Kenwood VR-6070 THX/DPL2. Anyone has this unit? (Page 7)

 

Jeffrey
Hi Justin,

Q 1. I know this is a little far down the line but i wonder if any of you have any experience with a Tivo hard disk unit? I want to be able to dump stored video to VCR and eventually writable DVDs. How would i got bout setting this up (S-Video out? how many does it have)

A I recommend you download the manual from the Europe link above. But to answer your question, the 6070 has a s-video monitor out and a composite video out for the main output. There is also a composite video out for the room B output. In addition, there are s and composite video inputs and output on the VCR section. See page 11 in the Europe manual.

Q 2. Anyone have any comments on the tuner> reception, clarity?

A The FM reception I get is great, AM sucks. This is consistent with what S&V reported in their reveiw. Of course, clarity for FM is fine, but FM never compared to CD and I have a Sony XM unit running thru my set-up. Just like running CD's.


Q 3. I know some of you are hi-fi kinda guys. Do the lack of on screen display and 192k/24 bit DACS really make that much of a difference?

A I find the user menus on the 6070 easy to navigate once you play with them enough, but I am an engineer, so these things come easy to me. I would never try and get my wife to use it, she has electronics phoebia. The 6Ch input from a DVD Audio or SCAD source means you don't need a 192Kb DAC in the 6070, since it would be redundant. What you need in this case is a DVD player that has these features. I am still on the fence about this due to the fact that not only is my CD collection vast, but now with XM radio, I can move all my music around the house and cars. DVD Audio would be stuck in the home and I would have to have overlap of DVD's and CD's, plus the limit of currently available music that I prefer to listen too.

Q 4. What have you done concerning the component video bandwith problem? Im assuming just hooked the DVD and HDTV tuner directly to TV?

A I don't have an HDTV yet or a TV with Component inputs for that matter, but if I did, I would just connect the DVD right into the TV and then program the 6070 remote to control the TV inputs to change them when needed (which is what I did on my current TV to switch it to s-video).

Q 5. Finally, what store (online or off) gives the best price and covers the manufatuer warranty. A lot have been mentioned and im wondering if the sales have run out.

A The warranty coverage is debatable, but base on the kenwood warranty card, as long as you purchase the unit in the states or thru the military exchange and have proof of purchase and a valid serial number, you are covered by their warranty. The benefit of buying thru a Best Buy or Crutchfield or Vanns.com is that they will give 30 day guarantees for satisfaction. I would not let this affect your purchase decision and just go for a vendor that you feel comfortable purchasing from. Incidentally, etronics.com has the best extended service contracts for electronics offered thru phillips. For $29 or $39 you get 2 or 3 years of full coverage insurace, plus their pricing on the 6070 is pretty competitive. Compare this warranty to other places like Best Buy that try and charge $50 or $60 for the same services, and their pricing is retail minus the cost of shipping. I find online sales serve my needs extremely well and since I live in a big city, I have lots of options for getting service if I need it. Good luck in your pursuit.

For others, here is a brief update:
I love my 6070 so far and I also purchased the Infinity Interlude speakers off ebay, IL60's L/R, IL36 Center, and IL30's rear. I had reservations at first about the Kenwood being able to drive all of this from the interal amps, but this unit has pass my expectations thus far and there is plenty of headroom. In case you have not noticed yet, the 6070 volume control goes from infinite dB all the what up to 0 and then up to +13dB. My old 1060VR unit stopped at 0 and anything past 20dB was really noisey. But on the 6070, the volume is quiet all the way up to 0 and I have not really had a chance to go higher lest my neighbors will be really upset with me.
 

Kelly R
Tim & Mark, thanks for the responses. I'll have to give the Polk RM6700 a closer look. I'll also go by BB and check out the JBL's. The BB by me doesn't have a separate room for checking out speakers. Eventhough the speakers are setup, it's impossible to hear them since it's always so noisy in that store. Also, nobody bothered to help me in BB and the speakers were missing labels. Circuit City was quiet and plenty of people willing to help, too bad all they sell is bose and polk speakers.

Anybody else have comments on good but small speakers for the VR-6070?
 

frank
I just ordered a 5 piece set of Fluance speakers, for $323 over the internet. Look at the numbers compared to a more pricier speaker and they are up there, plus they have gold plated binding posts on all 5, and too top it they are bi amp bi wire on all 5. I'll tell you more when they arrive.
 

Hi again, I've been reading most of the post's for the last month and finally broke down and bought the VR6070 a couple day's ago and found the first thing that is a problem for me. Just wanted to touch base with the x-perts and see if I'm doing something wrong. My set-up is VERY simple... CD player, Sat(standard package), VCR, Cassette, and a 14 band EQ, all RCA cables. Now the problem is playing analog through the EQ from any analog source. Before, with the Technics DPL receiver, it was a matter of installing the EQ in the TAPE LOOP and engaging the TAPE MONITOR with whatever source I was listening to. With the tape monitor engaged, the source would play at the tape output on the receiver to/through the EQ and back to the receiver's tape input EQ'ed and then out to the amplifier stage of the receiver. Now as I understand the manual, the source is available at the TAPE/MD out full time but is there a way to engage the TAPE/MD input while other sources are playing? Am I going to be required to have multiple EQ's, one for each source? Surely such a sophisticated unit wouldn't lock out the oldest, most versitile tuning component available!

Jeffrey, John B, ANYONE!!! Give me a solution!
 

Jeffrey
Karl K, I believe the answer to your question lies in the primary function of the 6070 which I think is a HT receiver first and foremost. Therefore, there is no tape loop because THX would not allow such. The quality of the receiver when combined with a good pair of speakers should produce a flat output that will play back the recording as intended, hence the THX requirement.

