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#1 ·
I just wanted to start a thread for all owners of the Denon AVR-2808CI A/V receiver to post your impressions, useful information and a issues/resolutions for this unit. Mine will be arriving this week, and I'm sure there are others who will be receiving theirs soon or already have them up and running!


Here are some basic specs for anyone interested in purchasing one:

AVR-2808CI 7.1 CH/5.1+2 CH Home Theater/MultiMedia A/V Receiver with Network Client Compatible D-dock Port
Quote:
The AVR-2808CI has been fortified with the latest A/V upgrades positioning itself to become one of the most popular audio video receivers in the industry, continuing on in its predecessor's footsteps. The AVR-2808CI now has HDMI v1.3a which brings with it the new surround formats for HD decoding allowing for ultimate surround performance for the best in home theater experience. Updated Audyssey audio processing has been added to provide improved auto calibration results for smooth sound reproduction. The well acclaimed Faroudja FLi2310 has been employed to allow for video scaling to 1080p resolution. Serial IR ports along with the RS-232C system control port provides ease of integration for complex home audio installations with 3rd party controllers. Couple this with the new EL remote and you have an A/V receiver sure to be a best seller.


* 110 watts x 7 channels

* Analog Video to HDMI Scaling - 1080p

* Rear Panel RS-232C

* XM ready tuning

* Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio

* New DDSC-HD processing

* Expanded HDMI v1.3a ports with Deep Color and xvYCC Support

* Digital to Analog conversion for multi-zone connection flexibility

* Assignable +12V D.C. triggers

* Comes with dual remotes

* 2-way remote capability with optional RC-7000CI remote



So, what do you think? How does this unit perform?
 
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#154 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by wabkab /forum/post/11884765


DHL has it on the ground and "out for delivery" in my hometown. No one home, so I hope they leave it on my front porch (lanai as they call it here). Has everyone had a good experience with the packaging and transport (box in good shape, etc.)? Fun for this weekend. I'll be unplugging a 2805 and plugging in the 2808. For now it'll be basically the same, because I don't really have any HDMI sources except DirectvHDdvr. I'll be ready for an HD disc format when that fiasco settles out.


Ps. If anyone is interested I have my 2805 on the AVS Markeplace. Only been used as a pre-amp, because I use a B&K 5 channel and the assignable back speakers for a zone 2.

Mine was double boxed with foam peanuts all around it. I haven't put power to it but the internal box looked good,no dents.


Are you going to run the HDMI from your Directv box to your receiver and than to the TV. I read where people were having better experiences hooking their Directv receiver staright to TV and sending just the audio to the 2808. Any ideas on that?
 
#155 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by jirvin /forum/post/11884875


Mine was double boxed with foam peanuts all around it. I haven't put power to it but the internal box looked good,no dents.


Are you going to run the HDMI from your Directv box to your receiver and than to the TV. I read where people were having better experiences hooking their Directv receiver staright to TV and sending just the audio to the 2808. Any ideas on that?

Well, I'm debating that right now. I have had great luck with the existing Component cable monitor out and I'd have to run an HDMI cable to the TV(which will take some work due to the setup). My TV is a 2 year old Vizio 50" which supposedly has handshake issues giving me concern. On the other hand, if I don't, I won't really be doing anything new with the 2808 vs. the 2805. I will be future proof(about 2 years), and have Audessy Setup and that all important "brand new @%%^*& reciever! I think I should at least run that HDMI cable, hook it up and see.

Does anyone know if I hook up both Component monitor out as well as HDMI, will the both work, or will one take priority over the other? I downloaded the manual, but still couldn't figure that one out. Also right now, I have my Directv HD dvr outputing native inputs automatically. In other words, 480i to 1080i whatever the channel outputs. This causes the box to hiccup for a second, but it seems to do best for scaling issues and PQ. My question is,(if I use HDMI) will this just pass through the Denon as HDMI 480i, 720p, 1080i, or will the Denon upconvert this?
 
#158 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by wabkab /forum/post/11888220


We'll it is in, sitting at my front door! I'll race you there!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chub /forum/post/11888638


Woo Hoo!!! DLH left it on the door step.. Will start hooking up tonight!! Need to go buy more cables.

Stop gloating you two. The rest of us poor smucks that missed the deal may do something drastic! --Congrats to both (and all) of you that got this steal. I'm actually considering going with the $899 price that J&R has. Oh well, let us know how the hook up goes.
 
#159 ·
Hello fellow AVSers! I just picked up this receiver last Friday. I bought it at A&B Sound in Vancouver. Their price was about $1,500, got it for $1,270 CDN without even asking! Sweet unit, it's nice to finally be able to tap into Dolby True HD.


