The "Official" Denon AVR-2808CI Owners Thread - Page 48

Originally Posted by Chenthil

I wasn't sure of 1.3a support for 2808CI because Denon site mentions about "now 1.3a support is being offered ..." in the product description. Since I am planning to buy from online stores that are selling for much lower price, perhaps they were trying to get rid of old receivers that don't have 1.3a support.
Besides, Denon site says CEC support available with spring 08 release of firmware. Just wanted to make sure.

Originally Posted by SW20 MR2

I think the Ext In is a default setting in the 988. I just have a cable from the SW pre out going into the SW. The volume knob on the SW is set to 12 o'clock.

Originally Posted by jdsmoothie

Also, the "unofficial" update did nothing for CEC support, rather it was cosmetic in nature.

Originally Posted by batpig

thanks for the correction jd, I wasn't sure about that detail. what exactly did the "unofficial" firmware update do?

Originally Posted by batpig

I'm sorry, like I said no offense, I wasn't trying to be a dick about it -- I just thought it was odd that you seemed to be asking about what the display said when the disk tray was opened. Whenever there is no source (like when a disk tray is open) the display will just default to whatever. But I see you weren't really asking about that, just giving info...

Wryker answered it well -- when you have a 7.1 setup, most soundtracks are 5.1 so the receiver using Pro Logic IIx to matrix the two rear surrounds from the 5.1 soundtrack. So the "+ PLIIx" means it's matrixing the 6th/7th channels out of a 5.1 soundtrack.

On the display, the little boxes that light up on the left side indicate how many channels are being input, and the little boxes on the right indicate how many are being output to your speakers. So if you are seeing "DOLBY D + PLIIx", you should see 6 boxes on the left (5.1 channels) and 8 on the right (7.1 output).

Hopefully that makes more sense.

Originally Posted by Chenthil

I was about to purchase a AVR-2808CI yesterday from Electronics Expo store yesterday. I was very interested in that model because of the attractive price. Salesman told me that 2808CI DOES NOT have HDMI 1.3a whereas the 2809CI does. If a blu ray input at 1.3a is connected to 2808CI it will output only 1.1 which means decrease in the number of colors being displayed. I also did a comparison on the Denon site and it is little confusing. 2809CI detailed specs shows as 4 number of 1.3a inputs and 1 number of 1.3a output. 2808CI doesn't mention anything about input/output standards. It was my understanding that both 2808 and 2809 are EXACTLY the same except the power is 5W more per channel in 2809. Please correct me if I am wrong. Appreciate if you could please help me with the purchase decision. I did call the Denon support and they couldn't tell me for sure and mentioned that the web site was wrong.

Originally Posted by jeremydizzy

im not sure if im doing anything wrong but im hearing some buzzing when i switch to the devices connected by the components ( cable tv and xbox 360) im wondering how i can get rid of that ( by the way hdmi connection sounds perfect)

also i was wondering do most people set there center channel to large or small?

Originally Posted by dlenart25

Greetings,
I'll make this quick. Batpig recommened the 988 as an HDMI replacement on a budget for the 3805. Has anyone had a chance to compare these two? i noticed the 3805 is about 7 pounds heavier so I'm concerned about the power supply on the 988. Im pushing some 6ohm 84 DB speakers and was hoping the 988 could hold it's own on the 3805. I have been doing alot of research and have been impressed with Denon test benches. They are always real close to meeting their specs on all channel driven tests...now you can't say that about Yamaha

Anyway, is this thing considering mid level or somewhere between midrange and high end aVR? And does it have some Balls?

Originally Posted by jdsmoothie

With a very cursory review of both AVRs I would say Batpig's suggestion is a good one. Keep in mind you're comparing a 4 year old "low end mid line" AVR (3805) to a 1 year old "top end bottom line" (988) AVR (ie. the 988 is one model below the 3808). Both offer virtually the same power specs and the 988 offers the benefit of decoding the new advanced codecs as well as upscaling analog video to 1080p. IMHO you won't go wrong with the 988, although before buying either a 988 or 2808 I would look at this year's models first especially if you want to take advantage of Audyssey's new Dynamic Volume and EQ additions.

Originally Posted by dlenart25

The only thing I don't like about Denon is they have way too many models. It can get confusing. BTW...$1199 MSRP for a 999/2808 is kind of expensive for a low end AVR don't you think?
Thanks

Originally Posted by dlenart25

BTW...$1199 MSRP for a 999/2808 is kind of expensive for a low end AVR don't you think?

