Denon home cinema questions

rick2910 · Joined: 10 Nov 2007 Posts: 4

I'm planning a new home cinema system, and my preference goes out to
Denon. But I'm a bit confused, so maybe someone here can help me out.

- First of all, is Denon a good (great, perfect) brand for Amplifiers/
Receivers/DVD players? I'm planning to spend a small fortune on it, so
I would like to know your views about it.

- What exactly are the main differences between the Denon AVC-A1XVA
and AVR-4308, except the extra 'receiver' features and the price. Why
is the A1XVA so expensive, while on paper/specs, both are quite
similar. And is it correct that the AVR-4308 doesn't have a THX
certification (and does that matter)? The AVR-4308 has HDMI 1.3, while
the AVC-A1XVA has HDMI 1.1. Is that important, or just a paper USP?

- The same question for the Denon DVD-A1XVA and DVD-3930. Here the
only thing my (slightly untrained eye) spots is a lack of THX at the
DVD-3930 and here (too) a huge price difference.

Thanks a lot for a reply!

Rick; NL.

Archived from group: alt>home-theater>misc

rick2910 · Joined: 10 Nov 2007 Posts: 4

Hi John,

Actually, Denon already has two blu ray players:

http://www.avland.co.uk/denon/dvd3800bd/dvd3800bd.htm
http://www.avland.co.uk/denon/dvd2500bt/dvd2500bt.htm

I didn't know about the AVR-5805, as it is a US only model, and
indeed, it seems to be the same unit as the AVC-A1XVA. But is the 5805
a receiver (the model number AVR looks that way)?

A little off-topic question that struck me, why does the US Denon
website feature so much black coloured components? Here in Europe,
their line is mainly silver/grey, and black is only there as an
option. Is there such a different 'taste' between the US and Europe,
or is it just a Denon descision?

Rick.

John Carrier · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 33

wrote in message @d55g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
> I'm planning a new home cinema system, and my preference goes out to
> Denon. But I'm a bit confused, so maybe someone here can help me out.
>
> - First of all, is Denon a good (great, perfect) brand for Amplifiers/
> Receivers/DVD players? I'm planning to spend a small fortune on it, so
> I would like to know your views about it.
>
> - What exactly are the main differences between the Denon AVC-A1XVA
> and AVR-4308, except the extra 'receiver' features and the price. Why
> is the A1XVA so expensive, while on paper/specs, both are quite
> similar. And is it correct that the AVR-4308 doesn't have a THX
> certification (and does that matter)? The AVR-4308 has HDMI 1.3, while
> the AVC-A1XVA has HDMI 1.1. Is that important, or just a paper USP?
>
> - The same question for the Denon DVD-A1XVA and DVD-3930. Here the
> only thing my (slightly untrained eye) spots is a lack of THX at the
> DVD-3930 and here (too) a huge price difference.

With just casual inspection it appears the AVC-A1XVA is the AVR-5805 (not
the 4308) repackaged for different markets. Tough to find a more capable AV
receiver. Its MSRP is US$7200 though you can find it discounted to about
65% of that.

The AVR-4308 is still an outstanding unit. I think most Denon AV receivers
offer excellent performance at their respective price points.

As to their (or anybody else's) DVD players, you might want to hold out
until the Blue-Ray versus HD DVD shootout is settled (or else spend around
$1000 for a player that does both. AFAIK, Denon hasn't introduced a DVD for
HiDef yet, but its the future of video ... DVD on a HiDef TV looks decidedly
soft regardless of the upconversion applied.

R / John

rick2910 · Joined: 10 Nov 2007 Posts: 4

Sorry, I didn't know they weren't released yet.

But to sum up, Denon produces great audio equipment?

Rick.

Kalman Rubinson · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 37

On Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:27:07 -0800, rick2910@lycos.nl wrote:

>Hi John,
>
>Actually, Denon already has two blu ray players:
>
>http://www.avland.co.uk/denon/dvd3800bd/dvd3800bd.htm
>http://www.avland.co.uk/denon/dvd2500bt/dvd2500bt.htm

On paper. Not yet released.

Kal

cjdaytonjrnospam · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 36

rick2910@lycos.nl wrote:
> I'm planning a new home cinema system, and my preference goes out to
> Denon. But I'm a bit confused, so maybe someone here can help me out.
>
> - First of all, is Denon a good (great, perfect) brand for Amplifiers/
> Receivers/DVD players? I'm planning to spend a small fortune on it, so
> I would like to know your views about it.
>
> - What exactly are the main differences between the Denon AVC-A1XVA
> and AVR-4308, except the extra 'receiver' features and the price. Why
> is the A1XVA so expensive, while on paper/specs, both are quite
> similar. And is it correct that the AVR-4308 doesn't have a THX
> certification (and does that matter)? The AVR-4308 has HDMI 1.3, while
> the AVC-A1XVA has HDMI 1.1. Is that important, or just a paper USP?
>
> - The same question for the Denon DVD-A1XVA and DVD-3930. Here the
> only thing my (slightly untrained eye) spots is a lack of THX at the
> DVD-3930 and here (too) a huge price difference.
>
> Thanks a lot for a reply!
>
> Rick; NL.

