Kenwood/Boston Acoustics Unity Complete
Home-Theater System
 The world is made up of two types of
people (yeah, those who say the world is made up of two types of people and those who
don't!): some people greet the prospect of constructing a home-theater system with a
song in their hearts and a smile on their lips; the rest experience a sense of dread at
the prospect of dealing with all that, ummm, stuff.
The big electronics companies don't give a thought to the
first sort -- after all, they're already hooked -- but to accommodate the second group
they've developed a new category: the home-theater-in-a-box (HTIB). These started out as
simply collections of speakers aimed at people who didn't want to mix and match stereo
brands, and many of them seemed cynically marketed at electronics neophytes who didn't
know enough to demand quality.
Yet, there were always exceptions to that rule.
Boston Acoustics, from the get-go, produced six-speaker systems that combined small size
and high value (such as the CR6/CR1/CRX/S12 HO system I reviewed favorably in Stereophile
Guide to Home Theater back in 1996).
But the stakes changed with the introduction and immediate
acceptance of the DVD format. Suddenly people needed a DVD player -- and frequently
a surround-sound-capable receiver as well -- in addition to all those extra speakers.
Naturally, the electronics companies rushed to meet that new demand and HTIBs started to
include units that combined a DVD player with an A/V receiver. The problem was, most
speaker companies didn't have the resources to produce high-quality DVD/receivers, and
most huge electronics companies produced terrible loudspeakers.
It seems inevitable that someone would have a Reese's cup
epiphany and suggest that two companies, such as Kenwood and Boston Acoustics, combine
forces and market a system that let each play to its strengths. Of course, it only seems
obvious in retrospect -- but obvious or not, it was a brilliant idea.
That idea became the Unity system: a composite DVD
player/A/V receiver capable of 5 x 25W, five small loudspeakers, a self-powered (100W)
subwoofer, a universal remote, and all the wires required for hookup -- at the rock-bottom
suggested retail price of $1200.
E Pluribus Unum (one unity composed of many parts)
The Unity system comes packed in a large (25" by
19" by 25") box. The first thing you see upon opening it is a large broadsheet,
printed on both sides, with clearly illustrated quick-start instructions. These will guide
you through the basic connections, but the Kenwood DVR-5070 DVD/receiver stuffs a lot of
functionality into a compact package -- to actually get it to make sounds, you should
spend some time with the owner's manual.
The DVR-5070 has a satisfying heft to it -- if it alone
cost $1000, you'd feel you were getting your money's worth just from its solidity and
styling. It has non-standard color-coded receptacles for speaker connections -- the
accompanying speaker wires have the matching plugs. This makes it simple to set up, but
limits your choice of speaker wire to the set you received -- unless you feel like
trekking down to a well-stocked parts store and finding matching plugs, and then
convincing your local hi-fi hut to terminate new speaker wires to them. Most Unity system
users probably won't ever feel the need to replace the speaker wire, however. Unless
they need to locate the DVR-5070 at the rear of a large room, in which case the
(comparatively) shorter wires for the front three channels won't reach.
I suspect Kenwood envisions a front-of-the-room placement
for the 5070, though, since the subwoofer also uses a non-standard four-pin DIN connection
and comes with a short cable.
I understand -- and even applaud -- Kenwood's desire to
simplify connection in a system aimed at consumers who want simplicity, but their choice
does place certain constraints upon the user.
And while I'm in critical mode, I feel obliged to mention
that the DVR-5070's specifications are awful. Individual channels are rated as
producing 10% THD at 1kHz driving a 4-ohm load -- that figure is a throwback to the middle
of the last century. I must note that the 5070 actually sounded pretty darn good at
all times, but that spec really raised my eyebrows.
Other than that, the back panel is a paean to versatility.
It includes analog audio inputs for a satellite (or cable) set-top box (STB), a TV, and a
VCR. It also includes coaxial and TosLink digital inputs for a satellite/cable STB and a
VCR, a ToslLink digital output, and both composite and S-video connections all around, as
well as component-video outputs.
Under a discreet little door on the lower right corner of
the front panel are additional connections: S-video and composite video in, TosLink
digital in, a stereo pair of RCA inputs, and a miniplug headphone output.
Like all DVD players, the DVR-5070 plays CDs, but it also
plays back MP3-encoded optical discs. Audio purists may sniff derisively at MP3, but given
the enthusiasm at large for the format, it seems a logical convergence feature to include.
Snobs can pretend it's not there if it offends them.
A similar nod to multi-functionality is the internal
digital-to-analog converter's ability to handle 32kHz, 44.1kHz, and 48kHz sampling rates.
While it's true that most people who purchase an affordable all-in-one system won't have
any 48kHz pro digital gear, many gaming consoles do employ 32kHz.
