Kenwood HTB-205
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Anonymous | Does anyone know any thing about the htb-205 and what the difference is from the htb-504. |
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| The HTB-205 comes with the VR-615: *100W x 6 *KAM-1 High Efficiency Amplifier Design *Dolby Digital & DTS Surround Processing with 5 DSP Modes *Dolby Pro Logic II *Cinema EQ- Better sound performance for compact speakers *3" Full range speakers x 5 (KS-206HT) *8" Subwoofer (SW-15HT, non-powered) *System Remote The HTB-504 comes with the VR-507: *100W x 5 *KAM-1 High Efficiency Amplifier Design *Dolby Digital & DTS Surround Processing with 5 DSP Modes *Dolby Pro Logic II *Cinema EQ- Better sound performance for compact speakers *4" Full range speakers x 5 (KS-505HT) *8" Subwoofer (SW-35HT, self-powered 100 watt amp) *System Remote |
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Anonymous | So pretty much the HTB-205 has the newer reciever, but crappier speakers and the HTB-504 has the older reciever, but better speakers? |
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MATT Catanzaro | basically |
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| The 504 has been replaced by the HTB-505 The HTB-205 has a passive subwoofer while the 505 has an active subwoofer which results in better sound. |
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| Is worth getting the 205 or should I just step up for the 505? |
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| I would go with the Onkyo HT-S650 if you want a real surround sound experience. |
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31gna | Are the receivers of the HTB-205 5.1 Dolby? |
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Anonymous | The VR615 receiver has a separate 6ch input (5.1)that you can connect from your dvd player. Yes it has 5.1 surround and can decode in Dolby. See specs above. |
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31gna | Thanks for the reply! I also saw that the HTB-205 has a passive subwoofer? I know there's an active and passive but really dont know much detail. Is this just the subwoofer that comes with it or is it the actual receiver? Say I want an active subwoofer a year later, do I need to buy a new receiver or just a new subwoofer? |
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Anonymous | The HTB205 has a passive subwoofer, but it does have a separate amp in the receiver unit itself. I don't see any problem with updating to an active subwoofer later on. But if this is your first system and don't know much about HTIBs, then I would probably guess that you probably wouldn't be able to discern the sound quality difference between an active and pasive subwoofer anyway.  The passive sub that came with the 205 sounds pretty good to me. I don't see the need to get an active one unless you're upgrading to a more expensive and powerful system. |
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Anonymous | Just a note, the HTB-205 comes with weak @$$ speakers. The receiver is nice and user friendly but the speakers are not very good. I suggest getting seperates. As in a seperate receiver and speaker package. Or you can get this but i would upgrade the speakers. |
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Anonymous | I have the HTB-205 and I can attest that the speakers are definately *NOT* weak @$$. Come on over to my house and you can hear what "weak @$$" sounds like. I can turn the volume up to the point where it nearly hurts and there is no discernable degrade in the quality of the sound (helps to have the less than 0.7% THD at rated output power which is 100 watts). They are very high quality 3-inch speakers. I'm surprised that they can output the sound that they do and I'm surprised of the power of them as well. Of course, I'll be upgrading the speakers later on, but to proclaim the stock speakers as being "weak @$$" is quite the fallacy. |
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Anonymous | I disagree but you are entitled to your opinion, and no I don't feel the need to come over to your house to hear weak @$$ speakers, as I have the same weak @$$ speakers. I personally was not happy with it and suggest you upgrade them. To each his/her own. |
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Anonymous | Cool!! I just ordered one and it's suppose to arrive this week. I dont have a big room myself so I think this should be enough. I'll just upgrade later when I have my own house :D To get the maximim benefit from the 205, what accessories should I separately purchase? The only thing I could think of right now are the wires. I should probably get 12 ga speaker wires. Anything else? I just a newbie and this would be my first system. I dont have those gadgets where you measure this and that, so any suggestion would be great! Thanks!! |
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Anonymous | if you plan on hooking up a dvd player i suggest you get an optical or coaxis cable to fully use the DD and DTS decoding functions of the receiver. |
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Anonymous | Kenwood has been around a long time and makes some mean speakers. |
