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2M views 25K replies 1K participants last post by  TheVolumnus1 
#1 ·

Hard to believe with all the buzz going on that no-one has bothered to open a thread on what looks to be a killer-receiver (to me at least)...

So here goes!




My first question would be the following:


We already know that this receiver will be 11.2 capable with external amplification, but will the internal amps be assignable?


If not, you'll probably be stuck using the internal amps for your 9.2 setup (including your mains) and adding the external amp for a wide/height/SB channel (whatever Denon decides).


If yes, which I much prefer, the 2 added channels of external amplification could be assignable to the front speakers for instance.

This way you could set-up your system with a quality external amp for your mains and keep the internal amps for the remaining speakers...


I admit, I've been out of the game for quite some time (still the owner of an AVR-3801 currently! Hence the interest in the 4311 ) so apologies in advance if I'm missing the obvious here, but at this point it's the only thing unclear to me.



********************************************************

EDIT:

Batpig suggested it would be a good idea to make a FAQ section in the first post of this thread and who am I to refuse.

So here goes, the first little FAQ trivia, courtesy of batpig.

Special thx goes out to jdsmoothie for keeping me informed on the FW updates!!!

********************************************************
FAQ

Where can I find more info on this behemoth?
http://usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/5414.asp


What is the difference between the 4311ci and the A100?

A100 gets the following over 4311:


- Gloss Finish

- 100th Anniversary badge

- 100th anniversary block condensers

- Gold plated terminals

- Premium upgraded speaker binding posts

- Cast iron feet

- 5 year warranty

- Brand history book

- Inspection sheet

- fancy box

In terms of processing / amps / internals they are otherwise identical.

Which possible combinations of internal and external amps are there?

- You can have ANY combination of internal and external amps. You can power 5 speakers with external amps and 4 with internal... you can power 3 with external and 8 with internal.... you can power 2 with external and 9 with internal.... 9 with external and 2 with internal.... IT'S ALL GOOD. The ONLY thing you can't do is power 11 speakers internally...... because there are only 9 amps built in!


- The ONLY exception is that, because the receiver only has 9 amps built in, when you activate 11 channel mode, the receiver forces you to choose whether the FIRST TWO extra channels will be the heights or the front L/R mains.

How do I activate the preouts?

- You do not need to activate anything. When you are in 11ch mode, ALL THE PREOUTS ARE HOT at all times. You don't have to assign anything or set anything beyond the selection for the first two externally amped channels, the preouts are ALL HOT.

Then what is preamp mode for?

- PREAMP MODE however disconnects the signal from ALL the amps, so you should ONLY use this mode if you are using ONLY external amps for all channels. You cannot "shut off" specific amps internally, so if you will be using any of the internal amps for the main zone, you cannot use PREAMP mode.


A100 Firmware Updates
1. GUI issue fixes and using Party Mode Plus when networking
2. Audio drop out issues (12/22/10)
3. "Blue rain" video issue resolved (1/24/2011)
4. See items added below (7/1/11)
- Last.fm for German. (E2 only)
- It fails in the DPMS update of the firmware when the product is connected with "Control4".
- When Page Up/Down is done in the music list of iRadio, the product is frozen.
- When network connection speed is slow, the error occurs in the display of the FL tube.
- There is a case that the backup data of the parameter etc. initializes.
- There is a case where the network doesn't start.
- When the NSE command of AMX is sent, the data of the answer is wrong.
5. See items below (7/30/11)
- Allow connectivity to new Rhapsody servers
- Improve network connectivity
6. Allow connectivity to Pandora servers (12/19/12)

Note: If you have installed the Airplay firmware upgrade, the firmware version number on your unit will be incremented by 0001.



4311CI Firmware Updates
1. Fixes Party Mode feature, Pop Up menu function, USB functionality and also to the IP/232 controllability.
2. Audio drop out issues (12/22/10)
3. "Blue rain" video issue resolved (1/24/2011)
4. See A100 updates (7/1/11)
5. See A100 updates (7/30/11)
6. See A100 update (12/19/12)

Note: If you have installed the Airplay firmware upgrade, the firmware version number on your unit will be incremented by 0001.
 
