Denon AVR-4520ci has arrived and is installed.

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Your cheap thermometer should be quite accurate, probably more reliable than the infra red ones that varies a little with distance.

Temp @ SPL 100dBC Max, 85-90dBC AVG,
Dead Zone TV Soundtrack: Beautiful Thing, Dirty Secret, New Years Prayer, 6ft Under (repeat)
SainSonic Infrared Thermometer

Room Temp: 75F
AT3005: 75F cold; 89F 1hr; 93F 2hr
AT3002: 75F cold; 80F 1hr; 89F 2hr
AVP-A1: 77F cold; 90F 1hr; 92F 2hr

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

What would the (recognizable)real advantage of purchasing a Denon Bluray player with Denon Link be, if used with my Denon AVR-4520ci. Would I get more bang for the buck with an Oppo high end Bluray player?

I have two Denon BD players (3800BD and 4010UD bought new, $2K MSRP) in my closet - both are Denon-Link. I guess I didn't see any real advantages.

 

[PENG]

It's is interesting that they did not share this with it's U.S.A. customers!

I am sure Denon is not in the business of making transistors. They probably provided their own specifications to have them custom made for them, and that would be enough reasons for the manufacturer(s) to let them label the transistors. It just shows that Denon does seem to pay more attention to the power supply and power transistors, and they do tend to measure reasonably well in HTM, S&V, HCC labs in terms of SN, XT, and power output.

 

[PENG]

What would the (recognizable)real advantage of purchasing a Denon Bluray player with Denon Link be, if used with my Denon AVR-4520ci. Would I get more bang for the buck with an Oppo high end Bluray player?

Since the 4520 has better DAC than all previous models except the 5000 series, I would say yes base on theoretical advantage, especially now that DL4 can handle HD formats. Whether you can hear the theoretically improved sound quality or not is a different story, and I would think, not.. Still, I would go for it but just get their cheapest model that has DL4 as the 4520 will be doing the heavy lifting.

 

[RichB]

What would the (recognizable)real advantage of purchasing a Denon Bluray player with Denon Link be, if used with my Denon AVR-4520ci. Would I get more bang for the buck with an Oppo high end Bluray player?

It depends on your system and you what kind of difference you are looking for.
I cannot speak the to Denon link but I think this is more a matter of Denon link.

I test the Oppo BDP-105 other Oppdo players and I can say with certainty that there is a difference in the sound quality when connecting via HDMI, COAX Digital, Analog 7.1 and Balanced connections to both the Onkyo PR-SC5509 and Marantz AV8801. I have setup my remote to instantly switch between inputs to compare.

Certainly, you would expect all digital connections to sound the same but they do not.
It is not a giant difference and some may just prefer to go HDMI for simplicity. I get that.
The HDMI has been more laid back and with less detail.
Of course, with the Denon it may be completely different.

The analog 7.1 and XLR also sound different. I would describe the 7.1 (unbalanced) as more mellow and smooth and the XLR's (balanced) as hyper-detailed. If you want to hear the singer lick their lips, then XLR's are the connection for you.

So, is there a difference: yes.
Does it matter to me: yes.
Does it matter to most people: no

- Rich

 

[Cos]

Did you make any headway with your 8801 getting either replaced or fixed?

 

[RichB]

Did you make any headway with your 8801 getting either replaced or fixed?

The $2 transistor shows 5/30 ETA, when it previously showed 5/16.
Greg from Marantz Tech Support added a note 2 days ago that it had actually arrived on 5/17.
Yesterday (the day after Greg added the note), United Radio called me and told me the ETA for the part was 5/30 and their online status shows 5/30.
Not exactly inspiring.

I called Marantz Tech support today and got Mike. Even though, I have asked for Greg to call me that has not happened, he has not.
Mike said it was not his case, but before I could lecture him about how ridiculous that statement was, he agreed escalate it to his manager.
Mike wanted off the phone
No opportunity was given to get the Managers name.
I also expressed my concern that whatever United Radio is doing, there is no information about what they found or fixed so I have no idea what is being repaired.

I have other things to do these days, so I will just call every day.
I think they are just stalling to see if it can get fixed to avoid providing a new unit.

If I get no response today, tomorrow, I will ask to speak the manager.

- Rich

 

[PENG]

If I get no response today, tomorrow, I will ask to speak the manager.

- Rich

I suggest from now on you insist on speaking to a manager, and only a manager who has the authority to replace a $3000 item. If they agree, you should be able to get a new one within days, instead of potential weeks, and then you may find out the repair does not work, or something else may fail.

 

[Cos]

I suggest from now on you insist on speaking to a manager, and only a manager who has the authority to replace a $3000 item. If they agree, you should be able to get a new one within days, instead of potential weeks, and then you may find out the repair does not work, or something else may fail.

100% Agree
- This is why you take the names times and dates down, so when you call back, you basically state that you have tried on several occasions to resolve this and they don't return calls and are passing you along without helping.

- Just say at this point, you demand to speak to someone who can actually help you.

 

[RichB]

100% Agree
- This is why you take the names times and dates down, so when you call back, you basically state that you have tried on several occasions to resolve this and they don't return calls and are passing you along without helping.

- Just say at this point, you demand to speak to someone who can actually help you.

I got a shipping notification and the repaired unit should be here tomorrow.
it seems that I lit enough of a fire to get Marantz to get this expedited.

i will be testing the unit this weekend.
it will be interesting to see if there is a repair report.

