Official Denon AVP-A1HD/AVP-A1HDCI and POA-A1HD/POA-A1HDCI owners thread. - Page 12

Originally Posted by ohyeah32

Sounds like a great idea!! Bring on those photos guys! We want to see 'em.

I forgot to tell you this before, but those pix you took of your setup are awesome! They came out excellent! Looking forward to any new ones you post.

Here's a few more I took (I'm also including the one I had previously posted on the other thread since this is now the official site).



...

Originally Posted by MarkB


Another thing - the PS3 gets an update this week (v2.20) that adds BD profile 2.0 compatability, and in this update is a new feature for noise reduction processing on video sources. This is another setting to play with!

Originally Posted by progprog

I agree that we're not going to answer it in this thread, just as we're not going to answer what amp is best with the AVP, what sub-setup is best, what display, etc. Because there is no best; no right or wrong. But I don't get why these things tend to turn into arguments. We're all engaged in this hobby, we all like to play around and tweak and try different things. Can't people just write about what equipment they use and what they like about it? Then the rest of us can take that info and use it, dismiss it, ask questions and share ideas as we please.

Sorry to be so "Rodney King" about this. (Maybe the current U.S. political season has over-sensitized me to people needing to be so right all the time and making everybody else stupid and wrong when they disagree.) I want to hear about everybody's amps and power cords and remote controls and home theater configs with their Denon AVP. I say keep the conversation wide open, as long as it stays civil when we disagree.

Originally Posted by Johnla

I have to give Sony a lot of credit in regards to the way they support the PS3. They have really sent out a lot of firmware updates/upgrades for the PS3 so far, and have done so without making people go through hoops to get them. And Denon seems to be right along with them now with most of their newer offerings, with offering easy to get firmware upgrades via the net. And that's really something that a LOT of other manufacturers should look into doing.

Originally Posted by Johnla

I have to give Sony a lot of credit in regards to the way they support the PS3. They have really sent out a lot of firmware updates/upgrades for the PS3 so far, and have done so without making people go through hoops to get them. And Denon seems to be right along with them now with most of their newer offerings, with offering easy to get firmware upgrades via the net. And that's really something that a LOT of other manufacturers should look into doing.

Originally Posted by MarkB

Yes, I totally agree. It shows real commitment from these manufacturers to support us, the customers. Now then, if Sony could just add dts MA and DSD bitstream out for SCAD I would be even happier!

Originally Posted by pentium7

Don't do it, I tried to buy a pronto and it was a pain in the butt to deal with, just don't have the patience for it I guess.

The Harmony 890 and 1000 are "okay" but they don't work well with lots of functions and the RF has numerous complaints from owners about it stopping and them needing to reset the RF device to get it working again.

The Control 4 with remote and module was $699 + programming includes 2 RS232 + 8 IR I believe maybe more. I decided to get 2 Control 4 modules so I could have 4 RS323 and 16 IR not that I need them but I needed 2 remote controls, 1 for BR, 1 for LR and it gives me a lot more functionality.

The only downside is paying someone to come out to program in a new device, like BD player etc $95 is the cost for simple usually 1 hr for the pros. The upside is that it is supposed to be flawless and extremely functional along with home automation if I elect to add on in the future it is all wireless.

Originally Posted by Franin

I reckon that will be in there new upcoming players.

Originally Posted by MarkB

I don't doubt it mate. I realise that the 2500 and 3800 players have hardly been released (in fact, I don't think they have over here yet), if Denon is what you meant, but some info on the next set of DVD/HD/SACD/etc players would be great - or even just some info the top end player. We need DenonJeff back!

Originally Posted by MarkB

Of course it sounds great, but Denon put those balanced stereo inputs on the AVP for a reason, and that it extremely high quality DACs inside (or outside in the case of an external DAC) a CD player. By placing the AVP into pure-direct mode on the XLR inputs I should think that you will achive the best possible stereo CD playback possible - always a sore point with processors and amps that "do it all".

Perhaps I am asking too much, and what I really want is the Denon DCD-SA1 and then another unit for everything else. But if they could capture the essence of what the DCD-SA1 is about and integrate it into a universal player it would be perfect for me.

