Which AVR model?

[GoFastr]

What is this?

 

[GoFastr]

Unpacking!

Amazon is the cats azz! Woo Hoo !

Great packing, includes manuals, both remotes, audyssey, FM antennae, etc.

 

[GoFastr]

It's ALIVE!

Hooray, no DOA!

Just a quick power check to ensure that it actually comes on and didn't arrive DOA.

Now for a little reading and config time to get it all hooked up.

 

[LAB3]

Hooray, no DOA!

Just a quick power check to ensure that it actually comes on and didn't arrive DOA.

Now for a little reading and config time to get it all hooked up.

Congrats.......... I bet your up late tonight.

 

[GoFastr]

Well, it's plugged in to the DLP TV, HD DVR/cable box, Blue-Ray player for a start. I still have to figure out the xBox 360 and Wii but I wanted to hear and see this baby now!

Did the Audyssey setup and it's ok I guess, not overwhelming but as time goes on I can improve it I hope. I need lot's of room softening.

One problem off the bat that I noticed is that the TV somehow thinks it's on the PC input and everything is only being displayed at 4:3 size which I guess is it's limit. I didn't get any picture on Cable/Satellite input so I just kept switching inputs until a picture showed up. Before the AVR unit everything went straight into the TV and displayed full screen at 1080p fine.

I now need to go through both the setup of the TV and the AVR to see what's going on.

Next up is trying to figure out the iPod dock and try out some music!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Did the Audyssey setup and it's ok I guess, not overwhelming but as time goes on I can improve it I hope. I need lot's of room softening.

One problem off the bat that I noticed is that the TV somehow thinks it's on the PC input and everything is only being displayed at 4:3 size which I guess is it's limit. I didn't get any picture on Cable/Satellite input so I just kept switching inputs until a picture showed up. Before the AVR unit everything went straight into the TV and displayed full screen at 1080p fine.

I can tell you my experience with Audyssey on both my Denon AVR-5308CI and AVP-A1HDCI: I turn them off completely.

Sure, I ran Audyssey a few times just for the sake of doing it since a lot of people believe in Audyssey and Room Correction in general. That's cool. But my ears never liked room correction. So I just bypass Audyssey and any EQ.

My older mitsubishi DLP had 2 HDMI inputs. The default for the 2nd HDMI is somehow "Computer" or "PC", so I had the same issue. I can't remember what I did, but I got it to display normally finally.

Try using the other HDMI input on the TV.

 

[lsiberian]

Well, it's arrived at my freight forwarders. I live in the Cayman Islands so I have to wait until Tuesday for it to get here.....unless someone volunteers to fly it down earlier in their carry on for me? LOL!

I'll try and get pics up next week but got a big event with a lot of house guests all during the week. Tying the knot on the weekend!

Yeah, I'm not sure what power amp to get yet for just music. I'll have to hear this Denon with my Klipsch RF-7's first and see how it is. I'm hoping the speaker and AVR combo will be ok for movies and games. The speakers are rated at 250 rms, 1000 peak and the AVR is only 125 wpc. For music I thought the rule of thumb was to get an amp that produced twice the power of what your speakers could handle at rms so that it didn't under drive them?

I'm knew to all of this and just been reading up on advice and taking everything in without hearing it for myself first.

The rule of thumb is to have enough power to generate the volume you want at your seating location. But you can get 122 spl from your speakers with that receiver. So I seriously doubt the need for more power. You'd need a pro-amp to really use them. Yamaha P series has quiet operation and plenty of power if you need it.

75 is reference level and peaks are at best 30 db. so 105 at your listening position is plenty to get reference level audio. You would need to sit 6 meters(20 feet) away from your speakers to need more power.

You have awesome speakers and one of the benefits of them is they can be driven by a small amp.

 

[GoFastr]

I can tell you my experience with Audyssey on both my Denon AVR-5308CI and AVP-A1HDCI: I turn them off completely.

Sure, I ran Audyssey a few times just for the sake of doing it since a lot of people believe in Audyssey and Room Correction in general. That's cool. But my ears never liked room correction. So I just bypass Audyssey and any EQ.

My older mitsubishi DLP had 2 HDMI inputs. The default for the 2nd HDMI is somehow "Computer" or "PC", so I had the same issue. I can't remember what I did, but I got it to display normally finally.

Try using the other HDMI input on the TV.

