Denon 3806 Owners Thread - Page 8

Well I got off the 3806 or 74txvi fence and went with the 3806. I found it a tough choice but after several demos at different Tweeters in my area I decided to stay with Denon (3806 replaced a 3802). I have not had a chance to do any type of calibration but the SQ out of the box is quite a bit better than the 3802.

I was hoping to get a receiver with i-link but at this time do not listen to that many SACD's. I am planning on getting a Pioneer 79avi but might try a 3910 in order to take advantage of the Denon link. I have a Panasonic 42WD6UY and am a liitle concerned about the reported macroblocking on the 3910 but I might try it anyhow. Well back to the World Series, will report back after I can run the auto set-up.

Bill

I also have the "multi" lit on the front display..cant seem to get it to go away..

Whats the deal ? I see there have been 3~4 people with this same problem with no resolution


Cant get x-box ( or anything connected to component inputs through the reciever ) to go through the hdmi cable out to my Panasonic AE500 PJ ..also cant get display on screen through hdmi..Had to hook up a freakin 40 ft component cable to my PJ to get the display and x-box to work..Just what I didnt want to do.

Tried turning conversion on/off and messing with all the set options I could see on the 3806 to get component to come through the hdmi cable to the Pj without success..

Im using an hdmi cable with a dvi adapter to my PJ ( the panasonic ae500 only has dvi ) ..could this be the problem ?

I can get the pioneer 59avi hooked up via hdmi to the reciever to work properly through the hdmi out to the PJ

ANYBODY ? ..

I initially connected my sub through the switched output on the 3806 and ran it like that for a day or two, but have it now plugged into wall socket

However, in the manual it says that that switched power output is only rated for 120W / 1A, so if your subwoofer uses more power than that (most do), then don't connect it to this switched outlet.

Could blow an internal fuse? Probably not. I suspect that it just will be unable to deliver more than 120W to your sub, so you could get poor output from your sub or even some clipping?

You have to go into the video setup screen and assign the Component video (called RCA 1, RCA 2, and RCA 3) and HDMI inputs to the various inputs (VCR 1, DVD, DBS, etc.) Hope that helps.

I am using an hdmi > dvi adaptor for my system and it runs perfectly.

Yeah I have the same "multi" icon thing but its so small I dont notice unless I walk up and stare at it. Dont know what it means or how to get rid of it but oh well. I also prefer the sound with "Room Eq" off. It really sounds muffled with it on compared to it off. I looked at the EQ parameters and it backed off my high frequencies a whole lot, kinda weird because I thought it needed more. I went through and just set it up with my own SPL meter and forget the Audyssey thing, I set my own crossovers too because it sure did set my bookshelf rears to large.

Andrew

...and although I won't be setting it up for a few weeks (my HT room is still under construction ), I wanted to ask if anyone had any tips for setting it up and breaking it in. I'm especially interested in things that might be counterintuitive in terms of connecting components, using the HDMI video switching, etc.

Just for reference, in the end it will be powering a 7.1 system (Mirage Uni-Theater L/R/C, Omni-Sat Micro surrounds, S-10 sub), fed by a DBS HD DVR and a DVD/SACD player, both via HDMI, and running a single HMDI video-only feed to the monitor. Sounds pretty simple to me, but if the Denon has any tricks up its sleeve, I'd be grateful for the head's-up.

One basic question: All the speaker terminals accept banana plugs, right? The Denon advert says so, but...

Cheers.

--- das

Yes sir all terminals accept banana plugs.

Set up is pretty simple, just remember to assign your component video connections and digital connections to the correct input or else you wont get picture or sound. (Tell it DVD is OPTICAL 2 and COMP 1, etc.) Also after you run auto setup listen to it with Audyssey ON and OFF you may find that you prefer the sound with it OFF like many of us have discovered.

Andrew

Regarding an earlier comment: I'm pretty certain you cannot have both component output, and DVI output at the same time from the HDTivo. Haven't tried it since I first set things up, so I don't recall if it kills both outputs, or just defaults to one of them. At any rate (ignoring the Audio via HDMI issue), this may explain at least one case where someone said the 3806 HDMI switching didn't work with this particular input.