I also love the no-brainer set-up thanks to the Audyssey Microphone as I never really had the patients, or to be completely honest, the audiophile know-how to properly set-up a receiver to perform at it's optimum settings.


I was able to sell off my 7 year old Sony receiver (STR DB840) which helped to off set the price even further (thank you Craigslist!)



I find the overall sound to be much smoother and better defined than my old Sony. I have never owned a Denon before, but so far I am impressed.


-Murray
 
#160 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by fahertyps /forum/post/11889039


Stop gloating you two. The rest of us poor smucks that missed the deal may do something drastic! --Congrats to both (and all) of you that got this steal. I'm actually considering going with the $899 price that J&R has. Oh well, let us know how the hook up goes.

Uhh! Make that 3 of us. Got my unit from 6thave today as well. Anxious to get it set this weekend with my new Panny 50" PZ77U.
 
#161 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by fahertyps /forum/post/11889039


Stop gloating you two. The rest of us poor smucks that missed the deal may do something drastic! --Congrats to both (and all) of you that got this steal. I'm actually considering going with the $899 price that J&R has. Oh well, let us know how the hook up goes.

Okay, it's up and running! I did hook it up as an HDMI switcher and it does seem to look a hair better than Component. Setup was easy, although it was similar to my 2805, so I had some experience. Zone 2 audio and video out. I think I may get the new Oppo universal player and use it as an upconverter and a DSD and DVDaudio streamer. This should hold me until the Blu Ray HD DVD fiasco settles out. Sorry about the folks that waited too late. It was an awesome deal.

I'll report on more audio video detail later as I get a chance to listen and watch.


Ps. I'd go with that J&R price, it's only 100 more than we paid.
 
#162 ·
Question,

Why dose it take untill about -60dB on the volume before I start to hear any sound and up to -35dB before any real sound. Is it just mine? It seems like alot of knob twisting. I have it in stereo mode and I manualy calibrated it for now with just two speakers, Klipsch RB-61, I could not wait to hear it! Sounds superb!!! Will finish with the rest tomorrow.
 
#164 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by chub /forum/post/11892576


Question,

Why dose it take untill about -60dB on the volume before I start to hear any sound and up to -35dB before any real sound. Is it just mine? It seems like alot of knob twisting. I have it in stereo mode and I manualy calibrated it for now with just two speakers, Klipsch RB-61, I could not wait to hear it! Sounds superb!!! Will finish with the rest tomorrow.

I had the 2805 before and this threw me off at first, too. You get used to it quickly. One advantage is no one will accidentally turn the knob to the max and blow out year ears/gear.
 
#165 ·
Playing around with this reciever; all I can say is slick, very slick. Very easy setup, more intuitive than the 2805(slightly more complex menu) and several more options. Renamed and deleted inputs used and unused, respectively. Just about all the default menu items are on the money, at least to get you going. Sound, wow, what can I say--I'm easy to please. The zone 2/3 remote is a nice addition. I will use my Directv HD dvr remote and a Harmony instead of the main Denon remote--too complex for the low tech's of the family-me being the worst.


If you're on the fence and can afford it, highly recommended. After 12 hours of setup that may be a bit out there, but I'm basing that on owning a flawless 2805 for 3 years and assuming this will be as reliable, etc.
 
#166 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by wabkab /forum/post/11893295


I had the 2805 before and this threw me off at first, too. You get used to it quickly. One advantage is no one will accidentally turn the knob to the max and blow out year ears/gear.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nweibley /forum/post/11892653


It is because there is a logarithmic relationship between db (in the 2808's case measuring attenuation) and the effective change in sound you hear. It is a normal behavior.

Thanks!!!
 
#167 ·
For those of you who have had a chance to become familiar with your receiver, I have a couple of questions. I have a Wii, Xbox 360, Directv H20, and a Sony DVD player hooked up via component to my current Denon 687. I have the component video out on the receiver going to a CE labs component video distribution amplifier. This is done to allow me to watch whatever video input the receiver is set to on three different displays.


My question is, will this receiver output video through the component video out and the HDMI out at the same time? For example, most componets will allow you to output video through component or composite simaltaneouly. So does the Denon 2808 do this using component and HDMI. If it does I could potentially run the HDMI out on the receiver to my front projector and have all of the benefits of upscaling while at the same time getting lossless audio from my HD DVD player. Then I could run the component video out to my CE labs component video amplifier and still be able to watch the sources that I mentioned above on my other displays.


I hope all this makes since. I know what I'm trying to acheive but I don't know if it came across the right way. Thanks in advance for any help.
 