JMHO, a THX certification is meaningless. It says the equipment
meets a certain specification, which is not necessarily better
than other equipment without it.

HDMI 1.3 is important if you want to future proof your connections.

Chip

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John Carrier · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 33

wrote in message @50g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...
> Sorry, I didn't know they weren't released yet.
>
> But to sum up, Denon produces great audio equipment?

Relatively speaking yes. You want to go all out and buy some Mark Levinson
monoblocks (6? 7?) plus a processor, perhaps Madrigal, McIntosh or similar
high-end, no it's not great. But for mortal consumers, Denon makes some of
the better stuff in the market. Other contenders: Onkyo, Yamaha, Sony ES.
Marantz.

R / John

Kalman Rubinson · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 37

On Sun, 11 Nov 2007 04:37:06 GMT, "Barry Mambo"
wrote:

>>
>> Actually, Denon already has two blu ray players:
>>
>> http://www.avland.co.uk/denon/dvd3800bd/dvd3800bd.htm
>> http://www.avland.co.uk/denon/dvd2500bt/dvd2500bt.htm
>>
>
>The 2500 is considerably less expensive than the 3800 because it's designed
>as a transport only (why have AV processing in the DVD player if you already
>have it in the receiver?). Working in sync with the upcoming 5308 Denon
>receiver,

or any other HDMI 1.3 processor with the appropriate CODECs

>the 2500 will provide an excellent way to enjoy the benefits of
>Blu-Ray and the new surround formats offered by the HDMI 1.3 standard.

Kal

Art · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 62

At least in the US, if you want a warranty, Denon must be purchased from an
authorized dealer.

I went with one of the new Onkyo's. Much cheaper than Denon feature for
feature. Use the extra cash on better speakers.

"John Carrier" wrote in message @comcast.com...
>
> wrote in message
> @50g2000hsm.googlegroups.com...
>> Sorry, I didn't know they weren't released yet.
>>
>> But to sum up, Denon produces great audio equipment?
>
> Relatively speaking yes. You want to go all out and buy some Mark
> Levinson monoblocks (6? 7?) plus a processor, perhaps Madrigal, McIntosh
> or similar high-end, no it's not great. But for mortal consumers, Denon
> makes some of the better stuff in the market. Other contenders: Onkyo,
> Yamaha, Sony ES. Marantz.
>
> R / John
>

Barry Mambo · Joined: 03 Nov 2007 Posts: 5

>
> Actually, Denon already has two blu ray players:
>
> http://www.avland.co.uk/denon/dvd3800bd/dvd3800bd.htm
> http://www.avland.co.uk/denon/dvd2500bt/dvd2500bt.htm
>

The 2500 is considerably less expensive than the 3800 because it's designed
as a transport only (why have AV processing in the DVD player if you already
have it in the receiver?). Working in sync with the upcoming 5308 Denon
receiver, the 2500 will provide an excellent way to enjoy the benefits of
Blu-Ray and the new surround formats offered by the HDMI 1.3 standard. These
two components will replace three in my current system. I will no longer
need my DVDO iScan HD, because the 5308 contains the arguably superior
Realta chip as well as six HDMI inputs. Bye-bye, external scaler.

Not cheap, about $5-6K for the receiver and $1,200 for the DVD transport.
But Denon has a good track record for quality with these types of
components. The posters on this thread
(http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=864762) are mostly excited
at the prospect of these new Denon products, which should be out before
Christmas.

Barry Mambo · Joined: 03 Nov 2007 Posts: 5

> >>
> >> Actually, Denon already has two blu ray players:
> >>
> >> http://www.avland.co.uk/denon/dvd3800bd/dvd3800bd.htm
> >> http://www.avland.co.uk/denon/dvd2500bt/dvd2500bt.htm
> >>

> >
> >The 2500 is considerably less expensive than the 3800 because it's
designed
> >as a transport only (why have AV processing in the DVD player if you
already
> >have it in the receiver?). Working in sync with the upcoming 5308 Denon
> >receiver,

>
> or any other HDMI 1.3 processor with the appropriate CODECs
>

Of course. I didn't mean to imply that there's something unique about the
5308, other than that Denon has a reputation for quality receivers. Most of
the products coming out this fall are 1.3a-compatible, which is why I've
held off this long on upgrading these components in my system. I didn't
understand jumping in early when one of the most tantalizing features of
BluRay--the new surround formats--was still not ready.

rick2910 · Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 1

Thanks for the clear anwser.

But does anyone know why the AVR-4308 didn't get a THX certification?
If I compare it with the Onkyo TX-SR875 (which is THX Ultra2
certified) their isn't much difference, except for the price (the
Onkyo is much cheaper than the Denon, which makes it even more
strange).

I must confess that I haven't heard both receivers in real life.