Denon/Yamaha

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Is this the OLED model?

No it is not OLED.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

??? Yammy fan?

I've owned or listened to just about every brand at one point or another, including Bryston, Mark Levinson Anthem, Classe, Acurus, Krell, ATI, Yamaha, Onkyo, Sony, Pioneer, Harman Kardon, Outlaw, Emotiva, Marantz, Denon.

But I've owned more Denon's than any other brands, mainly the Denon 3000s, 4000s, 5000, and AVP-A1.

I also recommend Denon to all my relatives and friends.

Of course, there is really nothing wrong with buying Yamaha or the other brands either.

Regarding Audyssey, I do run Audyssey, but then I bypass Audyssey by setting to "Audyssey Bypass L/R" + Dynamic EQ. This way, mainly the bass and a little bit of the treble is affected, not the rest of the frequencies.

So after you run Audyssey, you have 3 choices of Audyssey:

1) Audyssey
2) Audyssey Flat
3) Audyssey Bypass

You can use Dynamic EQ with any of them. So keep Dynamic EQ on. You will get to choose the different OFFSET settings that will control the magnitude of the Dynamic EQ.

Always turn OFF Dynamic VOLUME, because this will just compress the sound.

I have listened to a few Room Correction software. My wife's uncle likes Emotiva, so he has DIRAC. I've also listened to Anthem ARC (my brother's friend owns one). I've listened to the Pioneer Room Correction, Yamaha YPAO, and Harman Kardon Room Correction. When I bought the B&W 802D2, the dealer had McIntosh using Lyngdorf.

I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but that's just my own experience.

And until I can actually HEAR a significant improvement (not minor difference), I think all these room correction software are just gimmicks.

The only significant improvement I've ever heard is from Audyssey DYNAMIC EQ (DEQ), which will mainly boost the mid bass and a little bit of the treble. To me, the improvement is night and day.

That's my personal experience and the reason I would never buy anything without Audyssey Dynamic EQ - McIntosh, Marantz, Denon.

The almost-50% off MSRP and the better power output on the Denon X4300 is a plus, but not my only reason.

 

[panteragstk]

Denon/Marantz and Yamaha would be the only two I'd consider for "lower end" receivers. Anthem has my attention, but I haven't even seen one in person. If I were going with separates it would be a VERY difficult decision.

That said, I too purchased an x4300h and love it. I'm a big fan of Audyssey more than Denon honestly. I have Audyssey XT in my Onkyo 809, but since they discontinued their relationship with Audyssey (and they massive HDMI board issues) have me looking elsewhere. Pioneer also makes very good products. I have their lowest end model due to necessity and it's great. No room correction or even an on screen GUI, but for $145 I'm shocked at how good it was. I wouldn't get another one due to lack of room correction though.

 

[miggs]

Friends, the eagle has landed. The package arrived today and I can't wait to set it up.

Before I get knee deep in the manual and set up. Could you all tell me how the HDMI ARC works?
Do I put all the sources (Blue ray player, Directv, sonos, Wii, ect...) to the HDMI in and then use the HDMI ARC out with the single cable to the TV? I am assuming the HDMI ARC on the TV will send the video/audio from Netflix to the AVR with a single cable, correct?

 

[lovinthehd]

Friends, the eagle has landed. The package arrived today and I can't wait to set it up.

Before I get knee deep in the manual and set up. Could you all tell me how the HDMI ARC works?
Do I put all the sources (Blue ray player, Directv, sonos, Wii, ect...) to the HDMI in and then use the HDMI ARC out with the single cable to the TV? I am assuming the HDMI ARC on the TV will send the video/audio from Netflix to the AVR with a single cable, correct?

The manual is still a good thing .

Yes, connect all your sources to the avr. You'll usually need to enable hdmi control in both your tv and avr for ARC to function, as well as using any designated ARC ports on the tv (my tv only has one ARC hdmi port for example). The ARC feature allows the single hdmi cable to handle audio from the tv back to the avr, but it has basically the same audio capabilities as an optical connection and not all tv's will pass back 5.1 multi-ch audio and only 2.0, or may limit multi-ch to OTA (over the air) content; you will not get lossless codecs in any case, ARC doesn't have the bandwidth.

On my avr/tv combo (and more than one avr has done this with my main tv) if I use ARC the tv always turns the avr to the tv input when I want the cable/sat input, so I just use a universal remote and don't use ARC (by disabling it's permission in the avr and tv, I leave the cable in place in case I want to enable/use it for some reason but there's no audio from the tv that I need either). Sometimes same brand tv/avr do things like ARC better than different brands and not all brands of avr are even hdmi certified....

 

[PENG]

The manual is still a good thing .

Yes, connect all your sources to the avr. You'll usually need to enable hdmi control in both your tv and avr for ARC to function, as well as using any designated ARC ports on the tv (my tv only has one ARC hdmi port for example). The ARC feature allows the single hdmi cable to handle audio from the tv back to the avr, but it has basically the same audio capabilities as an optical connection and not all tv's will pass back 5.1 multi-ch audio and only 2.0, or may limit multi-ch to OTA (over the air) content; you will not get lossless codecs in any case, ARC doesn't have the bandwidth.