#169 ·
Got my unit on friday and finally had time to hook it up today. Started "Auto Setup" and had a phase problem with one of the speakers so I canceled setup to check out the problem. Sure enough I had a speaker miswired, corrected that, and started setup again. Now I am getting a message that the microphone is disconnected or I am not getting a speaker output (I am). Tried a full system reset and that did not help. Denon service is not available until tomorrow so I guess it's just hurry up and wait. Dang!!
 
#170 ·
My only issue so far (and I hope it is something in the setup) is I'm getting a 3- 6 second video drop during commercial changes/quick fade to blacks. It happens whether I use component or HDMI so I think it is the upconverter processing slowly. I have my Directv HD DVR on the automatic native resolution which outputs whatever the chanel is anywhere from 480i on up. The DVR hiccups on the channel changes, but this problem is not the same but may be related? Can't seem to figure it out via the manual.
 
#171 ·
Just got a 988 yesterday and I have a question on Audyssey. I ran it but only used 3 positions and the results were pretty bad, it correctly detected my fronts as small but set the crossover to 200hz and the sub level to +7db which resulted in a very poor bass-heavy sound. This was contrary to my initial impressions when I first tested with a CD on first power up with no calibration, the sound was clear with tight bass. I have manually calibrated the sound but was wondering if it is worth trying Audyssey again or just sticking with the manually calibrated sound? Thanks
 
#174 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by fahertyps /forum/post/11883705


You may want to browse the speaker forum for examples of speakers that meet your needs (price, wife acceptance factor, etc). I have Paradigm (fronts, CC, surrounds) and Monitor Audio mains in another room. Perhaps one of those would meet your needs. Many things to consider-fronts, center, surrounds, sub (if you can afford it now). Perhaps a system like the NHT Verve ($1600 MSRP) that soundandvisionmag.com just recommended. Whatever you do, please don't just buy Bose w/out doing your research here and on other forums...could be an expensive mistake. You can get a nice quality system for around the same money as the Bose. Try to find a place to listen and compare.



Paradigm tread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=559431

Monitor Audio thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=679047

Definitive Procinema
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=863945

Hello fahertyps, Thanks for your response. As you said I did some research and gone thru some of the speaker forums. The main constraint I am facing is the size of the speaker system, I wish to take this abroad and for that reason I was looking for a home theatre system which could fit in a check-in size box. Could you please suggest me a good set of speakers which are smaller in size and good performance. Price is not a constraint. thanks Again.
 
#175 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by efjay /forum/post/11909071


Thanks, I will try it again tonight with more positions.

Do 6. No less. Take 3 readings at the seating positions, and 3 more 2 feet in front of the previous reads.
 
#176 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by eightninesuited /forum/post/11914632


Do 6. No less. Take 3 readings at the seating positions, and 3 more 2 feet in front of the previous reads.

I tried Audyssey again tonight at 6 different positions. The results were a bit better than before but after calibration I had no output from my sub in Stereo mode; surround was ok. I got it back by going into Manual setup and toggling the 2CH/Direct option. Also had to adjust the crossover settings a bit but I think this attempt has been successful overall.
 
#177 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by sarvinth /forum/post/11914553


Hello fahertyps, Thanks for your response. As you said I did some research and gone thru some of the speaker forums. The main constraint I am facing is the size of the speaker system, I wish to take this abroad and for that reason I was looking for a home theatre system which could fit in a check-in size box. Could you please suggest me a good set of speakers which are smaller in size and good performance. Price is not a constraint. thanks Again.

(This should probably be moved to the correct forum.)

Well, if price is no constraint...
. I'm sure you will get several opinions here, but I'd strongly recommend listening to the Definitive ProCinemas (they have 3 models). I'm sure you could get them in a suitcase sized container with the exception of the sub. Check out: http://www.definitivetech.com/loudsp...procinema.html .

Paradigm also has a Cinema Series:
http://www.paradigm.com/en/paradigm/...w-2-2.paradigm

Seems like NHT Verve is still an option, perhaps Atlantic Technology’s System 1200.

S&V recommended systems: http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/bes...helistspeakers

Happy hunting and safe journeys. Where are you headed over seas?
 
#178 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by wabkab /forum/post/11903955


My only issue so far (and I hope it is something in the setup) is I'm getting a 3- 6 second video drop during commercial changes/quick fade to blacks. It happens whether I use component or HDMI so I think it is the upconverter processing slowly. I have my Directv HD DVR on the automatic native resolution which outputs whatever the chanel is anywhere from 480i on up. The DVR hiccups on the channel changes, but this problem is not the same but may be related? Can't seem to figure it out via the manual.

Anyone have any ideas on this?
 
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