Official New Denon Receivers: AVR-1909CI, 2309CI, 2809CI

[tn001d]

Coming July 2008!! Earlier than usual for Denon.

Audioholics Event Coverage of the Denon Line Show

Lets get a power buy on the 2809CI !!

A slew of new AV receivers from Denon

Denon has announced several new AV receivers for 2008, ranging from $1,200 down to $300. While last year's line of AV receivers marked a huge break from previous generations--with a colorful graphical user interfaces and curvy exterior design--the 2008 line looks to mostly continue the innovations from last year. The initial announcement lacked most of the important specifics we'd like to know about these receivers, but we have a broad idea of what they will offer.

All receivers will feature Audyssey Dynamic Volume, which is a sound processing mode that aims to keep volume at a stable level while you watch, so commercials don't sound louder than shows and explosions in movies won't startle you. We haven't tested Audyssey Dynamic Volume ourselves, but we could see it being a popular feature as varying sound levels is a complaint we often hear. All the new receivers will also have Audyssey Dynamic EQ, which is designed to make softer passages sound richer. While it's always nice to have these options, we're betting audiophiles will shun both of these sound processing modes as they tend to distort audio, either stripping it of its impact or making it artificially bassy.

The six most expensive models (AVR-2809CI, AVR-2309CI, AVR-1909, AVR-989, AVR-889, and AVR-789) feature upconversion of analog signals up to 1080p, as well as onboard decoding for high-resolution audio soundtracks, such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. HDMI connectivity wasn't released for all models, but Denon did specify how many inputs a few of the receivers will have: two for the AVR-589, three for the AVR-689 and AVR-789, and four for the AVR-889 and AVR-989. The AVR-2809CI will offer three-zone, three source capability, meaning you can listen to three separate audio sources in three different rooms. All other receivers feature two-zone, two source capability.

According to Electronic House, the new receivers will be available in July. The suggested retail prices of the announced models is as follows: AVR-2809CI ($1,200), AVR-2309CI ($850), AVR-1909 ($650), AVR-1709 ($450), AVR-1609 ($350), AVR-989 ($1,200), AVR-889 ($750), AVR-789 ($600), AVR-689 ($400), and AVR-589 ($300).

 

[Biggiesized]

When are we going to hear more details? July is only a little more than a month away.

Do all of them use the Faroudja scaler? *shudders*

 

[mike c]

what about the 38 series?

thank God for this early announcement, i almost pulled the trigger on a 3808

any pics?

 

[Biggiesized]

Also, who is the source for this information? Electronic House? Could we have a link please?

 

[jamie2112]

Does this mean I now have to upgrade my 3802 ? Where can you see a pic or 2?

 

[sharkman]

Well I for one am disappointed. The bean counters at Denon are obviously putting profits before quality.

The chip sets they(as well as other manufacturers such as Onkyo) are using for processing are pretty much a substitute for the genuine article which is only now being completed and sent to manufacturers for testing. What they have been using is three chips to do what this new chip will be able to do. The three chip approach prevents sound quality from achieving previous levels and so has been shunned by the boutique brands.

I would have thought that Denon would have waited to incorporate the new better chip set, at least for the 2809. They have slid down a few ticks in my estimation.

 

[Biggiesized]

Well I for one am disappointed. The bean counters at Denon are obviously putting profits before quality.

The chip sets they(as well as other manufacturers such as Onkyo) are using for processing are pretty much a substitute for the genuine article which is only now being completed and sent to manufacturers for testing. What they have been using is three chips to do what this new chip will be able to do. The three chip approach prevents sound quality from achieving previous levels and so has been shunned by the boutique brands.

I would have thought that Denon would have waited to incorporate the new better chip set, at least for the 2809. They have slid down a few ticks in my estimation.

What chipset? Please explain.

 

[tn001d]

AVR-2809CI

 

[sharkman]

What chipset? Please explain.

This comment from a poster on another forum frames the issue:

As many of you know, Etonics (SN parent company) discovered while manufacturing Onkyo and Denon AVRs that the 3 audio chip design available at that time compromised audio quality.