However, you may have a quick fix option and that is to run your CD player and satellite thru the EQ and then into the input you choose, which I recommend the CD/DVD or one of the spare Video settings. I just found out this evening that the Video and DVD audio inputs are all the same level inputs while the aux on the front is a much hotter input, meaning it will produce more volume from the source unit.

There are aftermarket RCA Stereo jack combiners that you could use to run multiple inputs into one for your purpose. That would solve your problem if you wanted to hook up more than two units thru your EQ and had to go beyond a normal Y splitter. Check partsexpress.com or smarthome.com, a couple of places I seem to recall seeing such a device. Hope this helps all you EQ lovers out there :-).
 

Kenwood 6060 vs 6070?

Watch out for what I would call marketing misnomers. Dolby Digital EX (supported by the 6060) and THX Surround EX (in the 6070) are identical formats as they were jointly developed by Dolby and LUCASFILM THX see
http://www.timefordvd.com/tutorial/SurroundSound.shtml

So in this regard above, both units are identical. The literature is cleverly written, saying the 6060 supports Dolby Digital EX while the 6070 supports THX Surround EX but they are two different names for the identical encoding scheme.

The 6070 however supports the "true" 6.1-channel format: DTS-ES Discrete 6.1 where the 6 channel (rear center) has it's own unique signal, rather than decoding it from the left and rear signals (like THX Surround EX/Dolby Digital EX). The only way to hear this right now is on the ONE DVD cut in that format, THE HAUNTING.

There are two other DTS enhancements in the 6070 called Neo:6 and Matrix). DTS Matrix is DTS's competing product with THX Surround EX/Dolby Digital EX, but I could not find a DVD encoded in DTS Matrix that did not also support THX Surround EX/Dolby Digital EX.

There are about 15 DVD's out now that are encoded in either THX Surround EX/Dolby Digital EX and DTS Matrix but like I said, only 1 using DTS-ES Discrete 6.1.

I also shopped at Best buy and saw the 6060 for ~$400 and the 6070 for about ~$600. So the $200 difference did not seem worthwhile. Did see however a few online references for the 6060 at ~$350 and the 6070 for~$400!

I really enjoyed reading the comments here, and will definitely be getting one of the Kenwood units, thanks in great to this discussion, hats off to the moderators!

Question for you guys, can I put a 4 ohm rear center speaker on the Kenwood with two 8 ohm left and right rear speakers?
 

Anonymous
Frank thanks for the heads up on the FLUANCE speakers they look pretty sharp on their website
just read a few reviews on them and they get good ratings on the sound but the reviews do suggest buying a subwoofer,please let us know how they sound.
 

Jeffrey
Desmond, the 6070/60 only support 8-16 ohm on the internal amps. Although I think they could function down below that because my speakers minimal impedance do go to 4 ohm, but they are 8 ohm rated. The problem you would have is yes, it could drive them, but in instance when the speaker impedance drops to 2 ohms, then the amp could overheat.

As for the difference between the 6060 and 6070, there are some additional inputs/outputs on the 6070 that are not present on the 6060. And the THX does do something that Dolby ES does not, which is the re-eq for the surrounds. Even in Dolby Digital ES tracks, which I tested Blade II so far, the THX does have an impact on the sound of the rear channels when it is on or off. And Blade II in Dolby ES and DTS ES and both my friend and I liked the sound studio generated by Dolby better on this track. Then again, it could be they just did a better job on the Dolby mix for Blade II, so I can't knock DTS based on this one impression.

I can't recall, but I also have it in my mind that the 6060 does not have 6 channel inputs for DVD-Audio, SACD formats for future upgrades, but I could be wrong.
 

Tom Nardozzi
Thanks to all of you for an incredibly informative and helpful discussion of Kenwood receivers and in specific the VR-6070. I have just finished setting up a 6050 and now realize that there are many more options for movie/music soundtrack using the 6070 v 6050.

As a result, I am considering taking back the 6050 to exchange for the 6070. Before I do, there is a question that I would ask of any of you willing to offer some advice.

I use CSW TowerIII's as front L/R, the CSW S200'2 as surround L/R, the CSW Center Stage as center channel and finally the CSW S10 Cube subwoofer. The question here is all about the THX, EX capabilty/output via speaker connections. That is, can the subwoofer function fully for all formats using the subwoofer output without running the fronts through it? Presently, the 6050 does not seem to accomodate this and the best, although linmited results seem possible only by running the fronts through the subwoofer.

Thanks for any help or advice.
 

Hello everyone this is a great source for information, I am so glad I stumbled upon this board. I read half of the messages and saw nothing on VCR hook ups. My Question is: I have a digital cable and want to be able to tape TV programs and play them back. The VCR does only has Standard RCA connections. Does this get connected in-line with the digital cable and Loose the S-video connection that the cable box has or does it get connected to the record out Terminal on the the 6070?

Currently I am using s-video (only because thats all I have thus far) for the dvd input. I am using the RCA cables to connect the cable box to the VCR to the Video one input. Then S-video from the VR-6070 to the TV. Problem is that I do not get a Picture when watching cable or VCR but do get a picture when watching DVD.

I know this is all wrong but I need a Temp Fix until I can figure all this out and buy all the correct cables and wires.

Please Help, The funny thing is I thought I knew. Boy oh Boy was I wrong. :)
 

Joe Chopski
sorry, i should have proof read my message. I have alot on my mind and don't know how to get it across in words. I will re-type it if no one can figure it out.
 