On my avr/tv combo (and more than one avr has done this with my main tv) if I use ARC the tv always turns the avr to the tv input when I want the cable/sat input, so I just use a universal remote and don't use ARC (by disabling it's permission in the avr and tv, I leave the cable in place in case I want to enable/use it for some reason but there's no audio from the tv that I need either). Sometimes same brand tv/avr do things like ARC better than different brands and not all brands of avr are even hdmi certified....

I agree, until it can send all audio format back to the AVR, I won't use it. It could still be very useful to some users.

 

[MR.MAGOO]

So Marantz/Denon with Audyssey has the edge over Yamaha's YPAO? How about the 64bit YPAO on their higher end Aventage line?

 

[miggs]

I agree, until it can send all audio format back to the AVR, I won't use it. It could still be very useful to some users.

So, what will be the best source to have the best sound from Netflix? If I am only using my smart Sony TV as the source for netflix, you suggest HDMI out from TV to AVR for video and Optical out from TV to AVR for audio rather than ARC.

Will it be better to have like a 4K apple TV to go to the AVR via HDMI so that we don't have to bother with ARC?

On another subject....... I have been trying to use plex for a while now, but I keep running into issues with surround sound. Any knowledge on Plex?

 

[zzkazu]

miggs are you looking for ATMOS support from Plex? If so you'll need a NVIDIA Shield as a media streamer.

 

[miggs]

miggs are you looking for ATMOS support from Plex? If so you'll need a NVIDIA Shield as a media streamer.

No ATMOS, I am running just a 5.1 system. The issue is that all the movies that I have on my Synology 214play NAS did not play in 5.1 on my old AVR (Yamaha RX-V1700). I have not tried Plex on my new Denon that I hooked up, but if I already ran into issues with HDMI ARC on the Denon, I expect issues with Plex as well.

 

[PENG]

So, what will be the best source to have the best sound from Netflix? If I am only using my smart Sony TV as the source for netflix, you suggest HDMI out from TV to AVR for video and Optical out from TV to AVR for audio rather than ARC.

Will it be better to have like a 4K apple TV to go to the AVR via HDMI so that we don't have to bother with ARC?

On another subject....... I have been trying to use plex for a while now, but I keep running into issues with surround sound. Any knowledge on Plex?

Agree, if you have Apple TV then use it.

 

[miggs]

I've owned or listened to just about every brand at one point or another, including Bryston, Mark Levinson Anthem, Classe, Acurus, Krell, ATI, Yamaha, Onkyo, Sony, Pioneer, Harman Kardon, Outlaw, Emotiva, Marantz, Denon.

But I've owned more Denon's than any other brands, mainly the Denon 3000s, 4000s, 5000, and AVP-A1.

I also recommend Denon to all my relatives and friends.

Of course, there is really nothing wrong with buying Yamaha or the other brands either.

Regarding Audyssey, I do run Audyssey, but then I bypass Audyssey by setting to "Audyssey Bypass L/R" + Dynamic EQ. This way, mainly the bass and a little bit of the treble is affected, not the rest of the frequencies.

So after you run Audyssey, you have 3 choices of Audyssey:

1) Audyssey
2) Audyssey Flat
3) Audyssey Bypass

You can use Dynamic EQ with any of them. So keep Dynamic EQ on. You will get to choose the different OFFSET settings that will control the magnitude of the Dynamic EQ.

Always turn OFF Dynamic VOLUME, because this will just compress the sound.

I have listened to a few Room Correction software. My wife's uncle likes Emotiva, so he has DIRAC. I've also listened to Anthem ARC (my brother's friend owns one). I've listened to the Pioneer Room Correction, Yamaha YPAO, and Harman Kardon Room Correction. When I bought the B&W 802D2, the dealer had McIntosh using Lyngdorf.

I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but that's just my own experience.

And until I can actually HEAR a significant improvement (not minor difference), I think all these room correction software are just gimmicks.

The only significant improvement I've ever heard is from Audyssey DYNAMIC EQ (DEQ), which will mainly boost the mid bass and a little bit of the treble. To me, the improvement is night and day.

That's my personal experience and the reason I would never buy anything without Audyssey Dynamic EQ - McIntosh, Marantz, Denon.

The almost-50% off MSRP and the better power output on the Denon X4300 is a plus, but not my only reason.

Alright, here is the first round of reviews. So far, I am really glad on how the X4300 is performing. The sound quality is night and day in relation to the RX-V1700 that I used to have.
I have now ran Audyssey and made some final manual adjustments using my radio shack SPL meter to adjust the speaker level (some tones were not equal). I also adjusted the crossover. Audyssey put the cross over for my mains to 40 and 60 to the center and surrounds. I adjusted to 80 for all. My Mains are EMP E55ti impression series and I am using EMP E5Ti's as surrounds. I also set them all to small.

