Best mid range A/V receiver, June 21, 2009
Last year I spent several months trying various A/V receivers when I upgraded to bluray and a new plasma TV. I tried an Onkyo 606, Denon 988, and a Yamaha 663 and ultimately ended up with the Yamaha RX-V663 as I felt it gave the best performance for the money. I decided to switch to a different receiver after I changed my home theater setup and...read full review
Last year I spent several months trying various A/V receivers when I upgraded to bluray and a new plasma TV. I tried an Onkyo 606, Denon 988, and a Yamaha 663 and ultimately ended up with the Yamaha RX-V663 as I felt it gave the best performance for the money. I decided to switch to a different receiver after I changed my home theater setup and began to route everything to the tv via 1 HDMI cable. The Yamaha's video processing on HDMI sources was fine, but other analog sources were seriously degraded when converted to digital. So my search began again.
After many months of research at various forums and websites, here were my conclusions about the new 2009 models:
1. Yamaha 665 added extra HDMI inputs and video upscaling which is good but also cut weight by about 8 lbs mainly from the amplifier which means less output and clean sound.
2. Onkyo 607 is mainly the same as last year's, with an extra HDMI for a total of 5 inputs. Added Dolby Prologic II Z which is more of a gimmick than useful from what I have read. Still runs very hot and has same poor video processing chip. Questionable reliability.
3. Harman Kardon was the brand I owned before my Yamaha and I really love them, but last year had excessive amounts of glitches with video and audio compatibility. Most have been corrected buy I'm not willing to take that chance as of yet.
4. Pioneer makes a nice unit in the 1018 last year, but this year the 1019 has been cut drastically in weight too. Power amp has been cut down to lower levels. Nice GUI and ipod compatibility built in, but a little weak in the power section.
5. Sony. Never really been fond of Sony receivers in the past. ES series is nice, but pricey. I personally never even considered anything below the ES line.
And that brings us to the 1910:
I am flat out blown away by this receiver. The main reason I wanted it was for the Audyssey processing. The only thing I was in love with on the Onkyo 606 I tried out was the Audyssey dynamic EQ. The 988 I demoed did not have it but the 1910 does and it is worth every penny. I have 2 small kids and even though my theater room is 2 floors below, I obviously can't listen at reference volumes. Audyssey dynamic EQ along with Dynamic Volume is a knockout combo. The bass response and sound from the rears is jaw dropping at lower levels. I would pay much, much more just for this feature. Last night I listened to Goo Goo Dolls live from Buffalo DVD and I heard things I never heard in the mix before. Every strum on the guitar and bass line was alive and distinct. Drums thumped and vocals were crystal clear. I also watched Live Free or Die Hard on bluray (thanks Amazon for the lightning deal!!) and the surround effect at -35db on the volume was nothing short of spectacular. Speaking of spectacular, the Audyssey auto setup nailed everything perfectly. I have a 6.1 Jamo surround setup consisting of 4 matched satellites, a larger center, and a smaller rear center. The 1910 has independent crossover levels for each speaker, unlike my Yammy which was one global setting. The crossovers were dead on for each of the 3 different speakers. Levels and EQ settings were perfect. My room is 18 x 22 and my wife even commented how on the other side of the room not in the sweet spot for listening, the sound was much better than before. I am running all 6 ohm speakers and this thing seems to have plenty of power for my room size.
The 1910 has the Anchor Bay scaling chip this year instead of the Faroujda chip last years 1909 had and from what I have seen so far, it handles component to HDMI signals with no problems.
I always thought Denon was overpriced and over hyped after trying the 988. With the added Audyssey features and half the price, this 1910 is the deal of the century. The only drawbacks are:
1. Poor remote. I have a Harmony One so it' not much of an issue for me.
2. Confusing at times. I have quite a bit of experience setting up home theater equipment so I made it through OK, but I did have to hit the manual several times which is poorly written. A trip to the AVS forums has a section specifically for Denon setup and can really help newbies.
3. No GUI. This receiver has the blocky white on black on screen display. It really was not much of an issue for me. Others may care.
4. No pre-outs. I have no need for an external amp. Others might.
Bottom line is that for the money, this receiver has all the pros and very few cons. I thought my Yamaha sounded natural, clean, and extremely lifelike. This Denon has me floored in comparison. Makes everything else seem dull and lifeless. If you have some electronic knowledge, don't hesitate. 4 HDMIs, HD audio, full Audyssey suite, Anchor Bay chip, and a great power section makes this thing a knockout!! minimize
A system for people who want professional sound, June 28, 2009
I bought this receiver a month back when they start arriving at Best Buy. Always been a fan of Denon's, have AVR 788 which I love.
The most important thing 1910 adds is the Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. These are new 'lossless' codecs that Blu-Ray discs now a days have. While not significantly different than normal Dolby/DTS, these ...read full review
I bought this receiver a month back when they start arriving at Best Buy. Always been a fan of Denon's, have AVR 788 which I love.
The most important thing 1910 adds is the Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. These are new 'lossless' codecs that Blu-Ray discs now a days have. While not significantly different than normal Dolby/DTS, these provide more possibilities to the sound engineers And since they are starting to use it, better make your receiver to be future proof.
I've a 7.1 setup and the receiver produces an awesome sound. The setup was a breeze ( I don't get the complaint Denon's are hard to setup!), Audyssey helped somewhat, but I changed the levels to my liking after the Audyssey setup. Crisp, deep sound. Never had my 128kbps mp3s sound so good! Love the dynamic sound control, almost a gimmick but works flawlessly to control the sound during those annoying informercials!
HDMI A/V passthrough works great, 4 HDMI inputs are more than enough. Remote is pretty bad, but I have Harmony one which sets up easily to control.