Jeffrey
Tom, the 6060/70 both have a sub RCA output that you can use to connect with. In this set-up, it is recommended you set up the front l/r, center, and surrounds and nml/THX. Why, because if you set the SW Remix to ON, the sub signals from all channels will be routed thru this RCA pre-amp signal. This is best when your speakers are not cabable of producing low frequencies, ie below 80 or 100Hz. Then the sub will take their place.

Joe, check the manual off the europe site. You will see the way to hook up a VCR on page 11 which shows both RCA and S-video inputs and outputs for the VCR.
 

Anonymous
I am interested in purchasing one of these units and pulled copy of the manual off of kenwood site. Can anyone help me the maual shows two rear surrounds? If I only want the one this just goes in the jacks for sub/rear surround. If no center back surround is hooked up what setting do you use on receiver? Will this signal be split between the two rear surrounds?
 

John Hackman
I took off for a while and I am back again. Wow all these messages about the VR60x0. I am glad that my discussion forum is running at full speed. Great works guys. Keep it up rolling...

-John Hackman
 

IMHO, we should keep this thread going as a civic duty to all the others out there who want the best buy for their money through the VR 6070. The information here is superb although it can be overwhelming at times for somebody like me, who have a lot of catching up to do. I have printed this thread out to something like 89 pages so far, as reference, but I still need some help.

Like most of you, I wanted to get the most for my hard earned dollars, so I jumped on the VR 6070, simply because it has THX. Only after I got to this thread did I find out that I really made the right choice. Like most of you I had to endure the wait, and like some of you I have a loving wife who must oversee the spouse¡¯s expenditures on toys. After I got the 6070 for $455 , I went to U-Bid where I got a center SC1 for $89, two bookshelves SB1 for $50 each and two quintets for $23 each, all Klipsch¡¯s. Then, I splurged all my savings and more, on a Hsu TN1220 ($700) for my S/W. I suspect that right at this point, some of you may be laughing at me for having this SW along with the small Klipsch speakers. But that is another story.

With the help of this thread, I now have a great sounding 5.1 system, I think.

I suspect though, that I may not have done the best connections and settings so far, so I am requesting anybody out there who can give me a feedback on what I have done so far. I would really appreciate it.

I used the binding posts for the center, fronts and surrounds using gauge 14 wires form Home Depot. I stripped the wires and pushed it through the holes of the binding posts of the 6070 and the speakers. I did not use any spade/banana connectors. Is this ok? Or should I use a connector?

I have then connected the single 6070 SW pre-out, using an RCA cable with a Y to the two TN subwoofer amp. Am I missing something here by just using ordinary RCA connector? And inversely, did I gain anything by using a Y splitter instead of connecting the single RCA to the mono input of the SW?

I have used the S-Video connector from the DVD player to the S-Video In of the 6070 Video 2 and also from the S-Video Out to the TV. The only digital connector I have used is an interlink digital coaxial from my DVD to the Video 2 dig coaxial input of the 6070. All else are RCA connectors.

I have set the 6ch AMP to OFF. What other setups should I do? The manual is not the greatest help for somebody like me. I am still struggling with the Speaker System (Large/Normal THX) settings / SURR:MIX / Speaker Volume / BASE PEAK / Speaker Distance settings. I know I am asking a lot, but can anybody/ies give me some sort of 6070 speaker setup 101?

I would like to stop here and wait for your valued advice/commentaries for a newbie like me, before I go to my next steps to get to 6.1 and eventually to 7.1.I am planning on getting two more Klipsch quintets and like most of you, I also have a spare amp (currently connected to my PC) ready after I get my feet firmly planted on a 5.1

Thank you all in advance.
 

jeffrey
Ray, your speakers connections are fine as long as you ensured the speaker wire is making a good contact in the holes and you have tightened down the posts to where you cannot pull the speaker wires out with a slight tug.

On your sub, you need to check the manual, usally the left input is a mono input and will feed the signal into both channels. In any event, it is pointless since the output of the 6070 is a mono input, so you only need a single RCA connection between the two, as long as your sub will accept a mono input (which it should).

Like you, the only digital connector I use is the optical out of my DVD. The rest are either RCA or S-Video.

If your not using the Rear Surround/SW sixth binding posts on the speaker outputs, then it is ok to have the 6ch AMP to off. If your hooking this output to some actual speakers, then you need to set it to surround or SW, but since you have the SW (subwoofer) going thru the RCA, you would be better served running the surround thru this output. I have two surround speakers hooked in series from this one output and hanging on my back wall. The two speakers are 8 ohms each and in series, they combine to be 16 ohms, which this output can drive. I have been amazed that the volume offset by running these in series is not even noticeable, the amp so far is handling this set up with ease.

Since you have a sub, you should set all your speakers to nml/thx to get the full advantage of the THX processing. Also set the SW Remix to ON, and Surr Mix to on if you are running Rear Surround speakers. What happens when you set Surround Mix to on if there is no DTS ES or Dolby ES encoded material, the processing will take a sample of the surround left and right signals and create in image that is in between the two, creating a rear surround channel. Having THX on will help to ensure this created surround or the actual real rear signal is "in harmony" with the rest of the sound fields in your set-up, meaning, it is not to overly loud or bright and will mix well with the other signals.
 

