*OFFICIAL* Denon AVR 391 / 591 / 1611 Owner's Thread - Page 46

As noted in Post #1 of this thread, it does not. The 1911 and 791 are the lowest level models with the ABT video chip. The 1611 and 1911 will both have similar audio capabilities, therefore choose the one that has the features you need.

The distances you describe are not unusual. Autosetup will time-align them all perfectly for mic pos #1. See the Audyssey setup guide linked in batpig's guide. All channels will be delayed very slightly to match the furthest speaker (we're talking milliseconds). Surrounds are the least crucial of speakers, so don't sweat them. As long as they are even with (90 degrees), or preferably slightly behind (95-105) your head they'll sound fine. They should ideally be about 2 feet above your seated head (see this) so an in-wall or on-wall installation is very practical for most. Fairly thin wire (24 ga) is fine if that makes it easier as they draw little power.

Must say.. I am not seeing the appeal of the 1611 AVR. I was expecting it to be better than Onkyo but this thing is riddled with issues. HDMI drops out frequently. Audio sync issues. When using OSD to make settings, hitting return sometimes drops you back to the program rather than backing up to the last menu. Out of phase error message when speakers are not out of phase. They do advise to skip but why have the feature if it does not work?

I might could deal with the most of the above but the HDMI drop outs are not acceptable and something that never happened once with the Onkyo.. nor did the audio sync issue. Not seeing how this receiver justifies the extra $150 in cost.

hey guys just ordered 1611 and the polk rm 510 and pretty sure they should all work together. Got some questions. I just want to confirm that this works well with component connection with xbox 360? How well does the dynamic volume work? Confirm also that it has audio pass through which means the unit doesn't have to be on in order to get sound from my tv?

Hi scharnhorst, define well?

Do you mean upconvert xbox 360 using component input? Yes it does upconvert component video to HDMI.

Dynamic Volume works as it should, like taming the loud volume of commercials.

Pass-thu works with receiver Off (Standby) mode. It pass audio and video when setting HDMI Control to On (note that it does not pass component input, only HDMI input).

thank you Jchin

"Well" to me would be no issues. I won't be connecting it by way of hdmi but by component, and I am aware it takes optical cable to get 5.1 sound and I do have that.

Ok so pass-thru means, in my circumstance, that I will have to use the receiver and 5.1 when using the xbox?

Another question I have is how fast does it take for the receiver to change inputs? Another concern i have is with lipsync which from what i've read affects some people and others never experience the issue, is that a reasonable assessment?

Basically this is my first receiver or surround sound setup so its pretty new to me how all this will work together. I still have no clue how I'm going to set up the speakers since the room itself and its current configuration is going to make it a challenge. Not to mention this will be my first time with wiring speaker connections, so i'm really looking forward to this

Thanks again Jchin

Did you have a HDMI cable connecting your sat/cable box to your old receiver? The reason I ask is because that's what causes the audio sync problem for me. It does it with my old receiver, too.

Do you have HDMI control turned on? I had to turn mine off to avoid the HDMI drop outs. When my cable box was connected directly to the TV via HDMI, I had even worse drop out problems.

I have a theory about the out of phase issue. There's circuitry within most speaker cabinets that causes different drivers within that cabinet to be out of phase with each other. This may be the reason that the AVR unreliably reports that a speaker cabinet is out of phase.

It actually is working .... as noted on the Audyssey website ....

MultEQ detects absolute phase for each loudspeaker. Some loudspeakers are designed with intentional phase reversals in the drivers in order to address crossover problems. MultEQ will detect that and report an error. The best course of action is to simply check the wiring and press "Skip" if it is correct. MultEQ simply reports a possible wiring reversal, it does not automatically switch the phase.

I was able to pickup a AVR-391 today for under $200. What can I expect from it, minus the Audyssey features that I'm aware of. Going to go with custom built speakers from partsexpress including the TriTrix system and a Elemental Design 13kv.4 in a custom TL. I really wanted a AV receiver and this one was price at something I could get right now and not loose any sleep over.

3D isn't important to me, however I do alot of gaming and blue-ray watching with my 360 and ps3 systems. I'm looking for a great sounding 5.1 setup that will also sound great in 2.1 setup if I decided to go stereo for music only. My living room is pretty big too, somewhere between 24 x 20 x 15 (vaulted ceilings).

Really depends on what you're coming from ... if nothing or a HTIB, then you should still be impressed as noted by several other new 391 owners in this thread.

I'm coming from the nothing at all field here. Been wanting a AVR for the pass two years now and I was initially going to go with the Pioneer VSX -820K but decided on the Denon at the lower cost and the name. Now after reading a lot of the stuff being said on here I'm starting to wonder if I should take this back and get something else.

Edit
Got the Denon at Amerenican

Your speakers won't sound quite as good as when using an Audyssey MultEQ model (eg. 1611), but as I said, you should still be impressed.

In my opinion, these speakers are too good for the 391. The "problems" you've seen reported here in the last few posts are not representative of what you'll see if you look back further in this thread.

My speakers are roughly of the same cost and quality of the ones you're planning on getting. I thought my system sounded good until I bought the 591 and ran Audyssey. It gave me a huge improvement in the sound quality. You may be able to get the same level of quality from another brand of receiver, but you'll not get it from the 391.

