Optical/Digital inputs, subwoofer pre-out and on/off switch, USB port, many connection options available. DTS/Dolby Digital and DSP modes.

USB port should be in back, display for realtime DTS/Dolby decoding.

I purchased the JVC over Harmon Kardon AVR-220 I saved money but sacrificed sound quality. I based my decision partly on the reviews on this site. My main decision in purchasing this reciever was the vast number of hook ups available. I really love the USB port even though its in the front. I would rate the sound an 8 out of 10. Not as sharp or clear as my Proton or other high current amp designs, but very good nonetheless. Waiting for delivery of my new speaker system to put it thru its true function...DTS and Dolby Digital sound. As a former electronic technician, I noticed the posts complaining about the unit getting "hot", well the unit "should" run warm to the touch and it should not get hot unless the volume is turned to approx. 3/4 mark(loud) or higher for extended periods of time(the higher the volume the more current it draws from the AC line which produces heat). Many other complaints sound like operator errors or defects in the receiver. For instance, the complaint about the sound cutting off, assuming a constant source signal,would generally occur in extremely loud playing sound. If the sound is at a moderate level and it cuts off, that sounds like a defect to me. I have read the manual thoroughly, as should everyone, and I have yet to run into the problems that I have read about. The only thing that I have yet to test is the surround sound decoding because I don't have a 5.1 speaker hookup. But stay tuned, I'll post a follow up once I receive and hook up my speaker system.

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None, had Proton D940 2-channel stereo. This is my first Surround Sound System.

RF remote, five separate S-video inputs, DTS decoder (if I can ever get it to work), 5 channel stereo

Tedious manual, too many features (true of all in class), doesn't see optical signal or decode DTS (yet)

Thanks to audioreview.com & previous reviewers for helping me choose this EXCELLENT BARGAIN. I needed 5 x S-video inputs & closed-cabinet operation, so there was no competition. Who else offers an RF remote?

Kudos too to BestPriveAudioVisual.com for good pricing, fast delivery & excellent phone support. I didn't know you have to really push the optical cable in quite hard till it clicks. BPAV's support folk made three return calls till we found out what was wrong. A pleasant change from the usual tech support experience.

Bought an optical cable at the same time but the unit doesn't seem to see the optical signal coming from my Samsung DVD-907 player (I can see the light exiting the cable but no sound comes out of the speakers.) I carefully checked the digital input setup to see that the DVD player was assigned to input #1 but there's nothing in the manual or menu screens about switching input #1 from coax to optical. The digital coax cable works fine (the sound is breathtaking) but there's only one coax input & I'll need to use optical cables if I add any other digital components. I guess this means yet another call to the patient techies at BestPriceAV.

The unit has also not yet successfully detected a DTS signal from several DTS-encoded DVDs, even though I have forced that option on the receiver & on the DVD menu. The DTS icon just keeps flashing on the receiver & the display reads 'Dolby'. My DVD player doesn't say DTS on the outside, but I thought PCM mode sent everything from the disk with no need for special DTS DVD player. Am I missing something?

Having moaned & groaned I'll now tell you that the sound is superb. Because it's in a relativelly small den I'm playing through a cheap set of JBL speakers (SCS135) which I bought for $277 from the same vendor ($499 at Best Buy!) Even at moderately high listening levels the 8" 100W subwoofer remains remarkably clean & the surround speakers are amazing for their small size.

I'm rating this 4 out of 5 because of the setup difficulties & poor manual but I'm very satisfied overal with the RX-9010VBK's value & performance.

I'll come back with an update when the digital optical DTS problems are solved.

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Earlier Onkyo, Sony & JVC receivers

Tons of features for a low price, RF remote, USB connection for MP3s, DTS decoding, 120 watts x 2 in stereo mode.

The receiver causes the speakers to make noise when at higher volumes, my only complaint about this receiver.

I got this receiver on Ebay a couple months back. Overall this receiver is very good for the price. Lots of features, the RF remote is one of the best, and lets not forget DTS decoding. There are plenty of inputs for all your equipment. As I said in the weaknesses though this receiver causes noise in the speakers when at a higher volume. So far this is my only complaint about it, I usually don't notice it unless I'm listening to a music cd or DVD very loud and a silent scene comes up. Even then its not that bad. Now if I had paid 550 for this receiver then yea I would definitely rate this product lower. Another reason this is such a good receiver is its stereo mode power. I enjoy listening to music CDs as much as I do watching DVDs (quite a lot for both :)). All in all this is a pretty good receiver (definitely not a 5 though, the backround noise kept it from that).