I am now hearing certain details in the content and dialogue from shows and movies that I have not heard before. So far things are pretty good. I also think that I have finally figured out the HDMI ARC and I now have 5.1 from Directv, Blue Ray Movies, and Netflix from the smart TV (Sony 900 series). I am using Audyssey in the Flat mode. I tried turning Dynamic VOLUME off, but the sound was much lower. Not sure what you meant about compressing the sound, because with the Dynamic Volume on medium, the sound was louder at the same volume level.

One question I have about the X4300. Do you need to adjust the speaker level if you turn the Dynamic Volume on and off? Just trying to understand. This is my first Denon and dealings with Audyssey.

 

[Mitchibo]

Why are you using the dyna volume?

 

[miggs]

Why are you using the dyna volume?

it was just there after the set up. Did not know it was there and how it works.

 

[lovinthehd]

it was just there after the set up. Did not know it was there and how it works.

Some units are set up that way unfortunately; I'd turn it off myself.

 

[rnatalli]

The only significant improvement I've ever heard is from Audyssey DYNAMIC EQ (DEQ), which will mainly boost the mid bass and a little bit of the treble. To me, the improvement is night and day.

I always found Dynamic EQ to boost the bass too much. Dolby Volume seems to do a better job IMO so long as you only enable the Modeler (not Leveler). I've also been using the Sony 1080 in my setup and it's Sound Optimizer as does a good job as well. Sony's "Sound Optimizer" isn't for enhancing MP3's like you see with most receivers, it's actually for low-level listening. Like you, this is an important feature for me as most of my listening is done at lower levels.

 

[PENG]

Alright, here is the first round of reviews. So far, I am really glad on how the X4300 is performing. The sound quality is night and day in relation to the RX-V1700 that I used to have.

I would expect in pure direct the Yamaha should sound just as good, and no audible difference in a AB blind comparison so it is possible you happen to like the effects of Audyssey Room EQ. So people don't because they don't want to miss their room effects that in many cases exaggerate certain bass frequencies.

I have now ran Audyssey and made some final manual adjustments using my radio shack SPL meter to adjust the speaker level (some tones were not equal). I also adjusted the crossover. Audyssey put the cross over for my mains to 40 and 60 to the center and surrounds. I adjusted to 80 for all. My Mains are EMP E55ti impression series and I am using EMP E5Ti's as surrounds. I also set them all to small.

If you place the mic according to instructions, the resulting distance and level adjustments will most likely be more accurate than using a measuring tape and the Radio Shack SPL meter. I have that meter too, so I know it is not very accurate.

I also think that I have finally figured out the HDMI ARC and I now have 5.1 from Directv, Blue Ray Movies, and Netflix from the smart TV (Sony 900 series).

Exactly which model in the 900 series?, I just re-read the instruction manual of my 65X900e and it says 2 channel linear PCM. Are you sure you are really getting 5.1 discrete and not just PLIIx5.1?

One question I have about the X4300. Do you need to adjust the speaker level if you turn the Dynamic Volume on and off? Just trying to understand. This is my first Denon and dealings with Audyssey.

No, once the levels are set, you should leave them alone unless you change you listening position, added, moved, or removed large furniture that you suspect have significant acoustic effects in your room. I like dynamic EQ but have no use for dynamic volume. It may be useful if you enjoy movies and shows that are dialog rich and your room's background noise is relatively high. It's call dynamic volume but with it on you will actually lose a lot of dynamics.

I thought HD and I both posted links for you to read up on Audyssey. If you haven't done it yet, I highly suggest you do.

 

[PENG]

I always found Dynamic EQ to boost the bass too much. Dolby Volume seems to do a better job IMO so long as you only enable the Modeler (not Leveler). I've also been using the Sony 1080 in my setup and it's Sound Optimizer as does a good job as well. Sony's "Sound Optimizer" isn't for enhancing MP3's like you see with most receivers, it's actually for low-level listening. Like you, this is an important feature for me as most of my listening is done at lower levels.

It does have different offsets, but I am sure you know that already.

 

[Mitchibo]

If you don't need it, turn it off. Gimmicky effects just use more processor and can clutter the sound some. Just like your TV, you probably turn off a lot a useless whistles and bells.

How is the owners manual these days? I have a three year old Denon and the manual was 350 pages!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I always found Dynamic EQ to boost the bass too much. Dolby Volume seems to do a better job IMO so long as you only enable the Modeler (not Leveler). I've also been using the Sony 1080 in my setup and it's Sound Optimizer as does a good job as well. Sony's "Sound Optimizer" isn't for enhancing MP3's like you see with most receivers, it's actually for low-level listening. Like you, this is an important feature for me as most of my listening is done at lower levels.

And I found that Dolby Volume doesn’t do anything.

So it just depends on preference and how it is set up.

With Dynamic EQ, you can adjust the magnitude of the effect by changing the Offset level.

It’s not like you can’t adjust the amount of Dynamic EQ or boost.