Victor Mobley
Hello all,just ordered my VR6070 and can't wait to get it.I had a few questions about the features that maybe someone could help me with.DTS-ES is 6.1 Discrete decoding from what I gather,but will adding my old pioneer VSX-D557 to the surround back L/R Pre-Outs as an external amp make the surround back L/R 7.1 Discrete decoding or will it still be 6.1 discrete decoding with surround back L/R Mono?
Also is the OSD on the remote for On Screne Display or is it for a DVD player menu?
I thought about getting a nice surround speaker setup any input on this?
With my old dolby digtal setup I notice my music (Analog) sounded great with large loudspeakers I have, will I lose the punch like they had with a new smaller breed speakers available?
I have a 12" 100watt down firing RCA Subwoofer.
My (A) channel Speakers are two JVC's with 12" woofer and 12" passive radiator three way SP-555 that say A/V digital performance 8 ohms power handling 125watts - 210watts {music}
My (B) channel Speakers are two JVC's with 12" Woofer three way SP-45BK that say 8 ohms power handling 140watts.
My center channel is a Klipsch KV3 with 2 6-1/2" woofers one 1" polymer dome compression driver tweeter 8ohms 75 watts maximum continuous (375 watts peak).
My surrounds are two Cerwin Vega DX-1 8" woofers and 1" tweeter 8ohm 100watts.
My back surrounds are golng to be two Baby Advent III 8" woofer 1" tweeter 8ohm ??watts.
Has anyone had or heard of these speakers?
Are all these speakers too old to make the grade?
Any way of using my pioneer Receiver that has a tape monitor (Equalizer) with the VR-6070 to negotiate CD player and cassette deck?
Sorry for the rambling.
Any assistance would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks
 

John Briggs
Hello all,

I just wanted to go over one particular point again in regards to using a coaxial cable for your subwoofer....

In the "SP SETUP" for SW REMIX Turn it to Yes and all will be well. THIS IS NOT CORRECT!

This is telling the 6070 that you are running a passive/(non powered) subwoofer from the SURROUND BACK/SUBWOOFER binding post (6th speaker terminal output).

Turn the SW REMIX to "OFF" because you are not using the 6th channel binding post for a sub. In the speaker setup for "6-channel amp", set this to "OFF" for a 5.1 setup using the sub pre-out with coaxial cable.

For a 6.1 setup, set the 6-channel amp to "SB" and the SW REMIX to "OFF" because you are not using the 6th channel binding post for a sub, you are using this for a rear center speaker (SURROUND BACK) for a 6.1 setup using the sub pre-out with coaxial cable. If you want your rear center speaker to work while playing a 5.1 source, you would select "SB REMIX ON".

The ONLY reason you would select SUBWOOFER REMIX "ON" is if you were using the 6th speaker terminal output (binding post) marked SURROUND BACK/SUBWOOFER for a subwoofer connected via speaker wire and the 6-channel amp set to "SW". =]
 

Jeffrey
John Briggs, your information is incorrect. Check the Sound & Vision article and re-read the manual. What I have said is that if you have the SW on and use the RCA sub-out to feed the sub, and if you set the SW Remix to on, it will send the deep bass from all channels listed as nml/THX to the sub, redirecting the bass from those selected channels.

In the Sound & Vision article, the author states the same except in his example, he had the front l/r as large and the center and surrounds as nml/thx and he stated that the bass from the center and surrounds was redirected to the sub. This has no affect on the 6Ch AMP setting because once you set the sub to ON in the second menu setting after the 6Ch AMP setting, then the SW Remix option will become available as stated in the manual.

And if you do have the Surr Mix set to on and the 6Ch AMP set to 6Ch AMP SB, then the surround back speaker will also have it's bass sent to the sub if you have SW Remix set to On and the surround back speaker set to nml/THX.

From the same S&V review, the sub frequency crossover in this set-up is 80Hz at 18dB/octave. The author pointed out on the 6070 on this one because apparently, the THX requirement for certification is 24dB/octave at 80Hz on the sub channel.

Of course, all this is my interpretation of what I have read so far and based on my own playing of various music and movie sources, I tend to think my set-up is correct. I have two 12" 500W each powered subs, so I can hear the rear mix in a movie like the Phantom menace which is great at shifting the sonic image from front to rear and I specifically can hear/feel the bass shift to the rear when for instance on of the battle craft is shifted behind from the camera angle. you have to find the right kind of movie to test this feature with in order to see what your optimal set up is.
 

frank
jefferey what artical are you talking about i cannot find it on s&vision website, explain how to get to it
 

Jeffrey
It is the Nov 2002 issue of Sound and Vision which has a 4 page reveiw of the 6070. The review is not on their web-site, they usually wait about 4-6 months before they will load the review to the web. So run to your local Barnes and Noble or Borders and pick up a copy because the Dec 2002 is about to come out and the Nov issues will be pulled from the shelves when that happens.
 

Jeffrey, Thank you for your response to my questions. I just got back now.
 

Hi All

What I found is the best way to hook up a 6070, based on my configuration(300 Amp A/R 12" SW, 15" woofer Pioneer front surrounds, 6 1/2 woofer AR-2C center, 6 1/2" AR-15 surrounds and 5 1/4" Radio Shack surround rear speakers (2)) is:
1. Set the front surrounds to large.
2. Use the L/R front pre-amp to connect to the SW.
3. Set all the other speakers to nml/thx.
4. Set your SW to off in SP setup.
4. To get two rear surrounds I use a second amp (I connect the rear pre-amp out to the tape audio input) and set the 6-channel amp to "off".

Even if your using the binding post to drive a single surround rear speaker (set 6-channel amp to SB) this will still work.

This way all the base is directed to the Front surround (Large speakers), which is also driving the SW through the pre-out, even in stereo mode, which the LFE (SW) pre-amp does not do. This SW hookup will even work if you don't have any surrounds. The SW sound I get is far superior than that of using the SW pre-amp for all listening modes. You not only get to hear the movie, you also get to feel it. I've even experimented using my AR15 surround speakers as my front speakers (still set to large) and by adjusting the SW crossover I can still rock the house off its foundation.

