Kenwood KRF-V4070 AV-receiver

The Kenwood KRF-V4070 is one of the most affordable receivers available. It has the minimum equipment necessary to watch movies and is equipped with not the most efficient processor from Cirrus Logic. However, it is a sin to complain at such price: not so long ago you could only dream about AV-components from the famous producer having 200 dollars in your pocket. In our test it is interesting to understand, is there a sense to pay additional 100-150 dollars to buy more advanced device.

Well, the quality gain over the "one box" cinema is evident - add an acoustic kit for about $ 500 and a DVD-player for 100, and you get a set that will "wash away" any boxed cinema of comparable value. Despite the outdated digital stuffing, the Kenwood KRF-V4070 plays much better than the integrated devices that are part of all-in-one sets. However, if you compare it with more expensive units (Yamaha RX-V350 and JVC) the advantages of Kenwood fade: the music sounds harsh and synthetic, the bass obviously lacks weightiness. In movies the advantages of powerful processors, which are equipped with competitors, also make themselves felt - in terms of soundstage quality and possibilities to control the acoustics Kenwood is clearly inferior to them.