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Anonymous | I connected a digital coax to my reciever from my dvd player, but I can not get my dts or dolby digital to work( at least the light on front that says it is working does not come on). what else do i need to get this to work. Do i have to run my sound and picture through the reciever, because, I, as of now, am running the picture directly to the television with an s-video cable from my dvd player and my sound into the reciever. |
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Anonymous | You need to make sure you have it set to the proper input function. I think the coax on the VR-615 is DVD/6 Channel, while the optical input is CD/DVD. I have my dvd playera audio hooked up the the receiver and video direct to the tv. You also need to double check that your dvd player is set to digital output. You can do this on most dvd players by turning it on without a disk inside and it should bring you to the players menu. Then just go the audio tab and make sure it is set for digital out. |
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| On the HTB-205 VR-615 How would I go about adding a powered sub woofer. I already own a powered sub woofer and the connections out from the receiver are speaker wire and the connection into the powered sub woofer is RCA. I also noticed the DVD 6ch input has a sub woofer input I was not aware of DVD players having sub woofer outputs.... |
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Anonymous | you would need to buy a sub that has the left and right hookups on the back. Then wire the front left and right from the receiver to the sub, then connect the front left and right speakers directly to the sub. |
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Anonymous | I Can't figure out what the 6ch input means or how to find a dvd player that has 6ch output. Everytime I ask a salesperson they don't know what I'm talking about. What EXACTLY do I have to do to get 6ch surround. The instruction book says that is the truest surround this receiver can offer. |
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Anonymous | Can anyone suggest good replacement speakers (front, surround, center, subs) for the HTB-205? Though I have no complaints and I think they're great, the ones they come with are small and I'm thinking of upgrading to better sounding speakers. Any suggestions? Thanks!! |
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| I am using my PS2 as my DVD player for the VR 615 and every time I watch a DVD it is in Pro Logic. How do I get it to play back in DD? |
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Anonymous | To get 6channel sound you need to have a player that supports that, and connect it via RCA cables. For speaker upgrades try to JBL150SI, that's what i upgraded too and it sounds amazing. Matt, To get the PS2 to play in DD and DTS you need to buy a toshlink cable and connect that to the receiver. |
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Matt Nardi | Thanks for the note, i just bought one online from best buy, i'll see what happens when it gets here |
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Anonymous | When I set the receiver setting any other listening modes other than Stereo, (i.e., PLII) I noticed that the sound is muffled some what. I can't seem to be able to increase the treble setting as I can in Stereo mode. Anyone noticed the samething? Can the Bass/Treble settings be changed in other listening modes, other than Stereo? |
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| I just set-up my new HTB-205 system. When in dolby digital mode I'm getting loud popping noises during dolbly digital ONLY - when the system is moderately cranked and playing loud passages with a lot of bass i.e. explosions etc. I have to turn the system down to low levels to avoid this. When in any other mode such as pro-logic, stereo etc. there are no popping noised regardless of volume. I'm using a heavy duty RCA coax to connect the digital feed from the DVD to receiver. Considering that this occurs only at loud volume levels tells me I may have a defective amplifier. However, this doesn't occur any any other mode than digital. Any feedback would be much appreciated. Thank You |
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J. Carter | On my HTB-205 system, I can't get DTS to work. My DVD player is set up for DTS, and I have a Coaxil cable connected to the receiver. All the settings on my DVD player and VR-615 are correct for digital sound, but it just won't play DTS. Any suggestions? |
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Anonymous | J. Carter, Have you selected DTS from the movies audio menu? Some dvd players select DD by default. |
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Anonymous | Does anybody have any info on what John Simmer had to say? I have the same problem, when I play music, movies ect, at loud volumes, my subwofer pops when playing in Dolby Digital only. Any ideas on whats wrong or how to fix it? |
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Anonymous | Sighs. I am sad to see that my favorite stereo equipment for home audio use has degraded itself to virtually non-existence. I have really enjoyed Kenwood sound for the last 30 years. I am trying to piece together a system before they degrade fully into car audio. It's very tough to buy separate pieces of Kenwood Home Audio. So be careful of what you buy and make sure you enjoy the sound from your package deals. Because the likelihood of updating speakers separately at a later date will be almost impossible. I had to go on ebay to purchase speakers for my system. I hope I enjoy the sound because I am going to have to research other companies to find a sound I like in 6 years when I build my home and find a system that integrates with it. Sighs.. Good luck all. |
