New to a Denon AVR-3310CI - cant figure out inouts

[Trebdp83]

I meant the wiring of this particular unit. Without seeing every wire in every room and how they connect to this unit and also the configurations within the unit's settings, it is like shooting in the dark. As others have found with their units, using HDMI connections and getting signals to different zones is more complicated than using analog connection all the way around. If somebody is not familiar with a particular brand of AVR or how multiple zones work, they aren't going to get where they want to go without starting at the beginning of the road, namely a reset. This will put all settings at their default and will make finding any functional issues easier to do.

 

[highfigh]

I haven't tested all the outputs. I guess it's possible that a few inputs are bad...is.that what you are suggesting? I think I've figured out how to assign them so that wouldn't be too hard at this point.

It's also possible that the non-functional inputs haven't been assigned and they ALL need to be assigned. Also, Zone 2 & 3 need analog inputs from whatever sources they'll use- this AVR is great, but it's also 13 years old and it was made before analog audio was stripped from the HDMI inputs. In addition, if any of the Zone 2/3 audio can be heard in the room where the main system/HDMI and TV are located, you WILL hear a slight delay between the HDMI audio and the analog- it can be eliminated by using the Audio Mode button and selecting 'Game'.

 

[highfigh]

I meant the wiring of this particular unit. Without seeing every wire in every room and how they connect to this unit and also the configurations within the unit's settings, it is like shooting in the dark. As others have found with their units, using HDMI connections and getting signals to different zones is more complicated than using analog connection all the way around. If somebody is not familiar with a particular brand of AVR or how multiple zones work, they aren't going to get where they want to go without starting at the beginning of the road, namely a reset. This will put all settings at their default and will make finding any functional issues easier to do.

The only unknowns are the speaker wires if they weren't labeled. Everything else can be seen on the back or in the menu if the wiring assignments on the back are correct.

I know what the hard reset does- if you didn't get that impression from my other posts, I don't know what I can do to make it more clear.

Nobody is going to set up this model easily if it's their first time with a Denon AVR, a CI model or IP control- even reading the manual isn't going to make it painless or very easy and I have read their manuals for close to 20 years. I don't know who wrote them, but they aren't typical end users.

 

[highfigh]

The details are on page 92 of the manual as to how you can set the zone's source. The purpose of zones to an extent is to have main play one source, zones other sources....there is an option for having a zone play the same source as main.

The input level adjustment is to match different input sources with very different input levels (I use it to help even out a phono input to my others).

You may still need another setting for audio to make in the computer for routing audio.

As I posted, this model/year needs analog input for any of the Zones.

When you wrote 'routing audio', were you referring to analog, HDMI input or streaming?

 

[Trebdp83]

I think everybody who frequents this forum is aware of your skill set and I wasn't questioning your abilities. I've been reading Denon manuals for AVRs and disc players for more than 25 years. They aren't exactly children's books. When somebody inherits gear with which they are totally unfamiliar, it is always a good idea to reset everything and start from scratch. That way, functional issues can be more quickly identified as defects of the hardware rather than the result of settings made by the previous owner for their particular configuration.

 

[highfigh]

I think everybody who frequents this forum is aware of your skill set and I wasn't questioning your abilities. I've been reading Denon manuals for AVRs and disc players for more than 25 years. They aren't exactly children's books. When somebody inherits gear with which they are totally unfamiliar, it is always a good idea to reset everything and start from scratch. That way, functional issues can be more quickly identified as defects of the hardware rather than the result of settings made by the previous owner for their particular configuration.

I was only being specific to this model & setup and assuming that it needs to be reset and the wiring abandoned isn't necessary- that ignores the fact that all settings (other than speaker assignments) can be found in the setup menu, which doesn't need to be done on the front display (I really don't like using that for anything but initial basic settings) or on the OSD (TV or projector). It also assumes that it's not working properly.

No, they're not children's books. OTOH, I have set up systems that were complex and the universal remote was figured out by a 3-1/2 year old without any instructions- that was pretty amazing.

If it worked for the last user, it should work now- it's up to the new user to find out how it was set up, but the original people could have made this a lot easier by leaving some notes. I don't think I could leave a system without some kind of notes.

 

[Trebdp83]

Right, without notes from the previous owner, there is just no way to know if it was fully functional at the time of the move or how exactly it was configured. So, resetting everything would put settings at their default so at least somebody new to it would be sure of their starting point. Otherwise, they'd have to record the current settings and connections within their own notes and then attempt to get to their desired new configuration from there.

 

[highfigh]

Right, without notes from the previous owner, there is just no way to know if it was fully functional at the time of the move or how exactly it was configured. So, resetting everything would put settings at their default so at least somebody new to it would be sure of their starting point. Otherwise, they'd have to record the current settings and connections within their own notes and then attempt to get to their desired new configuration from there.

