Questions about Kenwood Home theatre system

[Hiredgun]

First off I'd like to say Im glad I found this forum where I can get some help and some insight on my home theatre system.

I own the Kenwood home theatre system which came with a vr-407 receiver 2 front speakers,2 rear surround speakers,a sub, and a center channel speaker.I also recently just purchased 2 KLH AV 5001 floor speakers from a friend of mine.

1. There seems to be some sort of a compatibility issue with the KLH speakers that Im using and my receiver. I have noticed this also with a pair of sony speakers I had bought for this system a few years ago. On my friends system the KLH's rocked but on mine they seem to hardly even put out the same amount of sound as the kenwoods that came with the system. Can I only use kenwood brand products with this system?

2. I've noticed when I turn the receiver volume up to about 20 Im hearing a strange sound coming from the inside of the subwoofer. Im wondering if the sub is blown out. Also I've noticed when the volume is turned up that high the bass that the sub is putting out cant seem to keep up with the sound coming from the cd Im listening to or the movie that Im watching. Is this because the sub is not powerful enough wattage wise?

3.The receiver seems to overheat and doesn't seem to put out alot of sound unless you crank the volume knob up to about 30. Are these things normal or is my receiver defective?

4.Why is the dolby surround sound option only become available when Im watching a dvd? Is there a way to control this feature manually? Even if Im watching a television show thats presented in dolby surround sound, the feature is not available. Am I doing something wrong here or is this one of the limited features of this receiver?

Any help ,opinions, or suggestions that anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

 

[markw]

An HTIB, by nature, is a fairly limited beast.

They are entry level systems that perform at minimum levels and don't lend themselves well to upgrades. Their speakers tend to be small and not geared to loud, dynamic volumes. Their receivers tend to have a minimum set of features and are generally low powered and don't lend themselves well to replacment speakers that sometimes require more power.

From your description of your current woes, I think it's time you bit the bullet and started looking around for some entry level separates.

 

[Hiredgun]

Thanks for your reply, what do you mean by entry level seperates?

 

[markw]

Entry level separates.

It may cost a little more than an HTIB but most your objections will be met, save one.

Get a set of speakers. These will be of better quality than those included in your HTIB package. These don't have to be prohibitiely expensive or you can even use those new speakers you bought. Maybe you can find a matching center channel and surrounds for 'em. Check where they were purchased.

Now, get a receiver to power them. These range from anywhere under $200 on up and will offer more power and flexibility than what you have now.

Get a separate subwoofer. As you have noticed, the subs included in HTIB's are generally a joke. This will have the most impact on your sound. Drop decent money on this since it wil be the bedrock of your HT system.

Where are you located? In your case a local Big Box store might be the ticket for wiping that HTIB off the soles of your shoes.

As for the Dolby Digital available only on DVD's? Well, Dolby Digital (and DTS) are discrete digital formats and the only way to get these is from DVD's, or possibly sone fance HD cable/satellite systems. You'll have to content yourself with various DSP modes (DPL, 5 channel stereo, various cheesy hall effects, NEO. etc...) for other sources. FWIW, I use and like DPL for my old VHS tapes and some other two channel sources.

 

[Hiredgun]

Im located in reno nevada. Any suggestions for name brands or types of speakers/receiver I should be looking at?

 

[markw]

do you have a budget in mind?

Stick to the better names for receivers. Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, Marantz and Pioneer tend to be the main ones. Generally, they are fairly competitive performance wise in the same price class.

As for speakers, listem to whatever you can to start of with. Personally, I always suggest using music to pick these, not movies. I hear a lot of complaints that their system sounds good on HT but not so hot for music. I can't recall ever hearing the opposite.

Listen around and get back to us on this with what you've listened to and what you like and didn't like about 'em. There are some good net only speakers but without a frame of reference to go on, recommendations are difficult.

Subs? Well, if you can pull it off SVS and HSU are two of the best bang for the buck subwoofer only companies. These are net only and the starting price is a few hundred bucks ... but they are well worth it.

 

[Hiredgun]

Hey thanks for all the info MARKW. I'll start shopping around.

 

[jaxvon]

Beware of shopping around, you often end up liking something far too rich for your blood! Seriously though, shopping around is the best thing you can do. You'll find that even some expensive gear doesn't sound good to your ears or, on the electronics side of things, doesn't function or look the way you want it to.

As far as what you should be shopping for, that's highly dependent on your budget. I could tell you to shop for Linn and Wilson, but then again you probably can't (and wouldn't) drop $100k on your audio system.

But I digress.

When shopping with an "entry-level" budget (like me), you're going to end up with a major manufacturer like Pioneer, Yamaha, Denon, etc. If you can post some budget numbers, we can give you a better idea of where you should be going.

 

[W_Harding]

I own the Kenwood home theatre system which came with a vr-407 receiver 2 front speakers,2 rear surround speakers,a sub, and a center channel speaker.I also recently just purchased 2 KLH AV 5001 floor speakers from a friend of mine.

Any help ,opinions, or suggestions that anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to Audioholics. I would not give up on the Kenwood VR-407 just yet. I own and use a Kenwood VR-410 receiver which is a close cousin to your VR-407 and it has provided me with good service since I purchased it new in 2001. You may find interesting the user reviews that can be found on this website.

http://audioholics.audioreview.com/cat/amplification/a-v-receivers/Kenwood/PRD_124189_2718crx.aspx#reviews

If you turn up the volume to 20 it must be playing pretty darn loud. If it is not loud enough, my first suggestion would be to find speakers that are more sensitive than the ones you are currently using. Look for 8 ohm rated speakers that have sensitivity ratings of 93dB/W/m or higher. The higher the sensitivity the louder they will play for any given amount of power. Your Kenwood VR-407 is rated at 100 Watts per channel which should be plenty. If you replace it with another receiver that is rated at 100 Watts per channel you may not be able to play any louder with the speakers you currently have.