I have been measuring the ambient Tempurature of the shelf above the amp. With everything off, it is between 75 and 80 degrees.
After the amp has been on for a couple of hours, the Tempurature rose to 89 degrees.

- Rich

 

[Cos]

I got a shipping notification and the repaired unit should be here tomorrow.
it seems that I lit enough of a fire to get Marantz to get this expedited.

i will be testing the unit this weekend.
it will be interesting to see if there is a repair report.

I have been measuring the ambient Tempurature of the shelf above the amp. With everything off, it is between 75 and 80 degrees.
After the amp has been on for a couple of hours, the Tempurature rose to 89 degrees.

- Rich

It's just sad that Marantz doesn't appear to have good customer service, or it could be just a rare instance. When I had to get my UD7007 repaired it was a quick an easy process, but the UD7007 has been out a lot longer than the 8801.

On a general note, its one thing I like about Integra, they gave me the direct number to a troubleshooter when I had a problem when I first purchased the unit. Their support so far has been excellent.

 

[RichB]

Marantz/Denon has a direct line.
i probably should have pushed harder for a replacement before sending it in.

i am bumping up against they replacement

- Rich

 

[RichB]

The saga is over. The Marantz AV8801 returned from repair on Friday.
Apparently, I managed to goose them into action and they found the $2 transistor somewhere

They replaced the power cord which was not making good contact, A diode, and a transistor.

Sitting in the open air the shelf the ambient temperature gets up to 89 degrees from the Parasound A51 below.

The 8801 center back still gets very warm, with no fan it still reaches 126 F.
With the 120mm Noctua fan running at 5 volts on the center back, it reaches 105 F.
With the back stuck in back blowing away from the unit, it reaches 121 F.

Unfortunately, I have not yet found fan solution that looks decent.

- Rich

 

[surveyor]

Enjoy your Marantz AV8001 flagship AVP!

 

[Cos]

View attachment 11963

If you want to try this fan and think it will help, I can send you it to test, I build and upgrade PC's about once a year and bought this because I thought one of my case fans was going bad, but it wasn't.

230mm <20db(a) 97.8CFM @900RPM, so it does get good air flow with fluid dynamic bearings.

You can just test it out w/o payment and if it works or doesn't at least you will have an idea.

I have also toyed with the idea of the Antec AV Cooler as it is reported the average drop is about 25F

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/858/1/

 

[PENG]

View attachment 11963

If you want to try this fan and think it will help, I can send you it to test, I build and upgrade PC's about once a year and bought this because I thought one of my case fans was going bad, but it wasn't.

230mm <20db(a) 97.8CFM @900RPM, so it does get good air flow with fluid dynamic bearings.

You can just test it out w/o payment and if it works or doesn't at least you will have an idea.

That seem like a good one, but honestly any PC fan should work so just pick the quietest one available.

 

[PENG]

Enjoy your Marantz AV8001 flagship AVP!

Thanks again for not minding us parking our Marantz AVP related posts here. I also know that you know it is somewhat appropriate because it definitely share most of its gus with the 4520. I can also confirm that the AV7005, 8801, and 4308 sounds no different to me in direct and pure direct. The better DACs just make us feel better, nothing more than that IMO. IMO, most things we say about the 8801 would likely apply to the 4520 as well.

One thing I should mention, the mic of the 4308 weighs at least twice, may be 3X heavier than the AV7005. Surprisingly, the AV8801 comes with the light weighted one as well. I wonder if the 4520 has the heavy one like the 4308's. My guess is that it will also be the light weighted one as well. Just so you know what I mean by heavy, the 4308's mic can stand on its own without being screwed down on a tripod because of its weight, whereas the Marantz ones would topple just by the unavoidable and naturally existing pension from that thin gauge flesible wire attached to it.

I am sure ADTG can also confirm the Denon AVP must have the heavy mic as well. I am a believer in heavy does not always equal better, but the 4308's mic can certainly double duty as a paper weight, with the wire cut off.

 

[RichB]

View attachment 11963

If you want to try this fan and think it will help, I can send you it to test, I build and upgrade PC's about once a year and bought this because I thought one of my case fans was going bad, but it wasn't.

230mm <20db(a) 97.8CFM @900RPM, so it does get good air flow with fluid dynamic bearings.

You can just test it out w/o payment and if it works or doesn't at least you will have an idea.

I have also toyed with the idea of the Antec AV Cooler as it is reported the average drop is about 25F

Antec VERIS A/V Cooler Review - Antec VERIS A/V Cooler - Legit Reviews

I have an Antec AV Cooler that made too much noise so disassembled it and added isolation which improved things but it still makes too much noise.

Thanks for the offer, I might take you up on it.
I have two fans on order.
This:

GELID Solutions Slim 12 UV 120mm Blue LED Case Fan - Newegg.com

which looks garrish, but from the sise it has a nice clean finish and low profile.

And, this BitFenix Spectre Pro 230mm Fan which is a huge FDB fan:

Amazon.com: BitFenix Spectre Pro 230mm Fan - All Black BFF-SPRO-23030KK-RP: Computers & Accessories

I do not need to move much air to make a dramatic tempurature reduction.

- Rich

 

[Cos]

I think you will have better luck with the BitFenix Very nice airflow, its the upgraded version to mine, but trades more airflow with more noise. The Gelid won't yield any better results than the Noctura.

 

[surveyor]

The 4520 mic is light as well.