Denon 4308ci or the Pioneer SC-25????

[moodyda]

These 2 AVR's are both listed for 1k @best buy, which is the better value??? To me amplification is not important as I would probably just use the on-board amps as zone outputs.

 

[PENG]

I purchased my 4308 shortly after its launch for C$2,000. At that time it was routinely listed for >US$2,000 anywhere in the US including Amazon.com. The dealer I bought from went out of business within a year. A few months later I started to think I should have gone with the Onkyo or Integra prepro (I have enough amps) or their top end AVR models only because they have the REON video chip on board. Now I have it figured out, it is a waste of money to have the dollar added REON or any top end video chip such as ABT2010 on board a mid range AVR. So in my opinion if you can get a brand new 4308 with warranty, go for it. The RX-Z7 is even better if you can get it for similar price or even a little more.

I would not recommend the Onkyo 905/906 over the 4308/RX-Z7 based on my perceived reliability concerns.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

That is a tough call, but I would also go with the Denon AVR-4308CI.

Pioneer: ICE amps
Denon: Class A/B amps

Pioneer: 5 HDMI Inputs/2 Outputs
Denon: 4 HDMI Inputs/2 Outputs

Pioneer: 2 yr warranty
Denon: 2 yr warranty

Pioneer Retail: $1,800
Denon Retail: $2,700

I would go with the Denon.

 

[moodyda]

Thanks. But why did the Denon originally list for n$2,700 vs. the SC-25 @ $1,800. Was it because of technology available then (2007) vs now?? Or does it have better DACs and amperage?

 

[PENG]

Thanks. But why did the Denon originally list for n$2,700 vs. the SC-25 @ $1,800. Was it because of technology available then (2007) vs now?? Or does it have better DACs and amperage?

It has an excellent feature set including wifi, audyssey MultiEq XT, Denon Link etc., and very low distortion specs. I guess the main reason it has a relative high list price is that is it a mid range Denon. Denon has always been a little more expensive than others such as Pioneer, Onkyo, and Yamaha.

Take a look for yourself:

http://www.usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/3494.asp

It has no THX certification, that I don't care, but like many 2008 models it has only 4 HDMI inputs. Even 5 would have been nice, but that's just about the only one complaint I have.