[Johnny Bax]

In a nutshell, can you guys please sum up the strengths & weaknesses you've noticed with your experience with this unit? And what is the 635 going to have that the 630 doesn't have?


Thanks in advance.

 

[gbaker59]

A search of "avr 630" and "avr 635" will provide you lots of info. I don't own either but the firmware issue with the 630 has concerned me.

 

[sensibull]

Well, I've had this unit for nearly 3 months now and after hemming and hawing about it I feel fairly qualified to respond. Of course, as always, YMMV (your mileage may vary).


Strengths include:


1. Advanced bass management, particularly with multichannel (DVD-A/SACD). If you player doesn't have that feature, this is huge. Many receivers cannot do bass management in the analog realm.

2. Lots of good clean power and headroom, unless you're used to megawatt separates.

3. Very musical.

4. Multiple options for multi-room implementation. If you're only using 5.1, the rear surrounds channels can drive speakers in another room. Alternately, you could use the multi-room pre-outs with another amp, or H/K's proprietary inwall amp units and A-Bus technology for the ultimate in mod living. Comes with separate second-room remote.

5. Logic 7 DSP: Convincing and natural surround sound from 2-channel analog sources.

6. Attractive looks and styling.

7. Dolby Headphone: sounds gimmicky but I recently watched a movie with headphones (so as not to wake my twinfants) and it was truly an immersive experience.

8. Upgradeability through RS232 port. Remains to be seen whether this is a true strength but the PLIIx and "dropout" improvement update is rumored to be imminent.

9. Jacks on the front for game system or camcorder hookup (only a strength if you can use it).

10. Prices are plummeting now that 635 is almost out.



Weaknesses:


1. Well the biggest one, obviously, is the dropout problem extensively discussed in this thread: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...75#post4488975


Frankly, this has proven to be much more annoying than I thought it would be, particularly when watching digital cable or during the opening THX or Pro Logic flashscreen of a DVD. You can solve the TV issue by only using analog connections (Logic 7 is nearly indistinguishable from Pro Logic II on TV sources), but you'll end up explaining with embarassment to anyone watching a DVD with you why your expensive shiny new receiver drops the ball during the big sound-system "showoff" moment. I have not, however, experienced any dropouts during CD listening, as others have reported.


2. EZSet speaker level calibration feature is not very accurate.


3. Unit gets VERY hot if not given plenty of room to breathe.


4. Heavy and massive chassis may not fit in everyone's entertainment unit. Make sure it does before you buy.


5. Fewer digital ports (2 coax/2 optical on back, 1 more of each on front) than other receivers in its price class.


6. No video upconversion.

 

[Johnny Bax]

TY sensibull, that's exactly the concise kind of post I was looking for.


The dropout issue doesn't worry me at all, because I normally mute the big THX sonic moment on DVD's anyway. And as you said, the fix is otw.


No video upconversion? You mean I can't plug in an S-video input from my directv receiver and a component input from my DVD player into the 630, then run a single component out cable via the monitor out port to my projector?


I absolutel need this. I don't care if it doesn't scale the image, I just need the transcoding capabilty so that I can reduce the number of video cables running back to the pj from two, to one.

 

[sensibull]

You can feed the 630 two sets of component inputs and then just run one to the TV, but (I am 99% certain) it will not upsample S-video to component. What's more, to use the on-screen setup menu (which must be used to configure the 630 properly -- it cannot be done on the unit itself) you need to run an s-video line to your monitor. Now I suppose you could always set it up on another tv and then forget about the on-screen menu, but if you play with your speaker settings as much as I do that simply won't cut it.


Sounds like the 630 won't work for you. As far as I know the 635 will have video upconversion (not to mention better room EQ functions, Dolby PLIIx pre-installed, and a different processor that may or may not solve the dropout issue), but you better check that to be sure.

 

[Version]

The 630 does not transcode S-Video to component so this may not be the unit for you.


I prefer to run all of my sources dircet to the display and use a Harmony Rempte for Macros to control everything so this wasn't an issue for me.


The drop-out problem was a non-issue for me as well but I am anxiously awaiting the DPL IIx upgrade.


FYI The 635 will add transcoding as well as several other significant upgrades.

 

[Johnny Bax]

Thanks guys, looks like the 630 goes off my list.

 

[ranster]

Johnny,

I'm a big fan of the 630 (especially at it's current price). I agree with most of sensibull's excellent description, but would like to add:

1) The audio dropout is much less of an issue than it is described to be. I only find it on the THX introduction and the 1/2 second drop is nothing to me. I do not find it on digital cable or CD playback.

2) The EZset speaker adjustment plain did not work for me. A radio shack spl meter and dve or avia is a requirement.

3) As for the S-video to Component transcoding, is it possible to find a cable that has S-video on one side and Component on the other?? I'll take a look later tonight for this. I was surprised to find a cable for my PS2 that had component out (which solved my problem).

Good luck...