July 2001 Reviewed by Doug Blackburn	Kenwood VR-4090 Audio/Video Receiver

Description Price: $1100 USD Dimensions: 17.4"W x 7.5"H x 16.4"D Weight: 35.5 pounds Warranty: One-year parts and labor Features Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dolby Pro Logic DSP modes for 5.1 or stereo inputs Digital bass management HDCD and MPEG decoding 24-bit/96kHz DACs Second-generation SHARC DSPs Moving magnet phono section 40 AM/FM presets Seven digital inputs (each can be coax or Toslink optical)

Features (cont'd) Two digital outputs (one coax and one Toslink optical) Eight stereo analog inputs plus one six-channel input (for DVD-A, SACD, or external processor) Analog outputs (two stereo plus one five-channel pre-out) Five video inputs (S-video and composite) Two video outputs (plus monitor out) Auto-input sensing for easier setup and use Input level matching (all inputs playback at the same level) Direct Mode (option for analog inputs that bypasses all internal processing) Universal Video System (converts all video inputs to same format as the active output) Infrared universal learning remote control with LCD display and RF output

Kenwood has long been one of the more forward-thinking Japanese audio companies. In the past, Kenwood produced select audio products good enough to get the attention of high-end audio enthusiasts around the world. The circa-1979 LO-7m mono amplifiers are probably the prime example. Kenwood has historically tried to deliver audio products with an edge in sound quality over the wares of generic competitors while maintaining a full set of features. Surprisingly, Kenwood seems to accomplish both goals with little or no price penalty compared to like-featured products from competitors that don’t share Kenwood’s aspiration for better sound.

Just look at the features of Kenwood's VR-4090 receiver. I thought the similarly priced, but slightly older, Onkyo TX-DS777 had a lot of features for the money, but the VR-4090 exceeds the Onkyo’s feature-set quite easily. And the VR-4090 has something else you may not find in many receivers at its price point -- an aluminum faceplate. And this is not just a flat plate, but an extremely well-finished, sculptured shape that provides considerable visual appeal. The VR-4090 looks pretty suave next to the generic look of most receivers at its price. There is no feeling of clutter, even though all operating features are accessible from a small front panel behind a nicely articulated drop-down door. The blue fluorescent-dot display is easy to read and has easy-to-understand messages too.

The rear panel of the VR-4090, like that of all A/V receivers, is packed with speaker, analog, digital, video, automation, and antenna connections. The RCA jacks are similar in quality to what you find on most AV receivers at the VR-4090's price, but they are gold plated. The RCAs are well grouped and clearly labeled. There are more digital inputs than I’m used to seeing at the VR-4090's price, and the digital output permits easy connections to MD or CD recorders that support digital inputs. The VR-4090’s thick round power cord is much beefier than the Onkyo’s thin, flat cord. Spacing is a bit tight for some of the premium connectors used on some audiophile interconnect cables, but normal-size RCA plugs fit without interference.

The VR-4090 remote has some tricks up its sleeve. When you take it out of the box, it is set to send RF (radio frequency) and receive IR (infrared). Yep, the remote will receive information from the receiver and display that information on the small LCD panel on the remote control -- if you are in a direct line of sight with the receiver. Change the volume -- see the result on the remote’s LCD. Switch sources -- see the source change in the LCD. The system isn’t perfect though. Unless your IR repeater is on the ceiling, you will have to point the remote at the receiver to send and receive IR codes. This hinders reading the LCD panel though, so you end up tilting the remote towards the receiver then towards you to read the result before it disappears.

The remote's LCD screen is backlit and there are some glow-in-the-dark keys on the remote, but the keys are not backlit for use in a darkened room. The VR-4090’s remote is rather large and will control most features of most audio, video and home-theater products with a single keystroke. My only disappointment with the factory-set codes was that the codes for my digital cable box required pressing a shift key before being able to access certain functions. I had no problems with controlling a Pioneer DVD player, Sony VCR, Pioneer laserdisc player, Toshiba monitor, and Kenwood DVD player all from the VR-4090’s remote using the built-in codes. I did have to program two codes using learning mode for the Toshiba monitor, but that was it. Overall, I give the remote some pretty high marks for features and the completeness of the pre-programmed codes that are easy to select without having to refer to a printed table in a manual.

