*Official* Denon AVR 1909/789 Thread - Page 21

LOL. I will take that if nothing else..

This is one area where Denon generalyl gets it right over other companies, they tend not have buggy implementations like the "defeatable... but not really!" video processor on the HK's.

I haven't personally verified it on a Faroudja-based Denon AVR, but this what I know (or think I know!):

1. HDMI video input will not be touched, just passed through the HDMI output
2. Video conversion can be turned on or off by inputs. In the setup menu for Denons you have the option to turn it on/off for each source (i.e DVD, TV/CBL, etc)
3. The video conversion is separate from any i/p deinterlacing or upscaling. i.e. you can set it to NOT convert analog to HDMI; convert analog to HDMI without affecting resolution; convert analog to HDMI with just 480i/p scaling; or convert analog to HDMI with full upscaling of 480i/p material to your choice of 720p/1080i/1080p.

I would be willing to wager that the Denon doesn't screw this up like the HK, they tend do this stuff correctly.

What are you trying to do exactly? Pass analog inputs to HDMI output without touching the resolution?

For pre-outs you have to step up to the 2809ci/989 model ($1000+) or forego the new Audyssey features and grab a close-out price on last year's 2808ci/988 ($600-700ish).

ahh so i couldnt resist and put in an order for one also. thanks guys for the info!

/slap

There is an out for a sub, but not an amp. Is it a big deal? Hard to say, but it does limit flexibility down the road. I finally figured that I probably won't add an amp down the road as my 10 year old yamaha is enough to blow my eardrums out. I was mulling over the 1018, 254, and 1909; in the end the PS3 issues with the HK kept me from that one, and all the talk of the Audessey features and sound quality of Denon won over the fact that the 1018 had pre-outs at the same price. Good luck!

Got an email from J&R saying it's backordered!?!!

Just picked up the 1909 from Best Buy and used the 10% off coupon. The sales guy was pretty cool..he was going to give me the 10% either way if the coupon was invalid!

I had the Sony DG820 and wasn't too crazy about the way it sounded. I hope this Denon doesn't let me down! I have some KEF 3005 speakers, will it be okay to connect the Sub directly to the AMP? or just straight to my wall outlet?

I'm no audiophile so i hope i can have everything setup to maximize my speakers!

thanks guys for the reviews!

I was in the same boat as a lot on this thread in that I was debating between this and the pio 1018 (as well as the Yammy 633). Yesterday I went to BB and told my wife that if they had the 1909 in stock then I would get it. I asked, the guy, he said they had two so I bought one. (used 10% coupon plus I had a $100 gift card)

This will be my first foray into a "modern" AVR as I am going from an old Sony with DD/DTS. I'm already somewhat bewildered by all the options and settings, HDMI upconverting/upscaling, as well as using the Audyessy setup thingy. But thanks to all of you, I feel I made a good decision in my purchase.

I'll be setting it up tomorrow so wich me luck.

PS: another plus on this purchase for me is that now I don't have to follow so many threads in the forum. Doing so sure took a lot of my free time away.

So, thanks again for all the contributors to this thread. I'm sure I'll be back with a few questions.

My 1909 arrived on Friday. I set everything up the next night and tweaked all day Sunday. I'm very happy with the overall sound and MultiEQ/Dynamic Volume features.

I was worried about video issues because my TV is an older RPTV w/ DVI only, but everything works great.

It was nice to see the display with bitstreamed Dolby TrueHD being processed on the receiver. And I'm also able to experience HD Audio from my PS3 via LPCM for the first time. Couldn't be happier with the sound now for my HD movies. Music sounds good as well, but I'm probably going to use it 80/20 for movies/music. The Audyssey setup was very easy with no errors. The manual isn't the most straightforward and it took a bit to figure out how to get to all the settings, but that is a one time pain.

Must say I'm glad I chose now to jump in and get a new receiver and can't imagine better way to spend $499 on my current HT setup.