Originally Posted by progprog

orologio,

There are whole forums on this topic alone! I started to write what I thought would be a brief summary, but quickly realized there's no such thing. I'll tackle it later when I feel more ambitious, but here's the gist of what you need:

• A server attached to your home network, preferably by ethernet and not wireless. This can be any computer on your network, or you can set up a separate, dedicated server. Check out www.smallnetbuilder.com for info on networks and servers.
• A program on your computer that you use to burn your CDs to files that you'll store on the server. There are lots of these, including the one you mentioned; some well-known ones include Winamp, dbPoweramp, and Exact Audio Copy (EAC).
• A file format compatible with all the devices on which you intend to play the music. For the best, CD-quality music, you want a "lossless," not "lossy" format (often confused with compressed/uncompressed, which is a completely different parameter). Apple lossless and .flac are two common lossless formats. The AVP definitely plays .flac but I'm not sure about Apples Lossless. Take a look at http://www.dbpoweramp.com/codec-central.htm for a quick introduction to format options.
• Device(s) that provide some sort of user interface for accessing your music and playing it back.

Each one of those bullet points really is a huge topic unto itself. Take your time now in the "learning" phase and you'll save lots of headaches later. I use the following: a dedicated Netgear ReadyNAS 3Tb server, EAC to burn CDs to .flac files (though I've also used Winamp and others), and a Sonos system as my primary playback interface. Note that the AVP can play back files directly, but the two-line front panel interface is excruciating. Instead, I connect a Sonos ZP80 via digital coax and use the Sonos handheld and desktop controllers for their far superior usability and interface. The SQ is the same since the AVP's DACs do the decoding in both cases.

I hope that's at least enough to help start your learning process. While this is confusing and time-consuming when you first start out, it's well worth the time, money, and effort. I rediscovered so much of my old music once it was so easily accessible! I can't recommend it highly enough.

Originally Posted by progprog

orologio,

There are whole forums on this topic alone! I started to write what I thought would be a brief summary, but quickly realized there's no such thing. I'll tackle it later when I feel more ambitious, but here's the gist of what you need:

• A server attached to your home network, preferably by ethernet and not wireless. This can be any computer on your network, or you can set up a separate, dedicated server. Check out www.smallnetbuilder.com for info on networks and servers.
• A program on your computer that you use to burn your CDs to files that you'll store on the server. There are lots of these, including the one you mentioned; some well-known ones include Winamp, dbPoweramp, and Exact Audio Copy (EAC).
• A file format compatible with all the devices on which you intend to play the music. For the best, CD-quality music, you want a "lossless," not "lossy" format (often confused with compressed/uncompressed, which is a completely different parameter). Apple lossless and .flac are two common lossless formats. The AVP definitely plays .flac but I'm not sure about Apples Lossless. Take a look at http://www.dbpoweramp.com/codec-central.htm for a quick introduction to format options.
• Device(s) that provide some sort of user interface for accessing your music and playing it back.

Each one of those bullet points really is a huge topic unto itself. Take your time now in the "learning" phase and you'll save lots of headaches later. I use the following: a dedicated Netgear ReadyNAS 3Tb server, EAC to burn CDs to .flac files (though I've also used Winamp and others), and a Sonos system as my primary playback interface. Note that the AVP can play back files directly, but the two-line front panel interface is excruciating. Instead, I connect a Sonos ZP80 via digital coax and use the Sonos handheld and desktop controllers for their far superior usability and interface. The SQ is the same since the AVP's DACs do the decoding in both cases.

I hope that's at least enough to help start your learning process. While this is confusing and time-consuming when you first start out, it's well worth the time, money, and effort. I rediscovered so much of my old music once it was so easily accessible! I can't recommend it highly enough.

Originally Posted by MarkB

Thats Excellent progprog, thanks for that. If you do expand this info, I would love to read it.

As a slight aside, you say that the server should not be wireless. What are the pitfalls if this has to be the case? I want a media server, and I have a spare powerful PC, but it makes lots of noise and it is large. I want to place it somewhere where it cannot be seen or heard and this most likely means upstairs!

Originally Posted by Johnla

I have to give Sony a lot of credit in regards to the way they support the PS3. They have really sent out a lot of firmware updates/upgrades for the PS3 so far, and have done so without making people go through hoops to get them. And Denon seems to be right along with them now with most of their newer offerings, with offering easy to get firmware upgrades via the net. And that's really something that a LOT of other manufacturers should look into doing.

