What would you do? Dig in....

[o2fstball]

Want to start off by saying I am glad I found this forum, and am excited about my first post.

Here is what I am (currently) working with:

TV: Samsung LN50A450 (720p)
BluRay: Sony BDP-S350
Speakers: Polk RM705
HD DVR Cable Box - Time Warner

I just moved into a new house and am looking to set this all up in a living room roughly 11' x 19'. No video games, mainly watching TV or BluRay, and listening to some tunes.

Here is my question:

I snagged a Denon AVR 689 at C_rcuit C_ty for a good price. (Impulse purchase). However, after reading about this unit, I am not completely satisfied I made the right decision. I (was) am looking to stay in the 300-400 price range for a receiver. The idea of having 1 cable (HDMI) carry the sound/audio is appealing. I have read it will not have an impact on sound quality if I have to run a separate optic cable since I believe the 689 does not pass sound through HDMI.

If you were me, what would you do? Would you stick with this Denon, or possibly look elsewhere? Obviously, the Yamaha RXV663 is highly regarded in this price range. Would I gain anything based on my current set-up by ditching the Denon? (Also have read they are not the easiest to use/set up).

Any help (as long as I can comprehend it!) is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Davemcc]

Depends on how good the price on the 689 was. I set up this exact Denon/Polk combo for a neighbor and she has used it trouble free ever since and she is happy. Just follow the setup and menu instructions on the Denon carefully. If you have any questions, just ask.

Best results will be had if you set the audio output in the Sony to PCM rather than bitstream. That way, you will be able to make use of the HD audio formats.

 

[highfigh]

Want to start off by saying I am glad I found this forum, and am excited about my first post.

Here is what I am (currently) working with:

TV: Samsung LN50A450 (720p)
BluRay: Sony BDP-S350
Speakers: Polk RM705
HD DVR Cable Box - Time Warner

I just moved into a new house and am looking to set this all up in a living room roughly 11' x 19'. No video games, mainly watching TV or BluRay, and listening to some tunes.

Here is my question:

I snagged a Denon AVR 689 at C_rcuit C_ty for a good price. (Impulse purchase). However, after reading about this unit, I am not completely satisfied I made the right decision. I (was) am looking to stay in the 300-400 price range for a receiver. The idea of having 1 cable (HDMI) carry the sound/audio is appealing. I have read it will not have an impact on sound quality if I have to run a separate optic cable since I believe the 689 does not pass sound through HDMI.

If you were me, what would you do? Would you stick with this Denon, or possibly look elsewhere? Obviously, the Yamaha RXV663 is highly regarded in this price range. Would I gain anything based on my current set-up by ditching the Denon? (Also have read they are not the easiest to use/set up).

Any help (as long as I can comprehend it!) is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

I sell and install Denon and for the money, I think it's a good receiver. Since I work for myself, I could sell a lot of other brands, but I like the performance, features and value of Denon. I also like the way they set up- the first time with any brand won't be fast, might not be complete and might not be exactly the way you want some things to be but these changes aren't permanent after one time- they can be modified later.

One thing I would do as soon as any receiver comes out of the box is a hard reset. The procedure is in the manual and only requires pressing a few buttons, but I usually do this for anything that has this function, not just the Denon receivers.

Because of the additional functions, I think I would look into the AVR-789 and IIRC, I think they went for under $500 when they closed the CC store closest to me.

Here's a chart with the differences, by model number:
http://usa.denon.com/AVR_3_Digit_HDMI_Capabilities_x89_v0708.pdf

 

[o2fstball]

Thanks for the responses. Another question I have is about the video processing of this Denon AVR 689, in combination with my Sony BluRay (BDPS-350).

Would I gain any video or audio quality by upgrading the receiver, based on the A/V capabilities of the receiver itself?

IE.)The Yamaha has: Dolby Digital EX/ Dolby Pro Logic IIx • (Plus)
The Denon does not have: THX Surround EX Decoding/Dolby Digital Plus

(Just some things I have seen when comparing/contrasting. There are other differences as well, some of which I understand, some I don't)

I guess it is one of those situations where I will not have anything to compare the quality to, as I have not set up any system yet.

Also, from what I understand, I am going to have to hook up an optical cable from the BluRay player to the Denon in order to get sound, and then one HDMI cable from the Denon to the TV. Is this correct? And also an optical cable from the cable box to the Denon?

And I agree, setting something up for the first time is going to be slow with any receiver. Just want to make sure this goes as smoothly as possible.

 

[o2fstball]

What do I need to do to get audio since it is not passed through HDMI with this unit?

I was told to run optic cables from the cable box, BluRay, and TV? to the receiver in order to get sound.

Please let me know what you would do in my situation..