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Old Mitsibishi Dolby Surround Reciever, 50 watts x 5. Think its about 5 to 6 years old.

Price!, buttons, rf remote, lots of inputs, componet video

remote incapable of replacing any of my others and it's HUGE, Dolby Digital glitch (mentioned earlier and commented below), as before - USB should be in the back

Many earlier reviews mention an audio defect in switching off the center channel. I knew about this before I bought it and was hoping it would not affect me. I was wrong. For what I can tell it only happens in Dolby Digital, not DTS mode. The five channels drop to 2 channel stereo. It is immediately noticeable and can be corrected by pausing the DVD and than hitting play. It happens far more often when using a DSP setting. How often? About every third movie in regular 5.1 and about 15 times per movie when using a DSP setting. If you know not to use a setting when listening in non-DTS than the glitch is no worse than the occasional skip witnessed by some layer-changes. I am considering contacting Etronics and returning the receiver - but I know that I will be out the shipping, so I am still considering.
Otherwise I have enjoyed the receiver. The onscreen programming is handy and speaker connectors are all banana-plug friendly. The adjustable subwoofer crossover is also a plus (80,100 and 120 hz). If you don't mind taking a risk on what appears to be platform wide defect, this receiver has great value in it. It drives my JBL speakers and Velodyne sub with much clarity and gusto.

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Harmon Kardon, Sony, Yamaha

A/V Compulink, # Inputs, Sound Quality, Power, DTS capable, IR/RF remote

DVD-Multi mode cannot play through subroom speakers, Ease of subroom controls on remote, Video Switching, B/W onscreen menus, User Manual Ambiguity, No Digital / PCM input on Video 1 (DVD) - Only Digital Coax

I purchased the JVC RX-9010 receiver about a month ago. I also purchased the JVC-XV-FA90BK 7-disc DVD-Audio/Video player. I'm running the JBL SCS-135 Speaker system w/8"-100 watt sub. I also have a JVC TV and VCR.

Before I go any further, the system sounds great. The speaker fill my 25X16 room well, and the DVD-Audio sounds superb. However, there are a few things you might want to consider if you are looking to purchase this receiver:

Setup was involved, but not any more than I had expected. I was a little dissapointed with the Users Manual, I really didn't know some of the "proprietary terminology" that JVC was using, and couldn't find any place that explained it in layman's terms. For instance: What's the difference between DSP and DAP? I think I finally figured it out, but JVC was pretty ambiguous about it.

Setup of my complete system took just shy of 2 hours. That was with rear surround speaker wire already in place, and all of my monster cable already purchased.

My idea in purchasing this unit was to use the SUBROOM feature to play MP3 files in our nursery at night. Unfortunately, that is not possible with this unit. This is because the RX-9010 cannot OUTPUT in DVD-Multi mode to the subroom. With the JVC-XV-FA90BK changer, it only outputs DVD-Audio, MP3's and CD/RW's to the ANALOG AUDIO OUTPUTS, not the digital PCM/STREAM output. Therefore, with the RX-9010, I have to select "DVD" to listen to CD's, DVD's, and VCD's, but have to select DVD-MULTI to listen to DVD-Audio's and MP3's. It took me a while to figure this one out. What I ended up doing is burning MP3's to regular CD format and using the "REPEAT ALL" function on my DVD player. It's kind of a hassle. I understand this may be nit-picky, but that' really what I would like the system to do.

I wish JVC had been more clear about this before I bought the unit. Better yet, why not just enable the DVD-Multi mode in the Subroom? I'm sure it's more complicated than I think, but it sure would be nice.

Another complaint I have is the subroom controls on the remote. The GARGANTUAN remote has a selector switch at the top-left of the remote. Unfortunately, when you slect the SUBROOM control on the remote, the unit's faceplate won't display any controls to the subroom unless you physically go down to the receiver and select the "SUBROOM CONTROL on/off" button. In my view, this defeats the purpose of having the controls on the remote. One feature I do like, however is the RF Remote. I can go to my subroom and adjust the volume from that room. However, I leave the volume on my nursery at "30" every night. In order to get the volume the same every night, I have to do it directly from the unit, I can't do it remotely and see that the value is "30".

