Denon AVR-789

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StevePro

May 24, 2009 - CDT 11:41 PM

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Well, I finally got it and it is outstanding!

The AVR-789 is identical to the 1909 short of an RF port for a second zone which I do not need. I replaced an aging AVR-2800 (around 1995, I got my money's worth). Gone are the 18 analogue cables to and from the HD-DVD and BD players which have been replaced with 2 HDMIs. True HD and DTS-HD are absolutely fantastic quite frankly I can't believe the difference from DD. The video upconversion of standard SDs from the BD through the receiver of seems to be very good. The highs are cleaner, the lows are tighter, the there is an overall feeling of spaciousness that was lacking in the older receiver. Wiring the two additional speakers was a bit of a task but it worked out. The setup instructions were AWFUL, but fortunately they were not much different from the 2800 and I was able to struggle through them without too much loud swearing. It took about three hours to set up but that was with a 7 month old Australian Cattle Dog nipping at my butt every time I turned around. The Panasonic BD-30 works great once you figure out the settings. Tomorrow I'll tweek up the A-35, tone down the LFE a bit and clean up the wires.

Falcon01

May 25, 2009 - CDT 7:33 AM

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Congrats! A few months ago a heard a Denon 889 with some B & W speakers and I was amazed at the sound. It was leaps and bounds better than the sound I'm getting from my Pioneer Elite receiver (I'm still thinking of selling the Elite and getting a Denon or Marantz receiver).

Denon (and Marantz of course) sounds really good with music also.

[Post edited by Falcon01 on May 25, 2009 - CDT 7:34 AM]

John J. Puccio

May 25, 2009 - CDT 1:15 PM

says... "It's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide." --A.E. Neuman

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Yes, congratulations, Steve. Good sound makes a big difference in one's enjoyment of a movie, and a 7.1 setup can make it even more spacious.

John

StevePro

May 26, 2009 - CDT 10:30 AM

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I ran the automatic setup with the microphone yesterday (I tried it manually the first time) and I was totally blown away by the results. The speaker balance is now right on the money. Another great feature is is Dynamic EQ which balances the volume (like late at night) on BD disks, tv commercials, etc. My wife and daughter lovethat feature! I'm very pleased BUT I cannot find any disks in my BD or HDDVD collection which are actually in 7.1. Everything I have sampled so far has been in 5.1 TrueHD of DTS-HD with the surround speakers matrixed out. Any suggestions on 7.1 titles?

Henning

May 26, 2009 - CDT 10:49 AM

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First that pops into mind is:
Pan's Labyrinth

John J. Puccio

May 26, 2009 - CDT 11:25 AM

says... "It's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide." --A.E. Neuman

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The thing is, almost all movies you see in theaters are mixed in 5.1. When the BD is in 7.1, it's either that the studio went back to the master multichannel audio and remixed it for the home in discrete 7.1, or they took the easier route and matrixed it for 7.1 similar to what your receiver does.

Unfortunately, it's hard to tell. Note, for instance, that the "Star Trek" movies are in 7.1, but they often sound like remixed two-channel stereo. Certainly, as Henning says, "Pan" sounds great in 7.1, as does "The Orphanage," "The Golden Compass," "Shoot 'Em Up," the second "Narnia," "The Forbidden Kingdom" (a much overlooked film), and others.

Also, try "Live Free or Die Harder" for great 5.1 sound, but where your 7.1 receiver will make all the speakers come to life, anyway.

John

[Post edited by John J. Puccio on May 26, 2009 - CDT 11:29 AM]

StevePro

May 26, 2009 - CDT 11:49 AM

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I have Pan's, The Orphanage and the Golden Compass. I guess I doidn't look close enough. I'll watch one after work tonight. Thanks guys!

italy12

May 26, 2009 - CDT 1:10 PM

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Hellboy II - 7.1 DTS HD MA
Star Trek: TOS Season 1 - 7.1 DTS HD MA
Harold & Kumar - 7.1 DTS HD MA
Any "Blue Underground" release...7.1 Dolby TrueHD and 7.1 DTS HD-MA.

Ya know, New Line was releasing movies in DTS HD-MA 7.1 until Warner took them over and now all we get is Dolby TrueHD 5.1. Not that that is bad...but I always preferred DTS to Dolby anyway. On Blu-Ray, the difference between the two is much less than what I remember hearing on DVD.

John J. Puccio

May 26, 2009 - CDT 2:13 PM

says... "It's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide." --A.E. Neuman

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Quote:
On Blu-Ray, the difference between the two is much less than what I remember hearing on DVD.

That's because on DVD, DTS used to raise the mid bass response to impress listeners. On Blu-ray they probably know that people expect more accuracy.

John

italy12

May 26, 2009 - CDT 7:49 PM

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I guess it worked 'cause I was impressed!!

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