REVIEW: Denon AVR-4306 Receiver with HDMI

[tdeluce]

<A href="http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/Denon-AVR-4306.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 125px; HEIGHT: 94px" alt=[DenonAVR4306] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/DenonAVR4306_th.jpg" align=left border=0></A>Denon’s AVR-4306 was one of the most anticipated products of the year. With the AVR-4806 being out of reach for some and the AVR-3806 being perceived as a mid-fi product, the Audiophile community had expectations of where they could find an affordable, truly powerhouse 7.1 receiver. The AVR-4306 hits what I think of as an upper-mid-fi price point desired by so many of these quality and feature-conscious consumers. I wanted to get a good look at this receiver, play around with it, and find out exactly how well it would perform (and whether or not it was worth the extra money over its best-selling nephew, the AVR-3806.)

[Read the Review]

Thanks for the comprehensive review. How would the AVR-4306 fair
as a pre/pro compared to the Yamaha RX-V2600? I see better features
on the AVR-4306 but how about SQ?

 

[gene]

I personally don't hear the supposed differences people talk about in electronics, which BTW always seem to vaporize with blind testing, yet the improvement my HK635's EQ makes is instantly perceivable.

But it doesn't finish the job on the bass; it helps some but there are some obvious peaks left.

I don't doubt your experience with MultEQ, but many have said it's done wonders for their bass, as many have reported the same for HK's EQ.

The hit-or-miss nature of these systems is frustrating.

If you are happy with the SQ of your Harman receiver, why not just leave well enough alone and spend $2-300 on a manual PEQ with an RTA, get a mic and tweak till your heart is content. If you are looking for a single push button solution to solve all of your problems, it isn't going to happen, at least not in this century.

Again you should look into using multiple subs (either 2 or 4) and perhaps hiring a professional installer that is (HAA or THX certified) to assess your system and room to optimize the speaker placement and seat locations.

If not used carefully and sparingly, Auto EQ's, manual PEQ's or any active room correction will definitely change the sound, but usually NOT for the better.

 

[gene]

Thanks for the comprehensive review. How would the AVR-4306 fair
as a pre/pro compared to the Yamaha RX-V2600? I see better features
on the AVR-4306 but how about SQ?

These are both great receivers and you will most likely be splitting hairs regarding sonic differences if neither of them are pushed beyond their limits. The Denon is a little more capable of driving diffiicult loads and delivering higher power output which is something to consider if you have a large room with an appetite to listen to your music and movies at LOUD levels.

I suggest you READ our reviews of these two units, check out our Processor Checklist comparision and decide which receiver is right for your budget and application.

 

[tdeluce]

These are both great receivers and you will most likely be splitting hairs regarding sonic differences if neither of them are pushed beyond their limits. The Denon is a little more capable of driving diffiicult loads and delivering higher power output which is something to consider if you have a large room with an appetite to listen to your music and movies at LOUD levels.

I suggest you READ our reviews of these two units, check out our Processor Checklist comparision and decide which receiver is right for your budget and application.

Thanks Gene, I read both. It is specificly mentioned in the yamaha review
that the yamaha would be great a pre/pro but not in the Denon review.

I probably won't be using the amps of either one and the Denon is certainly
more feature rich...

I was ready to pull the trigger on an Anthem AVM 40 when I saw the
Denon AVR-4306 review on your site. Do you think the AVM 40 would
sound any better than the 4306 with my speaker / amp set up?

 

[gene]

Thanks Gene, I read both. It is specificly mentioned in the yamaha review
that the yamaha would be great a pre/pro but not in the Denon review.

That is probably b/c I am currently using an RX-V2600 as a pre/pro in one of my reference systems and Clint heard me raving about it and made mention of it in his review. I am quite confident the 4306 would serve equally well as a pre/pro function, especially since Denon has done some of the finest DAC implementations in receivers I have seen to date.

I probably won't be using the amps of either one and the Denon is certainly
more feature rich...

I was ready to pull the trigger on an Anthem AVM 40 when I saw the
Denon AVR-4306 review on your site. Do you think the AVM 40 would
sound any better than the 4306 with my speaker / amp set up?