The 5070 not only offers Dolby Digital and DTS modes, it
also includes Dolby Pro Logic II and Circle Surround. Like most mass-market surround
receivers, it also offers a selection of digital signal processing (DSP) modes -- although
fewer than most: Arena, Jazz Club, Theater, Stadium, and Disco. Did I forget to mention
stereo? Silly me! These options are accessed by cycling through the remote's listening
mode button. DD and DTS are auto-detecting and require no thought from the user.
A few of these surround options may be new to some
consumers. Circle Surround and the Dolby Pro Logic II modes are both matrixed systems,
which extract information for the additional channels from conventional stereo recordings.
Many people have waxed enthusiastic over the ability of DPL II's music mode to turn stereo
into surround. This was my first experience with it and I found it a mixed bag. Some
recordings seemed all but unaffected by it, others -- principally recordings with a lot of
out-of-phase information -- steered a lot of signal to the rear channels. The effect
ranged from creating a sense of reflected energy coming from the rear to essentially
doubling the information coming from the front speakers. It can be effective, but it's not
the silver bullet some admirers make it out to be.
That said, on Dolby Pro Logic-encoded material, I felt DPL
II's theater mode was unquestionably superior to Dolby Pro Logic. This one wasn't even
close. Don't make me go back!
I also found Circle Surround's music mode too active for my
tastes, sending signal to every speaker. I've played in bands; center stage is a crappy
listening location. I simply want to sit in the same room as the music -- and no,
that's not the same thing.
The plastic virtues: purity, unity, and truth
The gray plastic speakers included in the Unity system make
unobtrusive seem like faint praise -- they seem practically non-existent! As a he-man
audiophile, I know the ultimate loudspeaker is huge and heavy. I sneer at any
speaker I can bench press. However, I -- and my ilk -- are not the intended audience for
this system. To many people, when it comes to speakers, the smaller the better.
Believe it or not, I do understand this -- as long
as a speaker is big enough to do its job. But looking at the miniscule 6.5" by
5" by 5" speakers (the middle channel is 7.5" by 4.5" by 4.5"), I
wondered whether a 1/2" tweeter and a 3" midrange driver would be up to the
challenge -- even when augmented by an 8" subwoofer. That subwoofer is a down-firing
model, which means its driver fires down at the floor out of the bottom of the cabinet,
yet the unit has "speaker cloth" covering one of the sides -- to indicate the
"front," I suppose.
The last component in the system is its remote, which can
be programmed by code (listed in the owner's manual) to control most TVs, satellite and
cable STBs, and VCRs. Choosing an input, such as VCR on the remote, not only switches the
DVR-5070 to that input, it puts the remote into that device's command set and controls its
functions.
As complex multi-function remotes go, the Unity remote is
pretty good. Functions are grouped logically and commands employ different sizes and
shapes of buttons -- using it becomes intuitive quickly. Back-lighting or illuminating
frequently used controls would unquestionably make it easer to use, but it ain't too
shabby as it is.
Form and function are a unity
Now I'd like to pose a philosophical question before
proceeding. What standards should we employ when evaluating an HTIB? Do we compare it
against cost-no-object home theaters that spend more on a single power cord than the Unity
system costs? Or do we go for the lowest common denominator comparison? Maybe compare it
to a boombox?
It seems to me that either choice is playing a mug's game.
The only reasonable answer is to judge the unit based on what it claims it can do -- and
whether they state it implicitly or not, HTIBs claim to offer a genuine home-theater
experience without all the fuss and bother (and frequently, but not always, expense) of a
home theater composed of separates.
So I'll judge the Unity system on the same basis that you
and I are judged: Does it do its job? And is it worth the money?
Unity is plural
Speaker setup is made even simpler than normal, thanks to
the remote's discrete speaker select keys. They make it easy to access each speaker
directly when setting uniform output. Just press the proper key and set the volume -- it's
far simpler than having to toggle through all of the speakers in sequence to adjust just
one -- press the right key and you're there.
Similarly, using the built-in DVD player is a snap. Insert
a disc, turn on your monitor, and Bob's your uncle! I found it a shade less intuitive to
use my satellite STB, however. I switched to that input and got a video signal but no
sound. I checked my connections and they all seemed correct, so I resorted to skimming the
manual and spotted nothing promising. I then scrutinized the remote and discovered a
button labeled input mode. A-ha! I pressed it and the DVR-5070's display read: analog.
I pressed it again and it said digital. The sound came on. A very careful
re-reading of the owner's manual showed me the item I had initially missed -- it was the
first subject addressed under Basic use method. D'oh!
Despite my misgivings about the speakers, the sound of Shrek
was big and bold. Dialogue was clear and the effects coming from the rear channels were
enveloping and clear. And it sounded big. I watched the film projected onto an
82" screen and the sound seemed in scale with the picture. I can't imagine that most
people buying the Unity will employ it with a front-projecting system, but they could.
