The "Official" Denon AVR-4311CI/AVR-A100 thread [NO PRICE TALK] - Page 46

That was really funny!

exactly!

I've compared the NR5008 and the 4311 based on the spec, and it seems like the NR5008 is leaps above the 4311.. but the NR5008 is much more expensive.

I've ordered the 4311CI, even though I can never go past 9.1 (and by 9.1 I mean 7.1 with the fronts bi-amped). My room is only 14x9 heights or wides just wouldn't work well. I'd have to put my heights above the TV, which isn't how they are suppose to be placed(?).

I mainly bought the 4311 because the cheapest price I could find for the NR5008 is $618 more than the price I got the 4311CI for. My budget was set for the 3311CI at $800, so the 4311ci is already past my budget, but I figured I could go in debt for a month or two and it would be worth the step up.

On which one of those pages does it tell if you can turn the pre-amp mode on off dynamically or via the remote. It looks like once you setup with pre-amp mode that's it. The manual mentions this functionality twice and only shows being able to do it in the setup section of the GUI. I'm wondering if it's possible to do on fly or would it negate my audyssey settings and require a redo. If I look at this same screen on my 4810 the audyssey settings are maintained if I toggle these settings. Thanks for the reference to the page unfortunately my question requires doing or actually testing on the unit.

Mario

+1

Good thing they all aren't red sox fans they would have already jumped.

Sound quality, sound quality, sound quality... at reference levels...

I couldn't care less about 11:2, I am perfectly fine with 7:2 - I am using this in my home, not a dance club, lol

I couldn't care less about Rhapsody and Napster, internet radio via Pandora, photo viewing via flickr, HD Radio, etc...

For $2000 I would like a well built, powerful, warm and full sounding AVR...

Is that too much to ask?

dont raise the price.. knowing full well it's a 1500 receiver now..MSRP dont count

Why not have both, after all it is 20-10.

Djoel

I disagree since most stores sell it for MSRP unless you ask for a discount or a price match. Surprisely, many people will buy these at full MSRP.

On a side note, why is this receiver getting such huge discounts? It sort of makes me worried. I'm new to Denon.. is it normal for their dealers to mark stuff down 30% before it's even out? I'm coming from an Onkyo 805 and without a fan on top it reaches 70-80C about 30 minutes into a movie, by the time the movie is over my small room is so hot that I have to watch movies with the door open! From what i've seen Denon products run at much lower temps so i'm hoping that will fix one of the many problems i've had with my 805.

Ok, at the risk of getting admonished, I just want to make sure I understand the diff's between 4311ci & A100.

A100 = Gloss Faceplate, Upgraded Speaker Terminals, Heavy Feet And
"16 separate PCM1791A 192kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog converters"
which by a google search comes back as TI Burr/Brown Devices.

Wether or not they make an audible difference, as well as the sound of the unit overall, is IMHO just too subjective. Just want to know exactly what you get for $500 more. In reality it's more like $700 or more as you can get the 4311ci for less than MSRP, but the A100 I doubt will be discounted at all, at least for now. So, am I missing something?
Thanks for any input.

Yeah for me I saw the price difference being $300 between the 4311 and 5008 for the best prices i have seen. Send me a pm and we can compare prices we have seen.

Personally, I feel the 5008 has a better build quality and solid amp and power supply components. The 5008 isn't without flaws either. Onkyos run really hot, have had hdmi board problems, poor customer service and only 2 yr warranty to name a few.
Nice thing about Denon is good customer service, 3 year warranty, 11.2 channel, and preamp mode. I hope to see more people here get their hands on the 4311 so we all can get more owner reviews. And people, there is no need to take people pointing out low points of a receiver so personal. Now if someone posts "Boy that thing is a piece of crap!", I can see how that is not productive at all.

