pre and pro outputs and inputs..However, I dont think there is a receiver on the market that give you as many digital in puts as this one...Each input in effect has coax and opital and each can be used. You wont run out of input jacks on this one..The unit runs warm and has NO fan and is absoulutely quiet..The is no hum at all...some earily models had problems but i think they have worked them out.. The sound stage is awsome and you wont drive this baby into overload. Base is solid and the unit is built like a tank. Yes the front panel is a bit sparce but whatever you need is there and you can easily acces anything you want on ther remote...I suspect that there must have been something wrong with the unit in ther previous review and that can happen with andy manufacturer..I will admit tha B&K has had there share of problems and hope that there quality control has improved...for $2700 it better have..One other thin is that the unit does us 20bit dac which sound incredible..Yes I would love to have 24bit dacs but only if they where as good as the 20bit units being used here...

Similar Products Used:

manantz770

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Feb 03, 2000]
John Valentino
Casual Listener

Strength:

power,upgrade,warranty,quality,remote,multiple zones

Weakness:

Price,tone controls,5 channel stereo

Although I am nerw with the unit the fact that it is fully upgradeable sold me. Although I liked the Yamaha sound the DSP modes and the remote convinced me to exchange after 4 months. The fact that I wont get stuck with a unit that wont perform to the latest formats 3-5 years or whenever is very convinving. The first AVR202 I brought home had a problem identifying the dvd bitstream or plug and play did not work. It was back to the my friends @ Sound Advice. My unit is coupled to B&W 603s2's,601s2's and their latest center. I have no subwoofer it is on the wish list I am looking for any reccomendations. The sound is powerful and clean however I would like tone controls.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RXV 2095,Yamaha RXV995,familiar with Denon 5700

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 03, 2000]
Mike
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

It is one of the few good things to come out of Buffalo NY in the last few years, great sound, plug & play, ins/outs, digital connections in optical and coaxial, Gold plated everything,

Weakness:

the front panel know is confusing, it has a tendency to destroy speakers (I'll miss that center speaker), Can't adjust bass & treble

This reciever is the first home theatre reciever that I've tried. I've been very pleased with what I've seen so far. It is very powerful and its internal amplifier can definitely go past 105 watts. Once you pick your way through the instruction manual (which will take a few readthroughs), you can try to hook all of your stuff up to it. There is a lot of flexibility. Almost every input has analog (yes some people still use analog) optical and coaxial digital inputs. It's factory upgradable too (for the next big thing to come out). I'm a big fan of the dual center and sub preamp outputs too. They make it a little bit more flexible with hooking up extra amps. You have to go into the menus from the remote of you'll get confused real quick.
If you have the means to get one, may I suggest that you do!

Similar Products Used:

this is my first home theater reciever

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Jan 13, 2000]
Fred
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

American Made

Weakness:

Sound. Sound. Sound. Did I mention Sound?

This was absolutely the worst piece of junk I have purchased.

I was told about the "American made" advantage. They said that terrible sound comes from Japanese products. Hogwash!

This unit sounded muted and muffled. It required very high volume levels (at times the volume was all the way up) and the sound was still not loud enough. There was no way to correct the problem, even with interconnects around $500.

There was a constant electric hum from the speakers. They offer every excuse in the book. Totally unacceptable. The bottom line is that I have no hum with the Denon, using the exact same set up and electrical supply.

The Motorola test site must have goofed on my unit, and I don't appreciate being a laboratory experiment when I spend $2100.

The front panel is an aweful user interface. Just about every action required the push of at least two buttons, which were not logical or labeled well.

The people on this board must be trying to convince themselves that they didn't make a mistake with this purchase. Buyer's regret is a terrible feeling.

Save yourself some hassle and go get the Denon 5700. It's like buying hundreds of musical instruments and hiring musicians to play for you. "Japanese sound" is a bunch of sales talk.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 5700. Yamaha.