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Anonymous | I own the Kenwood HTB-504 and the speakers are AbSolUte garbage. The sub and reciever are pretty GoOd. But the package is not worth the money. I suggest taking your time, but a good reciever and then save and buy a good pair of speakers that are worth the invested moeny. I suggest the POLK 6700's... they go well with many decent recievers (DTS & 5.1 of course) and buck up for the speakers.... quality will last years. |
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Anonymous | I own the HTB-405 and I agree with your opinion about the speakers. Have you tried the VR-616 ( your receiver, right ? ) with better speakers ? How do they sound ? Close to Onkyo quality ? |
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Anonymous | Hi, i bought the Kenwood 505 system last week and don't seem to be getting much sound from the rear speakers, i've adjust the setting to max and lowered the setting for the front and still i haveta put my ear next to them to be able to tell if there is sound coming out of them. I had used my old speaker wire for the rear speakers. Otherwise i'm quite pleased with the sound i am getting from the rest of the system. |
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| Help! I've got the Kenwood htb 205 setup, but the right and left speakers have no sound, not even in set up. everything else works great, so, what am I doing wrong, is there one last little button I'm not pushing? When it's running a dvd it shows the center, surrounds and sub as working, but the left and right still are "lit" up. |
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Anonymous | anyone see the new htb 206? I saw it in the paper this weekend and was wondering what the new model has to offer |
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| Does anyone own HTB-405? I think the receiver is great but the speakers are a little weak when play movies in dolby digital but pretty good in DTS mode. The wierd thing though is I get better output quality in 5.1 dobly digtal on my Xbox then I do my DVD player and my DVD player is hooked up via a optical cable. Anyone else have any wierd experiences. |
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Eli | Hi Friends, do anyone know the type KRF-V5550? i know it exist, i saw it in stores, but never been found in the web!!!! does anyone know this type? thanks |
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Anonymous | i have an htb205 home theater, it works fine, but once in a while in dolby5.1 mode, i hear a loud explosion like noice from the subwoofer. is there any setting i need to adjust. if not how do i replace the subwoofer alone, can i get a different subwoofer and will that be compatible to this system... any thoughts.. |
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Anonymous | Having a hard time getting my system to work. Any tips on installation. |
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Tom Ryan | I'm getting the popping noises too, but I can't tell if it's from the sub or the front/left surround speakers. It happens during loud portions of movies (final battle in Attack of the Clones, bridge of Moria in Fellowship of the Ring). It's annoying as hell and I don't want to turn the sound down (what point is an audio system that has to have the volume turned down???). Do I just need to replace hte speakers and sub or do I need to buy a new system? |
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Anonymous | I just purchased a vr-615 which will be pushing my also newly acquired cerwin-vega avs632 with an active subwoofer, i need some direction on connecting the powered subwoofer to the receiver, all help would be appreciated. |
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Mark R | For those of you that doubt the sound of the HTB-504 - just click the link that goes to Home Theater Magazine. They chose it for thier $1500 full system (TV, DVD, receiver, and speakers)http://www.hometheatermag.com/printarchives.cgi?93 But then again they're only a magazine that specializes in Home Theater.... |
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| What is the price that you guys have paid for these systems. Where is the best place to buy? |
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Mr. Happy Man | I Just bought my HTB-206, GREAT SET. I payed $299.99 + a free $25 money card from Best Buy! Only problem is that I had a reciever that the Digital Optical and the Bass Booster would not work. I (with-in 30 days) exchanged it for a new one and now I get sound from my DVD player (X-box) with a sweet sound. And as for the lights and DD and DTS they light up with out any problem once you set the Surround Sound and Enable DTS DD in the settings of the X-box. As for those pops you all get, I hear none. But I have heard Knocks on my door because I turned the system up to High (darn Neighbors, APT Top Floor) LOL. But Anyways I bought my HTB-206 at BestBuy 7-11-03 I do recommend the TosLink Cable Cable!! (Advance AV pack for X-box too!) When I playing Halo, (DD) I hear the the bouce and explosions of the grenades in surround sound. (L, R, SL, SR) "Therrrrr' GREAT" As for the Matrix, ALSOME!! Hope this helps!! HTB-206 and HTB-205 pretty much same thing!! |
