Denon AVR 3312CI AV Receiver Video Review

[admin]

AV receivers are getting more and more powerful, and their feature sets are getting more and more expansive. For some, the critical price/performance breakpoint comes at around $5-$600. At that price you start to get advanced features like video upconversion to HDMI and amplifiers that can be re-routed to a second Zone. So what does Denon have to offer above and beyond that with its AVR 3312CI receiver, that's priced at twice that. I mean what do you really get for $1100? The truth is - there's so much we can't really cover it all in this video. It'd be kinda boring and I gotta get dinner at some point. So let's start with power. While most 7.1 or 7.2 receivers around the $600 price point deliver 90 watts per channel, the AVR 3312CI puts out 125watts, rated 20-to-20, and at just .05% THD. And it puts out that power across all channels equally. Think that's easy to come by? Video processing and a few more connectors don't weigh all that much, and yet the 3312CI is a full 4-1/2 pounds heavier than the 1912. It's all in the amps.


Discuss "Denon AVR 3312CI AV Receiver Video Review" here. Read the article.

[Skylinestar]

Many many channel of processing can the 3312 do? I'm not talking about amplification channel (I know it has 7 amps). Can it do 11.1 (7.1 with DSX wide and height) or 9.1 (minus off the heights) processing? I'm wondering if it can process it, then send the 7.1 through the preamp output, while amplifying the height and wide on its own. Just wondering the type of configurations that we can have. 7.1 + DSX Wide would be nice.

[BoredSysAdmin]

So let's start with power. While most 7.1 or 7.2 receivers around the $600 price point deliver 90 watts per channel, the AVR 3312CI puts out 125watts,

Why are we comparing apples to oranges?
Onkyo TX-NR809 with same MSRP has 135 W + 135 W (8 ohms, 20 Hz-20 kHz,
0.08%, 2 channels driven, FTC)

[gene]

Many many channel of processing can the 3312 do? I'm not talking about amplification channel (I know it has 7 amps). Can it do 11.1 (7.1 with DSX wide and height) or 9.1 (minus off the heights) processing? I'm wondering if it can process it, then send the 7.1 through the preamp output, while amplifying the height and wide on its own. Just wondering the type of configurations that we can have. 7.1 + DSX Wide would be nice.

7.1 audio support only nothing higher...

[gmichael]

How does this match up to the Yamaha RX-A1010?

[cosoundman]

Just wondering how this model of Denon (AVR 3312CI) stacks up against it's
cousin the Marantz SR 6006. I've heard some funky things about the Denon...

COSOUNDMAN
4 Axiom M22's; Axiom VT150; 2 Outlaw LFM-1's: Denon 1803; Oppo BDP 80

[Ziontrain]

Just wondering how this model of Denon (AVR 3312CI) stacks up against it's
cousin the Marantz SR 6006. I've heard some funky things about the Denon...

COSOUNDMAN
4 Axiom M22's; Axiom VT150; 2 Outlaw LFM-1's: Denon 1803; Oppo BDP 80

The Marantz is a rebadged 3312, with 10% better remote control and 100% worse LCD screen.

[fuzz092888]

It is not a rebadged 3312. They share many of the same parts because they are owned by the same company, but the same they are not. I'm assuming you mean the LCD on the receiver. The idea behind the Marantz star and circle display is that most people sit too far away from their receiver for the actual LCD to be useful anyways, so they decided to put all their eggs in two baskets. If you hook up the receiver to a television via HDMI the on screen display is great and you never need to look at the LCD anyways. You could also connect the Marantz to a router and access the web GUI which is excellent. You can control nearly every feature with it.

Obviously these are things to take into account before you purchase the SR6006 (IE two channel no tv applications make the receiver virtually useless unless you plan to connect to a router), but then you just wouldn't buy it. Anyways, definitely not a rebadged 3312.

[Ziontrain]

For one thing your statement that "most people" sit too far from receiver to see the LCD is wrong. Most people ate watching watching TV at 10-11 ft or less. We know this from studies of Tv usage and living room design. And the TV is typically set up further away from users than their receiver.

Also the Marantz 6xxx and below are pretty much rebadging other than the useless LCD crippling, the barely better remote and the external box. Same sweatshop in China too. Call a spade a spade.

[fuzz092888]

The Marantz is a rebadged 3312, with 10% better remote control and 100% worse LCD screen.

You admit below that this is simply not true so why say it in the first place? If you have proof that they are then I'd be happy to retract what I said.

For one thing your statement that "most people" sit too far from receiver to see the LCD is wrong. Most people ate watching watching TV at 10-11 ft or less. We know this from studies of Tv usage and living room design. And the TV is typically set up further away from users than their receiver.

Also the Marantz 6xxx and below are pretty much rebadging other than the useless LCD crippling, the barely better remote and the external box. Same sweatshop in China too. Call a spade a spade.

You're right I suppose I should have worded it better but my point still stands. The ease of use of the GUI, which more and more people are using now to control their AVR's has made the small LCD less useful than before. It's still great for giving you a quick glance of what processing you may be using and what source is running, but many of the small icons are still barely useful at 8 feet away. Since many, if not most people now hook up their AVRs to a tv via HDMI or some other video source then why not downsize the LCD and make the GUI better and easier to use. The LCD "crippling" is a matter of opinion. In your opinion it was a poor design choice, in mine I kind of like it.

I did indeed call a spade a spade. The Marantz is not a rebadged Denon to my knowledge and from my experience with the two units. If what you say is true I should be able to pop open my 5006 and it should look identical to a 3312. Since they don't I can only assume that the Marantz isn't simply a rebadge. Very similar AVR's, many of the same parts, but there are some differences. I don't know enough about the technical aspects to spell it out, but the internals look a little different and, IMO the Marantz had a little different sound. In a different thread one of the EE's on here said that even simply rearranging some of the internal parts can change the sound of an amp. I don't see why this wouldn't be true of a receiver as well, which reinforces my beliefs that they are not simply rebadges of each other.

That being said I do believe that the differences between many of the budget and mid-line receivers from all of the major companies have a lot more in common then they'd like us to believe. To me the real differences only start to come out in their flagship models, but those are only my impressions.