avr-1909
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Denon's AVR-1909 AV receiver gets reviewed, not for the faint of heart
On the face of it, the Denon AVR-1909 receiver seems like a great unit for someone either HT beginners or casual users -- a reputable brand, rich feature set and modest $649 price put it high on the short list; good sound quality should cinch the deal. Not so fast, though -- the CNET gang ran the AVR-1909 through the gauntlet, and while the positives certainly came through (with sound quality besting the Onkyo TX-SR606), the setup and day-to-day use with the included remote left a lot to be desired. To be fair, the remote problem can be solved by using a third-party model, but the text-only black and white onscreen UI for setup is glaring in 2009. Obviously, trade-offs had to be made to hit the price point, and HT zealots like us can live with some setup difficulties for good sound, but more casual users might find this a hard pill to swallow. Hit the link for the gory details, and give this unit some hands-on time before committing.
Denon rolls out updates across 10 receiver models
Because it covers just about every price point in its receiver lineup and doesn't want to leave anybody feeling slighted, Denon is bringing updates to 10 models in the heart of its offerings. The company is emphasizing bang-for-your-buck in the AVR-589 ($299), AVR-689 ($399), AVR-789 ($599), AVR-889 ($749), AVR-989 ($1199), AVR-1909 ($649), AVR-2309CI ($849) and AVR-2809CI ($1199). It's a good-looking refresh: on the video side, the emphasis on more HDMI 1.3a inputs and 1080p video upscaling. On the audio side, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA decoding, Audyssey room tuning (MultiEQ) and volume regulation (Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume) get sprinkled through the lineup liberally. All this goodness should be finding its way to your dealer soon; expected availability is July. If you're in the market for a new receiver, hit the link for the details and decide if you want to wait on these new models or score a deal on the outgoing ones.