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amateur audio guy | I just purchased a set of kenwood ks-505 surround sound speakers, (2 fronts, center and two rears), on ebay. Anyone have an opinion on what I just purchased? I grabbed the set for ten bucks + shipping, so I guess even if they are lousy they are worth the sawbuck I paid.... or are they? I dont have much audio experience other than i know what sounds good and what doesnt. lol I plan on hooking them up to my newly purchased Yamaha natural sound surround rx-v390 receiver(yeah, ebay again, 66.00 shipping included) which I know is bottom of the line for Yamaha, but I also know that it sounds great with the Bose acoustimass 2 sub and satellites + a set of Creative cubes that I've temporarily hooked to it. again, I dont know much about the new speakers so any opinions are apreciated. thanks |
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DeathKnight | I purchased the HTB-205 nearly a year ago. It's worked quite well for me so far and I have no technical problems with it whatsoever. The satellites are pretty good and the sound doesn't degrade at high volumes. The sub is very potent and the receiver does its job very well. I just ordered a new speaker set today to replace the small satellites though. I got the JBL NSP1II speaker package (got it from B&H Photo-Video-Pro Audio for $208.90 shipped). I can't wait until it gets here! It'll definately be a nice step up from the stock 3" drivers of the 205. |
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| I have recently noticed the loud popping noises also, such as in the first scene of Attack of the Clones. Sounds like a damn gun going off. Volume is at -20, so it is not so loud... I see others have also noticed this problem. I took my SW to a Kenwood repair shop and they cannot find the problem and suggest I disassemble my receiver and bring it in with the SW for analysis. ANYBODY KNOW THE SOLUTION? |
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Carl Smith | Hi.... We bought a Kenwood HTB-205 about 6 months ago, and it has *always* made that loud popping noise from the subwoofer when there is a moderate amount of concentrated bass. It's incredibly annoying, and I think we're all looking for a fix. I read somewhere on this page that somebody thought it made that noise *only* when in Dolby Digital 5.1 mode, but listening to Pearl Harbor yesterday, I know this isn't true. The popping noise happened at with about the same force when using DTS. If anybody has ANY info on how to fix this problem, please let us know. If not, I'm looking at buying a REAL subwoofer (powered, doesn't explode now and then) Thanks! Carl |
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| I was experiencing the popping and crackling with the HTB-205 subwoofer. I emailed Kenwood and here is their response: In regards to your inquiry, DVD's are recorded with a wide dynamic range. Meaning, there is a big difference in volume between scenes where people are just talking and explosions and action scenes. A volume setting of -20 may not seem loud when there is nothing but dialogue in the scene, but a volume of -20 during explosions is very loud, and you might be overdriving the system at this point. There are a few things you can do to remedy this problem. First try turning off the Cinema EQ feature on the receiver. Just press the Cinema EQ button on the front panel to turn the feature off. Also try 'narrowing' the dynamic range of DVD soundtracks. Most, if not all, DVD players have a dynamic range setting that you can adjust. The receiver has a feature called 'Midnight Mode'. If you are watching a movie in Dolby Digital, press the Sound button until the display says 'Midnight', and then use the multi control keys to turn it on or off. Basically, Midnight mode and dynamic range settings will make the dialogue louder and the explosions softer. I tried out these options and it really does make a difference. Just by turning off Cinema EQ the problem went away but the Night mode allows me to turn up the sound a little louder while not experiencing the popping on explosions. I hope this is helpful. |
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| I am somewhat happy to find out that so many others are experiencing the same popping problem because Kenwood refuses to acknowledge this. Here is a synopsis of my dealings with them: I took my sub to a local authorized repair center--conclusion: no problem. I shipped, at my expense, the sub to Kenwood Repair Center in California--conclusion: no problem. After hours of calls Kenwood gave me the same suggestions: turn off cinema eq; reduce bass settings by 7/10; turn down the volume. What seems to be missed by the Kenwood folks and their solution is that dramatic adjustments to mute the system's capabilities to prevent a product defect only results in a poor home theater environment with their product. Kenwood virtually has us turning off or reducing all the things that made us want a surround sound system so that this popping noise doesn't occur. Result: Crappy surround sound experience but no popping. Poor solution for a company that once commanded respect in this arena. I have since disconnected my Kenwood system and put my old, cheap Sherwood back in and it