But not dual banana plugs, the spacing is off. I had to "modify" my dualies.

Sorry for bein' ignorant and all that, but what are "dual banana plugs"?

I guess I'm in the minority, but I prefer the EQ settings with Audyssey on. I was trying to decide which setting I liked better for a while. Doing AB tests, I could only discern that they sounded "different," but not necessarily better or worse. Well after spending about a week with it off and on (i haven't tried flat or front yet), but I have found that with the audyssey on, the steering effects and panning are spot on and very 3 dimensional whereas with it off, these effects where more one dimensional and less focused/more muddy. The caveat is that my room is a bit of an acoustical nightmare. The total space is about 14x20, but the left side opens up to another large area. Before I felt like the imaging was blurred by reverb as my room does exhibit some slap echo.

Hope my experiences help someone out there.
Now I have to figure out which mode I like better for Dolby PLIIx, cinema or music. Music seems to allow dialogue to float into the mains whereas the cinema mode anchors the dialogue exclusively to the center. For now, I'm sticking with cinema, but for those that have trouble with dialogue might want to give it a try.

They're the ones that stick together instead of are separate. Like:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=091-334

as opposed to these:
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=091-330

On the 3806, and a lot of other wall plates and receivers, whenever they don't "fit" dual bananas, they often can fit in a weird way. Like instead of running the + and - into each dual banana, you can run + and + to a dual, then - and - to another dual.

So... in this photo:
http://akamaipix.crutchfield.com/pro...AV3806S-B.jpeg

Putting one speaker cable's two wires into one dual banana would not fit because the red and black are too far apart. But, if you run the negative from the front right and the negative from the front left into a dual banana, then plug that dual banana horizontally into the front left and right black, it'll fit. Same with the reds.

Of course, this is all moot if you just use singles.

I'm using the HDMI switching successfully between my 3910 DVD player with an HDMI->HDMI cable, and my HTPC with a DVI->HDMI cable. I have a 30' HDMI cable running from the receiver to my projector.

Interestingly, the Nvidia driver on the PC now detects the display as "DENON AVR"

I like the sound with Audessey on, but I did have to go back and tweak the crossover settings, levels and change the fronts to "small."

DE

I discovered a problem with the 3806 EXT. IN., and wonder if anybody else experience the similar thing:

1. When I switch to EXT. IN., I get sounds from only center and rear.
2. When I switch back, still no sound from front. I had this symptom twice (every time I switched to EXT. IN.) and it recovered from no-front symptom after a day of power disconnect, and last time after a few trials with S/PDIF inputs.
3. At the last time when it recovered from the no-front symptom, it first didn't have the rear sound output. After I turned up the volume quite a bit, I heard some bad playback like with bad contact on the cable, then it came back to normal(?) sound after some seconds or maybe a few minutes.

I wonder if this is plaguing many or at least a few systems, or specific to only my unit.

I wish I had thought of this before I "modded" my duals!

This is the exact set up I have and I cannot get the SA box to switch thru the 3806, I get the HDCP non compliance error. How did you get it to work?

I had to connect the SA Box via component......would have loved to just go HDMI form the SA Box and the DVD player to the 3806, then HDMI from the 3806 to the TV......Just confirming that is what you did..........You seem to be the only sucessful person that has done this with a SA 8300HD box.

Please share the secret!

As I finsh my Media Room where my 3806 will be located, I got my wife to agree a nice 23-26" LCD would be nice in the next room with the pool table. So I ran some component and audio cables from the area where the 3806 will be to the mounting location of the TV. Ran a CAT5 also for the IR.

I know I can use IR Blasters to control the 3806 and I will be using them on my HD TiVo to change channels.

So my question is can I run a direct connection using 3.5mm plugs from my Niles IR control unit into the IR port on the back of the 3806?

Thanks.