Surround sound

I used the Kenwood VR-4090 by itself and also connected to external amplifiers via the pre-out connections. The Kenwood receiver’s performance surprised me at least as much as that of the Onkyo TX-DS777. The VR-4090 sounded quite excellent as an A/V preamp and very good when using its internal amplification. I hate to use trite catch phrases, but the Kenwood receiver sounded like a unit costing considerably more. It was able to produce a visceral listening experience during Gladiator -- even more visceral than I’m used to hearing from the Onkyo receiver. The VR-4070 has a powerful, dynamic sound with plenty of bass detail and impact. The Onkyo receiver was just a bit more restrained, which did make it somewhat better for enjoying harsher-sounding soundtracks without having to resort to corrective measures. On those more aggressive soundtracks, the Kenwood VR-4090 does offer enough adjustment options to tame the sound. The Onkyo was a bit more subtle and spacious with some movies, but not as dynamically exciting.

The Kenwood VR-4090 drove a Clements speaker array easily. The sound was exciting, dynamic, punchy and powerful in the bass. By comparison, the Onkyo’s sound was a bit more laid-back, a little smoother, a bit warmer and had a wider and deeper soundstage. The Onkyo receiver was more pleasant for music, while the Kenwood was more exciting for movies. Transparency was equivalent for both receivers. The Kenwood was a bit brighter and dryer in the upper midrange and treble compared to the Onkyo. This was offset by the Kenwood’s tighter, more detailed and more dynamic bass.

It was easy to get a well-developed surround-sound field with the Kenwood VR-4090 due to the receiver's full range of distance and volume-level adjustments. The fully digital bass management passed my usual search for problems. I found no loss of fidelity when switching from "large" to "small" speakers. Furthermore, the VR-4090 did not degrade the sound of the five main channels when the LFE subwoofer channel was turned on, as is the case with many receivers in this price range and lower. In contrast, the Onkyo receiver does slightly degrade the sound of the five main channels when the LFE channel is turned on or when any channel is set to "small."

The whiz of bullets, the scampering of scarab beetles, a biplane in flight, falling bookcases, and an old car being used in a getaway: these are some of the memorable details in The Mummy (original release). The VR-4090 made these sounds more sharp-edged than the softer-sounding Onkyo. You could hear "pock-eta pock-eta" sounds of the old car’s motor cutting clearly through crowd and crash noises. Bullets whiz by even through the thunder of hundreds of galloping horses. The old stand-by Contact has a good test of how well a receiver can do deep, powerful bass at the same time it is asked to do speech and the mechanical sounds of heavy machinery. When Ellie moves along the catwalk to the capsule, the bass from the resonances of the machine is room-shaking, yet the metallic sounds of moving machinery cut through the bass clearly. The bass in this scene throbbed harder and had more frequencies audible simultaneously than I’m used to hearing. Sheryl Crow’s concert DVD, Rockin’ the Globe Live (DTS), on the other hand, was a bit drier and less rich-sounding than the reproduction through the Onkyo receiver. Yet the music was dynamic, transparent and had excellent bass quality.

I didn’t find the surround performance of the VR-4090 lacking in any way. From the easy setup, in which you can see your settings right on the LCD display of the remote control, to the fully adjustable distance and volume settings to the bass-remix capability, you can get good sound from the VR-4090 with any speaker complement from two to 5.1. The overall sonic result was clearly better than what you get from other brands I have had experience with. The VR-4090 is in the same sonic league with the handful of other models that strive to offer better sound for the dollar while still competing on a feature-for-feature basis.

Performance features

The VR-4090's Direct Mode did indeed sound noticeably better than running stereo sources through all the processing. If you don’t need or want to process the input, Direct Mode is a definite sonic improvement.

