Hi Everyone,
I purchased the Denon AVR-3312CI about two weeks ago and have to say so far it's been a real love / hate relationship. So far I've been everywhere from man this is awesome, to, I'm taking this back. I will state that at least in my case, I'm asking a lot of the product in that I'm in I.T. and have played with almost every aspect of the network and interface. I've used the iPhone app, iPad app and a third part app to interface with it. I use the menu system and also the web interface (which is awesome to configure the device). I point this out because I think it might add to the products wonky-ness....It occasionally goes into an odd state where it will just look at me and not respond to any commands. I normally have to turn it off and give it a few minutes for it to come back to life.
Here is my posted review from BestBuy/Crutchfield, I've added a few additional comments for this forum-
Where it really counts, sound quality, the AVR-3312 is great. After that, many of the features are good in theory, but really need some work. I'm using the bi-amp feature and the sound without a doubt is awesome.
My first recommendation - do a firmware update straight out of the box. It will help reduce your frustrations. I say reduce, because a good number of the problems still exist. The system will often say "addressing network", which puts it into a near useless state as far as any streaming or network connectivity, this includes doing the firmware update. I found removing the ethernet cable and plugging it back in will allow you to see the firmware update availability, but only if you navigate to that area of the menu. My system did not recognize it had a firmware update until I forced it to check. Once I did the update the addressing network and a few other issues went away.
I also found running everything through the receiver via HDMI cables is not a real option for me. The issue is switching between sources it "fries", or at least I thought it did, my Samsung's HDMI ports, turning the picture pink and then static. This does not happen every-time and the good news is that unplugging the TV fixes the port. To be fair, it could also be the TV, but I'm using all the same sources as before and have never had an issue. This issue seems to be caused by the system trying to auto-sense and match up resolutions, it by far is the most frustrating issue. I will also add that a variable that I have not looked into is the cable, it's a new high speed Monster HDMI cable. Not sure if others have had issues with the newer monster cables or not?
When the features do work properly eg. AirPlay, they are great. The sound quality is very good and streaming content sounds near as good as directly attached sources. I will say watching Bluray movies via HDMI using DTS Master Audio or Dolby HD is really awesome. I'll add to the AirPlay statement here and repeat how when streaming from my Mac via AirPlay the sound is really impressive.
I'm conflicted about recommending this product to those who want full HDMI integration or want to use every feature the system offers. That might change though with a few more firmware updates...we'll see.
I have not finished working through my testing yet eg. setting specific resolutions to avoid auto-sensing and using an older HDMI cable, once I do if there are any changes I'll post them here.
If anyone else has had similar experiences I'd love to hear about them. Also, if anyone has any specific questions I'd be glad to answer them if I can.
Thanks,
Greg
A firmware update is the second thing that should be done to ANY piece of updatable equipment and if Crutchfield had their act together, they would post that on their website or in some communication with you. Hard reset is the first thing to be done. Also, the CI models are really not designed to be sold to end users who aren't familiar with their setup. You're in IT but if you didn't read the manual, it's not just going to tell you how to set it up through some kind of Wizard. CI dealers/integrators do these things immediately upon opening the box and plugging it in. Also, shut everything down, unplug everything, including the power cords (you can leave the speakers connected). Then, make your cable connections. If you're using a power strip, turn it off, plug the power cables in and
then flip the switch on the power strip before turning things on, starting with the receiver.
If you didn't enable Network Standby, do that immediately. Also, you need to read up on HDMI- it's not a user-friendly format. It exists so people are kept from copying Hollywood's precious movies, not so it can be a flawless connection protocol. Also, and unfortunately, HDMI cables have many serious flaws and the re-use of old cables doesn't help. Make sure your cable is free of lint, dust and other debris- it can seriously degrade bandwidth, which is the problem you seem to be having. Also, HDMI cables are meant to bend no mopre than 30 degrees, not 90, not stuffed into a cabinet with the connectors and cables pushing into the back panel.
Monster Cable is overpriced. You need HDMI 1.4 compliant cables and if you have any plans to use 3d format media, it's even more important. High speed HDMI isn't BS- and if you want to future-proof yourself a bit, get High Speed with ethernet cables. If you tried the DVD/BD or cable box without the receiver in the signal path and it worked, you need to change some settings- it's not the receiver's fault. You either have bandwidth or CEC and/or possibly EDID issues.
The reason streaming content sounds good is that it's all converted to PCM- it doesn't remain as MP3, or whatever the original format was in iTunes, etc.
Assuming that all of your sources connect to the receiver and the TV is connected to the HDMI output of the receiver, where is the TV? If it's far from the receiver, make sure the cable is good (continuity testing won't necessarily tell you if it will work) and that it's not pulling down on the jacks. If you're using an HDMI extender, make absolutely sure that the RJ45 connectors are terminated correctly, per the extender's color code. They don't all use 568/570 termination and cable length is critical. If you used a two cable extender (2 Cat5e cables), using cable from two different manufacturers is a good way to have problems. Also, pulling too hard on the cable doesn't help anything. It's not a problem for network (even gigabit networks) unless the cable was stretched badly, the bend radius is exceeded or it's cheap cable but since HDMI transmits at about 10Gb/sec, it is. If you stapled the Cat5e in place, make sure the staples aren't kinking the wire. If you used wire ties, make sure they aren't too tight. It matters.
Also, hold on to your hats, everybody- HDMI 1.5 is coming.