Originally Posted by dlenart25

Thanks for the suggestions but I'm a scavanger on a budget..So i'm looking in the $400-$450 range and think I might have found what i'm looking for. Over the past six months I have tried Onkyo 600 series, Yamaha RX-V661 and the Denon 3805 and I like the Denon by far, but I do remember the RX-V661 sounded good when i played lossless audio via blueray. Anyway, the good thing is not only do I get the new codecs and the denon sound I enjoy but I also get the second most important thing, pre-outs for a component amp and I heard Denon AVR's make good processors So I'm going with the 988 and then I'm done with AVR's for a long time. Gotta upgrade from bookshelve Aperions to Towers next to get a little more volume

The only thing I don't like about Denon is they have way too many models. It can get confusing. BTW...$1199 MSRP for a 999/2808 is kind of expensive for a low end AVR don't you think?
Thanks

Originally Posted by batpig

I think what he was trying to say is that the 2808/988 is the upper end of Denon's general consumer (i.e. "low end") lineup, not that it's a budget or entry-level model.

i.e. there are the "consumer" models, running from the 15xx/58x all the way up to the "flagship" of "low end" models, the $1000 price point 98x/280x. these are the only models that have "two versions" , the 3-digit and 4-digit models.

the step up from 28xx to 38xx takes you to the "bottom end" of Denon's "mid range" models, the 38xx, 43xx, 48xx.

then, you have the many-thousands-of-dollars "flagship" models, like the 5805, 5308, AVC, etc.

I think it was just a statement relative to the positioning of the Denon lineup. And also you have to remember that there are many folks spending many thousands of dollars on gear, and to them a $1000 receiver is certainly "entry level" or a "budget model".

I am a bottom-feeding bargain-hunter like you, so I feel you on that...

Originally Posted by batpig

I think it was just a statement relative to the positioning of the Denon lineup. And also you have to remember that there are many folks spending many thousands of dollars on gear, and to them a $1000 receiver is certainly "entry level" or a "budget model".

Originally Posted by jdsmoothie

+1
With all the models offered, it's important to check your requirements against the various models rather than just buying the 988 because you believe it's "a steal". Chances are you could get a lower model than the 988 and still be very satisfied. The new 2008-2009 line offer better features at lower prices.

Originally Posted by dlenart25

I agree. Just to review my requirements.

12x20 room
6ohm 84DB speakers
HDMI 1.1 at least - That's all I need for lossless
$450 price range (Ebay)

So seeing as how I have inneficient speakers that reveal a lot of detail, I need some clean power. This is why I got the 3805 in the first place and it is great, but i've got a PS3 just sitting here so I can't stand I don't have lossless. So I think that's why batpig suggested the 988, a minor step down from the 3805 series

Do you think a 789 would do me better?

Originally Posted by crescentmotor

Does this feature on the Denon 2808CI allow the cross-over frequencies to be changed independently for each speaker in the surround system?

Originally Posted by dlenart25

Do you think a 789 would do me better?

Originally Posted by batpig

absolutely not, you are already running out of juice on your speakers with the 3805, you don't want to go that far down in terms of internal power with no pre-outs.

84db is really inefficient, the 789 is three full steps down the Denon ladder from the 38xx models and would probably output 30-40W less per channel. you've commented that you still want it louder when the 3805 is maxed out on volume, so the 789 will run out of steam a lot sooner.

I wouldn't go much lower than the 28xx/9xx models if you are going to use the internal amps. the 988/2808 is a nice compromise because you get the beefier internal amps (just a notch below the 38xx), plus the flexibility of pre-outs, and HDMI 1.3 with all the codecs in case you upgrade to a different blu ray player down the road.

I think you need to leave yourself with the flexibility of pre-outs so you can add a solid used 2-channel power amp if necessary.

One other option that would fit your budget is to go with a 2307ci/887 and use it as a pre/pro, in this model year they still had pre-outs (the xx08 models they stripped the pre-outs from the lower models). They have been selling for around $250 shipped on ebay these days, and you could spend $150-200 on powerful used 2-channel amp and be at $400-450 total. You'd have HDMI support for up to 7.1 PCM, very "future proof", although no Audyssey....