I previously had a Kenwood 3080 5.1 and hooked the SW up the same way to get better results. I used the same method to hook up my SW on my old Pioneer Dolby Pro-logic receiver. I won't even get into my quadrophonic sound days or my first AR system in the 60's. Oops I'm dating myself, but I've been at this a long time.
 

Great thread people. I have had my 6070 for a couple weeks and hopefully i will get a respose to my questions. I'm currently running it with a pair of 70's vintage Ohm B+ speakers with an inexpenseve 89.00 Yamaha center channel no surounds. I tried one of my CD's, ELP's Pictures at an Exhibition and cranked it up to +10db. The sound was ok however the unit switched off and I had to lower the level to about +3db to get it to stay on. And the top of the unit was really hot, not warm hot. I have no idea what the impedance of my speakers are but they have 8" woofers in them, my old Kenwood receiver never had a problem and sounded great
Also when playing the cd I can't turn on the tone controls. Do I have to set them prior using the cd? By the way the cd(dvd) is hooked to the unit using the optical cable.
I'm new to this home theater stuff and I hope you all bear with me, any comments are greatly appreciated.
 

Anonymous
There are so many replies here I have not read them all and someone may have mentioned this, but I believe one difference with the 6070 vs other Kenwood models is it has pre-outs on all channels, so you can connect it with a separate amp and use the receiver as a pre/pro. This is a great feature for upgrading your system, and it will get you better sound and end worries about the unit shutting down. You can find plenty of good used five channel amps out there for under $500, or you can get a good two channel for even less and use it just for the front speakers. That will improve you stereo sound and take some stress off the receiver's internal amps. The best source I have found for used audio gear is audiogon.com.

DS
 

Jeffrey
For you newbies, here is a free resource for ya, download the Crutchfield guide to home theater:
http://www.crutchfield.com/.../HTGuide.html

To John Arnott, one thing you need to consider in your connection is that you will not get LFE signals thru to your subs. These are specially encoded signals that are not the same as sub signals. The LFE on the 6070 is directed thru the sub outputs, not the front L/R. See this article on Dolby for more info on LFE and what it is:
http://www.dolby.com/tech/c.in.0011.LFE.pdf
There are a number of movies with an LFE signal and you can tell it's there when the LFE is lit on the 6070 display. You should try testing your set-up on something with a LFE channel to see if you notice a difference and let us know
:-).

To Bob Mac, the amp is probably shutting down since you are almost at peak, +13dB. My setup is loud enough at 0dB and most of the time I am playing music or movies at between 0dB and minus 30dB. Going above the 0dB mark I found also introduces much more noise in the output. But, if your inclined to crank your unit to this level, more power to ya. The speakers you have are probably loading down the outputs and making them appear shorted since your almost at peak. If the outputs sense a peak situation, they will shut down to protect themselves from shorting. Sounds like you know this, but I state it for the benefit of others.
 

Jeffrey
Oh yeah, Bob, the tone controls are only available in stereo mode. Loudness, tone, and bass boost at the bottom of the remote. At least this is what I have experienced so far.
 

Jeffrey,
I was too late for the Nov Sound & Vision. As you said, they have pulled it out already. Even went to smaller stores. Wondering if you know if S&V sells back issue articles, I can't wait 4-6 mos for the internet version. BTW, thanks a lot for your comments.
 

frank
ray go to library to get the november issue thats where i got mine
 

Frank, Thanks, I'll do that.
 

Anonymous
is the only difference between 6.1 and 7.1 just the amount of back speakers?they put out the same sound right?7.1 is just for larger rooms?
 

Tony A
Hello again,
I ordered my Vr-6070 on Monday and cannot wait to receive it. I want to thank everyone for their knowledgeable information. It made my choice very easy. I also want to thank Al for responding to my message and to Mary for informing me on the website to purchase the vr-6070. The website is Vanns.com. They had the best price with no tax and shipping($438). I contacted Kenwood and they informed me that Vanns.com is an authorized internet dealer of Kenwood products and they spoke very highly about the Vanns company. So thanks to everyone!!!
Tony A
 

Anonymous
to the person that mentioned the Fluance speakers,did you get them?and how do they sound?
and how can i hook up 2 powered subwoofers to the 6070?
 

Jeffrey
anonymous, the difference between 6.1 and 7.1 depends on how the tracks are encoded on the DVD your playing. DTS EX and Dolby EX are both 6.1 formats and the rear surround channles are the same in this case. If your using a 5.1 source, then the rear surrounds are created from the surround left and right sources, a matrix between the two. I don't know of any DVD's that exist that have 7.1 discreet channels, although this is what I think they are going after with 7.1 in the long run. Considering 6.1 offerings are still limited, 7.1 is likely years away.

Anonymous 2, the I have the subs split via a "Y" cable on the RCA output to go to each of my powered subs.

Also, after doing some further testing on speaker settings, here is my current optimal config. I have all speakers set to large since all my speakers are capable of going 80Hz and below. But, since there are lower freq's in the surround channels, I also set the SW Remix to ON, so that I get all the low freq's from each speaker to go to the subs. This give me a more fuller sound in the upper bass region around 100Hz that I was lacking by setting to nml/THX. Of course, this depends if your speakers are capable of going down to 80Hz which is where the SW Remix crossover is set. To check this, look at the specs for your speakers and see if they say something like 70Hz-20KHz, +/- 3dB. This means that this setting will have an effect for you. If instead of 70Hz, your speakers are rated for something like 120 or 150Hz, like most small speakers are, then you are probably better using the nml/THX setting for these speakers, but it depends if sending the lower bass signals to your speakers causes distortion or clipping that you don't like. So ideally, try the large setting first and if you like the sound, then go for this setting. Just a recommendation.
 

