In a nice change of pace, JVC's RX-D702B is a powerful A/V receiver that won't take up a huge amount of vertical real estate in your home theater cabinet. Unlike many other modern receivers that stand as much as 7 inches tall (or more!), this receiver measures in at less than 4 inches. But don't think this means the RX-D702B is short on features.

The black RX-D702B sports an internal digital amplifier that provides a healthy 150 watts of power to seven channels, and there is integrated processing for Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES and a host of other surround sound modes. JVC also includes playback enhancement for compressed digital audio like MP3 and WMA files, as well as for audio from traditional uncompressed sources.

In addition to the standard digital AM/FM tuner, the RX-D702B is Sirius-ready, so all you need is a Sirius Satellite Radio tuner and antenna (and a paid subscription, of course) to listen to Sirius' 120-plus channels. The included universal remote control even has dedicated Sirius controls, although the overall layout is complicated and not intuitive to use.

If you have an HDTV and components like an up-conversion DVD player, Blu-ray disc player or HD DVD player, you will welcome the RX-D702B's HDMI switching. This receiver also comes with a wireless USB-PC link, so you can listen to digital audio stored on your computer without running a connecting cable.

The RX-D702B includes a number of sound controls and effects, although we found the effects to be more entertaining than effective. This unit can create a virtual rear speaker effect if you lack a back surround satellite, and there are multiple signal-processing modes such as theater, dance club and pavilion. The RX-D702B also has a digital equalizer, which proved much more useful for customizing the sound.

JVC's RX-D702B delivers respectable performance in a pleasantly compact design, and the oodles of power and features may be enough to overcome the somewhat high price tag.


Pros: Sleek profile, powerful amplifier, HDMI switching, wireless PC link
Cons: Complicated remote control, pricey

Warranty
2 years