As far as other brands, I compared this system to Onkyo's, Harmon's, Yamaha's and this blows them away. Since Marantz and Denon merged a while back, Denon's have improved their quality to be almost like Marantz. Can't justify Marantz price, I think I got almost everything Marantz offers.
Will recommend the system to anyone who wants professional quality system at almost a bargain price!
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Great mid-range receiver for a low price, July 21, 2009
Before I begin this review, I must confess that I'm not an audiophile by any means. But I do have hearing sensitive enough to notice compression artifacts in low-bitrate (<160kbps) mp3s in certain songs. So I can appreciate lossless high-quality audio.
Short summary: I've owned this receiver for one month, and am very pleased.
...read full review
Before I begin this review, I must confess that I'm not an audiophile by any means. But I do have hearing sensitive enough to notice compression artifacts in low-bitrate (<160kbps) mp3s in certain songs. So I can appreciate lossless high-quality audio.
Short summary: I've owned this receiver for one month, and am very pleased.
I had a decent 5.1 receiver before, but it was 6+ years old, didn't support HDMI and thus lacked the lossless audio formats (DTS-MA, Dolby TrueHD). I now have a 1080p HDTV and a blu-ray player, so it was only fitting that I'd upgrade the receiver to get the full high-def experience: video AND audio.
My requirements were simple: at least 4 HDMI inputs, support for lossless audio via HDMI (LPCM at minimum, since PS3 handles decoding just fine), ability to upconvert all input from digital and analog sources to 1080p over HDMI, and had to be under $[...].
There are a few other brands of receivers that fit the requirements (Sony, Onkyo, Pioneer), but I settled on the Denon because it contained a few extras that sweetened the deal: low heat (ugh, Onkyo), no major HDCP handshake issues (Sony should know better), Audyssey (which the Pioneer lacked), and Dolby PLIIz.
Despite the Denon's horrid manual, setup was a breeze thanks in large part to online guides ([...]).
My first impressions: even before running the Audyssey setup, I was blown away. I tested it with Blu-ray versions of Ironman and The Dark Knight and was shocked that I could get such clear sound out of my low-end small speakers.
After running Audyssey with the included microphone, I'm even more impressed. Tweaking is unnecessary- it automatically detects optimal crossover frequencies, speaker distances, sizes, etc- something that would've taken me hours to fine tune through countless research and trial+error. I can still tweak individual settings if need be, but I'm content with the ones chosen by the Audyssey setup.
Another added bonus: the receiver's ABT scaling chip. My TV (Toshiba RV530) doesn't have the best upscaling ability. Before, 480i broadcasts from the DVR/cable looked terrible- I had to force myself to only watch HD channels. The upscaling ability of this receiver is far better than what my TV has to offer, and I now use the receiver to upscale everything to 1080p.
[...].Also, keep in mind that the AVR-790 is practically identical to this model (save for 1 or 2 very minor features), and is often priced $50 less than this one. minimize
Audyssey Really, Really WORKS., August 8, 2009
Fortunately I can keep this short thanks to J. Shiver's review. It is right on. I've had my 1910 for almost a month now and couldn't be happier. The Audyssey features are nothing short of fantastic. [...] explains the modes and how they work. At first I thought it was just another gimmick but it really does work. Denon offers Audyssey on many of...read full review
Fortunately I can keep this short thanks to J. Shiver's review. It is right on. I've had my 1910 for almost a month now and couldn't be happier. The Audyssey features are nothing short of fantastic. [...] explains the modes and how they work. At first I thought it was just another gimmick but it really does work. Denon offers Audyssey on many of there newer models so you can pick one that fits your needs (channels, inputs, decoders, wattage, price, etc...). This is one of very few things I would pay retail or more if I had to (didn't have to). I was mainly looking 4 or more HDMI inputs that will pass both audio & video. Was considering Yamaha till I found out it had Tivo issues. If you have TiVo, make sure you go to tivo forums to check out which AVRs have issues. Denon is not one of them. Also if you want to play Wii @ 480p, make sure the AVR will take analog audio and componant video at the same input or, like this denon, has assignable inputs. Being able to assign inputs allows for just about any kind of A/V cabling combination. You can also rename the inputs to whatever you want.
This is the first Denon product I can honesty say is not a bit over priced. Packed with features, lots of inputs and combinations, and most important, REALLY, REALLY, great sound at ALL volume levels. minimize
SWEET!, July 23, 2009
We had an audio domino effect. Getting a new LED Samsung TV led to a few new speakers, including a Klipsch center and a pair of Definitive bookshelf style and upgrading to FiOS. Wanting to hear as beautifully as we were seeing, our old AVR that had no HDMI inputs had to go. Choosing the Denon was all about trusting our ears. (You can read the data ...read full review
We had an audio domino effect. Getting a new LED Samsung TV led to a few new speakers, including a Klipsch center and a pair of Definitive bookshelf style and upgrading to FiOS. Wanting to hear as beautifully as we were seeing, our old AVR that had no HDMI inputs had to go. Choosing the Denon was all about trusting our ears. (You can read the data in other reviews) It was also important to have all the latest audio decoding as well as 1080p upscaling so we would not be missing out on any of the music or video capabilities. This Denon has not only 4 HDMI inputs, but 2 optical inputs as well. Easily covered the whole range of our devices. Just beautiful sound throughout a range of volume. We particularly appreciate that it manages to deliver great sound beyond that center sweet spot, so everyone hears great audio, not just the person who grabs the center seat.
We are running the whole system with a Logitech Harmony One remote. Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote It interfaces great with the Denon. minimize
(12 total reviews)