The **OFFICIAL** DENON AVR-4520CI thread - Page 79

I would almost totally agree with you but everyone on this forum would be unhappy with the suggestion that these older denon can hold a candle to the new one. I am still waiting to unbox my unit after watching Best Buy guy drop the hand truck from it's leaning position only to watch my receiver hit the ground with some pretty good force on its side the Best buy guy said its fine of course but I am not sure if I want to make them get me a new unit first. Anyone have experience with people dropping your receivers? Any Best Buy shoppers out there?

I'm sure, but when was the last time Denon made something as beefy as say the AVR-5805?
Are you telling those sound bad fed by the analog outs of an Oppo 105?
what are you really missing that can't be done by a $50 roku?

All I'm saying is that we really need to think about what is an important upgrade, that's all. Not really knocking the 4520.

This is so true but out of my league and the 5805 has a newer model I believe, the last made was the 5808 which you can actually still buy it at denon ...but if you do the math this thing is like $6k so you would need to spend $12-18k on speakers for that thing and you would spend your time on different forum for sure. They still have upgrades available and it is still a step up from the 4520 but who knows denon may replace even the 5808 soon enough.

But my point is about the constant upgrades.
and you can pick up a gently used one for about $1500. Much cheaper than $6k.

Totally agree I was actually going to keep my 3808 until it just became to difficult to work with new equipment probably 6 more years. I like to buy quality products and use them as long as possible myself. I do agree also that so much of this stuff is marketing, every once in a while something really new and great slips in there and forces you to change. I don't think it happens frequently though, just a lot of bs marketing gimmicks and planned obsolescence is the norm now.

Both the 5308CI and the AVP have been discontinued with AFAIK very limited upgrade kits still available. Going forward the 4520CI series will be Denon's new flagship line.

I'm certain UPS/FedEx drops these boxes all the time. That's why when you buy from an internet direct dealer they double box them.

For me, it's largely been the improvements in DSP, mostly Audyssey, that have driven my upgrades. There was MultEQ->MultEQXT, then the DEQ/DVol feature. I loved my 2809 and would've kept it for years more. But when upgrading to better speakers, I came across a BB clearance on a 4310. I wasn't sure I even wanted it but at least had to take it home for a try. With that demo model I got Audyssey DSX and Networking features for some crazy price under $800 so I kept it. Then XT32 came along and when I got the newer 4311, the 4310 fetched a good price used, so that last upgrade cost me about $400. I knew I'd be keeping the 4311 for awhile so I took the occasion to invest in an Audyssey Pro license for it and the Pro kit, which improved the SQ even further.

So for me the overall cost of the AVR upgrades themselves has not been that big, especially compared to the $ I've spent on speakers and subs. And with each, I get a few other new features and a new warranty.

Recently my friend and I were checking out new AVRs and I am getting close to pulling the trigger on the 4520 after refusing to pay $1100 more for the rebranded 4520...I mean Marantz 8801. My friend has a Denon 5803 and I have a Pioneer Elite; both units are over 10 years old. It's funny to see how AVRs feel less substantial these days compared to the old analog beasts of the past (4520 weighs 36lbs versus my 41lbs Elite). I am fully resolved to going to an 11.2 system with XT32. My friend asked if he would notice a SQ improvement over his 5803 and Oppo 95 combo. I instinctively answered "probably not, if anything you might be disappointed with the analog performance". Given that my friend prefers analog audio in all his playback, I would wager his old flagship 5803 would best the Denon flagship of today.

It was interesting when we were talking about the demise of the $5,000+ receiver era. I explained that ultimately there is no need for the $5,000 AVR line anymore since the introduction of changing digital and HDMI specs. It also makes more sense when you can buy separates and just switch out your processor to save money, and get better headroom performance than anything an integrated receiver can do.