OVERALL
RATING
1
VALUE
RATING
1
[Jan 09, 2000]
Jason
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

clarity of audio; headphone mode; build quality

Weakness:

Lack of flexibility in video/digital input switching/assignment.

I'm really happy with this purchase, the sound is as clear and detailed as anything I've heard and noticeably better than the other integrated recievers in its range IMHO.

The one thing that I found dissapointing, is that there's no way to dynamically assign a single video input to multiple sources. (ex. dss -> CD/DAT/etc) Which means if you want to watch video while listening to another audio source (which I do frequently), you have to either use Zone 2 as a seperate video routing device, or purchase an external video splitter/router. It could at least detect if no video source is on the current input and use the last active one. Hopefully this could be programmed into the system.

I thought I would mind not having any equalization but I don't notice it a bit. Although I do wish I could turn down low freq late at night.

Also I do get a small popping on rear speakers when entering digital decoding modes. No other problems whatsoever.

The remote is nice, but you can't assign an arbitrary device to any button without programming it. So you're in for some work if you have something other than the number of devices on the remote (1 cd, 1 dvd, 1 tape, 1 tv, 1 dss, 2 vcr's)

Wish list:
- A headphone jack on back.
- 2 Additional tos-link digital inputs.
- Assignable digital inputs to arbitrary source.

Similar Products Used:

yamaha dsp-a1, denon 5700, sony 50/555/90 es

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Oct 29, 1999]
Dan
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Extremely clean audio performance

Weakness:

Would prefer some EQ capability, but still and outstanding system without!

After allmost three months of use, I have this system to be the best audio reciever I have ever owned. I am experiencing no problems with hum or overheating of any kind and the overall build quality is unmatched by any of the Japanese products on the market today. The highs produced are crisp and clean and the bass is not muddied or distorted, but very tight and clear. I have the B&K paired with the Atlantic Technologies 370THX system and is outstanding in theater mode and equally impressive playing audio cds. I normally do not post reviews of equipment but I am that impressed with this system, that I can recomend, without reservation, the B&K to anyone desiring high definition audio gear.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Oct 15, 1999]
Bill
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Great Sound, Excellent Home Theater, easy set-up.

Weakness:

Runs very hot, s-video switching problems. Been waiting (2) weeks for replacement. They do not return my e-mails requests. Makes me worry about (5) year warranty.

I'm waiting for my replacement unit to make a final judgement. I'm hoping things will work out, class-A in a package like this, sound quality and theater options are hard to beat.

Similar Products Used:

I was testing separates, Rotel, Krell, B&K, Parasound and Acurus. I went with the AV-101 to free up cash towards Sonus Faber speakers.

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
[Sep 17, 1998]
Vince Muraco
an Audio Enthusiast

I've had this receiver for 6 weeks now, and so far it kicks butt.The only thing I'm bummed about is the lack of dts products.Stereo sounds great,dvd 5.1 is killer. the only thing I don't like is the instruction manual and the remote. you would think a $3000 receiver would have a better laid out manual . I like my RC2000 remote better also, thats why i rated the b+k a 4 and not a 5. P.S. if anyone knows how i can get a copy of a dts demo disc, please e-mail me at vmuraco@yahoo.com

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
[Nov 16, 1999]
John Sala
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Exceptional ease of use.
Excellent source detection

Weakness:

Custom settings.

In over a year of use, it has never failed to properly detect the appropriate type of source (DTS, DD, DPL, etc.). Lots of fun to use, and extremely clean in all modes. Wish it had the ability to store my level/mode preferences though (especially for DVD movies). Can be done with RS9000 remote, but not as convienent. Amp section is a real prize as well. Very powerful, especially given the conservative rating. there might be better values out there now, but for all around use, the AVR202 is still hard to beat. I would buy it again (well, I might look at the Parasound unit...love the auto calibration feature, but it is more $ and needs an external amp).

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
Showing 21-30 of 97  

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