William06 answered this question on the last page



It sure seems like people are reading thoughts into initial impressions of owners here. A couple of people (whom have owned several other impressive AVRs from competitors) have stated that this AVR sounds wonderful, that the usability is very good and that they are pleased with their purchase. Somehow some people are interpreting that to be weak/thin/poor sound quality. Previous generations of Denon AVR's have been lauded in forums and professional reviews for their sound quality and features, but then we hear comments about how Denon's are poor performers in their amp sections. Sure seems like a lot of hand-wringing and interpretative post reading going on for what appears to be no good reason.

If people are concerned but still interested in this product, hold for a couple of months, let some more reviews come in, especially pro reviews with bench test numbers. This is a very important product for Denon, I feel pretty comfortable that several magazines will review it and run tests that are beyond the typical user. See how the product comes out.

On a side note, the Electro-luminescent remote that came with previous gen Denon's sucked. So did the remote that my old Yamaha had. And my old Sony ES remote. And the remote for my old Adcom pre. And my current HK AVR remote. Pretty much all the AVR's remotes suck. The new remote looks similar to what Marantz does/has used, and while simple, it is just a remote. If you want more bells and whistles I highly recomend a Harmony or other 3rd party remote.

This is all just my opinion, but that is all any of us seem to be sharing here anyway as we have little/no objective data.

The A100 also has a 5 year warranty v. 3 year for the CI series. Also some retailers/online dealers are discounting the A100 pretty decently (though their is still a pretty hefty delta in price between the two).

discounts are perfectly normal.. who pays MSRP these days.. in this economy ?

oh and in my limited Okyno ownership experience..it almost has to run cooler. My 608 ran HOT.

There is also a condenser difference, but who knows how that translates in the real world...oh and the difference is 500 because it is being discounted as well.

I guess its all in the eyes of the beholder, but I actually like the look of my 3808 and 4311.

I do not like the look of the Onkyos at all.

I see the page and as responded to filmixer that page doesn't answer the "dynamic" question. Appreciate the point to his response but I understand what's in the manual all too well. Many times the manual for denon is not as clear as it seems. I was asking if it's possible on the fly without impacting calibrations. Only way to verify is to try.

Thanks for the input.

You are welcome, just to make sure there is no confusion, my quote was a response to your original posted question from an owner of the 4311 (william06) whom confirms that you can not do this dynamically via the remote but only through the menu system. Sorry if you already understood this, I may have just misunderstood your response.

I have a 2 room setup with 5.1 in each room where I would like to use the receiver to power one room and another receiver (eventually a dedicated amp) to power the other. Will that work when switching to "preamp" mode?

Can someone also tell me how easy it is to switch the video scaling resolution? I still have a 720p projector.

I want to eventually get everything running through one unit where minimal button presses can switch the rooms (I do have a Harmony remote so I can do some macros).

As we like to say around here, you are entitled to your opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts...

Read below...

Oops my apologies. I missed william06's response. That is the confirmation I was seeking. I am using an iPad an some reason not all content is showing initially. I only saw your initial quote and not all of the message until the 2nd post.

Thanks by the way.

No, it's not but, if that's what you want, why not buy an Emotiva Pre and an amp separate for $300 bucks less? You get a super buggy EQ program, great switching 7.1 sound and tons of old style monster heavy AB amps. Pologuy, you are looking for the wrong things if you want old school. This Denon is a super Ginzu II + EQing beast. This last statement you made tells me you don't value any of these features. So.... You are correct in your belief, most likely the Marantz equipment will make you happier. Marantz is D&H Holdings line that represents a more pure approach to sound. They do not innovate on EQ technology and generally delay these features until they have become commonplace and more established.

I do warn you though, all this arm chair quarterbacking on "warmer, richer, fuller, fatter, beefier, and the before mentioned less filling" is simply lunacy to determine without actually putting it in your room. Seriously, all the people on this thread speaking about warm, bright stuff are really off base. Given a well EQ'd room with good speakers, you can't easily determine this stuff. You can though, immediately tell a properly EQ'd room with good drivers as opposed to a slap it down Receiver without any EQ.

