B&K AVR 202

Ratings:Top:Audio/Video:Receivers:B&K AVR 202

 Info  Votes  Messages  More Stats  Up One Level
Vote
Page 1 of 2 Next

B&K AVR 202
Looks like a toy compared to the Yamaha DSP A1.

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: <none>
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26679

B&K AVR 202
It gets a rating of 1 because B&K have problems with producing this unit. They sent a few samples to retail stores as a tease but offer no volume of it for customers. It looks like they rushed to get this unit out to compete with Yamaha's excellent DSP A1 with no intention to sell anytime soon. Just how long will they make consumers wait?

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: <none>
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26680

B&K AVR 202
Caveat emptor to those contemplating purchasing a B&K AVR202.

I went through four (!) B&K AVR202s before deciding to go with the
Yamaha DSP-A1. I consistently encountered the following problems:

* AVR202 cuts out after 12-24 hours of on-time (levels set at -50 dB)

* Cross-functionality bug: volume dial sometimes turns on Help menu (!)

* Loss of unit control that may only be regained by powering down
(intermittent) [perhaps this is a Microsoft related feature]

* Loud fan noise/buzzing (intermittent)

In all cases the B&K was driving two 8 Ohm speakers and a 4 Ohm sub.

After problems with the second unit, I left the other units on
continuously to test them -- these problems occured within days.

I was patient with the B&K because it does deliver superb audio (when
it works), and because I like some its other features. Of course,
none of its advantages outweigh the real risk that it will become a
$2800 boat anchor in a year.

In my view, the Yamaha DSP-A1 is currently the only option in its
niche of the AV receiver market.

Overall Rating: 0
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26681

B&K AVR 202
Oh, how quick to judge. This "boat anchor" makes the DSP-A1 sound like the pier the ship left behind! I spoke to B&K maufacturer this weekend and bugs are worked out. Too bad you couldn't wait for this superior-in-every-aspect piece of high end equipment.

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: <none>
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26682

B&K AVR 202
I have never heard a better sounding receiver. Almost as good as separates for those of us who can't afford seps. Seriously considered DSP-A1 until I listened to both this weekend. Even my 12 year-old son could notice the incredible difference. True, it doesn't have all those funky dsp's, but if its pure sound you're after, you cannot go wrong. Oh, by the way, for all of you who have made disparaging remarks about this piece, I would like to direct your attention to November issue of Home Theater Magazine and their review of this piece. Then go into the archives and find their review of the coveted DSP-A1.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26683

B&K AVR 202
Only because 10 is the highest number in this rating system. Anyone who doesn't like it has never heard it. Ignore previous comments and current ratings...just listen. Those who down it probably can't afford it.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26684

B&K AVR 202
Look at the reviews for the Yamaha DSP A1.
Home Theater Magazine stated it was 1 of 2 of the nicest pieces of equipment that ever came accross them.
Look at Stereophile review and they state it is the best all in one box solution available on the market.
Then take a look at the reviews from Stereo Review, Audio Magazine and others and you will find that they are all in agreement.
Additionally, the B&K AVR 202 rates their amps in 1KHz to give the illusion of more power. Since they had bugs initally that would scare me off even if they did finally work some of them out.
I listened to the B&K.
The Yamaha simply offers more dynamics, much better processing, cleaner preamp and better overall build quality.
B&K AVR 202 is a toy next to the DSP A1.
BTW, life would suck without 7 channel DSP !!!
Go for the DSP A1. You will be glad you did !!!

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: <none>
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26685

B&K AVR 202
I stand by my previous warnings about B&K's unacceptable problems.
After returning the many AVR202s that I tried (unit control freezing
up on both front panel and remote, sound cutting out, volume control
turning on `Help' menu), I decided to go with components and purchased
the Reference 20 because of its price/sound quality.

The B&K Reference 20 had *exactly* the same problems!

In my opinion, a $2400 piece of electronics equipment that
consistently fails in this manner deserves a rating of zero,
regardless of its sound quality.

I've absolutely given up on B&K and am moving up to a Proceed AVP or
Lexicon DC-1. My comment about the Yamaha DSP-A1 was indeed misguided
and premature -- after actually listening to this unit, I found its
sound quality to be unacceptably lifeless.

To determine if your B&K unit has these buggy features:

1. Leave unit on for ~24 hours at low levels (-50 dB or so).
2. Use front panel volume control.
3. If the `Help' menu ever comes on when you do this, chances are that
the unit will freeze up and you can only regain control by powering down.
4. Leave the unit on for another day or so and you may find that it
completely cuts out and sends a low hum to your amp or speakers.
Powering down for a few minutes fixed this problem for me.

It's up to you decide if this equipment will always return control to
you over a reasonable lifetime.