Also, for some reason the unit is (or I am) confused about the "Speaker #1" and "Speaker #2" settings. Sometimes it will just shut off the "Speaker #2" and I can't turn them back on without turning on the Main Room control, selecting "Speaker #2" on, then back to subroom control. Go figure.

A HUGE COMPLAINT that I have is this:

When I'm watching a DVD movie...I come to a part that I like so I turn up (or down) the volume...the DVD chapter will change to Chapter 10!!! Evidently the I/R codes on the volume control for the Receiver and the I/R code for the DVD player are close if not identical. It also does it for the "DSP MODE" button. That really bugs me. Here I am showing off my new system to friends and I can't even control my DVD player. Luckily, it's an RF remote, I can just point it into my chair and change the volume by RF. That's a pain, though. Why don't they fix that? Do I have a bad remote? Waiting on JVC to tell me.

I know this seems like a lot of problems, but I really do like the receiver, IT'S TRAINED ME to deal with it's shortcomings. Some would say that's wrong, but hey...the biggest feature for me is the A/V compulink, so I'm stuck with JVC components. That's not a bad thing because I like the RF remote also. The receiver has plenty of power, although I've never had it up past 70. At that point, my JBL 8" sub starts to distort...but that's plenty high for me.

All in all, If JVC would fix these little problems, the receiver would be a 5. My wife has problems operating the subroom / Speaker#1 & #2 settings. It gets me, too. I suppose after we've had it for a while it'll start to make more sense. Maybe not.

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Old Magnavox Dolby Pro-logic

Options!Options!Options!

not many, usb port should be in the back. bulky remote.

This is a follow up. Noticed my center channel cuts off intermittently(not often, but once is too many). It sounds like it's switching from DD or DTS to 2 channel. Tried to isolate the problem and it looks like the receiver is the culprit. I'm going to send it to get looked at since it's under warranty. There goes my high rating.

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none

features vs. cost

Not many, took a while to figure the remote, but once you do it is simple

I have had this for less than a month but can tell you it is a great receiver for the money spent. I can thank the reviews on this website for making up my mind and getting a better deal. I had originally went through circuit city and paid $100 more for it than what most of these guys bought it for. CC has a 30 money back guarantee, so after about a week I ordered it through etronics.com and got my receiver from them a few days later and took the other one back to cc.
The only problem i had with the receiver was that if you have an S-Video source you have to go to your tv with the s-video and the same with the rca input, This makes for s-video going into your tv and an rca input going into your tv. Swithching your input channel on your tv back and forth if you want to watch the different standards. I got tired of swithcing so I just used the rca outputs from my satellite and the ones from my vcr into the receiver. (if all that doesn't make sense it's because I'm not a very good writer)
I have my playstation 2 hooked up with the component hookups (make sure your tv has component inputs)and also the digital audio. The playstaion works great with the stereo and sounds great. I can really tell a difference from my old prologic receiver compared to DTS and Digital. When I watch a dvd The Receiver plays the sound in DTS or Digital just like it is supposed to. If there are people out there who want a dvd player and a plastation 2 get the playstation 2 first and try it. It works great. You have to pay a little bit more for the playstation component and digital cables but they are worth every penny.
Thanks to everyone who wrote a review for this product and helped me out. I'm sure there are a lot better receivers out there but i'm not going to pay $1000 to find out. This one works great. (excuse my spelling throughout this review)

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yamaha rx493 (i think)

Plethora of input options, IR/RF remote, decent multibrand remote capabilites, support for DD 5.1 and DTS, USB input

No "learning" remote, unit doesn't perform video "switching"

Bought this unit a little over a week ago. It replaced a Kenwood unit that was about 10-12 years old. My overall goal is to enjoy home theater so I needed to find a new centerpiece to drive everything. I evaluated a few different models from a few different manufacturers and I really liked the way this JVC stacked up against other units in the same price range.

This is my first JVC component and I must say that I'm very happy with it. The unit has all kinds of options for inputing signals. My DVD player has S-Video and a digital coax cable running to the JVC. My RCA satellite receiver has S-Video and a digital optical cable running to the JVC. My VCR, which doesn't support S-Video, has the familiar yellow, red and white RCA cables running to the JVC for video and sound. All in all, if you understand how all of these connections work, you can have everything hooked up in just a few minutes.

