Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I spent several months researching my new receiver for my home theater. I spent countless hours hanging out on the avsforum, read everything I could about receivers. I was looking for a receiver that would have the following features:
- at least 2 HDMI inputs
- great sound quality for music as well as movies
- HD audio codecs (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA) support
- would cost $650 MSRP or less
The choice was simple:
- Onkyo 606 or 705
- Yamaha 663
- Sony 820 or 920
- HK 254
- Pioneer 1018
- Denon 1909 or 988
I didn't even try the Onkyos, because I was afraid of the overheating problems and the humming noise reported on many units. Plus, they are downright ugly. The Yamaha had only 2 HDMI, and did not pass BTB/WTW, the Sonys are notorious for having the worst sound quality (unless you tap into the really high end models) across the board, so I didn't consider those either.
I was then left with the HK, Pioneer and Denon receivers.
I first bought the HK 254. All the users on avsforum swore by the HK sound. Well, they were right. The sound is nothing short of outstanding. The GUI is light-years ahead of the competition too. And finally, it is by far the slickest looking receiver of all. Now, on to the negative. HK is notorious for releasing products that haven't been thoroughly tested, and that don't work properly until the firmware update is released, and even at that point, it doesn't always work right. Well, they got that right too...I don't want to go into the details of all these bugs, but they completely kill all the enjoyment you could get from the unit (loud and pulsating fan noise, complete sound dropouts, etc.). I finally returned the unit, disgusted with HK's quality control.
I then tried the Pioneer 1018, the Denon 1909 and the Denon 988. All 3 of them performed flawlessly, without a single hickup.
The Pioneer worked great but sounded a little weak, lacked punch and attack compared to the HK. It also had a very annoying bright blue LED that you can't turn off, and the worst remote I've ever seen.
The Denon 1909 and 988 are similar in many ways. The 988 is from last year, but cost $1200 at the time, and can now be found around $600. Its sound quality, for music in direct mode, was the closest to the HK sound, in other words, it sounded great. However, it only has 2 HDMI inputs, and lacks the new Audyssey features.
The 1909 was VERY close to the 988 in terms of musical SQ in direct mode (read: it sounds awesome, and brought a big smile to my face the first time I played music on it). But where it really shines is with movies. The 1909 was the only receiver I tried that could maintain the surround field perfect at any time and any given volume. Thanks to the Audyssey setup, my speakers were configured spot-on (none of the other receivers, besides the 988, offered such a perfect calibration). And thanks to the Audyssey Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume, the surround field is constantly adjusted to provide you with the most convincing immersion in sound, at all volumes, and always optimized for your room acoustics.
What it translates to in terms of movie watching, is that you are constantly enveloped with the surround sound, and it is all perfectly balanced. The bass is also perfectly calibrated so that you subwoofer gives you the perfect rumble when it's needed, without overpowering the sound either. In short, it sounds better than at the movie theater.
I ended up keeping the 1909, because of its great sound quality and of its superb handling of surround field, thanks to the Audyssey Dynamic EQ and Volume. It might not be a $1,200 receiver like the 988, but it is newer and for once, those bells and whistles really make a considerable difference.
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Product Description:
Ready for the future, the AVR-1909 is equipped with the latest high resolution surround sound format decoding capabilities, including Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, and DTS-HD Master Audio - the latest high resolution audio formats found on many Blu-ray high definition discs. The powerful seven channel amplifier section can be configured for 7.1 channel surround sound, as well as being able to drive a 5.1 channel system in the main room along with powered stereo speaker outputs for second zone audio. The video section features extensive video source switching and up-conversion capability, and is equipped with three latest specification v1.3a HDMI inputs and one HDMI output, with up to 1080p resolution. In addition, the AVR-1909 features Faroudja DCDi video processing and up-conversion, breathing new life into standard definition sources, along with three HD component video inputs and one HD component video output. Setup is a snap, thanks to the icon-based on screen display, and the Audyssey MultEQ acoustic correction and optimization system custom-tailors the sound for optimum tonal balance throughout the listening space. To eliminate irritating swings in volume between TV shows and commercials, the AVR-1909 is one of the first to offer Audyssey Dynamic Volume automatic volume-leveling system, as well as Audyssey Dynamic EQ to ensure rich bass and smooth tonal balance, even at low volume levels.
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