Kenwood VR-6070 closeout at BB: worth it? (2 Viewers)

[Sergio Z.]

can't i just hook up a center channel speaker to that terminal? without another amp or subwoofer? short on funds for another amp and/or sub + center channel.

Also, as for the Input Mode, I would like to be able to hear Dolby Digital DVDs in the other formats available, well, most notably the CSII (Circle Surround)option.
I have played some laserdiscs with this function and they rock!! But no matter what mode I choose (Auto, Digital Manual), it will only allow me to select DD, Pro logic, or Stereo...........how can I get around these defaults?

Thx guyz

 

[ScottRCapt]

I have owned the 6060 for about 6 months now. No way to get out of the defaults... Unless you select (input mode) {analog}. And then you have a drop off in volume.

That is one of the main problems with the 6060/6070. That and the less than clean rear channel amplifier sections.

"Note: The Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) rating for the Left Surround and Right Surround amplifiers is 0.7%" . The THD for the Surround Back/Subwoofer amplifier is 0.09%

The Component bandwidth @ 10mhz is what really has gotten me off of Kenwood's Bandwagon. I was a very proud new owner when I bought this unit, but little by little I have become disenchanted with my 6060.

When your DVD's flip and shutter during action scenes because of limited bandwidth, and when you’re HDTV digital signal pixilated down the screen like a slow screensaver when you change channels. And then when you are listening/Watching to the DTS DVD "Eagles Hell Freezes Over" and you want to exercise your Cerwin Vega LS-10's, the amplifier section clips out on heat protect and shuts down the whole receiver, which is very hot to the touch, even though you have gone to the trouble of purchasing a 110v cooling fan to keep your temperamental Kenwood cool. Then it's time to trade!

I bought a Sony DA 4ES today, the sooner it gets here, and the sooner my Kenwood will be on E-bay!

 

[Steve_Moo]

Still for the price between the Sony 4ES ($599) and the Kenwood 6060 or 6070 which can be had between $200-$300 it has its ups. I use my 6070 as a Pre/Pro it and works flawlessly. The only downside to this Receiver is that the Inputs can not be changed. Whatever they are set for is what they have to be. Now I'm not complaining because the price was incredible but this Receiver would be a great starter for some.

 

[ScottRCapt]

I may be confused, but my Kenwood VR-6060 has no pre-outs, so there is no option to add an Amp for the mains or surrounds etc...

You are right, the inputs are not re-assignable. But when I bought the unit, I remember thinking, Gosh, I will never use all of these inputs! Little did I know!

Onward and Upward!
The Journey Continues

 

[Rick_FL]

I bought a Sony DA 4ES today, the sooner it gets here, and the sooner my Kenwood will be on E-bay!

the Sony 4ES is a much nicer receiver. You'll like it.

 

[Lee Carbray]

I may be confused, but my Kenwood VR-6060 has no pre-outs, so there is no option to add an Amp for the mains or surrounds etc...

That is because he is talking about the 6070 and you have a 6060. There is more difference between the models then just a THX badge on the front.

 

[Rajeev_s]

6060 has the same amps and power supplies as the 6070. Here is the link for it

Link

 

[Jim Rondeau]

My Best Buy has been out of them for a while. They do have a display hooked up in their TV area (marked as clearence for $385). I tried to get them to sell it to me a couple of different times over the last two weeks, but they kept telling me they counldn't sell it until they get around to hooking up another receiver for TV demoing which would be in a month or so. With the 25% off open/clearence items this week, I went back today and talked to a different person and he sold it to me...for $225! The catch was it only came with the remote. When they were unhooking it, they found the bag with the manual, rf extender, and antennas! That was a great deal. Just hooked it up and it sounds awesome.

 

[ScottRCapt]

Kenwood USA - there is no difference in the power supply or the amp between the 6060/6070. The video hardware is also exactly the same.

The only real difference is the Pre-outs on the 6070. Which you will need if you do not appreciate distortion in your surround channels. Why buy a new receiver if you are going to need another amp to power your speakers properly?
I wish someone would have shared this info with me, before I bought it.

The 6070 was submitted for THX certification and the 6060 was not, that, my friends is the only difference. The certification cost Kenwood, so they charge the consumer more for the unit.

 

[RobWil]

Yeah...you'd think part of the THX certification would be an acceptable amount of distortion in the surrounds, or equal amount all around for that matter. I've noticed that a lot of brands will have decent THD in the fronts with a pathetic amount in the rears. I guess this is a 'good' place to cut costs and something less educated buyers don't check out thoroughly. Pretty frickin' sneaky and bordering on dishonest if you ask me.