Originally Posted by MarkB

I tried this - I set the PS3 to not upscale DVD and set the AVP to upscale - but there was a loss of quality. As I said, I'm not too sure why yet, and perhaps I have made settings incorrectly. FWIW, the Denon is able to process and improve an HDMI 1080p signal according to DenonJeff - it does not bypass it. Only when I have the PS3 upscale DVD to 1080p, then the AVP to process that signal do I see the maximum improvement. I will do some more testing tonight.

Another thing - the PS3 gets an update this week (v2.20) that adds BD profile 2.0 compatability, and in this update is a new feature called "Mosquito Noise Reduction" for noise reduction processing on video sources. This is another setting to play with!

Originally Posted by orologio

My understanding is that there are two basic way to create a music server, please correct me if I am wrong: one is a pc/mac based storage system and the other one is a standalone system like Macintosh ms750 (way too expensive for me) and Opus ( i remember an article I recently read on the NY Times). Could you briefly tell what's the pros and cons are in these approaches? My last concern is how do I know whether or not whatever device support 24bit/96hz .flac?

Originally Posted by MarkB

As a slight aside, you say that the server should not be wireless. What are the pitfalls if this has to be the case? I want a media server, and I have a spare powerful PC, but it makes lots of noise and it is large. I want to place it somewhere where it cannot be seen or heard and this most likely means upstairs!

Originally Posted by progprog

That's pretty close. I think of three possibilities though. (#1 and #3 are similar, but different enough in practice that I consider them different solutions.)

1. A PC/Mac computer. This is a computer that you actually use where you also store your music files. Pro: it's the cheapest approach since you already have the computer. Con: that computer needs to be running whenever you want to play your music, and doing double duty as server & computer can compromise its performance as both.
2. A music server system, such as Escient or the Macintosh. Pro: these are dedicated music servers designed specifically in both hardware and software to integrate with your AV system as a complete, self-contained solution. Con: they're really expensive and you can't use their space for other digital storage.
3. A network attached storage device (NAS). This can be an old computer revamped for the purpose, or a dedicated NAS unit like the one I have. A NAS is essentially a specialized computer designed to make data on its hard drive(s) available over a network. Pro: it's flexible, in that you can store all types of digital files on it, such as data & photos, it's smaller than a PC or music server so your placement options are broader (mine's about the size of a toaster), and it can be on all the time without interfering with other computers. Cons: expensive, though not nearly in the range of Escient-type systems, and requires some networking knowledge to set up and maintain.

These descriptions are not comprehensive, but I hope give you an outline of the three directions you can go with this. As for file types and support, you really have to look into the specific device you're interested in. Page 64 of the AVP manual specifies which formats it can play, and it does not appear to directly accept files with a 96kHz sampling frequency. (For reference, that is an unusual format; most files will be 44.1kHz, as that's the sampling frequency at which CDs are recorded.)



Wireless can work, but has all the potential pitfalls of any wireless device- interference, dropouts, competition for signal with other wireless devices on the network, etc. Playback devices vary in their buffers-sizes, so some are a more sensitive to break-ups in the data stream, and one that I tried (the Squeezebox) even had a tendency to completely freeze-up when the wireless signal became erratic. And man, it really sucks to have dropouts while your music is playing! I like the security of a good, hardwired connection.

Comment: Ethernet cable is cheap, and it's skinny enough to run under baseboards and through little holes between floors, etc. It's not as daunting as it might seem, and you only have to do it once. But all that said, I don't want to imply that a wireless option isn't viable. With a strong, reliable signal, it can indeed work well.

Originally Posted by orologio

Thank you very much for your kind and helpful explanation. I learned a lot from your post.

Yes the AVP manual's page 64 mentions 44.1kHz, while on the website specs I read this line: "True 24-bit/96-kHz Digital Input Capability". Frankly I don't know what that means, but by curiosity because of that I got interested to Linn Studio Master hi-res downloads ...but the specs are now irrelevant. I will be soon setting a NAS, now that I know what it is.
Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Anthony A.

can anyone tell me if the balanced ins and outs on this unit are in fact a true, fully balanced dual differential circuit, or are they simply xlr connectors like many cheaper units do? also, is this the exact same video board/circuit used in the 5308 receiver?

