Here is the press release on the new Denon:
Quote:
Quote:
| Industry News June 28, 2000 Presenting The Most Advanced Home Theatre Receiver Ever Created: The New Denon AVR-5800 Ultimate-Performance A/V Receiver Is First-Ever To Include THX® Surround EX™, DTS®-ES Discrete 6.1, DTS-ES Matrix 6.1 And DTS Neo:6 Surround Sound Denon Electronics announced the introduction of its new flagship AVR-5800 A/V surround receiver, the world’s first audio component to offer DTS-ES Discrete 6.1, DTS-ES Matrix 6.1 and DTS Neo:6 surround sound decoding. In addition, the THX® Ultra-certified AVR-5800 incorporates a host of leading-edge digital audio and video technologies such as THX Surround EX™ decoding, 24-bit/192kHz D/A conversion and a seven-channel amplifier section, for performance and operational flexibility far beyond the capabilities of any previously available home theatre receiver. David Birch-Jones, Denon Marketing Manager, noted, "With the introduction of the new AVR-5800, Denon has elevated the performance standard for state-of-the-art audio/video receivers yet again. Without question, the AVR-5800 is the finest A/V receiver ever created, and includes a number of technological breakthroughs that significantly expand the capabilities of high-end A/V receiver design." DTS Extended Surround: The Next Generation Of Surround Sound Decoding The Denon AVR-5800 is the world’s first audio/video component to be equipped with a DTS-ES Discrete 6.1-channel decoder, developed by DTS to provide dramatically improved 360-degree soundfield reproduction and exceptionally realistic surround sound localization. The new DTS-ES Discrete decoding system adds a discrete surround back channel to the traditional 5.1-channel loudspeaker configuration, enabling more faithful reproduction of the multi-channel sound mix originally designed by the film or music producer at the dubbing stage. When a 6.1-channel DTS-ES Discrete source is played, the AVR-5800 automatically detects the signal and plays in 6.1 discrete mode. The AVR-5800 also supports DTS-ES Matrix and DTS Neo:6 matrix 6.1-channel processing. DTS-ES Matrix decoding produces the effect of 6.1-channel sound by extracting a surround back channel from the left and right surround channels, and is compatible with the growing number of movies released on DVD with DTS-ES encoding. The DTS Neo:6 matrix surround function provides up to 6.1 channels of surround sound audio from stereo program material, and can be used with virtually any two-channel digital or analog stereo audio source. In addition to the new DTS formats, the Denon AVR-5800 includes THX Surround EX processing, which provides an additional surround back channel when decoding Dolby® Digital Surround EX-encoded sources, to create a 6.1-channel soundfield. The AVR-5800 also provides unexcelled Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel surround sound decoding, THX 5.1 and 4.0 post-processing and a variety of useful DSP modes. For heightened surround sound music listening enjoyment from stereo program material, the AVR-5800 includes Denon’s exclusive 5-Channel Stereo mode, in which both sets of left and right speakers (front and rear) reproduce full fidelity unprocessed stereo and the center channel provides an L + R blend. The AVR-5800 is designed to bring out the best in all existing surround sound formats and program material, thanks to its Dual Surround Mode Speaker Switching featuring two pairs of left and right surround channel speaker outputs. This unique Denon feature allows the user to install two sets of surround speakers - diffuse surround and direct radiating - and choose the best set of surround speakers for either movie or music listening without compromising either listening mode. For example, the listener can choose between side-mounted dipole/bipole speakers when listening to Dolby Digital or DTS movie soundtracks, and direct radiating speakers mounted at the rear corners when listening to 5.1-channel music surround program material. The Denon AVR-5800 incorporates the most advanced digital technologies available to achieve an extraordinary level of sonic accuracy. The AVR-5800 utilizes dual Analog Devices SHARC 32-bit floating point DSP processors - the most advanced DSP devices on the market. Each of these state-of-the-art chips boasts a processing speed of 50MIPS (millions of instructions per second), with a computational power of 80MFLOPS (millions of floating point operations per second) sustained, 120MFLOPS peak. The AVR-5800 also utilizes the latest-generation Analog Devices AD-1853 24-bit/192kHz D/A converters, featuring two DAC channels per each audio channel in a differential configuration for widest dynamic range and lowest noise floor. In the highest quality Pure Direct stereo mode, the AVR-5800 automatically re-configures