Again, the config is easy to see in the menu and saving the old is done using the button in the gui. Everything is viewable and each section (Audio, Video, Options, etc) has its own tab. From there, each choice uses a drop down with the options.

IMO, the manufacturers could make setup a lot easier by posting a link to a web page with the instructions to finding the IP address/going to the gui and a few videos to show how to maneuver through the setup.

That gui was discontinued for awhile, but it's back with the newer models, as of a couple of years ago. Sooo much easier than using the remote and front panel for setup.

 

[Trebdp83]

"Easy to see" is different than easy to understand. Those familiar with AVR setups, especially Denton/Marantz, will not have much difficulty in a basic setup and configuration using the onscreen GUI, web setup or even the front display. Assume new posters know nothing about a particular AVR, its GUI, web setup and speaker configuration setup and advise accordingly. They need to reset the thing and read the manual from cover to cover. Fortunately, manuals can now be downloaded and specific settings can be word searched and gone to immediately while one has the web setup up and running at the same time. Posters do well to put up pics of settings, components and cables when asking for help with a problem. Otherwise, there is no way to know if what they post is in agreement with what is actually configured and connected.

 

[lovinthehd]

As I posted, this model/year needs analog input for any of the Zones.

When you wrote 'routing audio', were you referring to analog, HDMI input or streaming?

Was thinking that for older Denons it was a bit different....do you know the cutoff model/year?

For the settings in the computer for audio out, he mentioned he's got an hdmi port on the computer.

 

[highfigh]

Was thinking that for older Denons it was a bit different....do you know the cutoff model/year?

For the settings in the computer for audio out, he mentioned he's got an hdmi port on the computer.

IIRC, I noticed that it wasn't available around 2014-2015, but I could be wrong. I had been using more Yamaha at that time, partially because of MusicCast and their use of IP control- it really makes a difference when setting up a system and getting it done quickly. I would have to search through my invoices to be sure, but I know I did a system in late- 2014 that couldn't be set up that way (might have been an AVR-3313CI).

I don't know why someone would want to have their computer tethered to the AV system when it can stream so easily and for music, it doesn't matter whether the computer is Apple or PC-based. If the system has a Roku, videos can be streamed to that very easily, too. I can't say that an AppleTV would be able to accept streamed videos from a Windows computer, but I'll find out when I go to do some setup for a customer later today or tomorrow- he has AppleTVs

 

[highfigh]

"Easy to see" is different than easy to understand. Those familiar with AVR setups, especially Denton/Marantz, will not have much difficulty in a basic setup and configuration using the onscreen GUI, web setup or even the front display. Assume new posters know nothing about a particular AVR, its GUI, web setup and speaker configuration setup and advise accordingly. They need to reset the thing and read the manual from cover to cover. Fortunately, manuals can now be downloaded and specific settings can be word searched and gone to immediately while one has the web setup up and running at the same time. Posters do well to put up pics of settings, components and cables when asking for help with a problem. Otherwise, there is no way to know if what they post is in agreement with what is actually configured and connected.

I did assume the OP doesn't know these AVRs well- that's the reason I included instructions on how to find the IP address and about using the gui, which is far easier than trying to wade through the menu using the AVR's display. It's easy enough to use the On Screen Display setting so it can be seen using a TV, but it's better to be able to see tabs and navigate through the menu without needing to click on the 'Back' button and accidentally leaving the setup menu, which isn't hard to do.

As long as the config isn't saved to the AVR and it hasn't been reset, messing around in the gui can't hurt anything and it will make learning easier than reading the manual which I know is something that most people won't do because that's like being punished for buying something.

However, reading about how to do something isn't best for all people, so there's YouTube and by searching for 'Denon AVR-3301CI setup', I found a lot of useful information with graphics from a TV shown.

I can't see doing a hard reset until after finding out how it's set up- that would undo anything that may work as it is, requiring the OP to learn to use the menu to make it work at all.

I would start with YouTube videos since they can be a quicker way than reading the manual.

I have a Denon AVR in my basement but I don't remember if it can be set up with the gui- if it can, I think I'll make a video since I haven't seen any for that on YouTube. It has some video issues, but I know the network card is OK since I use the Denon app and AirPlay with that one.

 

[Trebdp83]

Yeah, I’ve lost interest in it at this point but I do hope @Jerryshenk gets it working as needed.

 

[highfigh]

Yeah, I’ve lost interest in it at this point but I do hope @Jerryshenk gets it working as needed.

Telling someone to do a hard reset when some of it works and they still need to learn to do the setup is walking backward. If it wasn't functional in most ways, I definitely agree with your recommendation and after the configuration has been saved, I WOULD do a hard reset, but wouldn't do that at this time.

 

[Trebdp83]

You can PM me if you are really that hung up about it. @Jerryshenk was given some different suggestions from different folks about what to do with it and hasn't been around here in a day. I'm not going to keep coming around here to check on it so please stop quoting me. The notifications are obnoxious.