Originally Posted by Frank Derks

And are these balanced outputs of the floating type where it is possible to ground the pos or neg output to feed an unbalanced input?

Is there a brave soul out there that had a look at the opamps used in the dac section?

My very expensive (former) top of the line Denon had these very cheap ($0.45) JRC op-amps.
I replaced the lot with audio grade dual opamps and while I was at it I also replaced the coupling capacitors with black gate capacitors.
The sound quality went up considerably. (The parts alone set me back around $1000)

Looking forward to upgrading the AVP HD1.
I have to build myself some more power amplifiers.

Originally Posted by progprog

That's pretty close. I think of three possibilities though. (#1 and #3 are similar, but different enough in practice that I consider them different solutions.)

1. A PC/Mac computer. This is a computer that you actually use where you also store your music files. Pro: it's the cheapest approach since you already have the computer. Con: that computer needs to be running whenever you want to play your music, and doing double duty as server & computer can compromise its performance as both.
2. A music server system, such as Escient or the Macintosh. Pro: these are dedicated music servers designed specifically in both hardware and software to integrate with your AV system as a complete, self-contained solution. Con: they're really expensive and you can't use their space for other digital storage.
3. A network attached storage device (NAS). This can be an old computer revamped for the purpose, or a dedicated NAS unit like the one I have. A NAS is essentially a specialized computer designed to make data on its hard drive(s) available over a network. Pro: it's flexible, in that you can store all types of digital files on it, such as data & photos, it's smaller than a PC or music server so your placement options are broader (mine's about the size of a toaster), and it can be on all the time without interfering with other computers. Cons: expensive, though not nearly in the range of Escient-type systems, and requires some networking knowledge to set up and maintain.

These descriptions are not comprehensive, but I hope give you an outline of the three directions you can go with this. As for file types and support, you really have to look into the specific device you're interested in. Page 64 of the AVP manual specifies which formats it can play, and it does not appear to directly accept files with a 96kHz sampling frequency. (For reference, that is an unusual format; most files will be 44.1kHz, as that's the sampling frequency at which CDs are recorded.)



Wireless can work, but has all the potential pitfalls of any wireless device- interference, dropouts, competition for signal with other wireless devices on the network, etc. Playback devices vary in their buffers-sizes, so some are a more sensitive to break-ups in the data stream, and one that I tried (the Squeezebox) even had a tendency to completely freeze-up when the wireless signal became erratic. And man, it really sucks to have dropouts while your music is playing! I like the security of a good, hardwired connection.

Comment: Ethernet cable is cheap, and it's skinny enough to run under baseboards and through little holes between floors, etc. It's not as daunting as it might seem, and you only have to do it once. But all that said, I don't want to imply that a wireless option isn't viable. With a strong, reliable signal, it can indeed work well.

Originally Posted by Frank Derks

And are these balanced outputs of the floating type where it is possible to ground the pos or neg output to feed an unbalanced input?

Is there a brave soul out there that had a look at the opamps used in the dac section?

My very expensive (former) top of the line Denon had these very cheap ($0.45) JRC op-amps.
I replaced the lot with audio grade dual opamps and while I was at it I also replaced the coupling capacitors with black gate capacitors.
The sound quality went up considerably. (The parts alone set me back around $1000)

Looking forward to upgrading the AVP HD1.
I have to build myself some more power amplifiers.

Originally Posted by Franin

Had the HArmony 1000i that was ok but know getting the phililps pronto 9600.Looking forward to having a play around with that one.

Originally Posted by progprog

Wireless can work, but has all the potential pitfalls of any wireless device- interference, dropouts, competition for signal with other wireless devices on the network, etc. Playback devices vary in their buffers-sizes, so some are a more sensitive to break-ups in the data stream, and one that I tried (the Squeezebox) even had a tendency to completely freeze-up when the wireless signal became erratic. And man, it really sucks to have dropouts while your music is playing! I like the security of a good, hardwired connection.

Comment: Ethernet cable is cheap, and it's skinny enough to run under baseboards and through little holes between floors, etc. It's not as daunting as it might seem, and you only have to do it once. But all that said, I don't want to imply that a wireless option isn't viable. With a strong, reliable signal, it can indeed work well.