I am following through on two posts made by two threaders last November 20, and I quote:

John Arnott November 20, 2002 - 04:42 pm said:
2. Use the L/R front pre-amp to connect to the SW.
3. Set all the other speakers to nml/thx¡­
This way all the base is directed to the Front surround (Large speakers), which is also driving the SW through the pre-out, even in stereo mode, which the LFE (SW) pre-amp does not do. ¡­The SW sound I get is far superior than that of using the SW pre-amp for all listening modes. You not only get to hear the movie, you also get to feel it. .

Jeffrey Wednesday, November 20, 2002 - 08:22 pm said:
To John Arnott, one thing you need to consider in your connection is that you will not get LFE signals thru to your subs. These are specially encoded signals that are not the same as sub signals. The LFE on the 6070 is directed thru the sub outputs, not the front L/R.

Per John, it sounds like I would not get the SW to work when I am in the stereo mode if I hook it up through the sub pre-outs.
Per Jeffrey, it sounds like I would not get the LFE on my sub if I connect it to the front left/right speaker pre-outs.

If I want the SW to work in stereo mode and I want the LFE special signals on my SW at the same time, can I do this? (I have not tried this yet, somebody may have):

With an RCA Y adapter, connect the 6070 L/R front preouts together, and then, with a second RCA Y adapter, connect the now combined L /R front pre-outs (from the single end of the first Y) and the 6070 SW pre-out. Then I would have the fronts (L/R) and the SW preouts all combined together into one RCA end (the single end of the second Y) ¨C this one I connect to the Mono input of the SW amplifier.

I have small bookshelves KSB1s in front, a KSCC1 Center, 2 quintets for the surround (all Klipsches) , and a Hsu Research TN1220 250 amp SW.

Anybody, not just John Arnott, John Briggs, John Hackmann and Jeffrey Bess, BTW, all great threaders, can you comment on this configuration for me, a newbie, and the others who have been monitoring this very good thread. Thank you all in advance.
 

Jeffrey
Ray, re this quote:

"Per John, it sounds like I would not get the SW to work when I am in the stereo mode if I hook it up through the sub pre-outs."

I don't know where in the manual it is implied that the sub output out of the RCA jack is not directed there in stereo mode. I have frequently switched between stereo and Circle Surround, Prologic II Music, Neo Music using the stereo button on the remote to toggle between stereo and whichever of these modes I last used. In my case, I have a bass response from my subs in either that is roughly the same level, albeit in the surround modes, the total bass goes up slightly.

My last post about setting the speakers to large and still having SW Remix to ON is what I found works for me with bass going to the subs in all modes, movies, music, surround or stereo.

While I have not tried John's method, I have attempted to interpret the manual and functionality of the 6070 to fit what I believe is an optimum set up for me and nearly two weeks into having the unit, I am finally getting the tweaks to where I think they are optimal.

I highly recommend you start with what you have to work with speakers/sub wise and then attempt to match the ideal settings on the 6070. Then that is your baseline and you can then tweak the various settings to fine tune your configuration.

Connecting the outputs of the RCA L/R in series with the output of the sub is a bad idea. You can end up with feedback loops that corrupt the internal operational amplifier circuits of these outputs and when you connect them in series, then you have one output trying to drive a signal into the other and the results can be nasty. You would have to use a special signal combiner to have a true signal of this sort, but I don't see the need based on my current set-up working.

Incidentally, I sent Kenwood a message asking for more guidance via email, but they never responded and that was over a week ago, so I am a little upset that they did not respond. It sounds like a couple of others here had more success calling, so maybe that is what I need to do.
 

Tom Nardozzi
Jeffery
RE: Your response, Sunday, November 17, 2002 - 10:34 pm
Thank you for the direction. I have sent back the 6050 and the 6070 is on the way! I check in here once a week and am finding more information than imagined. This is an excellent resource... Thanks again Jeffery and to all others!
 

Hi again, see my post above.

To see what little inpact you get out of your LFE channel try this experiment. I use Gladiator DTS ES Discrete. Use the SW pre-out to your SW and in sp setup set your SW to on. Set all of your other speakers to large. I have a sunfire down-firing SW and can put my hand of the speaker to feel the vibrations. You will feel little if any vibrations. Now set your front speakers to nrm/thx and wow instantaneous and constant base. Most of the base that is directed to the SW comes from remixing the other channels, rather than from LFE. You can play with this further by first setting your rear speakers to from large to nrm/thx and see how much base the SW picks up. Then change the surround speakers from large to nrm/thx, then the center speaker and finally the front speakers. The more speakers you set to nrm/thx the more bass that is directed to the SW. Very little comes from the LFE/SW pre-out.

I have large front speakers 15" woofers that can handle bass down to 30HZ. I miss the extra bass that I get if I have to set these to nrm/thx in order to satisfy the SW.

You can try the best of both worlds. Set your SW on. Use the SW pre-out. Set your front speakers to large and use the left front pre-out to the left SW input (base is monaural)to direct additional base to the SW. Then set your SW remix to on to direct LFE sound back to your front speakers. Frankly I can't tell the difference between this and saying that I don't have a SW, setting the front speaker to large and use the L/R pre-outs to the SW. It may be if SW is set to NO then the LFE channel is directed to the front speakers if they are set to large.

Using the SW pre-out alone you will not get any output in stereo mode from the SW. Also, using CSII mono mode, which I use a lot for TV, there is a decided fall off in base this way. Using CSII music or cinema it's not that bad. Overall, if you have large front speakers, I find that it is better for me to set sp setup to no SW and use the L/R pre-outs to the SW with the front speakers set to large instead and set all the other speakers to nrm/thx. The bass from the surround speakers if set to nrm/thx is also rediredted to the front speakers if no SW. While this works best for me, it may not be best for you. I would suggest that you play around like I do to find the setting that work best for your set up and let us know so that we give it a try.