Ok, dumb Denon question that I won't be able to figure out until I plug these in. I'm getting the 3806 and will be hooking it up to the 3910. Planning on using Denon Link, but everywhere in the manual says that won't work for SACD. Do I really have to connect via analog for SACDs and use the Denon Link for everything else? Will I have to force the signal over analog somehow when I want to put in an SACD, or will it auto-detect and run over analog?

The Denon website says the 3910 will support SACD via Link, but it has a "*" next to it, which of course is not explained anywhere. The 3806 supposedly supports "Link 3", but the 3910 only says it supports "SE", which I think is the same as "Link 2".

I'd really like to just use the Link connection for everything.

Thanks in advance for anyone who has already tackled this. What a pain!

- JonJ

The AVR-3806 is able to run SACD via Denon-Link.
The DVD-3910 needs a Firmwareupdate to use SACD via Denon-Link.

If you don't find the Update in web go to your DENON-Dealer to make an Update...

[quote=alex1971]The AVR-3806 is able to run SACD via Denon-Link.
The DVD-3910 needs a Firmwareupdate to use SACD via Denon-Link.

Is that true for units just produced, I would think all firmware updates would be done.

Bill

I can't even get the HDCP non-compliance error on the screen for my HR10-25 DirecTV HD Tivo, just a blank screen. Could that actually be a hopeful sign that there's a problem with the HDMI cable, or some set-up error? HDMI analog conversion out to TV works fine, by the way.

I'm not sure if the different amp manufacturers use different formats for their IR control ports, but I use this exact approach to control my Onkyo TX-NR900 amp from a Russound IR control unit, which is pretty similar to the Niles unit.

-- Dave

[quote=Bill Mac]
Newest produced units are with updated DENONLINK, thats true.
But do you know, how long a DVD-3910 you buy today was in the Backroom of the dealer.. ;-)

[quote=alex1971]
I would think there would be some type of production date on the box you could check, or on the unit itself. If I was to buy one I would make sure it was a recent production unit. At around $1399.00 I am not about to buy one that I would have to do any updates at all.

Bill

Want,

I have a Panny S97 DVD Player connected to the 3806 using HDMI cable.
I have the SA 8300HD DVR connected to the 3806 using HDMI cable.
I have the 3806 connected to a Sony KD-34XBR960 using HDMI.
I have no other video or audio cables connected. Simple as it can be.
Maybe the DVR box is newer than others. I don't see a date code on it though.

Michael,

How recently did you get your SA 8300? I have a SA 8000 which I am upgrading to the 8300 and was hoping to get the newest version. Sounds promising that yours is working well.

Thanks, Bill

My rear speakers are barely audible, you can hear certain things from them but you have to be close to them to hear things like a crowd cheering in the background of a football game...is this intended? Or can I turn the volume up of the back speakers? If I turn them up will the RoomEQ settings (i.e. how far each speaker is) be screwed up?

I'm new to the forum and have found it very informative. As a new 3806 owner, I have found the set-up somewhat frustrating. I am only running 5.1 surround and believe I have the physical connections correct (surround back speakers to the back outputs, R&L front to the front outputs, nothing to Surround A or B). Can someone please confirm this?

When playing CDs (2 channel stereo audio), I would like to use the rear surround speakers as a second set out. Is there a way to do this? Currently my center channel is outputting sound when I am trying to run stereo audio. Is this due to a surround setting that I "made"?

I am using a Scientific "Craplantic" digital cable box with DVI out. When I run from the box to the receiver and receiver to my Toshiba DLP I get nothing. My guess is with that the cable box and receiver aren't compatible. Anyone with a similar issue?

I downloaded the owner's manual from Denon and it IS different from the one that came with the box. Hopefully this will help resolve some of the issues I am having.

Addio

Try playing a chapter from a DVD movie such as a battle scene with bullets flying or helicopters buzzing. If these surround effects are still barely audible, then run your set-up again, making sure that the correct speakers have been identified. If it's all good, it's probably the particular game or show you're watching. Also, is the game in Dolby Digital 5.1 or ProLogic Cinema II?