Though the AVM40 appears to be a nice processor, it is doubtful that it would have any sonic advantages in the preamp or DAC stage over either of the receivers. They appeared to really load this processor with the latest in HDMI compatability, but it doesn't do all of the video processing/scaling options of the 4306 or 2600, nor does it do DTS 96/24. Whether or not those featured are important to you is your call.

On the flip side getting a dedicated processor over using a receiver as a pre/pro certainly gives you more audiophile clout and usually yields a more impressive appearance to your system. It can also cut down on heat dissipation (many quaility receivers run hot even when their amps are at idle such as the 2600). Though looking at your equipment list you already have 2 good receivers so why are you adding another to the mix?

Personally, if I had $3500 to spend and already had great amplification such as you have, I would purchase the cheapest quality receiver such as the 2600 and use it as a pre/pro and put the $2k or so I saved into adding an additional subwoofer or addressing my room acoustics. You will achieve far more profound sonic improvements here than you would by dumping more money on "high end" gear.

We always tell people if you are spending more than $5k on electronics without first addressing your room and speaker system integration, you are throwing away hard earned dollars.

At this point, I would prefer if this thread is used to answer specific product questions about the 4306 to support our review as opposed to comparing it to other products.

 

[tdeluce]

Q

That is probably b/c I am currently using an RX-V2600 as a pre/pro in one of my reference systems and Clint heard me raving about it and made mention of it in his review. I am quite confident the 4306 would serve equally well as a pre/pro function, especially since Denon has done some of the finest DAC implementations in receivers I have seen to date.



Though the AVM40 appears to be a nice processor, it is doubtful that it would have any sonic advantages in the preamp or DAC stage over either of the receivers. They appeared to really load this processor with the latest in HDMI compatability, but it doesn't do all of the video processing/scaling options of the 4306 or 2600, nor does it do DTS 96/24. Whether or not those featured are important to you is your call.

On the flip side getting a dedicated processor over using a receiver as a pre/pro certainly gives you more audiophile clout and usually yields a more impressive appearance to your system. It can also cut down on heat dissipation (many quaility receivers run hot even when their amps are at idle such as the 2600). Though looking at your equipment list you already have 2 good receivers so why are you adding another to the mix?

Personally, if I had $3500 to spend and already had great amplification such as you have, I would purchase the cheapest quality receiver such as the 2600 and use it as a pre/pro and put the $2k or so I saved into adding an additional subwoofer or addressing my room acoustics. You will achieve far more profound sonic improvements here than you would by dumping more money on "high end" gear.

We always tell people if you are spending more than $5k on electronics without first addressing your room and speaker system integration, you are throwing away hard earned dollars.

At this point, I would prefer if this thread is used to answer specific product questions about the 4306 to support our review as opposed to comparing it to other products.

Thank you for your response.

I am interested in upgrading my Denon AVR-4802 which I use only as
a pre/pro to something that has HDMI 1.1 switching so that I can take
advantage of the new audio formats such as DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD.

The AVR-4306 has such capabilities as well as many more features you typically
don't find in today's state of the art pre/pros and hence my interest as
long as the SQ is top notch for the pre/pro sections...

 

[gene]

I am interested in upgrading my Denon AVR-4802 which I use only as
a pre/pro to something that has HDMI 1.1 switching so that I can take
advantage of the new audio formats such as DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD.

In order to process new formats such as DTS-HD and Dobly TruHD, you need a processor compliant to HDMI 1.3 So far none exist.

 

[tdeluce]

In order to process new formats such as DTS-HD and Dobly TruHD, you need a processor compliant to HDMI 1.3 So far none exist.

If the DVD player decodes the format then all you need is HDMI 1.1

 

[gene]

If the DVD player decodes the format then all you need is HDMI 1.1

Sure if you want to rely on the dismal bass management, time delay, etc of most DVD players. Personally, I would rather have the processor do all of the decoding and processing.

It is also still unclear if HDMI Licensing Authority will allow true uncompressed high res audio to pass thru HDMI ver 1.1 so don't hold your breath waiting. You will be getting lossless data for at least the first generation or two of players via the HDMI output.

