Ok posted this elsewhere to help other get a better idea of how these AVR really perform:
So I have both, can only keep one. My setup speaker wise is front Klipsch RF52 II, Klipsch RC-10 Center, Klipsch RS42 II, and a FV12 Sub. Listening area is roughly 11x12x8 (room size is 11x23x8). These 2 AVRs were bought to replace my Onkyo TX-SR605. Both are substantial/significant upgrade over my old Onkyo. Better features, controls, video processing, and audio.
Let start with the pioneer. If you are looking for features at 500 bucks...this AVR is certainly it! Airplay via my iPad2 is simply perfect. Also iControlAVS is nice and allows to make some changes but it lacks the setup for MCACC and other configuration that would be much easier on the iPad then via the remote+onscreen. I do like the iControl App and I can only imagine it will get better. The pioneer is network ready...this is why it works with Airplay and iControl. You have to have your iPad on the same network as the 1121 to make it work. I used a hard wired Ethernet connection. Pioneer offers an optional wireless connection module but it is 1/5 the cost of the receiver. If you are a big iDevice person and cant get a wired connection to it, it might be worth it. One note, if you dont have airplay via your wifi...you can plug it in via USB which also doubles as a charger for you iPhone, iPod, and Nano.
The 1121 brings in addition to iDevice support Apps. Like many new TV aps are starting to spring up in AVRs, The are obviously audio centered so dont expect Hulu or Netflix yet. But as for the apps...none of them are polished. Pandora is crude and the setup via remote is difficult. However once setup it isnt bad but the interface is weak. Overall it gets the job done. If you are buying this for its internet apps you will be disappointed. Pioneer needs to cleanup the GUI and improve its setup.
Connectivity is amazing on this AVR...it can hook up to anything and has tons of HDMI, Opticals, and Coax, Component is a little thin but it is still there. Many new AVRs are starting to ditch this. There are a lot of RCA style connections which I see dying off in a modern day HT setup. I believe pioneer has far too many of these connections on this unit.
The Unit is an THX Select2 Plus unit, the denon is not. My initial thought was because of its certification it would sound better and have better sound fields than the denon. It however did not. Power on this unit is crazy!! It is 110 watts! Way more than my room needs! The unit itself is pleasing to look at. It looks and seems to be built like a reference piece. The on-screen is solid but cant be overwhelming to setup for many. The MCACC is quite nice and seems pretty accurate. My room has a tendency to give these AVRs trouble and the pioneer wasnt without a few tweaks. I dislike the remote on the 1121...it has a ton of shortcoming but more on that later.
Now the denon doesnt have quite the bells and whistles as the 1121 but to be far it is a year older but still shine where it needs to. It does not have any network capability nor apps either. It is a smaller unit and far easier to setup. Denons manual is as many here know...terrible. Not much explanation on settings and it is a trial and error thing when setting up. Pioneer was much better and the manual is more detailed and certainly a lot bigger!
The AVR-2311 doesnt have pandora or airplay but you can still plug in your iDevice. I dont use video via any iDevice so this is not an important area for me. It does have HD radio but unfortunately I prefer pandora and the other internet radio. This AVR will rarely be used for music. Power is only 5 watts behind the pioneer so it isnt an issue. Controls are simple and I like the denon remote much better than the 1121. Pioneers buttons are small and hard to see. Denon makes their buttons bigger and easier to read. Denon also has less buttons it seems. None of this is relevant for once I have this thing setup my harmony one comes out and the other back in the closet!
Connectivity on the 2311 is very similar to the 1121. But there are less RCA (analog) connections they are not missed. Pioneer has more connectivity overall, however the back of the pioneer is tight not to mention it is deep! which makes it harder to push back in if you dont have a ton of depth...for remember HDMI sticks out a few inches. The denon is more compact (Not as tall or deep) of the two. It was easier to put on the shelf and wire up. Gone from the 2311CI is the network jack...well not gone as if denon took it away it was just not as popular a year ago to hook these AVRs into your network...not to mention a year ago you had to up your price point to find an ethernet ready AVR. Most of us wont miss it.
Video performance is amazing on the Pioneer 1121!!! The Marvel Qdeo processing is stellar!! I prefer it over the ABT on the denon. The ABT is very good but the Marvel is excellent. Both of these are a substantial upgrade over my Onkyo processor. There was a big difference in my picture quality. The pioneer made my TV look as if I bought something new! I have an older sony SXRD LCD rear projection 60" 1080p. It is a decent TV that got much better with the pioneer! And the denon made it also look better but not to the level of the pioneer. I just cant say enough good about the video performance on the 1121! It is simply stellar! Crisp, sharp, color seems to lean a hair to the cool side which typically to me always seems sharper than a warm picture. The 2311 seems to lean to the warm IMO. I can adjust this out via my TV but to compare the two AVR I left it alone...TV is set neutral. Blu-rays look awesome on both! My wife made the comment as if we had a new set and player! But once again the 1121 looked better. Its only fault (Both AVRs) is DVD upscaling for via the panasonic blu-ray vs 1121 or the 2311 it seemed to favor the pana upscaling to either. But blu-rays and Comcast HD were amazing. I got the pioneer via amazon for 399. For this value alone on the video this is a amazing AVR. Pioneer is a stand out in video...but the denon is certainly no slacker either and made my old sony look very good. I just prefer the pioneer in this category.
Now Audio is a mixed bag on the 1121. Where as the Denon was not as good on the video, it completely excels at the Audio. There is a tremendous difference! I absolutely love the audio on the denon. I just liked it on the pioneer. Once again both much better than my onkyo. The sound is warmer and more detailed. Denon is a detail machine! Things such as the ceiling fan spinning in the beginning of iRobot where more recognizable on the denon then on the pioneer. The imaging is also significantly better on the denon. The sound field had so much more distinction than the pioneer it wasnt even funny. The 2311CI also tends to have a warmer sound to it. To be honest with its strict THX cert I was expecting the 1121 to be better than the 2311CI. This was not the case. The 1121 did do dialogue excellent. And I really had to tweak the 2311CI to get it to the same level but overall the Denon was so stellar with audio I just cant keep the pioneer after listening to the denon.
To put this comparison into perspective I look at two main things: Video and Audio. And to sum it up the pioneer video was better than the denons but not by as great of a margin as how the denons audio was better than the pioneers. All features aside I bought this for sound first then video. If I could smash them into one I would have the best AVR I could think of. But for now...I will take the Denon.
