- All five channels of equal 120-watt power @ 0.05 % THD, 20 - 20kHz
- HDMI 1.3a Repeating (5 inputs, 1 output) provides one cable connection between the receiver and TV
- 1080p HDMI connectivity supports Blu-ray disc surround sound formats, including Dolby TrueHD and DD+, dts-HD and dts-HR
- Dolby Laboratories new Pro Logic IIz Matrix decoding featuring front height effects channels
- Audyssey MultEQ, Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ
Now that I need a Home AVR it was to no surprise after taking a 5 or 6 weeks to decide
I went with Denon AVR990 / 3310IC
I wanted to go with Pioneer SC-25 at it was the Model that I was impressed with, and my needs to have Phono Input with an input stage (the amplification part for Phono) would sound great! but I settled for the Denon as I got a better price not sure what the sound difference is, as I did not have a side by side comparison, but I absolutely love the Denon AVR 990 Phono Input stage, with my JVC QL-Y55F with GRADO G-2 Cartridge sounds MUCH better than my CD's that I have the same Copy on both, It is a fun test for when people that come over to see how suspired the Vinyl records sound fuller and richer than CD's also my speakers are also my speakers are Magnepans (full-range ribbon) that helps
Anyway the sound is Amazing, and I am very happy with my purchase, as my Previous model for the last 6 years was Harman Kardon so I wanted to make sure the new model sounded as good or better than my last as you may have noticed, I felt not go back to Harman Kardon not because I did not like sound or quality! The fact is the late models have had Known Issues, I felt better stepping away from that brand for now at least
& Denon & Pioneer certainly fit in that category in my opinion
Key Points for me are as follows:
True HD & DTS-HD Master Audio Decoder
AL24 Processing
7 Channel Discrete Mono Amp Construction
Audyssey Dynamic EQ room acoustic correction system
Onboard HD Radio (even AM)
Network Capability
Compressed Audio Restorer (for when I do stream in lower quality stuff like MP3's)
Now on a negative note: I cannot understand why after using the Very Nice Included Audyssey Dynamic EQ room acoustic correction system I cannot set the Base management for each IE: HD Radio set to -2 or the DVD set to +4 & Phono to Flat?
So yes every time you change the setting in the base management, it goes for all
Please keep in mind I am more about the Music, & given that is the only negative I could think of after owning it now for 4 months, I feel this is a great choice for me.After 1 year of use, 3 different configurations in two completely different rooms, I still absolutely love this receiver. I have the receiver paired with 7 Polk speakers, and I still think this rocks. Take care to use speaker wire of the appropriate AWG for the length of the run for the surround sound speakers (my satellites need 20 ft of wiring to get the wires into less conspicuous locations).
With HD Radio and plenty of local stations using it (and an iPod), I skipped the whole networking thing. Rhapsody and Napster aren't worth it to me.
Pros:
Great sound quality at all volumes
Handles every audio format my Blu-ray and DVR throw at it
Better than average GUI
HD Radio
Attractive remote for most uses
Cons:
Never got the subwoofer setup balanced -with good, full-range speakers (24 Hz low end on my mains), the bass was overwhelming for every configuration I tried. So, I ditched the subwoofer (really!) and became beyond content. The auto setup correctly compensated and put in the "right" amount of bass.
"Late night" compression doesn't really work very well -it's okay, but it still lacks something.
A minor detail, the speaker connections on the back are too closely spaced, imho.
As a note: setting up 7 speakers and 3+ components does involve a significant know-how, so I think the 1-star review didn't know what to expect.The best stereo I have ever owned. The quality is simply amazing. The only drawback is the receiver-based navigation for the iPod dock sucks. But other than that, this really is an incredible receiver.bought this to replace an Onkyo that didn't have HDMI connectivity and also wanted integrated HD radio. Installation was a breeze with HDMI. Audyssey setup gives amazing balance to my 5.1 audio configuration. The GUI interface much better than the Onkyo and while owners manual could be a little better in explaining advanced settings, Denon customer service was most helpful when needed. TV signal input from HD cable and Pioneer Blu-Ray DVD thru the Denon to Panasonic LED HD flat panel looks amazing. I also have a Panasonic VCR, a Dual turntable and Onkyo 6 disc CD changer connected and all work well with the Denon. HD radio with a rooftop antenna gives strong signal and very clear audio. The Denon has plenty of power to drive the surround sound speaker system and runs much cooler than the Onkyo ( it's enclosed in cabinet with vented back)
Overall I'm very pleased with this unit and definitely would recommend to anyone looking for a mid-priced AV receiver.
Update: I added a NETGEAR WNCE2001 WiFi internet adapter to access internet radio. Works great with my 2Wire DSL home network and easy to set up. Bonus function is the updating of Denon firmware to keep the software in the receiver up to date.I debated for a long time about buying this receiver; I checked out Denon's website,read all the reviews and a lot of forums. As I am sitting here,I can't think of any good reason for me spending this much money on it. I'm not just speaking of the Denon brand alone : I think that all of the new A/V receivers are pretty much alike. I have an older Pioneer 5.1 channel receiver that has been working flawlessly for over 12 years. My first Pioneer lasted over 20 years and still is perfect today. I could kick myself every day for selling that masterpiece of a 2 channel receiver. I only wanted a new one for the HDMI inputs and a few other options.I would have bought another Pioneer,but the new models don't have phono input or switched outlets to plug in my cooling fans in my custom made cabinet. Most of my use will be for listening to analog sources as I have hundreds of cd's, tapes and LP's. I will also be using it to watch DVD's and a lot of old VHS tapes.(remember those?) My thoughts on the AVR-990 are that it is indeed a handsome receiver with a lot of "bells and whistles" and connections. It is rated at 120 watts x7 @ .05 thd. My Pioneer was 100 watts x 5 but seemed like it had just as much power and a lot more bass output than the Denon. The overall sound of the DENON is quite good; Smooth response and definition and the video upscaling seems to work very well. There are some convienient options that I like,such as individual control of the source inputs and manual equalizer. I do not like the way the volume control responds or the lack of function buttons on the face of the unit. I,like another reviewer stated, was annoyed by the fact that I needed to resort to the confusing manual in order to find out how to make a simple adjustment; You cannot manually tune in radio stations from the face of the unit;This and some other functions can only be done from the remote. My receiver seems to have problems with memory settings and when I did the test-tone for the speakers set-up,the unit started the process with the volume level extremely high. Dangerous to my Polk Rti 12's. I checked the manual,tried several options and it did the same thing every time. Brand new receiver! I called Denon and they suggested a reset but to no avail.They told me to send it to a repair center; nearest one is 200 miles away. I just don't feel like disconnecting everything, boxing it back up and sending it out. Not worth it!! Not worth the cost of shipping or the wait.I am disappointed; This thing cost a lot of money, I was hoping for and expecting more. Upon research,I have found that many of this model have been returned for various reasons. In conclusion; I suggest thinking over the purchase of a new A/V receiver,especially if you already have an older one that still works good. For what you gain does not justify the high cost of a new one. Buy yourself something else. Just my opinion.
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