I know this question has probably been beaten to death, but given the recent crash, and the fact that the 988s are still around for $599, I need to reconfirm, especially from those who have actually owned and tested the 1909 against the xx88/08 models, that the actual implementation of Audyssey dynamic volume/EQ, excellently and succinctly summarized in the following post by JohnAV, actually delivers on the promise and hype:


I feel I need to confirm this not only because of the appeal of the currently low-priced 988 which is quite irresistible, but also because of this post which I retrieved from another forum before the crash:


Now here's the final question for those who have actually experienced Dynamic Volume/EQ, and also the "Night Mode." How "close" are we supposed to take their alleged "close" resemblance to be? Also if my "neighbor-friendliest" and lowest listening volume is -35, does that mean the dynamic volume/EQ will be ineffectual in my case as alleged by the Denon rep in the above quote? Thanks.

I can only speak for the 1909's Dynamic volume/EQ. At -35 it does still make a huge difference from my old reciever. I love the ability to clearly hear the quiet dialog sections of the movie with out having to crank the volume up (and then having to turn it back down when the actions starts). I've been using it on the Day setting (I need to try the other settings) and the low level dialog sounds just a great as the high level explosions. I didn't know how much I would like this feature because I was worried it would degrade the overall sound, but I have no regrets now.

damn

lost 400 posts

But 300 of them were about when somebody's 1909 was shipping...

I was going back and forth between the 988 and 1909 and finally decided on the 1909 based on the feedback on the 1909's Audyssey with its Dynamic Volume /Dynamic EQ implementation. Ordered via J&R (backordered). Now waiting to see if the Sony S350 goes down in price.

Check amazon on the 350!

I spoke with Denon tech support today and asked them to email me the IR codes for the 1909, which they did. It's a 20 page PDF, and I sent it off to Harmony so that they can add it to their database. According to the level 2 Harmony tech I spoke with, this should be completed within 72 hours.

One thing I did notice is that there are discreet codes (I think I am using this term correctly) for the Dynamic Volume settings of Day, Evening and Midnight.

Nice.

^^^ awesome. hopefullly by time i get the denon shipped to me, logitech will have it in their database

also, since some posts were lost .. what was the dongle needed to get the logitech remotes to work on ps3? i dont have ps3 yet but thinking about it.

Sweet.

Thats good to hear about the Harmony...I just hope they have the repeat commands issue fixed when I get home tonight. I swapped in my 1909 this weekend and updated my remote...which broke it. Now I have around 10 remotes sitting on the table.

The one I'm using is IR2BT. They're currently sold out, but you can sign up to be notified when they're in stock again.

I know there are other solutions available, but some of them are not able to turn the PS3 On and Off (IR2BT can).

I use the Nyko blu wave remote's dongle with the PS3, but it is one of the solutions that doesn't turn it on/off.

Hmm interesting. They're in FL also. Wished it was a little bit cheaper though

Stimpson, I read that the Nyko one has sluggish responsiveness. Is that true?

Using the Nyko dongle w/ my Harmony has been sluggish. But, I think there are some settings I could try to speed it up. Since my Harmony isn't working right now I've been using the Nyko remote and it seems to respond faster. Of course they are both slow compared to the PS3 controller.

I imagine the IR2BT is the best solution if you want to spend the money. I'm happy for now w/ the cheaper Nyko solution...but might upgrade at some point in the future. I only really use the PS3 to watch movies...so once I get it started I'm not using the remote much anyways.

Can you post a link to this document or email it to me and I can host a link. I have a MX-500 and would like to program some discrete codes, especially for the Dymanic volumes when I receive my 1909.

Not quite. There was about 8 responses in a row due to my questioning of the shipping method used as I'm expecting mine later than most from J&R when someone got all pissy about it. Tomorrow can't get here soon enough.