Thanks, that did the trick! I went behind the TV today in daylight and saw that the HDMI coming from the TV was in the number 3 position so I changed it to the number one slot and now all is good with 1080p and HD TV. Last night I was so excited to just get it hooked up I didn't pull it all out from the wall and couldn't see well behind it. I just took for granted that the HDMI cable coming from the TV was in the correct slot. Not sure why it was in #3 but I'll blame it on when the kids were here and hooking up their games!

I'll have to try and play with the settings some more without Audyseey on to see if I can get it any better. All in all I'm well pleased with the amp as it has a ton of features and seems to do a lot of things automatically without having to fiddle with it too much.

Now I have some choices for the next paychecks: subwoofer, or surrounds and center, or in-ceiling speakers for my outside patio and zone 2. Wish I had the cash to just do it all one time as this is exciting!

Hope Amazon has some of the answers with great pricing!

 

[LAB3]

Thanks, that did the trick! I went behind the TV today in daylight and saw that the HDMI coming from the TV was in the number 3 position so I changed it to the number one slot and now all is good with 1080p and HD TV. Last night I was so excited to just get it hooked up I didn't pull it all out from the wall and couldn't see well behind it. I just took for granted that the HDMI cable coming from the TV was in the correct slot. Not sure why it was in #3 but I'll blame it on when the kids were here and hooking up their games!

I'll have to try and play with the settings some more without Audyseey on to see if I can get it any better. All in all I'm well pleased with the amp as it has a ton of features and seems to do a lot of things automatically without having to fiddle with it too much.

Now I have some choices for the next paychecks: subwoofer, or surrounds and center, or in-ceiling speakers for my outside patio and zone 2. Wish I had the cash to just do it all one time as this is exciting!

Hope Amazon has some of the answers with great pricing!

Glad you got it going. You could have used the TV remote and clicked on HDMI 3 on the TV input and the TV would have played thru the AVR.

I would buy a center speaker next, then the surrounds for the rear. Sub after that. 5.1 will sound good on movies. Or sub now for 2.1........ your call on that one. Have Fun.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Now I have some choices for the next paychecks: subwoofer, or surrounds and center, or in-ceiling speakers for my outside patio and zone 2. Wish I had the cash to just do it all one time as this is exciting!

Hope Amazon has some of the answers with great pricing!

I think the next upgrade has to be a Rythmik 15'' sealed subwoofer, like the F15 or D15SE!

http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/subwoofers/rythmik-fv15hp

http://www.rythmikaudio.com/products1.html

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1214550

They are not cheap, but they are not as expensive as many other subwoofers either. The key is that they are extremely tight (Q=0.5), powerfull, accurate, and has great articulation/detail.

 

[GoFastr]

Thanks for tip on the Rythmik subs. They look like really nice performers. I definitely want a sub next to spice up my reggae music collection.

I just love the look of a cylindrical sub vs. the box shape. I've been looking at the SVS PC12-Plus, or SVS PC13-Ultra and the Funky Waves FW 15.1 subs.

Being the price looks to be in the same range, how do the above subs compare to the Rythmik's in performance for a large hard room?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I think in terms of overall performance, it's going to be hard to tell the difference among the best subs like SVS, HSU, Funky Waves, Epik, and Rythmik.

 

[GoFastr]

Well I must say, I took the time to play with my new Denon AVR-3311CI and finally hooked it up to my LAN as a media player. WOW! This was just too easy.

I had a chance to just sit back and play some old background music from the PC while going through some old pictures at the same time. I really appreciate the power of this AVR better at low volumes as it made the bass in my Klipsch RF-7's sound more punchy than when I first tested it out playing them loud.

Then again, maybe it was the peaceful bliss of listening to great comfortable familiar old music and reminiscing about the old pics too! Either way, this AVR just rocks. Each day and every time I try something new with it I'm happier that you all convinced me to purchase it.

Many thanks, yet again!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Well I must say, I took the time to play with my new Denon AVR-3311CI and finally hooked it up to my LAN as a media player. WOW! This was just too easy.

I had a chance to just sit back and play some old background music from the PC while going through some old pictures at the same time. I really appreciate the power of this AVR better at low volumes as it made the bass in my Klipsch RF-7's sound more punchy than when I first tested it out playing them loud.

Then again, maybe it was the peaceful bliss of listening to great comfortable familiar old music and reminiscing about the old pics too! Either way, this AVR just rocks. Each day and every time I try something new with it I'm happier that you all convinced me to purchase it.

Many thanks, yet again!

I'm glad everything is working out nicely.

A lot of folks sure like Denon for a good reason.

I don't think you will need an ext amp either.