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#16,461 ·
^^^


LOL!



i did not let her see the bag, i stuffed it carefully back away in the box for the day the 93 gets sold...
 
#16,466 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by IcetomLT /forum/post/21899431


Thank you everyone for quick replies!



Good point - I forgot about SPDIF for stereo records listening. Thing to thought



Well... Together with friends about 1 year ago we had opportunity to try bitsreaming losless stereo recordings through asynchronous USB to Ayre QB-9 DAC from 3 different PC's (2 notebooks and one desktop PC). We used foobar2000 player with the same settings in all three PC's . All three PCs sounded diferently. One notebook bistreamed very "muddy" sound, another notebook was better. And the best ("high fidelity") bitsreaming was from desktop PC
.

That is why I asked about HD audio bitsreaming from BD players to AVR-4311
. Thanks to all of you now this topic is cleared.


P.s. I updated my public profile about gear I use.

The term "bitstream" has a slightly different meaning when talking about audio over USB than when talking about audio over HDMI. Over HDMI, bitstream only refers to unprocessed raw data from the disc. All audio over USB is bitstream in a different sense, in that its just a stream of bits, but it is all processed through the PC's software, operating system, USB drivers, etc. The mere fact that it is possible to control the volume of USB audio on the PC side indicates that it isn't sending the raw audio data.


USB audio simply has too many hardware and software variables involved on the PC end. Audio over HDMI is more straightforward. If both the player and the AVR (with DAC) support the bitstream protocol, no two players should sound any different into the same AVR unless one of the players is defective.
 
#16,467 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nethawk /forum/post/0



Do you happen to have a link?


Thanks.

I subscribe to the print magazine, which is where I read the series of four articles. The first article appeared in the December 2011 issue. The articles were titled "Computer Music Audio Quality", by Dr Charles Zeilig and Jay Clawson. Perhaps the articles are available somewhere on the Net. The articles generated a firestorm of criticism from all sorts of audio experts in various discussion groups, like this one: http://www.avguide.com/forums/comput...quality?page=2
 
#16,468 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by AustinJerry /forum/post/21902075


I subscribe to the print magazine, which is where I read the series of four articles. The first article appeared in the December 2011 issue. The articles were titled "Computer Music Audio Quality", by Dr Charles Zeilig and Jay Clawson. Perhaps the articles are available somewhere on the Net. The articles generated a firestorm of criticism from all sorts of audio experts in various discussion groups, like this one: http://www.avguide.com/forums/comput...quality?page=2

Articles like this is why I no longer subscribe to any of the audio mags
.
 
#16,469 ·
As of yesterday I am a new owner. Not a proud one yet since I have encountered a problem that I am hoping someone could help me solve.


Connecting the Denon with my Panasonic plasma, Oppo 93 and XBox was quite trivial and plug and play.


Connecting with my HTPC, however, is another story. Before I had my AMD 4500 series video card connected directly to the TV. Therefore I connect to the Denon DVR input using the same HDMI cable that works with the TV. Result: no signal!


When I reboot the PC I do get video through the AVR but as soon as Windows 7 loads, the video is lost!



Catalist driver is configured for 1080p 60Hz, and that's how I have used it with the TV for 2 years.


Other than play with the HTPC resolution, I have no other idea and feel I am stuck.



Has anybody run into similar issue?
 
#16,470 ·
^^^


sadly, many htpc owners run into issues when a repeater is placed in the chain... and virtually all of those issues are caused by the htpc, whether it be a setting or a driver that is off...


best suggestion is to check in the htpc forum to see what other members have the same video card/config that you have...


good luck... i know that connection issues suck...
 
#16,471 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by makutaku /forum/post/21905610


As of yesterday I am a new owner. Not a proud one yet since I have encountered a problem that I am hoping someone could help me solve.


Connecting the Denon with my Panasonic plasma, Oppo 93 and XBox was quite trivial and plug and play.


Connecting with my HTPC, however, is another story. Before I had my AMD 4500 series video card connected directly to the TV. Therefore I connect to the Denon DVR input using the same HDMI cable that works with the TV. Result: no signal!