The one thing that I mentioned in my weaknesses section is that this unit doesn't perform video signal "switching." So, in my above setup, I'm using two different types of video signals into the receiver. When outputing those signals to my monitor, a signal that is input on an RCA cable will not "switch over" to the S-Video output. A video signal input on an RCA cable will output on the RCA out and a video signal input on an S-Video cable will output on the S-Video out. Therefore, I have two video cables running from the receiver to my monitor, one S-Video and one RCA. This is clearly laid out in the manual that the unit operates this way, so it wasn't a problem for me. However, it would be pretty cool to have the unit be able to route all video signals out of ONE output of the user's choice.

The sound quality of this unit has been great so far. Unfortunately, I have only two front speakers attached at this time, so I cannot comment on the surround fields that this unit creates. However, sounds from movies like the Matrix coming over the digital coax connection are CRYSTAL clear and the receiver has no noticeable hiss even at high output levels. Very cool!

For this price range, this receiver seems to have it all! Check this one out when you're shopping for a new home theater controller!

DD, DTS, 5 Channel Stereo, lots of digital inputs, R/F Remote.

Runs very hot, causes receiver to jump out of 5.1 and into 2 channel stereo. Remote sucks, it's huge and not backlit.

I was very excited about the reviews that I had read going into this purchase. By all accounts JVC was preparing to enter seriously into the home theater market with the 9010. I own several JVC digital products and was in general very pleased with the quality of the prioduct they produced. With this in mind, I decided to pass on some pricier units, Onkyo and Dennon t obe specific, and gave the JVC a shot. With the price I paid I figured it was worth the gamble. After receiving the unit, I was initially pleased with the features and the sound. After about 2 weeks I kept noticing that during 5.1 surround movies, that the receiver kept jumping out of 5.1 and into 2 channel stereo. I thought perhaps that I had hooked it up incorrectly. I pulled the entire system apart and rewired starting from scratch. After reassembling, I found that the problem continued. I also noticed that the power output was very inconsistant, the volume would go up and down slighty. I found myself constantly adjusting the volumes on my DSS receiver and the stereo receiver. I checked for signal degredation and found that there was none.
Overall I am not pleased with the receiver, I wish I had ponied up the money to get a proven product from a manufacturor that is dedicated the home theater, and not just dabbling like JVC appears to be.

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You name it.

Excellent sound quality from digital sources. USB Audio function sounds great. Good tuner performance. Excellent value. Amplifier is very clean and quiet. Digital EQ works very well and is a great idea.

Still don't like the black and white User Interface, but I'm getting used to it. A learning remote would have been a slam-dunk. Also, why not inputs for more than one regular DVD player (not DVD-multi?) I have two myself, can only use one (without making control trade-offs). PLEASE put the USB port on the BACK of the unit, or put another one back there. Speaker wire binding posts are stupid (but you only have to deal with them once anyway)

First off, let me say that my initial review was way off. It was just initial impressions, half-way through setting the thing up, out of the box. I now have all of my speakers hooked up, and my CD and DVD hooked up digitally, as well as my computer through the USB port. I am listening to MP3's through it as I type this. They have never sounded even close to this good before. I have always hooked up my computer through the regular audio port, where I got lots of noise and humming and buzzing. The USB Audio port sounds just like any digital source. It totally kicks @$$! I never considered my computer to be a high-fidelity audio source until now. Very, very cool.

DVD's - WOW! 5.1 works very well, so does dts. I went out and rented Gladiator, American Pie, and Cast Away. All of the movies sounded better than any theater I have ever been to (we have a THX-certified theater in Wausau, this is much better). My DVD player auto-negotiates a surround mode with the reciever. Forgive me if this is old news for everyone, but I think it is really cool. I also think that optical digital connections are the coolest thing since sliced bread. My CD's sound cleaner and punchier than ever before. Better than my $1000 car stereo. I used to get noise whenever my air conditioner kicked in from my old Pioneer receiver. No more. This reciever absolutely kills the one it replaced. This thing is awesome. Was a steal at $299 + shipping, is still a steal now that etronics has upped the price $50.

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