The Kenwood receiver's DSP modes are often capable of making otherwise lame-sounding recordings newly exciting. I can’t really recommend DSP modes for recordings that already sound really good -- there’s just too much lost. But take Joe Walsh’s The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get [MCA CD 31121] and the James Gang Rides Again [ABC CD5009]. Crank the volume and switch to Arena on the Kenwood VR-4090 and these old rock nuggets take on new lives. If you don’t like how Arena or any other DSP mode sounds in your room, you can adjust the "wall type" (affects brightness), "room size" (seems to affect reverb times), and "effect level" (a master control for how much of the effect is applied). I tweaked the Arena mode for a larger room, adjusted the effect level a bit and, man, a whole new listening experience ensued. Kenwood offers five DSP modes, and several of them either were or could be tweaked to be pretty darn entertaining.

Kenwood’s Universal Video feature worked as advertised too. I connected several devices using composite video and connected the VR-4090 to the monitor via S-video. Every input played back perfectly using the single S-video connection. I detected no improvement in image quality from the composite to S-video conversion, but I noticed no loss of image quality either. Running S-video from the DVD player to the VR-4090 and from the VR-4090 to the receiver was a convenience feature with very little loss of image quality, perhaps limited to just having extra connectors and wire in the signal path. There was a very small improvement in image quality when connecting the DVD player directly to the monitor, bypassing the switching in the VR-4090. You have to be tuned in to what to look for to see any effect though; many people would notice no loss at all.

DVD-Audio

Using the VR-4090 for DVD-Audio playback produced some very exciting sound. DVD-A discs were played back via the 5.1 analog inputs -- currently a requirement of the music industry; no direct digital connections allowed. Great fidelity and resolution were immediately noticed. The dynamics could be frightening at times -- and this was using the VR-4090’s internal amplifiers. High resolution DVD-A did not reveal any previously hidden sonic warts. The Kenwood VR-4090 did a very respectable job of throwing a huge multichannel DVD-A listening experience into the room. Adding separate outboard amplifiers produced a warmer, more complex and even more spacious sound, but this was not extremely obvious. In either configuration, I’d have been perfectly content to enjoy DVD-Audio for a long time without complaints.

I spent time listening to Toy Matinee’s self-titled DVD-A disc. I have owned the stereo CD and DTS 5.1 CD of this recording for quite some time. This is dynamic, inventive, full-range rock music with a wide and deep soundstage. At least I thought so until I heard the DVD-A disc -- the stereo and DTS versions were put on the trailer permanently. The DVD-A disc must sound very close to the master tape; such is the degree of obvious transparency, the rich harmonic content, and the huge soundfield. The DVD-A sound was even more transparent than the stereo CD played through my reference transport, digital coax, and Perpetual Technologies equipment with upgraded power supplies. Toy Matinee works well as a surround-sound recording because it contains a rich sonic landscape of familiar and not-so-familiar sounds, which can be spread around the room to achieve sonic envelopment that the stereo version can only hint at. I used to find the DTS version (also available on the DVD-A disc) entertaining, but had a hard time preferring it overall compared to the stereo version. DVD-A makes the DTS version sound dark, opaque, dynamically restricted and lacking considerable detail and harmonic content.

A Dolby Digital stereo mix is also on the DTS and DVD-A discs. It sounded like AM radio by comparison. The Kenwood VR-4090’s wide-bandwidth amplifiers, low noise and equal power to all channels insured that I could hear high-resolution DVD-Audio to good effect.

Summary

The Kenwood VR-4090 is an impressive package in the $1100 price range. Once I configured it up to my preferences, it was an easy-to-use and -operate home-theater receiver. It is a feature-packed product that benefits from being made with an eye toward giving the owner just a bit more sonic performance than is, in my experience, available from similar products. The VR-4090 provided an exciting, dynamic, tonally neutral sound for music and home theater.

I would see VR-4090 owners spending more time viewing TV and DVDs than listening to music -- but still having sizable music collections they wish to appreciate. There may even be some LPs in the house to enjoy through the phono section. The potential owner would be looking for punchy, detailed and exciting sound for both music and movies -- a sound with deep, powerful, tight, well-defined bass. The VR-4090 owner may also be someone who longs for a component that looks a bit cooler than most of the competition.

Manufacturer contact information:

Kenwood USA Corp.
2201 East Dominguez St.
Long Beach, CA 90801-5745
Phone: 310-639-9000

E-Mail: inquiry@kenwoodusa.com  
Website: www.kenwoodusa.com

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