Everything you could really want in a A/V reciever (THX,DTS,Dolby Digtal, Prologic, etc)...RF Remote (you can be ANYWHERE in the house and still control the unit) and awsome price!!!

Yes...it's true.. the remote is hard to figure out because of the half ass manual...but not a big deal.

Well after searching for months for a new reciever I listened to a few that had THX certification and they all were better at the theater surround sound than non-THX recievers and thats what I was really looking for..I just got my 40 inch Sony HDTV and dvd player and wanted to try to get the "theater effect" in my home. So I went out on the hunt for THX recievers..I learned there was a few THX certification types out there (select,ultra, ultra2)This has the select cert which is the lowest but I still has all the major features the higher certs have....To the nitty gritty...This reciever is the best one I've had to date. What I like most about it is that it performs as predicted (i bought it based on reviews and my GUT feeling...never had a chance to listen to it before purchase)...there were NO negative suprises like noisey amplification,cheap feel,under powered, etc. However..there were a few great suprises...It sounded much better than my Harmon kardon AVR45...a lot cleaner and more ...stabil. Also that remote...whew..the RF works great..I can be in the basement and control it...So I wired another speaker set down there. I has so many features that I'm impressed with like Midnight mode...where the sound is dynamically compressed and comes out sounding very good but at lower volumes (Don't want to wake the neighbors)...But the THX in tango with Dolby Digital and DTS is awesome for home theater. The rear channels have totally come alive.
One big factor to the sound is my new speakers (Acouctic Research HC6 ... believe me..the best home theater speaker set you can buy for under 1200 (pss...you can get it for 399.00 including a powered sub at electronicEmall.com)..back to the reciever..It's by far one on the best recievers for under 500 and you will enjoy it like no other!!!
I couldn't believe the price either..It retails for 699.99 but if you shop around it can be bought easily for under 400. The only thing I'm concerned about is the Durability...but Kenwood has a 2 year waranty on it..thats longer than most other brands....I'm no audiophile but Love music and theater and I think finally found the best sounding system for well under $1000 (Kenwood vr-510 and Acoustic Research hc6 speaker set). It beats the pants off any system I've heard in the price range and ANY BOSE system!!! enjoy researching

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Denon, Marantz, Harmon Kardon

THX (select), Pro-Logic II, Dolby Digital, DTS

Disorganized manual, remote control can be intimidating and confusing, Receiver controls can be confusing

Ive used this product for over a week now, and so far I have no complaints. With regards to sound quality; I am definitely impressed. I am using Energy Take 5.2's along with a Velodyne 12 inch sub--and sound quality is superb. I also purchased 'The Ultimate DVD' for testing DTS sound and so far Ive encountered no problems listening to the DTS tracks.
The receiver also had no problems with the DD and PL tracks. However, I did encounter a snafu, with the stereo tracks. (The DVD also contains 24/96 stereo music demos.) When I played the stereo demo, for some reason, no sound would be coming from the subwoofer. I would have to use PLII setting or dsp setting to 'activiate' the subwoofer. Ive tried fooling around with the setup-but with to no avail; I just cant listen to the subwoofer in stereo mode.
(If someone knows how to alleviate this problem please email me.)
To end, this is a great 'bang for your buck' receiver. Delivers awesome sound in PL2, DD, and DTS; and can be very comparable to sound delivered from $1000+ recievers in the market.
Aside from the stereo problem I encountered and the confusing owners manual (In which it offered no help at all.) This receiver is a great buy.

Dolby Digital, DTS, and THX! Audio and Video switching. The master remote that learns other's commands. RF (goes through walls) remote. Analog stereo and 6-chan, coax, and fiber inputs. CIRCLE SOUND. Pre-amp outs.

Slap-stick rear panel layout. Limited connection choice. No direct access to listening modes.

This is an update to a review I wrote earlier. The earlier review is at the end.

After living with the VR-510 for over a year, I have learned the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good: DD, DTS, and Kenwood's Circle Sound surround modes. I have recently purchased a DVD player and the sound surround is incredible. Plus you can independently adjust the output levels +/-10dB in case those sorry rear speakers you have aren't up to snuff. The RF remote works from anywhere in the house, not just directly in front of the receiver. Once I got the other remote codes entered in, they're trash.

