JVC RX-8040 Audio/Video Control Receiver

Rating:
Summary: Top notch for the bucks...
Review: Absolutley fantastic receiver for the money.First off this receiver is used to power Paradigm monitor 9 mains, cc-370 center,adp-350 dipoles and hooked to a M&k v76 sub and a 65" Mitsubishi H-D monitor.I was looking on replacing an Onkyo seperates set-up (m-5160). It is used both for home theater and music.I live in a studio apartment in Brooklyn and needless to say I allready freak my neighbors out with alot of late night explosions and loud daytime music.So I wanted ample power to continue to do so.After comparing all the usual a/v brands.The sound,output and specs are all so close in this price range that it made little sense on going overboard and springing on another set of seperates or picking up a Pioneer Elite receiver however the vsx-1014 came in a close second at $100 more than the 8040.A few notable specs on this receiver are:Texas Instruments 32/64-bit Floating Point DSP,1800 MIPS...Output at clipping 1khz one channel 8 ohms 154 w...Output at clipping five chanels 8 ohms 63 w....Distortion at 1 watt output 0.03thd...Noise level 16-bit signal 70.01db....Excess noise 16-bit with sine tone +3.8db...130 watts x 2 RMS 8 ohms from 20hz to 20khz 0.08thd....Weight is 26.7 lbs and it has headphone and phono outs...Anyway you get the idea,all specs are very respectable and better than most.Even higher priced units.Tony Cordoza in his review of this receiver for Sound and Vision Mag."Once set up,I found the JVC pleasant and straight forward to use.In a word likable"."The rx-8040 cranked out ample power for movie and music listening and sounded great in every mode"."I was highly impressed by the quality of playback of DPL IIx 7.1 channel of stereo sources,such as Music Choice on digital cable".I couldn't agree more.Some of the more unique features of this receiver is its RF remote.I can be sitting on the stoop outside and still operate the unit through walls.Speakers are also individually adjustable + or - 10 in volume which makes balancing the soundfield pretty easy.What I don't like about it is pretty minimal.I think the bass management could be a little better (lowest crossover of 80hz) and a switchable outlet on the back would have been nice for powering another amp for the 7.1.Also you can't control center width from the remote.It's hard to complain about a $300 receiver that does so many things well.Anyway if your considering a receiver that has very clean output and handles all current DSP modes you can't go wrong with this one.However spending the extra time properly setting up a receiver is a must.I would suggest picking up a Radio shack #33-2055 digital SPL (sound pressure meter)....Buona fortuna

Rating:
Summary: Impressive features for the price and nice remote
Review: Stereo receivers are pretty complicated devices with all of the home-theater options they have to perform. Its a bit of a gamble to buy any of them. I downloaded the manual and this model looked particularly full-featured. It was even better when it arrived. I really really like the built-in equalizer. Most receivers just have a bass and treble button. This receiver also has a particularly good remote. It uses radio frequency rather than infrared, so it has a strong signal that goes thru walls. This means I can point just about anywhere and the remote will work. The remote also has a small LCD display but unfortunately it isn't back-lit so that feature is just OK. The receiver is a third larger than my Sony receiver so be sure it fits where you are going to place it. It is also quite heavy. Any complaints? Not really. For the price, it has tons of analog and digital connections, good wattage, and a better than ususal remote. Be prepared to spend at least an hour setting it up. My 4 years-old old Sony receiver sounded worse so I am glad I replaced it.