So most higher end mfgs decided to hold new models in R&D until better chip designs were available. The Cirrus 49700 chipset is finally in production which means that there should be enough volume for the following to unveil their next generation prepros at CEDIA with immediate shipments to follow:

These companies include:
Arcam
Anthem
Krell

NAD and B&K will be swapping out boards in their T175 & 707 prepros for existing customers.

Sherwood Newcastle P972 & Outlaw (rumoured to be SN clone) will not be using this chip - although the SN R872 will. They will be using 2 two new TI Aureus chips due to the intensive processing power required with Trinnov.

All of the above will be using the new HDMI 1.3 chipset which will eliminate most hardware incompatibilities.

Now I can't find the AVforum thread in which a rep in Korea talks about the new chip set which is specifically designed for the new HD codecs. Anyway, I may have spoken too soon about Denon, a July release date could include the new chipset for the 2809, although it would give this receiver superior sq performance with potentially fewer issues. I guess time will tell.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Anybody thinking about getting the "08" models instead of these "09" models at discounted prices?

I mean they pretty much have the same things right?

HDMI 1.3, TrueHD, DTS-MA, etc.?

And do we even know if these newer receivers will be of the same high quality as the "older" ones?

It may not matter to most people whether these newer receivers are made in Japan or China, but it might matter to a few. Do we know where these new batches are made? I know all the new Denon DVD & Blu-ray players are made in China. Again, China manufactured products can be of excellent quality- like the Denon BD & DVD players or the Mark Levinson's Red Rose Music speakers and amps/preamps, etc. Still, it might matter to a few for other reasons.

 

[tn001d]

"Arcam, Anthem, Krell, NAD, and B&K"

You cant compare "most" Denon's receivers to the above. Its like comparing a BMW to a Bentley.

Denon's has used Analog Devices SHARC 32-bit floating point DSP processor with DENON’s DDSC-D circuitry in the past (might still do) and has always received great to stellar reviews.

I wonder if Emotiva is using this new chip. I though i read somwhere that they were using a cirrus logic chip in their new pre/pro.

 

[tn001d]

I think the 2809 is better to get than the 2808 mainly because of the extra HDMI inputs (4 vs 2)

The 2808, 2807, 28XX have always been made in Japan.. I dont see any reason to think that the 2809 will be made in china.

Interms of build quality.. i personally like the build of the 2807 over the 08 and 09 models.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Now I can't find the AVforum thread in which a rep in Korea talks about the new chip set which is specifically designed for the new HD codecs. Anyway, I may have spoken too soon about Denon, a July release date could include the new chipset for the 2809, although it would give this receiver superior sq performance with potentially fewer issues. I guess time will tell.

Oh, I think this is about the ability to play 192 kHz/24 Bit instead of the 96 kHz/24 Bit on PCM, TrueHD, and DTS-MA???

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I think the 2809 is better to get than the 2808 mainly because of the extra HDMI inputs (4 vs 2)

The 2808, 2807, 28XX have always been made in Japan.. I dont see any reason to think that the 2809 will be made in china.

Interms of build quality.. i personally like the build of the 2807 over the 08 and 09 models.

I wonder what the WEIGHT difference is between the respective models (2808 vs 2809, etc.)?

The only reason for making products in China is CHEAP labor. As long as the quality is still great, they could save a lot of money. That is why a lot of things are made in China.

 

[trnqk7]

Are you still hung up on the whole China thing of late?

 

[Biggiesized]

I think he's viewing it in a more positive light now.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Are you still hung up on the whole China thing of late?

No, I'm over that now.

I just realized that Mark Levinson's Red Rose Music $7,000 Affirmation Integrated Amp is the same thing as the Chinese-made Dussun V8i Int Amp that you can buy from New York Sound brand new for $1,000.

And the Red Rose Music speakers are the Chinese-made Aurum Cantus speakers. They are made in China and Re-Badged.

If Mark Levison's Red Rose Music products are made in China, I'm okay with it.

It's just good business strategy. I'm over it. No, really.

 

[Audioholics]

We sent J. Walker Clarke to the event, so feel free to check out what he saw.

 

[tn001d]

Look a denon first... a little blue-light for HD Audio sources.. They should of followed sony's precedent with a light bar in the middle of the front panel display.

 

[aaronwt]

When will the 3809 be released so I can upgrade from my 3808 I got early this year?