Good luck, experimeneting can be fun.
 

Looks like everyone is stoke to get the new 6070. I just upgraded from the previous model VR 510, and like the build quality very much. I have a Sony STRDB940 as well, and like the bang/buck ratio of the kenwood. I was soo frustrated looking through the posts waiting to get the the end to add....It doesn't matter if you use Coax or Fiber (Toslink), you will get all formats. A bit stream doesn't care how it travels. The transmission medium is moot, just make sure your setting are correct. For the record, Fiber has more bandwidth (not yet maxed out) than coax. The reason the someone would say that Coax sounded better is it is less prone to jitter (slips in clock timing) so sound MAY appear smoother. But that differnce is about as easy to hear as the differnece in THD. Now that's another one...kinda misleading. Our ears have a sensitivity that is not linear, so it would have to be pretty distorted in a particular range for it to be noticably bad.

Back to the main thing, the 6070. I bought the 510 because I wanted PLII. I had read about the new system, and utilize dss units with DD outputs. The sound was a definate improvement, as the rears are now stereo and full bandwidth, as well the movement is not limitted to 2 speeds and 2 lines of axes, but fully rational to all points.

CS and now CSII, I think this is truly appreciated by those with a need to experiment. Certain room accoustics may be solved by this ambience enhancer with some time work as well. Kind of like BBE.

It's good to see how many are trying everything you can with what you have. I would like to drop a most overlooked aspect of surround applications though:

Sound movement is based on the changing if pitch and direction, as well all of the assosiated reverberations. We al know this as the "Dopler Affect" In home theatre, it is important to remember that is is CRUCIAL to be using acustically matched speakers. I know we all may not have that luxury, but I leave you with a simple test that will prove how valid this is. Try using 5 or 6 cheapy speakers from some place that has a good return policy, set them on top of yours and swap the wiring. Invite some friends over and do a blind-fold test. At reasonable volume levels (key here), you will have a unanimous vote for the cheapies, as they all match, and as sound passes around, it is not altered in its sound unless the soundtrack intends. You can use the "b" terminal for the speakers you covet for music. There is always a compromise for home theatre, but this is not one that should be made.

Enjoy your new kenwoods'
 

If this response is redundant, i apologize, i just didn't have time to read all the posts. One member said he had to use both coax digital and optical digital cables in order to utilize DD/DTS. I had a similar problem with an RCA receiver my friend had. On some receivers the digital inputs have to be assigned. The RCA was originally assigned for analog, so i was only getting pro logic. Then i assigned the optical digital output, and then i was finally able to use the dolby digital. Check the manual, there has to be a way to configure the outputs so you will only have to use one cable.
 

Optical vs. Analog

(2nd attempt to write this post before getting bumped off-line)

I have the Kenwood KR-X1000 THX receiver.
It has a defective subwoofer out circuit that if engaged causes loud popping on other channels and makes THX/ProLogic/DTS useless. Accidentally discovered a "work-around" by turning off the Subwoofer switch on the back panel and outputting to the subwoofer from the Tape 1 Record Out rca connectors. Works great, esp for THX and saved a quoted $300 repair fee. No more noise when selecting a surround mode and perfect sounding Subwoofer despite by passing the subwoof out circuit.
Anyone know the correct repair / fix for this latent defect?

2nd issue:
Optical vs. Analog.
While everyone seems to be rushing to hook up the optical in order to get dolby digital, there is a problem. Actually not for me since I don't have an optical in on the Kenwood KR-X1000 (perhaps this is more an asset than a hindrance). My Panasonic DVD actually recommends using the analog/copper cable method than the optical for this reason:
Copyright protection mandates require the manufacturers to "dumbed down" the sound from its DVD recorded 96 kHz to 48/16 bit kHz when you go out of the optical connection. So when you use analog you are getting the most information higher bit density and bandwidth than with the digital. So what is the benefit of digital? Well it isn't sound quality as much as sound accuracy and maybe noise rejection. Still, if you want terrific THX surround you are better off with the analog out of your DVD player into your THX receiver than your optical out to your DTS system by definition. The analog THX off the DVD is coming at 96 kHz while the optical is law-limited to 48 kHz output. You can record with the optical but you are getting half the information you would hear at analog.
 

Just wanted to share with everone that after two months of waiting, my 6070 finallly arrived Friday afternoon and I have been playing with it all weekend! Very excited about this unit and really enjoying it so far!

Ray, it sounds like your set-up and mine are almost identical as I had also purchased the same Klipsches you own off e-bay. They sound great and having timbre matching speakers really made a big difference for us! As a footnote to one of your prior postings, per Klipsch, they recommend front L & R run through the sub first and then out as normal. I tried this both ways and found (in my opinion) that the 6070 provides better sound with the L & R connected directly to the receiver and the sub using the pre-out. (using nml/thx) ...Given our Klipsch L & R speaker ratings, I would curious about your settings on your sub and related configuration. Did you set to 80hz and what did you select as your bass peak?

In reading the posts since my last message, it sounds like availability is less of a problem and many like me are having initial configuration questions.

My main question at this point is, I think, brief and easy for the audio experts on this thread:

Q) Is the main DVD button really designed for a high-end 6 channel DVD player and not the more common (ahem, older) makes of players?

After struggling with my analog rca or optical only player settings, I finally got DVDs to play properly when connected to the 'Video 3' source.

Video 2 appears to be intended primarily for coaxial, and Video 1 for cable/vcr.