That statement requires some qualification. No, the Unity's
8" woofer did not equal the majesty or the slam of my reference Polk PSW650. At $860,
the PSW650 alone almost costs as much as the Unity's street price of $1000. The Unity
system's sound -- for all intents and purposes -- is not state of the art, but it's
surprisingly robust and effective.
I watched Shrek. I watched The Man Who Wasn't
There. I surfed the channels. I used the Unity a lot -- and every time I turned
on the lights, I said, "All that sound was coming from those l'il thangs?"
I listened to a fair amount of music through the Unity, and
it is a musical system. Antony Michaelson's new recording of the Brahms and Mozart
clarinet quintets [STPH 015-2] was full-bodied and filled with nuance and tonal color
through the Unity. Once again, I was impressed by the HTIB's brawny sound. Compared with,
say, the Polk LSi7s ($809.90/pair), they sounded a trifle ragged on the top end --
a coarsening and darkening of Michaelson's clarinet tone was quite noticeable.
And in direct comparisons with the LSi7s, the Unity
system did make the recording sound somewhat lighter in weight than it should have.
It also added a honkiness to tenor voices (and Michaelson's clarinet). And I must confess
that bass-heavy music, like the Wailers' Catch a Fire [Island/Tuff Gong 314 548
635-2] was robbed of much of its slap-you-in-the-chest immediacy. But I suspect that if
music alone is your focus, the Unity system won't be your first choice. It's for people
who want a little of everything. For occasional and casual listening, none of the system's
shortcomings was all that disconcerting.
In most other respects, I was extremely happy with the
performance of the Unity system. Its ability to receive and store radio stations made
exploring the airways a snap. My only quibble was the performance of its video switching.
At first blush, its video performance was good -- images seemed bright and detailed, both
with DVD and DirecTV. However, to check the transparency of the switching circuitry, I
plugged both an Arcam DV88 DVD player and my Philips DSR6000 STB directly into the PLUS
HE-3100 projector and compared the direct signal to the signal passed through the
DVR-5070. The direct input was slightly brighter, but it was far sharper. The signals
passed through the DVR-5070 had faint ghost-like halos and less-vivid colors. The
difference between them wasn't day and night, but it was about as obvious as the
difference between videotape and DVD.
This was disappointing, but the HE-3100, like most
contemporary TVs, has multiple video inputs, so I was able to use the component connection
from the Arcam DVD player and the S-video connection from the STB and switch video sources
through the projector. Less convenient? Well sure, but more forgivable here than in a
dedicated video processor.
Once again I feel compelled to put this in perspective --
the Unity system is not aimed at dedicated videophiles with multiple sources. It is
designed as a simple, one-box solution for consumers who want a home-theater system that
is easy to use and affordable. Given its price point and its
a-little-bit-of-this-and-a-little-dab-of-that multi-functionality, it's not surprising
that the Unity doesn't perform any of its jobs as well as a dedicated single-function
component. The Unity is designed to be good enough -- and it certainly is.
Unity doth enchant me
The Kenwood/Boston Acoustics Unity Complete Home-Theater
System is designed to be a simple, affordable answer for folks who want to take advantage
of all the audio and video options now available to consumers. That seems like a big claim
for such a reasonably priced system, but it actually succeeds admirably at fulfilling
them. It's complete and comprehensive, and it works as promised. It has hook-up
capabilities that allow you to add a wide range of other inputs and it will play most
currently available digital media.
I have minor quibbles with it -- most of them of the
picky-picky-picky variety. It eschews standard speaker connections, limiting consumer
choice in add-on audio cables -- and speaker placement, too. Its specs are astoundingly
low-fi and its video switching is nowhere close to transparent.
But these quibbles actually miss the point of the Unity. It
is amazingly affordable -- so much so that criticizing performance at all seems almost
ungracious. If that sounds condescending, it's not intended to be. For a street price of
approximately $1000, the Unity delivers a DVD player, multi-channel A/V receiver, five
speakers, a powered subwoofer, and a universal remote control. It's easy to set up, easy
to use, and it works sufficiently well to give its owners satisfying music and home
theater. By any measure, that's amazing.
Add on the enormous flexibility that its digital inputs and
multi-format capability bring to the table and the Unity system becomes even more
attractive. If you want maximized performance in any of these parameters, you can
get it by buying a specialized system -- but you'll have to trade universality for that
specialization. On the other hand, if you want to keep things simple and simultaneously
have it all, the Unity System is a must-audition product.
...Wes Phillips
wes@onhometheater.com
Kenwood/Boston Acoustics Unity Complete
Home-Theater System
Price: $1200 USD
Warranty: One year parts and labor
Kenwood USA Corporation
2201 E. Dominguez St.
Long Beach, CA 90801
Phone: (310) 639-9000 or 1-800-536-9663
Fax: (310) 604-4487
Website: www.kenwoodusa.com
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