Home > Consumer Reviews > JVC RXD702B 7.1 Channel Surround Sound AM/FM Audio Video Receiver with HDMI Switching and Wireless PC Link

I received this stereo on 11/29/06 as promised. I really liked the sound from my computer. A wonderful idea!!!! I just wish other manufactures would follow suit.

Out the box, my HDMI worked flawlessly. However, when I hooked up my DVD player, I got sound but no picture. When I hooked up my VCR, the same thing happened. I called JVC tech support and the first tier could not help me so I was told the second tier support would call me back in 2 hours. After 3 hours of waiting, I called JVC again. I was told by one representative that the hook up would need to be all HDMI or all composite or component this is totally different from the manual. It clearly states that this receiver will up convert all signals to HDMI.
I changed everything over and did get the DVD player to work. Actually, it was just a pass through and no switching took place. I then tried and tried in vain to get the VCR to show video; but no such luck.

I called JVC again; I was finally told that I might have something wrong with the switching and the unit would need to be repaired. (This has been a large problem for this particular model) I then said that this is a brand new system and I should not need to get it repaired. Well, I relented and asked where the nearest shop was for a repair; I was then told there were none near and the unit would need to be sent to the manufacturer for repair.

IF YOU ARE READING THIS REVIEW; I WOULD LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR RELIABILITY.

Amazon stands behind what they sell; and I could not be happier with their customer service. Unit goes back tomorrow.

Now, I am thinking about the Onkyo TX-SR674.

I've had this unit for approximately 1 year.

The good part is that the audio and video through this receiver work well: HDTV picture looks great and the surround sounds great. I only use the HDMI inputs and outputs, but they work fine.

I have another issue with the unit: it runs hot. I have a dedicated fan behind the unit that blows air underneath it. As long as the fan is on, the unit is quite warm. If the fan is off, the unit gets hot - hot enough that it's uncomfortable to touch.

I'm concerned enough about the safety of this unit (wood, power cables, and heat don't mix well), that I'm going to replace it - despite it being one year old, and working fine.

I read most of the reviews posted here before my purchase and I learned a lot, so will focus on points not made before. I was also disappointed that there weren't more inputs, but solved the problem using an external input selector (4 channels) for seldom used inputs from obsolete media (audio cassettes, record turntable, CD jukebox, etc). I was even more disappointed that there is no switched AC outlet, but i am an engineer so designed and built a device that senses current and turns on an outlet to power the subwoofer amp, etc. Customer service is not the best. I submitted several questions through their website and they answered 1 of 4 adequately. Then a different person wrote that I need to talk to them in person. After a long wait, I got through and he could answer two more questions, but said he can tell me neither whether or not it should nor why my DVD player's HDMI works directly to the TV, but not through the JVC amp. I would need to take it to an authorized JVC shop to be checked out. Dreading disconnecting the rats nest of input and output cables, I worked around the problem using component video. I'll likely get blue-ray soon anyhow. It does not downconvert, so if you use a higher-level input like HDMI, nothing comes out of the conventional output jacks that you would expect to connect to a VCR or DVD recorder.

That's it for the negatives. It's performance has been superlative. It's low height was a major advantage because my cabinet only has 6.25"height. I added a small, quiet DC muffin fan to draw air from the left side and top towards the rear and it runs cool. The auto calibration works very well. The USB input does work from a Mac, though they said it's not supported. The wireless USB also works, but I have some interference issues with 2 airports in the same room. I am still optimizing the channel selections to minimize interference. You can select any of 13 channels using a button on the transmitter, but there is no way to tell which channel it is on. It works well with a logitech universal remote. The manual is OK once you learn it's structure and add a few tabs. Overall, I am very pleased and only the negatives mentioned in the first paragraph kept it from getting all 5 stars.

I bought this receiver over 2 years ago and have sent it back to JVC 4 times. Except for the time that it wouldn't turn on at all, JVC denied that there is any problem. The unit shuts down sporadically with any minor blip in volume whether from a dvd, xbox or tv. I finally told them not to return it and bought an Onkyo receiver which was cheaper, has 4 HDMI inputs, and sounds wonderful.
I obviously got a lemon, but what infuriated me was JVC's denial that there was a problem with the unit and refusal to replace it. I wasted a lot of money and time and am glad to be rid of this receiver. I just signed a release form for JVC to junk it.

Returned item. It wasnt exactly what I was looking for. It was as sleak as it looks. I've always trusted JVC, but decided to go to Onkyo this time. JVC has kind of moved away form personal component recievers. Looks like they are more interested in the full package entertainment systems.