the DACs to provide eight-DAC dual differential operation - four DACs per each audio channel. This leading edge DSP circuitry operates in conjunction with Denon’s proprietary DDSC-D (Dynamic Discrete Surround Decoder-Digital) and 24-bit ALPHA technologies to further enhance sonic performance. The DDSC-D circuit dynamically allocates processing power for optimum surround sound decoding performance, while the 24-bit ALPHA processing circuit uses sophisticated interpolation algorithms and digital filtering to improve low-level resolution. The sonic result is significantly improved fidelity and dynamic range and a much more musically natural sonic presentation. An additional DDSC-D design feature is the use of a separate, parallel stereo analog pathway for highest quality stereo audio reproduction. Unlike competitive A/V receivers, which digitize incoming analog signals even in stereo mode, the AVR-5800 has a dedicated analog stereo pathway that keeps the main stereo signal information in the analog domain (above 80Hz). This preserves the high quality analog output from LP, or a CD player or CD changer with HDCD decoding, with no A/D and D/A digital artifacts or added noise. The analog pathway also includes a parallel bass management level memory function that duplicates the speaker and subwoofer level settings of the digital sources and keeps speaker and subwoofer levels consistent when switching between analog and digital sources. More Features And Flexibility Than Ever Before Along with unmatched surround sound performance, the Denon AVR-5800 offers unmatched operational flexibility. Its power section includes seven all-discrete channels of amplification, to drive the all the main channels in a 7.1 multi-channel system without the need for external amplification. Each channel - left, center and right front, left and right rear surround, and the left and right surround back channels - delivers a remarkable 170 watts of high-current power, the highest power output ever from a Denon A/V receiver (into 8 ohms, from 20Hz-20kHz, with no more than .05% THD). If desired, the amplifier channels can be reassigned to accommodate system configurations using less than seven main channels, while utilizing the receiver’s full amplification capability. The AVR-5800 provides the most extensive complement of features and control options of any A/V receiver ever created. Among the highlights are three sets of component video inputs, nine assignable optical and coaxial digital inputs plus an additional digital input for Dolby AC-3™ RF laser disc, automatic digital/analog input source selection, and a Pure Direct Mode that reconfigures the receiver’s D/A converter section to eight-DAC dual-differential operation and shuts off all unnecessary circuitry (including the video section) for highest-quality reproduction of two-channel digital and analog music sources. Other unique features include three-source/three zone multi-room audio and video capability, an Enhanced Bass Management system that allows the user to optimize bass response for any home theatre speaker configuration, Denon’s Personal Memory Plus function that retains surround sound settings for each program source in memory and much more. The AVR-5800 also includes a full array of "standard" A/V receiver features, inputs and outputs. Although the Denon AVR-5800 incorporates every conceivable feature to accommodate today’s most advanced audio and video program sources and home entertainment systems, it is also designed to accommodate future formats and upgrades. For example, the AVR-5800 includes an RS-232C control port for connection to external whole-house control systems, with a software/firmware upgrade pathway, and features IEEE 1394 "FireWire" upgrade capability via an upgradeable DSP board and digital jack panel. The AVR-5800 is supplied with Denon’s new AKTIS RC-8000 Programmable LCD Remote Control and companion RC-8001ST Charger Base/RF Relay Station. The new AKTIS provides complete control of even the most sophisticated home entertainment systems from a single programmable and customizable device, and transmits both IR and RF control signals for total system control flexibility including multi-room operation. Along with ultimate performance, the Denon AVR-5800 is built to ultimate quality standards. Its chassis construction is designed to optimize audio performance through the use of isolated digital and analog circuits, extensive internal shielding, premium-quality components throughout and other refinements. The AVR-5800 will begin shipping August 2000 at a suggested retail price of $3,800. Denon Electronics is Japan’s oldest audio company. Founded 90 years ago, the company has a long history of technical innovations, including the development and first commercialization of PCM digital audio. |