 

[ScottRCapt]

I actually read in another un-named stereo related forum, a thread from a supposed "expert" that proposed that "THD has nothing at all to do with the quality of an amplifier". And... "People who quote THD as a reasonable quality judgment are just old outdated stereo hacks". I wanted to reach into my monitor and wring his teenie little neck! (Which is what I want to do 1/2 the time at Best Buy or Circuit City, when those kids try to sell me something they obviously know nothing about).

I guess that kid makes his living selling junk “2000-watt" amps to gang-bangers in GEO Storms; powering dual 12-inch woofers that make the Geo jump up and down off the ground.

But you never hear any voice track or midrange over that boom boom do you?

High THD Kills Speakers, always did, always will.

 

[Lee Carbray]

I guess this is a 'good' place to cut costs and something less educated buyers don't check out thoroughly. Pretty frickin' sneaky and bordering on dishonest if you ask me.

It is also a place that listeners will not even notice a difference. Just because the consumer is uneducated does not mean the company is dishonest.

I agree that high THD is bad but 0/7% is not high and if you can hear it your ears are excellent because anything under 1% is inaudible. My receiver like all lower end Kenwood's is rated at 0.7% and it has not killed my speakers and I cannot hear any distortion.

To put it to rest the 6070 has the following features the 6060 does not have.

-Aluminum Front Panel
- THX Adaptive Decorrelation
- THX Bass Peak Level Management
- THX Front-Channel Re-Equalization
- THX Loudspeaker Position Time Synchronization
- THX Select Certification
- THX Subwoofer Crossover
- THX Surround EX
- THX Timbre-Matching
-Zone B Video Output: 1 Composite
-Digital Audio Outputs: 1 (Optical)
-Preouts: L/C/R/LS/RS/Sub/SurrBack/Zone B L&R.

I don't care much for the THX stuff but the preouts alone would be worth the extra cost in my book.

 

[Steve_Moo]

Come on now with all this distortion stuff. I have a Acurus 5 channel Amp hooked up to the Pre-Outs on the 6070 which sounds great. So with all this talk with the surrounds distortion being so terrible I took away the amp and used the 6070's amp. The difference is more noticable on the front 3 then the surrounds. The surrounds sound fine with the Kenwood's amp powering them. Some people look to much into numbers on spec's. Don't get me wrong the front 3 did not sound bad either using the Kenwood's Amp but with a seperate amp you will get better sound out of almost any receiver. They are all gone from ECOST.com for $279 but for that price some people missed a golden oppertunity to get a nice entery level Receiver. Some people want a $2000 Receiver for $200.

Just for laughs what Receiver do you think is a better deal then the Kenwood at $279? Remember this has Component and S-Video Switching. 2 Optical and 2 coaxial Digital Inputs and all the surround formats(DD EX, DTS-ES and Discrete, and DPLII) I can't wait to here the answers from the distortion people.

 

[RobWil]

Hmmmm....if my math is correct, .7% THD = 70%.
1% would be equal to .01, so anything under this would be considered inaudible.

 

[Danny Tse]

Maybe I have been away from math too long....but isn't .01% equal to one-one hundredth of 1%?? And .7% would be seven-tens of 1%??

 

[Lee Carbray]

Hmmmm....if my math is correct, .7% THD = 70%.

I don't think your math is correct. 0.7% THD = 70% of what exactly. And if 0.7% = 70%, then 1% = 100% not .01%.

 

[RobWil]

QUOTE Maybe I have been away from math too long QUOTE

Yes you have
.01 is 1/100 of 1.0 , or in other words, just 1

Look at it this way:
You have $100.
$10 is 10% of that, or .10 (1/10th)
$1 is 1% of that, or .01 (1/100th)
$100 is 100% of that, or 1.0 (100/100th)

 

[RobWil]

I don't think your math is correct. 0.7% THD = 70% of what exactly. And if 0.7% = 70%, then 1% = 100% not .01%.

Sheesh! you guys need to go back to school!
How can 1% = 100% ????

 

[RobWil]

but isn't .01% equal to one-one hundredth of 1%??

.01 is equal to 1/100 of 1.....not of 1%.

 

[RobWil]

http://www.sosmath.com/algebra/fract...ac7/frac7.html