So...... Everyone tone it down with the subjective stuff. Coming from a subjective guy too....

Well the fact is.
No matter what anyone else says about it. You have absolutely no idea how it will really end up sounding to you. Unless you personally actually go and demo one somewhere, or buy one and try it out for yourself at home!

I guess I am rather confused

The Marantz has DLNA, streaming media (Internet radio, Rhapsody, Napster, Pandora, flickr), Bluetooth wireless audio, Audussey MultEQ XT, MultEQ Pro for custom installations, Audyssey DSX, Dynamic Volume, and Dynamic EQ, Anchor Bay ABT2015, etc.

I do like your statement that Marantz represents a more pure approach to sound though...

It is seriously a battle between the Marantz 7005 and the Denon 4311...

+1 and then some.

The 4311 looks like a Denon family Receiver. Previously someone spoke of a simple LCD panel and a cheesy hidden button system behind the gate. These things are commonplace with Denon from the flagships all the way down to the near lowest receiver. I guess, I'd say, if you don't like this look, don't buy the dang thing. I personally like the Front Panel as it actually tells me worthwhile information. You get a schematic of what's coming in signal and a what's coming out signal. I like it. The knobs are, er well, knobs. The front panel looks good in my rack (well the 4810 and 3311 do). Really, I use a remote to control my system but, as you can see, from Previous posts, I have opinions about front panels. I really dislike Onkyo's. They look just horrible to me. Hate the dots....

Now, I have fond memories of my first Pioneer LD Player. Love the look and all the orange lights. Fast forward to today, Pioneers still look nice to me, my bias, my bad. But, Pioneer doesn't have the feature set, people either love or hate Ice-D amps, and really, they haven't adopted much of the Audyssey systems. So.... All of the Denon "quality haters" I ask this. Are your statements based on a preference of one look over another or a real noticeable quality difference? Do you see gaps in the sheet metal housing? Dead pixels? A loose knob? Off center button? Bad rear panel RCA connect? I am betting that the answer to every question is no......

What I'd probably learn over a beer is the Pioneer guy likes the color Orange, has no kids (thus the joy of piano gloss black fronts)' and might enjoy the more industrial.... Less finished (oops my bias) ugo-behemoths from Onkyos.

If ya'all have subjective quality comments, just say..... Hey I like blah,blah,blah,blah.... Feature because I was 13 and my dad introduced me to orange lighted equipment and we shared a cocoa and great dad time.

If you have quality issues, quantify them. Don't talk about a front glass panel. Oh, hell, D&M's got that covered to... Buy a McIntosh. Which I also find ugly.

It doesn't attempt 11.2 with full DSX. this is a big deal. If I did not want this, I'd buy the Marantz. But, as mentioned... You gotta go try these beasts. You just won't ever learn anything from these blogs about amp sound. That's just too dang subjective.....

It's funny because I initially had my eyes on the 7005, haven't entirely ruled it out, but the consensus seems to be that it's basically a 3311 with some tweaks, but nothing major enough to put it at the 4411's level. I suspect the only reason there isn't currently an 8005 is because Denon is pushing the A100.

Yes, that does seem to be the consensus...

That the SR7005 is a 3311 (because of the 125W rating) with better amps, etc...

But then there is also the AV7005 the pre/pro version of the SR7005 AVR...

Touche...please read below








So Jmalto still feels you can not go wrong with this AVR and states that what he perceived as brightness seems to be improving to his ears over time, that his room is in the middle of some changes and that XT32 is working well. William06 feels that this AVR gives him the best audio ever in his room and jedrgy, who listened without eq in a Best Buy for 10 minutes (only mentioned as you quoted him) still found the AVR to sound pretty "sweet" but thinks the issue may be the speakers or lack of EQ.

I feel pretty comfortable with not having tried to create my own facts.