When I reboot the PC I do get video through the AVR but as soon as Windows 7 loads, the video is lost!



Catalist driver is configured for 1080p 60Hz, and that's how I have used it with the TV for 2 years.


Other than play with the HTPC resolution, I have no other idea and feel I am stuck.



Has anybody run into similar issue?

Use the HDMI input port closest to the HDMI output port. I had this exact same problem with my 3808 (may it rest in peace). The HDMI input port was number 4, if I remember correctly.


The HTPC would only work on that port for some reason. Never bothered to research into why, I pressed the "I Believe" button and moved on.
)
 
#16,473 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gov /forum/post/0


I am a proud owner of a new 4311 that I got for a song from my local BB!! Now where do I start, with Batpigs FAQ's? I still have to unload my SC-05

Congratulations--if you're lucky, one of the guys that pines for the days when receivers were beefy, weighted far more than 20 lbs, and had 'powerful amps' might show an interest in a classic SC.


As a recent convert myself (going on two months, but I'm finding my memories of the SC-57 are fast receding), I'd say reading Batpig thoroughly is a start. But I personally found it pretty easy to work with, as long as you note the advice on DEQ, RLO, and Dynamic Volume. And already having owned the Antimode, you should find Audyssey setup relatively easy. I know I did after owning the AS-EQ1.


Give yourself a few weeks--you may find the SC-05 helping to pay for the Pro license/upgrade:)
 
#16,474 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gov /forum/post/21906636


I am a proud owner of a new 4311 that I got for a song from my local BB!! Now where do I start, with Batpigs FAQ's? I still have to unload my SC-05

Awesome!...congrats! After three weeks (although with two different units in that time
) I'm loving mine more everyday. Definitely start with Batpig's guide. I also skimmed through the Official Audyssey thread . Audyssey's website came in useful to me as well.
 
#16,475 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gov /forum/post/21906636


I am a proud owner of a new 4311 that I got for a song from my local BB!! Now where do I start, with Batpigs FAQ's? I still have to unload my SC-05

Congrats-I recently switched from an SC-05 as well, and agree that the Batpig guide is a good place to start. Looking forward to hearing your impression and comparison with the Pio.
 
#16,476 ·
I am getting ready to add a Denon video processor (DVP602) to my system and was wondering if anyone had any tips/suggestions on connecting this to the 4311. It only has two HDMI outs and 6 HDMI ins. I currently have 4 sources (all HDMI): HTPC, oppo bdp-80, direct tv DVR HR23 & sony ps3. I like having the ability to set the audio by source so I was thinking of running all sources to the 4311 and then using both HDMI outs from 4311 to DVP602 so that I can have 2 separate video settings perhaps one with scaler and DNR on and the other off. Is there a better way to set it up? I would love to be able to set both audio and video by each source can this be accomplished with maybe a switch?
 
#16,477 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by makutaku /forum/post/21905610


When I reboot the PC I do get video through the AVR but as soon as Windows 7 loads, the video is lost!



Catalist driver is configured for 1080p 60Hz, and that's how I have used it with the TV for 2 years.

Try turning the denon off but leave the TV on, then reboot. If the Denon is off, it should still pass the video to the tv unmolested. If that works then you know the problem is not with the hardware per se but with how the denon processes the video. At that point you can try turning off the video processing in the denon and maybe fiddling with the settings in windows too.


FWIW, I find that installing tightvnc on the htpc and then accessing from another PC is useful when you have video display problems because VNC doesn't care what problems the monitor/video-card are having, you still can see the desktop and play with the settings when you would otherwise be flying blind.
 
#16,478 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gov /forum/post/21906636


I am a proud owner of a new 4311 that I got for a song from my local BB!! Now where do I start, with Batpigs FAQ's? I still have to unload my SC-05

another one bites the dust...



welcome aboard bruddah...
 
#16,479 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ccotenj /forum/post/0



another one bites the dust...



welcome aboard bruddah...

You've still got a few to go ...:)
 
#16,480 ·
We are talking about you Steve - say goodbye to the Susano and join all of us former Elite owners.
 
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