makes for a better experience. It just chaffes me that I blew $500 on the Kenwood that is now sitting in a box soon to be relegated to playing music from local radio stations. Kenwood should do the right thing and provide a subwoofer to all of us who are experiencing this problem that will not pop while the system is set, as it should be, for optimal DVD audio experience. Otherwise, they should replace our money. They will not do either because, in my opinion, money matters more than customers. This may be a good business practice now, but I suspect they will not be around 10 - 15 years from now as a result. At the very least, there will be no Kenwood products in my future and I will tell everyone who listens about the experience I have had with Kenwood so as to prevent them from having the same, expense disappointment. |
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DeathKnight | I still use the stock sub that came with my 205. I've gotten no popping whatsoever even with very high volumes during movies. |
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Javier Crespo | Hey..I dont really know much about surround sound systems but I bought the 205 with the VR-615 receiver and today it started turning itself off automatically and the power light would start blinking very fast. Does anyone know what is wrong? thx |
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Anonymous | Wiggle the power cord where it enters the unit at gromet and check for sparks and/or sniff for burning odor. The power cutting off during use may be related to a cooling issue with built in temprature sensor. Make sure nothing is ever sitting on the top of receiver and nothing hot sits below (example: VCRs and DVD players can get very hot when used). Test in open air for a few hours test with only the speakers and anttenna hooked up. Test each speaker set individually in 2 channel stereo or mono mode. Make sure your MONSTER speaker wires are not shorted (check both ends remove or check any tacks or nails used to run your wire) Check that the speakers ohm value match equally on all speakers. As tests pass add other components to verify the cables and/or other components are not shorting out. Make sure your rack (entertainment center)has appropiate ventalation. Remove the batteries from remote when testing system. The remote may have gotten moister in it making a stuck signal and freaking out the receiver. Also remove other remotes in the area or better yet use black tape over remote sensor on the receiver display. Goodluck! |
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Rubberband Man | I bought the 615-HTB in summer 2002. It has been a great system for what it is meant to be,a budget system. I've experienced the popping subwoofer many times and it's just a result of bass the thing can't handle. Try Monster's INC. when they put the sock under the thing that fry's it. Or Minority Report when the carseat gets slammed into the car during the fight on the assembly line. Just this week I bought Infinity Primus floorstanders(200w), PS-12 sub,(300wpwd.), and Primus 160 surrounds(150W) and have hooked them up to my 615 until I can afford a new receiver. IT ROCKS. No popping, no distortion, nothing but pure unbelievable sound. |
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LucieM Unregistered guest | i bought a kenwood vr-615 and i don't have power supply why? |
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Brian Ps2 guru Unregistered guest | To the guy who is using his PS2 as his DVD player. You need to turn on the Dolby Digital and/or the DTS output on your PS2. Load up a DVD and then get to the PS2 menu (press start) - this is the PS2 menu, not the DVD menu - select Audio and it should give you a choice to turn on your dolby digital, and dts, make sure you are using the optical out in back. |
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Unregistered guest | Hello! I have a KRF v5550D 130w x 6... Incredible! >VERY good sound, but i need the manual :-S does anybody have the manual?? thnx! |
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Anonymous | I purchased an HTB-206 in December. The 1st on the center speaker was bad. I returned the system and the 2nd one after an hour the volume would faild and the system would then turn off. So I returned it again. The 3rd one, the subwoofer is weak and severly distorted. I gave up returning it because it is an hour drive and took the speaker to an authorized service center. They took 95 days to replace the sub-woofer and that didn't fix the problem. I took the reciver in and they say they can't find anything wrong with either the reciver or the sub-woofer. Kenwood now has asked me to ship the system to a National Service Center at my expense for a problem that was there when I bought it. Any suggestions, besides never buying a Kenwood product again? |
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Unregistered guest | Hi, I'm from Mexico, I just bought the HTB-205 and I got the same popping noises from LOTR with Cinema EQ at -27 vol. or louder, so what's the problem? is it the receiver 615 or it's something related with the subwoofer? it's an old post but I found it. |
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Unregistered guest | I got a Kenwood Home Theatre System and i kinda lost the instructions on how to put it back in order |
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