As another post mentioned "planned obsolescence" is pretty bad. I miss the old days of analog gear lasting you a decade without upgrading. Now that Audyssey DSX 2 was just announced, just wait until HDMI 2.0 gets announced later this year. That will certainly throw a new monkey wrench in the home theater world as we know it.

OK so 4520 up and running but it is stuck on internet radio. Display is frozen and if I select usb or anything else it continues playing internet radio. Maybe a defective unit or was dropped to hard by best buy. Hate to do the full reset had a 3808 4 years never had to. anyone have any ideas?

Even the display and iphone app is frozen

Powering off or unplugging the unit doesn't un-stick it? A processor reset is the next course of action. You will lose your settings and calibration, of course, unless you saved the configuration. If you didn't, make a note to save the configuration once everything is working again.

 

Quick question, does the configuration back also include an Audyssey calibration?

 

TIA!

_____

Axel

It's only obsolete if you have to have the latest and greatest. You could literally live quite a while with the 4520 without an upgrade. I don't see any must have features coming around the corner.

Yes, Save is a snapshot of everything so Load restores all manual custom settings and the Audyssey calibration.

Thanks for the info. I did go ahead changed the setting in the remote programming to have one button to power on and off the receiver versus a separate button for both and that solved the zones coming on at the same time. I also refreshed the device settings for the TV to leave the input on the last one selected and that took care of the input selection coming on the screen. Both of these were done by changing the device settings in the remote control setup so one might want to look there to setup things correctly for the remote. Thanks for the tips AustinJerry.

From my understanding, the new HDMI spec is geared towards improved native 4k performance. This will be extremely important in the coming years when 4k TVs become affordable for most people's homes. I would venture to say 1.4 was the most radical spec that rendered a lot of devices useless when 3D was introduced. I don't see the sense of dropping $2500 every 3-4 years to keep up, I would be more than happy to keep my 4520 for 10 years or longer.

Denon is suggesting returning it due to possible network card issue.

That sucks.
Good luck and please let us know how quick the turn around is.
Good customer service is a strong factor once we get to this price point.

OEMs have to eat....

Me too. I had the Outlaw 990 until this upgrade. I don't see myself upgrading to 4K until prices drop to current 1080P prices. However, it'll be a while before there's a lot of content in 4k and therefor in no rush.

As for 3D.. Don't like it, not even in the theater, and my wife doesn't either.

Been installing HDMI over ethernet with 2 ethernet cables. I wonder if that'll take HDMI 2.0.

I'm running 11.2 now, using a 3310 as an amplifier for the Front Heights alone. Would I be better off using the 3310 to Bi-Amp the front speakers instead or continue as is?

Basically wondering if the Bi-Amp signal from the 3310 would be better than the RF & LF channels of the 4520 with all other amp channels being driven on the 4520.

I personally wouldn't bother with bi-amping unless you are using active crossovers for your speakers.
Use a bigger amp instead.

I know this may be an apples and oranges question, but wondering if anyone out there has an opinion on the 4520 vs 4810 in terms of SQ/PQ, or any other comparison you'd choose to make, for that matter. Can't friggin' believe I'm considering dumping a 2010 model already....UGH!

What is your 4810 not doing that you think the 4520 will?
That is the real question for you.

You may already be aware of this, but in case you're not, the 4x10 AVRs have a fairly widespread issue.
If you're 4810 has the original NIC card it may fail if you haven't had this issue yet and unit is still under warranty it might be a good idea to get it replaced. Some owners have ordered the card and replaced it themselves. If your unit was a refurb there's a chance you may have the NIC card which is not prone to fail. See 4310 and 4810 owner's threads and search "NIC" for more details & info.

Does anyone know if these do 2.1 I can't seem to find the setting to use the sub with stereo. I realize it's better not to but II hate to give my fronts such a workout when I listen to music.

Initial impression: IMPRESSED... definitely clearer (better separation) than my 3808 had, and still has the warm sound we have all come to love from these Japanese made Denons