 

[GoFastr]

Thanks. Yeah I've been wondering about an external amp too. It's not the first thing on my wish list. I've loved music for years but could never really afford higher end stuff. The research on equipment in this forum is so helpful as well as I always end up wanting to spend more money on nicer things!

After reading up on stuff in here I can't help but wonder how my RF-7's would sound with a couple of mono block amps or a higher end pure power amp for their power range. They're rated at 250rms and 1000 peak so I'd really love to try them out with something.

I get the inkling to listen to my music a bit loudly once a month or so and I have a few parties each year and sometimes it's a pain to get a DJ and have him haul of his gear over and make space to set it all up. He uses a Crown amp so maybe I can just borrow it from him and hook up my RF-7's next time to hear it for myself!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thanks. Yeah I've been wondering about an external amp too. It's not the first thing on my wish list. I've loved music for years but could never really afford higher end stuff. The research on equipment in this forum is so helpful as well as I always end up wanting to spend more money on nicer things!

After reading up on stuff in here I can't help but wonder how my RF-7's would sound with a couple of mono block amps or a higher end pure power amp for their power range. They're rated at 250rms and 1000 peak so I'd really love to try them out with something.

I get the inkling to listen to my music a bit loudly once a month or so and I have a few parties each year and sometimes it's a pain to get a DJ and have him haul of his gear over and make space to set it all up. He uses a Crown amp so maybe I can just borrow it from him and hook up my RF-7's next time to hear it for myself!

That's a good idea to try out the Crown amp to see if you can hear the difference.

My guess is that you won't hear a difference, but adding a powerful external amp is never a bad idea.

DenPureSound was the first person I know that actually truly needed an ext amp. He also owns a Denon 3311 & Klipsch RF82. Perhaps his room is much larger and/or he listens at a higher volume. But his Denon would go into protection mode.

So he added an Emotiva XPA-5 and the 3311 never has another issue with power again.

Later DenPureSound bought a Denon 4311 for his Klipsch RF82 + Emotiva XP-5, and moved the Denon 3311 to his smaller living room to power 5 Infinity speakers - Infinity Classia C336 and matching center + some older Infinity speakers. The Denon 3311 works perfectly without any ext amp in this room.

 

[GoFastr]

LOL! I really wish the deal on the 4311 that I had got from eBay would have stood up but this 3311 is almost the same with a fewer features and only like 15wpc less.

I must admit that I turned this 3311 all the way up to see how loud it would actually sound. I was expecting it to blow out my ears drums but I was pleasantly surprised that all though it was very loud my RF-7's didn't distort and the music was very clean. I have heard a lot louder in clubs, almost to the point where your ears actually hurt but the club music actually had distortion and that is what I just cannot stand.

 

[GoFastr]

Napster

I remember seeing a card in the box with this new Denon AVR-3311CI that I recently got that had a free 14 day trial code for Napster on it. After the trial period I think it was only like $10 a month or so. I've lost that card now and was thinking of giving it a try.

Has anyone here tried it out?
What are the pitfalls?
Are there any other reputable music streaming services I should try first?

 

[PENG]

I must admit that I turned this 3311 all the way up to see how loud it would actually sound. I was expecting it to blow out my ears drums but I was pleasantly surprised that all though it was very loud my RF-7's didn't distort and the music was very clean.

I had tried turning my 4308 up to +5 listening 2ch music and heard no distortion. Denon's mid range AVRs are really quite powerful for stereo music listening without the help of a sub.

I have heard a lot louder in clubs, almost to the point where your ears actually hurt but the club music actually had distortion and that is what I just cannot stand.

I agree, the problem with club music and even live rock/jazz concerts is that you end up hearing the electronics and loudspeakers as they would turn them up so loud that you could not hear the "live" instruments unless you are sitting in the front rows. I went to two concerts last Saturday and ended up completely disappointed by the so call "live music". The good thing is, after that I feel much better about my own system. Regardless, I think I am going to stick with classical concerts from now on.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I had tried turning my 4308 up to +5 listening 2ch music and heard no distortion. Denon's mid range AVRs are really quite powerful for stereo music listening without the help of a sub.



I agree, the problem with club music and even live rock/jazz concerts is that you end up hearing the electronics and loudspeakers as they would turn them up so loud that you could not hear the "live" instruments unless you are sitting in the front rows. I went to two concerts last Saturday and ended up completely disappointed by the so call "live music". The good thing is, after that I feel much better about my own system. Regardless, I think I am going to stick with classical concerts from now on.

I'm way too chicken to listen to +5dB volume for even a few seconds.

Yeah, I see no point in rock concerts - too loud and too much distortion.

Classical concerts are more civilized.