Denon AVR 1613 & Yamaha RX-V471

I currently have the older Yamaha Model RX-V471 and I'm wondering if it's worth upgrading to the Denon AVR1613 everyone has on sale this weekend. I like the Yamaha, but the issue I have is the Bass & Treble. I have a sub, but even at +6 the treble seems kinda "weak" for some reason. Anyway, how is the Denon as far as sound quality compared to the Yamaha ? I just can't seem to get the right sound with my Yamaha using the YPAO and even manually setting the "distance & levels". The 471 I have is basically the same amp specs as the newer 473. How is the sound on the Denon ?

Just got Polk Audio Monitor 50 series 2's. The speakers sound great, it's getting the distance and level right. What I'm really confused about is the receiver should decode all inputs the same I thought. Some TV stations sound to "boomy", some sound louder than others, and some sound clearer than others. What has me really confused is I don't change any settings on the receiver and I put a channel on the TV, it will say audio "digital 384kbs. 48hz" and when I hit the decode button it will say "straight", I change the TV to another channel, look at the decode, and it might say "pro logic". Has me confused. I know TV channels all broadcast different, I just thought the receiver would eliminate all the variances since it is a sound processor. My nephew has a Pioneer 822 I think, and we both have the same cable provider, and all his channels, songs, mp3's, all play constant with the same sound level and clarity. I might go to BB and check out the Denon and see if there is a difference.

Question. On my cable box I can change the setting to either "stereo" or "dolby sigital" for audio output. What should I have it set to since Its going through the HDMI ? Does it matter if you send a stereo or dolby digital signal to the receiver or will it decode it either way ?

Been going back and forth trying to decide "should I or shouldn't I". As for now I actually have just a 3.1 set up since my living arrangements are not right for 5.1. Always things I need around the house but I' going to get it for the $269 at BB and check it out today. Might as well give it a shot, who knows, might be better than my Yamaha. I'm mainly looking for a little better sound quality. Don't get me wrong, the Yamaha sounds good, I'm just looking for a little more "crispness" from the sound. Even using the Yamaha's 7 band EQ, I just can't get it dialed in right. I will get the Denon, hook it up, and post back tonight my thoughts.

Ok, got the Denon and messed with it for about 2 hours. Long story short, it's going back for sure.

I ran the setup in all 6 positions like it said, and I got exactly the same results with my Yamaha YPAO setup. Left 10.8ft, Right 9.8 ft., sub 18.6 ft. Left Speaker -1.0 db......

Things I don't like,

The Yamaha's menu is a lot easier to get through and change settings.
My Yamaha at -25 on the volume is -10 on the Denon.
The Yamaha is way louder than the Denon at any volume level
I noticed no major improvement in sound quality from the Yamaha

2 things I noticed right away that turned me off and I read about them on some reviews and they were not lying !

1. The remote sometimes don't act right. Mainly I would be in a menu to change something, and the "back" button on the remote wouldn't respond. I had to exit, go back in the menu, and do it again. 1 out of maybe 3 times the "back": button just wouldn't respond for some reason.

2. I messed with the Bass/Treble settings, and the manual EQ settings to customize the sound. I exit the menu, go back into the menu and everything is reset back to "0". I thought it was me, but I did it a few times, went back and check, a few times it was ok. I turned off the receiver, went to a different mode, back to the menu, then I would look, and it was all back at "0".

I had a funny feeling cause the big guy at BB was working today and he knows his stuff pretty good. I asked him what's their best selling receivers and he said Yamaha hands down. I guess I'm just used to the Yamaha and it's "quick" menu. Also, the Denon I think only lets you switch 1 HDMI output to be a "pass through" for when you turn the receiver off and want to watch TV. I believe thats what I read. The Yamaha lets all HDMI's pass through.

Thanks Guys, for now it's my Yamaha. If I decide on an upgrade, it will be another Yamaha down the road.

Well when I run my Yamaha YPAO and the Denon Audyssey, and the result is speaker level "0" all I know is the Yamaha is much louder than the Denon at the same setting of "0". -25 on my Yamaha is the same volume level as -10 on the Denon. When I run the Yamaha YPAO it gives me the exact same distance/level settings as the Denon Audyssey. Always after I run the YPAO, I change the default "YPAO Flat" setting to "equalizer through" or "equalizer setting" so I can customize the sound. Once I set my Bass/Treble on the Yamaha, it never changes on it's own. Running the setup sets timing and levels, and has nothing to do with being able to customize the "tone" of the sound. Once I set my Yamaha to the Bass/Treble I like, it never changes. All I know is the Denon keeps going back to Bass "0", Treble "0". It's not a matter of If I like Audyssey, the point is why have Bass/Treble and a 9 band custom EQ feature on a receiver if you can't use it because it always defaults back to the Audyssey setting ? Distance/Level & Tone should have nothing to do with each other