The bad: The Kenwood plays loud, but I'm suspicious about it being a "clean" loud. The volume control goes up to +11dB (whatever that means), but I've never gone above +3. At +5 (no input) there is a definite hum on the analog channels. The recording definitely makes a difference. Some old Boston and Kansas sounds pretty rough, but newer Christina Agulera and Savage Garden sounds very clean.

The ugly: You don't get coax AND fiber for every input. My DVD has fiber outs, but it has to be hooked to the CD/DVD or Video 3 in. Video 1 and 2 and DVD don't offer fiber. A similar situation exists for digital coax. Your only choice is DVD or video 2. Strange.

----- original review ----

The Kenwood 510 plays clear and loud and it is stylish. The features are great, the hookup options seem limitless, and the Circle Sound is truly awesome. Overall, I am very happy with this receiver. FYI, my front speakers are Polk Audio R40s , with a Polk 175 Center, Polk PSW 250 Subwoofer, and Bose SE-5 satellites (minus the midwoofer) in the rear . I have a Sony CD, Panasonic DVD, JVC tape deck, JVC VCR and turntable.

The first thing I noticed was the vast array of connections in the back of this receiver. Like I said, the hook-up options seem limitless. For example, you can connect a DVD player through two analog RCAs, a digital coax, an optical cable, or six discrete digital RCAs, depending on your desire and need. Another example: there are four jacks for video components! While most of the jacks are grouped together, some of the jacks seem to be placed just wherever there was room available. But once your stuff is connected, who cares? It is also odd that the mains and center are banana plugs, but the rears are push-pin connectors, limiting your wire guage (they're all 110w).

The second thing I noticed was that the Instruction Manual does not provide enough detail. For Example: During set-up it says "turn the selection knob to select subwoofer re-mix on or off," but never says what "subwoofer re-mix" does. Although it alludes to the fact that if you don't get any bass out of the sub, you should turn the re-mix on. I think the manual lacks a lot of detail in an effort to be brief.

This receiver was designed specifically for 5.1 surround. You have to set it up from the start. One nice thing about the set-up is that you set the five speaker's volume levels independently. My center speaker is right at ear level if I'm standing up, and overwhelms the fronts. In setup, I can set the fronts +2dB higher than the center speaker. You can also select if you want the fronts and center to be "large" or "small." (Large means they handle bass, small means the bass is shunted off to the subwoofer instead).

There are three ProLogic settings: music, cinema, and ProLogic II. These are great for VHS tapes. I'm not ready to throw away several thousand dollars in VHS tapes to go to DVD, and the ProLogic circuitry allows me to enjoy surround sound from these older formats. I even use ProLogic's magic on stereo TV broadcasts. Works great on vinyl and CDs too, but I prefer the Circle Sound for non-Dolby encoded material.

I can't say enough about Kenwood's Circle Sound. Dolby Digital and DTS are great for DVDs, but do nothing for older stereo recordings. For your old stereo material, Circle Sound adds an extra dimension that is truly an experience. Don't confuse this with old-style processing (jazz club, theater, etc.) where you take the fronts, add a heap of reverb, cut the highs and send it to the rears. Circle Sound sends the out-of-phase portion of the front signal to the rears. It adds a new dimension to old vinyl and cassettes . They sound newly recorded and it's like hearing them for the first time.

My only complaint about this receiver is that you have to cycle through all the sound modes (stereo, ProLogic I, ProLogic II, 3-channel stereo, Circle Sound, digital processed) to get to the one you want. You should be able to switch directly from one to another. On the bright side, once you set up your receiver, it remembers your selection. From then on, if you select TAPE, it will remember that you prefer Circle Sound and turn that on. Then, when you select VIDEO 1, it will select ProLogic instead.

I am immensly happy with this receiver, and after living with it for 3 months, I am still excited by the sound quality every time I turn it on. My wife just wishes I'd quit inviting people over to show it off.

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