Also, since you don't care about 3D, you could look for one of last year's models that's discounted.

Well I've returned the 391 and got the AVR-1611 for an additional $200. I sure hope its worth the beating I'll receive from the wife after she hears about my $428.00 purchase tonight.

I got my 1611 for $298 NO TAX OR SHIPPING from electronics expo using the coupon code shopearly...

Hello,
I'm looking to put in a pretty basic 5.1 surround sound speaker system in my den, and I had a few questions. I am not an audiophile and I really doubt I could tell the difference between various systems, but I want a 5.1 because the sound on movies from my visio TV is just terrible. I have already installed a pair of bowers & wilkins ccm618 in the ceiling, and I need to get the rest of the parts.

Receiver: I know the first page of this thread says don't get the Denon AVR-391 unless you're just looking for a basic setup, but I think that's what I'm looking for. Plus the 391 is $189 and the 591 is $349. I'll probably run an iPod through the receiver as well for some music downstairs.

1) I have seen some reports about the 391 freezing up, is that still an issue?
2) How does the Pioneer VSX-820-K compare to the 391, I like the iPod connection on the Pioneer?

Front speakers: I am leaning toward the Polk Audio Monitor 40, although I do like the Boston CS26B as well. Both seem pretty quality.

3) Is the 391 powerful enough to tell a difference between the Polk 40 and the Polk 30 (which are $70 cheaper)?

Center: I think I like Polk Audio CS10 Center Channel. The Boston one looks good too.

Any insights or opinions would be much appreciated. Thank you very much.

Yes the connection used on the Onkyo was HDMI. The only thing I have changed is the receiver. I have reset the receiver again and did the auto setup over. I did a six position setup and skipped the one out of phase report.

Still getting HDMI drop outs. Also the volume difference from program being watched to commercial is horrible. This remains the same regardless of what setting I choose for Dynamic EQ / Volume. This is another thing I had no issues with on the Onkyo.

Maybe I just have a bad receiver but I only jump through so many hoops to get something working so its already boxed back up and ready for return to Amazon. As much as I hate it.. Im going to have to give Onkyo another chance.

Where are these located, relative to the seating position?

Yes. To not hear a differnece your amp would have to be so weak as to produce only a whisper.

Sorry, but I don't know the answers to your other questions. Most of the freeze-up problems that are not fixable are due to HDMI hand-shaking issues. The only way avoid them is to not run HDMI through a receiver, and even then they can still haunt you.

It sounds like you either had a bad unit, or your other equipment is somehow more susceptible than usual to HDMI handshaking issues with the Denon.

Fear of problems like this prevented me from buying my receiver online. That, and the fact that I live within driving distance of lots of big box stores.

Wrt. HDMI issues: I was also afraid I had these (1611), but it turned out to be the cable (Amazon frustration free packing indeed...) - which I sent back and purchased another one. So always try that first.

thanks scharnhorst, that shopearly code was great. I just got the denon 1611, two Boston CS26s, and a Boston CS225 for $485. guess I'm all set now.

Hey guys i've been reading through the thread and got some questions.

I have a Panasonic S1 which I don't think is able to use hdmi 1.4... What does this mean for me exactly? I had planned to take hdmi from the cable box to the receiver using probably 1.3hdmi cable, next would be new hdmi 1.4 cable from receiver to TV.

I also plan on connecting my comp to the receiver via hdmi and xbox by component with optical.

Your Panny S1 is indeed only HDMI 1.3, so it means you can't pass a 3D signal to it or use the HDMI 1.4 ARC feature to return audio back to the AVR over the HDMI cable. Don't waste your money on an HDMI 1.4 cable as it's the same as an HDMI 1.3 cable.

thanks jdsmoothie

How than would my setup change because of this? this is what I have and the cables to go along with

Cable box hdmi
Panny hdmi
xbox component and optical
plus comp by hdmi

would I now need to have an hdmi from the tv to the avr and one back plus another coming from the cable box to the tv or avr?

Just trying to figure out what I need to get

ok thank you batpig so this should absolutely work so I can do get the cables...

The tv connected to the Avr by hdmi
from the xbox component connection and optical to the avr
from my computer to the avr by means of hdmi
Cable box to avr by Hdmi

that should work? I won't need to have another hdmi from the avr to the tv or vice versa?

There's never any reason to connect two HDMI cables from the AVR to the TV as both audio and video can transfer at the same time if necessary over the single cable. The only difference is with an HDMI 1.3 AVR the audio can only travel one way (ie AVR-->TV), while with an HDMI 1.4 AVR and an HDMI 1.4 TV, the audio can travel back from the TV ---> AVR.

If you watch over the air broadcasts using an antenna connected to your TV, then you'll either have to use the TV's speakers, or run an audio cable from the audio out on the TV to one of the inputs on the AVR. In my case I use an optical audio cable for this purpose.

Nope I use a cable box so I should only have to have one cable going to the tv i believe

I have a HDMI cable running from the AVR to the TV. That's the only HDMI cable connected to the TV. All other HDMI cables run from the devices to the inputs on the AVR.