 

[noah katz]

Gene,

" If the DVD player decodes the format then all you need is HDMI 1.1 "

"Sure if you want to rely on the dismal bass management, time delay, etc of most DVD players. "

I thought, perhaps mistakenly, receivers w/HDMI 1.1 would accept the decoded PCM output and apply BM, etc. to it.

Thanks

 

[aarond]

hdmi 1.2 came out last August and 1.2a came out in December does anyone know if they are being used by any manufacturer?

 

[tdeluce]

Gene,

" If the DVD player decodes the format then all you need is HDMI 1.1 "

"Sure if you want to rely on the dismal bass management, time delay, etc of most DVD players. "

I thought, perhaps mistakenly, receivers w/HDMI 1.1 would accept the decoded PCM output and apply BM, etc. to it.

Thanks

That is also my understanding...

Based on this review, this thread, and my own experience with Denon,
I just pulled the trigger on the AVR-4306 - will receive it on Friday...
trigger

 

[gene]

Guys/Gals;

To be honest, I don't think anyone has a clear answer yet. I don't believe we will see true DTS HD/ DD Plus, Master quality uncompressed audio until HDMI ver. 1.3 hardware is out. So far no manufacturer I am aware of is even shipping ver 1.2.

Worst case you can use the analog outputs of the player but then we are back to an antiquated connection scheme like we were with DVD-A/SACD.

Until we actually have solid software support this is all tongue and cheek so to speak and we all relish in the great success DVD-A and SACD has shown over the years, don't we

 

[tdeluce]

Guys/Gals;

To be honest, I don't think anyone has a clear answer yet. I don't believe we will see true DTS HD/ DD Plus, Master quality uncompressed audio until HDMI ver. 1.3 hardware is out. So far no manufacturer I am aware of is even shipping ver 1.2.

Worst case you can use the analog outputs of the player but then we are back to an antiquated connection scheme like we were with DVD-A/SACD.

Until we actually have solid software support this is all tongue and cheek so to speak and we all relish in the great success DVD-A and SACD has shown over the years, don't we

I don't believe HDMI 1.2 makes any difference. HDMI 1.3 would allow
the receivers / processors to decode the format in the receiver rather
than the DVD player. With the HDMI 1.1, the DVD player must decode
the format. What is the advantage of decoding DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD
in the receiver rather than the dvd player?

 

[gene]

What is the advantage of decoding DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD
in the receiver rather than the dvd player?

The same advantages for having your receiver decode DD/DTS. You know rely on the usually superior DAC's, analog output stages, Bass Management / Time Delay, etc of the receiver as opposed to the DVD player. You also have a single digital connection instead of 6 or 8 analog ones.

Based on this review, this thread, and my own experience with Denon,
I just pulled the trigger on the AVR-4306 - will receive it on Friday...
trigger

Congrats, its a great receiver.

 

[tdeluce]

The same advantages for having your receiver decode DD/DTS. You know rely on the usually superior DAC's, analog output stages, Bass Management / Time Delay, etc of the receiver as opposed to the DVD player. You also have a single digital connection instead of 6 or 8 analog ones.

I will have all that now with by passing the decoded DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD bitstream via PCM to my new Denon AVR-4306 via HDM 1.1 ...

Congrats, its a great receiver.

Thanks!

 

[Audioholics]

I will have all that now with by passing the decoded DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD bitstream via PCM to my new Denon AVR-4306 via HDMI 1.1 ...

We are contacting a few manufacturers now to get some clarification on HDMI 1.3, backwards (PCM) compatibility, etc when dealing with the new high resolution audio formats.

 

[tdeluce]

We are contacting a few manufacturers now to get some clarification on HDMI 1.3, backwards (PCM) compatibility, etc when dealing with the new high resolution audio formats.

Cool - I will post the results from my set up once FedEex delivers the receiver this Friday...

 

[tdeluce]

We are contacting a few manufacturers now to get some clarification on HDMI 1.3, backwards (PCM) compatibility, etc when dealing with the new high resolution audio formats.

While we wait for the manufacturers to reply, here is what Dolby has to
say about it: http://www.dolby.com/consumer/technology/trueHD/AVRs/trueHD_avrs_2.html

 

[AVRat]

Great review! Denon's quality gear always make the decision between receiver and separates a difficult one. I still wish they'd offer a separate pre/pro with all the great processing.