Bought a Kenwood Sovereign VR-5080 (1 Viewer)

[ShawnK]

This is my first receiver I've ever bought and the reason I bought it was because it was at a great discount: $447 (or $670 Canadian). But because I'm a newbie, I really have no comparisons to make or what to expect from this receiver. When I went to the store I usually frequent and told the salesperson what I just bought, he was a bit disappointed I went with Kenwood. That made me a little paranoid so anybody know how this receiver does? Thanks in advance.

 

[Camp]

If you can't say something nice...

Seriously though, who cares what we think? Do you like it? If so, that's all that matters. Is there something it does (or doesn't do) that you have issue with?

 

[Bolivar G]

My 1st ever Home Theater reciever was a Kenwood VR-309.
I dont know why kenwood isnt liked here, but I got many good years out of that kenwood, in fact I still have it and use it in a 2ndary system.
Kenwood performed very well for me for years and liked the sound of it for movies very much. So if you like it , dont worry to much about what other ppl think.

 

[Chu Gai]

who knows why salesman do what they do...perhaps he wished you'd spent more for the time you picked his 'brain'. if you've done your homework, compared the brands, and this is the one that has the feature-set, power, appearance, warranty, etc. that meets your needs then enjoy it.

 

[ShawnK]

I've yet to play it since I haven't bought speakers yet but thanks for the input. Chances are I'm gonna love it, but I wonder if it's the best I can get for that price.

 

[Angelo.M]

The best you can get for your $447.00? Well, only you can answer that in full. If it meets your needs, has the features you like, and you enjoy the sound, then it's probably the best choice you can make.

There are other receivers in that price range that sound far better to my ear (the H/K 225 at $399 MSRP, for example), but they may or may not have the same feature set. For my money, I would maximize the quality of the amplifier section (by going with an H/K or a Marantz) in lieu of features I have no intention of using.

--AM

 

[Shane Acker]

I don't know why people on this forum bash Kenwood either. I have a Kenwood VR-4090 and I really like it. But as was said earlier it all depends on everyone's individual tastes, how it will sound to you and how it works and looks

 

[Marc Alexander]

I have a Kenwood VR-2090 which I thought was great. But I found that it's power ratings are not only for a 6 ohm load...but for 1 channel driven. With all channels driven, it was putting out probably less than 50W. I added an external amp (HK 5800) for the center and surround channels and the results are impressive. Unfortunately, this model did not have preouts for the mains but it seems to have plenty of power for stereo operation.

I didn't realize how much I was missing with surround intensive tracks at high volumes (The pod race is noticeably more dynamic now). I don't know if they have better power performance in the newer models but that is the only fault I have with the sound quality of these high end Kenwoods.