Now OT:

No offense to Bugs but he should really link the thread that talks about all the devices, not just the IR2BT so you can compare. Based on your cost preference though, the IR2BT is looking to be about right for you, but it has some inherent flaws that some other users might not want. Check this thread out for yourself. It's got some great info in it.

Doesn't offend me in the least. I have one BD player (PS3), one dongle (IR2BT), one DVR (HR21), one AVR (1909) and one TV (LN-52A750). I don't have a financial stake in any of the companies that manufacture or sell these components. I can share my opinions and experiences about this hardware, but I can't really compare them to any others (except the Onkyo 606, which I no longer have). I think we all know that there is more information on virtually any A/V subject available in AVS than is contained in any one post or thread, and we can seek it out if we are so inclined.

But thanks for posting the link, I'm sure it will help others find the information they need.

Sent you PM.

AV Science Forum -- better known as AVSForum -- is the place to go to converse about all things AV-related. In what can only be described as a dramatic bummer, the website suffered a "a major failure in the database and backup storage." Due to the catastrophe, "tens of thousands" of posts were lost over the past week, and the boards have been restored to how they looked on August 2nd, 2008. We get this weird feeling the administrators will be implementing enough backup solutions to keep things humming along 'til the end of time after having this happen,

Can I get a link/email also Bugs? Discrete for Day/Evening/Midnight would be handy - though I tend to leave it in Midnight mostly.

I've been curious about the power consumption of the 1909 and I finally broke down and picked up a Kill-A-Watt meter to check it out. I got the cheap version (model P4400), which reads only whole watts. The more expensive version claims one decimal place. The claimed accuracy of the model I bought is +/- 0.2%

I began by testing the meter with some appliances and lamps to get an idea if the readings are at least in the ball park. Given that the power consumption of light bulbs and toasters are probably not precisely calibrated, the Kill-A-Watt gave readings that were plausible. Most of the light bulbs measured about 5% low, but I don't know if that's typical of incandescent bulbs or indicative that the Kill-A-Watt reads low.

I then plugged the 1909 into the Kill-A-Watt and got the following results:

• Standby, HDMI Control OFF: 0 watts (Denon specs say 0.3 watts)
  
• Standby, HDMI Control ON: 30 watts
  
• ON, volume = -40 dB: 69 watts
  
• ON, volume = -20 dB: 72 watts
  
• ON, volume = -10 dB: 83 watts
  
• ON, volume = 0.0 dB: 110 watts

I have a 5.1 setup, with 8 ohm speakers and a powered SW.

With the 1909 ON, the power consumption varies quite a bit at each volume level, depending on the input source and the material. The readings I listed are roughly the maximum I saw at each level. EDIT: I didn't see any significant difference in the power consumption with Dynamic EQ/Vol On or Off.

The readings are lower than I anticipated. Do they seem reasonable, or is the Kill-A-Watt suspect, or is there something unusual about my setup? If they are right, this AVR doesn't consume much power at all. I suppose that this is consistent with the cool running temperature. The Denon specs list the current consumption at 5.2 Amps, but that is probably a very conservative maximum and factors in something for the switched power outlets, which are rated at 1.0 Amps total. I have nothing connected to the switched outlets, but I never saw the current approach anything close to 5.2 Amps.

As I suspected, turning HDMI Control to ON does draw some power, but not very much, only 30 watts. Before I made the measurements, I was thinking that there might be an economic incentive to leave HDMI Control OFF. There is, but not very much. In a full month of 24/7 operation, leaving the HDMI Control ON would consume about 22 KWH. At $0.12/KWH, that works out to $2.68/month. If you'e off the grid and counting every KWH, you wouldn't want to enable HDMI Control. For everyone else, it's a question of whether the convenience of HDMI Control is worth $2.68/month +/-.

I have a copy of a 20 page Denon PDF that has all the IR codes for the 1909. Is there a way to post this on AFS (2 mb)? I don't have the capability to host a url for the document, but I'm happy to email it to someone who does. PM me with your email address and I'll send it along.

Sent you PM.