Overall Rating: 0
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26686

B&K AVR 202
I give it a 9! Have to leave the 10 for the Proceed unit which I will never be able to afford. By the way, I auditioned the DSP-A1 as well. I voted with my hard earned money on the AVR202. By the way, B&K's production has been slowed by thier recent move(2+ weeks ago) to new facilities. Be patient and wait for the AVR202. You will be rewarded in the end.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26687

B&K AVR 202
I recently purchase the AVR202. Could not be happier! The sound is great, the remote control is one of the best around, and the plug and play feature is truly a marvel. I have not experienced any of the complaints experienced by early adopters. I did speak with B&K and they acknowledged the ealier problems but also indicated that they had been repaired. I certainly have seen no indications of the previous problems (e.g. popping noise, loud fan, etc.). Compared with Yamaha DSP-A1 and it is very close. Either choice is good but for my money I found the B&K to be superior and value added (tuner included, remote control far superior to Yamaha, factory upgradeability for new formats). Would strongly recommend purchase. Happy customer (not just from audition)!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26688

B&K AVR 202
The B&K does compare favorably to the Yamaha DSP-A1. They both do Home Theater extremely well. However, the DSP-A1 is capable of a 7 speaker sound that the B&K cannot do. Once you try the 7 speaker set-up, you will see what you have been missing. The Yamaha has a Cinema RE-EQ feature that the B&K does not have. B&K plans on putting that in next year's model. Yes the DSP-A1 has DSP modes. Majority are not useful. But some are and do enhance the theater sound. Isn't that what Home Theater is all about. The Yamaha is more easily upgradeable with the 6 channel input. The Yamaha has plenty of inputs, even for laserdisc which the B&K cannot do without another purchase. Considering the price of the two units and what you get for that price, how could you consider anything other than the Yamaha DSP-A1? This is B&K's first attempt at a receiver. It has had several problems and B&K has fixed those and plans on putting "deleted" items in next year's model. I do not like "experimental" equipment. Those bugs should have been worked out first. Wait till next year to see how they improve. For now, I am loving my Yamaha DSP-A1 and not looking back!

Overall Rating: 1
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26689

B&K AVR 202
I could not agree more !!!
I have a DSP A1 and can't imagine it getting any better !
Go Yamaha !!!!!

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: <none>
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26690

B&K AVR 202
I never knew just how good my M&K speakers were until I hooked this beauty up and played the DTS demo discs...WOW!!!! Best sounding receiver I've ever heard. As good as separates and a lot less expensive.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26691

B&K AVR 202
This is one AWESOME piece! Any early production problems that B&K had (see reviews below) have been corrected, apparently, because I have not encountered a single problem or drawback. Sound quality is amazing -- and beats ANY other receiver out there in its price range, and probably beats a lot of separates too. The build quality is like nothing I've seen before (again, in this price range). There are more than enough inputs, it's upgradable, made in the U.S., and has a 5-year warranty. Home Theater Magazine even gave it a 97! If you're looking for a receiver, check this one out!

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26693

B&K AVR 202
Hooked this baby up on Thanksgiving morning. Took only an hour to start
enjoying INCREDIBLE sound! Forget the people trying to trash this piece on the net...maybe they're simply jealous they didn't buy this marvelous piece. Way to go, B&K. BTW, I called tech people at B&K and asked for cable recommendations. The guy was great. Didn't talk down to me, and was honestly happy that I bought his product. Try talking to someone at Yamaha.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26694

B&K AVR 202
I had some presales technical questions that I got the impression my dealer couldn't handle. (About upgradability) So I called B&K and asked to speak with customer service. They informed me that he (?!?) was out for the day and if that was not acceptable they could have one of their engineers call me. I told them there was no rush and the gentleman called me the next morning. He was EXTREMELY knowledgable and helpful. The next day I had another question and called back and he remembered me !!!! We all know the stuff sounds great. I just wanted to comment on the company. If you like to support good old american companies that produce great products and support them well and are still are run by real live people then vote with your wallet. BTW I ended up buying a ref 20 and a used amp, very happy.

Overall Rating: No Vote
Weight: <none>
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26695

B&K AVR 202
As a relative newcomer to the home theater scene, I wrestled quite a bit with my budget and how to allocate funds for various components. I was starting from the ground up, and was unsure how much to spend on the DD/DTS processor. I ended up purchasing the 202 (which was definitely at the top end of my budget), and could not be happier. I added a pair of Martin Logan Aerius i's and the Pioneer Elite DV-05 DVD. The sound coming out of this receiver is incredible. I heard it compared to the Yamaha DSP-A1, and it was superior to both. The remote is very user-friendly, although some of the menu screens are not intuitive to a novice like me. Another great feature is the two-zone capability. All-in-all, I am very happy with this unit.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26696

B&K AVR 202
I reluctantly bought the B&K about two months ago after lots of listening to Denon 5600, Yammie DSP-A1, Act 3/Acurus, Onkyo DS-939. I had heard of a lot of people having probs with it but it just sounded better to me. Man, I am glad that I did, I have never had any pops, hums, fan noises, lockups or any of the probs that I had read about. The build quality is awesome,it weighs in at 55 lbs. and it can crank, it is very dynamic! The onscreen menu system is very easy to use and the learning remote is great and will work just about anything. Buy it from a dealer that knows what the hell they are talking about, because if it is not setup correctly it will apparently do some whacky things. This is the one to beat for music first systems, for theater first I would do the DSP-A1, I love it and my neighbor just got one and it is great.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26697

B&K AVR 202
Great Sound, all of the in's and out's you should ever need.

Overall Rating: 9
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26700

B&K AVR 202
Great sound & build. Mine has no problems, seems they finally got the bugs out that plagued earlier ones. Chose it over the Denon 5700.

Overall Rating: 10
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=26702

Page 1 of 2 Next

[Click Here to Login]
Don't have a login? Register!
How to use This Site
Why Register?
[Get rid of the ads!]
Voting Guide