Having said that, my wife doesn't understand why they would label a button 'DVD' and I would have to use Video3 instead. I've tried everything I can think of, but dolby digital does not want to work for me from the DVD/6 channel input. It just seems curious that the cd/dvd option has an optical input, but does not receive the signal...is there a setting I am missing to configure this?

Dollar for dollar, I can't examine anyone buying a more expensive model given the great sound and features of the 60x0 line.

Thanks to everyone to who keeps information moving on this BBS,

Tom
 

Rim
Hello,
I have been reading up on all the posts and they have been great help as I try to set up my first home theater unit. I have purchased new and used the following parts:

Kenwood 6070
Boston Acoustics system 9000
2 Micro 90xII Satellites
2 Micro 80xII surrounds
1 Micro 90c II center channel
1 Micro 90pv II powered sub (120w)
Philips DVDQ50
Audio Source Amp II (80w x 2)

I also have a pair of Snell J's I want to incorporate for a 7.1 set up. I don't think Allison III's or Polk ADS II's would work in this set up. Or would they? I want to keep one pair for another room dedicated to music.

What cables and connectors do I need to get for optimal setup, and should the Snells or the Micro 90 satellites be the front pair?

Your advice will be much appreciated.

Novice to home theather in Virginia
 

Anonymous
in responce to bj desmond on november 16th 2002.he states that there is only one dvd with dts-es discrete,but i have three,gladiator,rush hour 2,and blade 2.there may be more..........im always looking.
 

Anonymous
2 years ago I purchased a Kenwood "Home Theater in a Box" system. I am ready to move to the 6070 and was wondering about how the speakers and the VR-405 could integrate into my upgrade? Cash is tight but I would like to do whatever possible to take full advantage of my resources. Any ideas?
 

Hello all,
I've got a similar situation - I bought the HTIB a couple of years ago, with the 407 receiver. It has served the purposes well, but when I started to review the VR-6070 I knew it was time to upgrade. I found some on eBay that were very reasonably priced, and was able to win a bid on a Dutch auction for $395 (plus $35 shipping) and am currently (impatiently!) awaiting its arrival. Now I have to run another set of wires and cut in two speakers in the wall behind my couch for the rear surrounds - sheesh! :D

Anyway, my speakers are a mix of the stock Kenwood HTIB fronts, sub and center, with some flush mounts from Radio Shack mounted in the ceiling. These serve the purpose at this point, and I suspect from all of the reading that I've done that they will suffice with the 6070 except perhaps at very high volume...

Thanks to all of you who have been posting - this is a really informative thread! I'm sure I'll have some questions once I get the unit, but most of them will probably have already been addressed in previous discussions.

Regards,
Roger
 

Anonymous
I'm seriously thinking of purchasing this reciever, especially after reading all the good reviews on this thread. The information and support here are also making my decision a little easier.

I've got an older DENON with regular old Dolby Pro-Logic. I've got '98 Polk RT16s and a medium sized Polk Center CS150. My rears are older (early '90s) Advent bookshelf speakers. I never opted for the Sub because my Polks put out a ton of bass(great speakers). I have to admit, this simple Pro Logic set up sounds great. I think it blows my Dad's Bose system out of the water!

Will a sub and this new VR6070 really make that much of a difference to my non-audiophile ears? If I were to really do it up right, I'd have to get new rear surrounds, too. It seems like there are a lot of questions regarding proper set up of this system.

Any input would be of some help to me.
 

RE: MR Trimble . In order to utilize the 6 channel option, in my experience with other receivers, you would have to hook up 8 seperate cables to your receiver from your dvd player. In true 6 channel mode( 1 digital connection, 1 each for the 6 seperate channels, and one exclusively for the LFE channel), the signal does not have to be seperated in the receiver, it's seperated in a DVD player equipped with a built in DD/DTS decoder, and simply passes through the receiver for amplification. I never had a setup such as this, so i cannot tell you if there is a noticeable difference in sound quality, but i have read that this is the only way to get true 5.1 or 6.1 audio in it's purest form.


I have seen plenty of dvd players with built in 5.1 DD/DTS decoders built in but there are only a handful that currently have a 6.1 decoder built in, the only one i know of is manufactured by Sherwood Newcastle.

Check the back of your receiver, you should see audio inputs for each channel, and i'm not talking about the standard inputs that feature yellow/white/red.

I don't have this receiver just yet, but when i do i'll share my thoughts on configuration. My current receiver is a Denon 3802, and although the specs are not as impressive on the Kenwood 6070, it does feature THX select, plus all the sound modes the Denon has. You just can't get THX for this price anywhere, so even if the 3802 is a bit more powerful, i consider the Kenwood an upgrade.


Just a note, i used the stock Kenwood speakers i had from an old Kenwood HTB ( 100 watts @ 8 ohms ) with my Denon unit and they performed excellent, even though the unit pushed them a bit too far sometimes ( i doubt this will be a problem with the 6070 since it's rated at 100 watts per channel), they still sounded great with anything i threw at them. Keep in mind i was also using a powerful sub (for my size room at least) that also came with the Kenwood HTB package.


So, i would save a couple of bucks and stick with your Kenwoods, for now at least, they should still sound great with the Kenwood 6070, since they sounded great with the Denon.
 

Anonymous
a couple days ago i said i had 3 dts-es dvds.now i have 4,my local video world released austin powers in goldmember a couple days early,and its in dts-es,nice surprise.
 

Anonymous
I just came home for Thanksgiving and my father handed me the manual to his new VR-6070 and asked me to hook up his Bose 901's. The 901's require an active equilizer. I have combed the manual and can't find any way of hooking up an equilizer. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm to the piont of saying the 901's will not work with this reciever.
 

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