Denon AVR 1909 review

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:See explanation here

Thanks. Do I understand this correctly? The preamps will allow you to connect the AV Receiver to yet another Amp before connecting to the speakers? Why would you do that? Isn't the AV Receiver good enough to drive the speakers or wouldn't you just buy a better/more powerful AV Receiver rather than using a separate amp?

 

[Andrew Everard]

So you can run a separate purist stereo system with your CD player connected through that for optimum musical performance, while avoiding the need to keep changing speaker connections

 

[Gerrardasnails]

seakingadvice:Andrew Everard:See explanation here

Thanks. Do I understand this correctly? The preamps will allow you to connect the AV Receiver to yet another Amp before connecting to the speakers? Why would you do that? Isn't the AV Receiver good enough to drive the speakers or wouldn't you just buy a better/more powerful AV Receiver rather than using a separate amp?

Even the really expensive av receivers like the Onkyo 905 will not be as good as say a £500 stereo amp. The receivers in the 1909 bracket are brilliant for surround sound but not the best with cd playback. There are a lot of people - like me - who have their stereo amp connected to the front left and right speakers used in a 5.1 system. You cannot connect a pair of speakers to two different amps so the alternative is to connect them to your stereo amp and the remaining speakers (rear, centre and subwoofer) to your receiver. This way you can listen to music using your stereo amp and when watching films etc, you have both switched on.

 

[Anonymous]

Now THIS is substantially superb news. At last, a manufacturer has taken on Onkyo and, like them, seen that there's a volume business at that end of the market. Who'da thunk it'd be Denon, though?
I take back all the Onk/conspiracy theory rubbish I posted (and thought). Your review (of the Denon) was wholly objective and music to my - and many other people's - ears.
Now I've never used pre-outs and never would (now that Andrew's told me what they do), so the lack of them on the Denon's no great shakes to me.
I will wait for a review of the Sony, and buy in September/October, but it looks like I'm going all Denon...

 

[Anonymous]

Interesting, but the 1909 isn't on Denon's website....

 

[Anonymous]

I think Denon seem to live in a different world.

One where their own web site is the last place they would expect a consumer to look for information!

ÿ

You can get a little bit of info on Blu-Ray players that are not available for purchase though ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Dr Mcr:
I think Denon seem to live in a different world.

One where their own web site is the last place they would expect a consumer to look for information!

You can get a little bit of info on Blu-Ray players that are not available for purchase though

It's by no mean a world in which only Denon reside. Many brands take a good while to update their website. Sony have yet to put the STR-DG820 specs on their UK site (although oddly, they have put up the 920 - which isn't even going to be sold in Britain).

Oh btw, Denon do have the AVR 1909 on their US site.

 

[professorhat]

Casca:Who'da thunk it'd be Denon, though?
I would have thought if anyone were going to do it, it would be Denon. Yamaha seem to be struggling a bit at the moment but I'm sure they'll bring it back soon.

 

[Anonymous]

Gerrardasnails:seakingadvice:Andrew Everard:See explanation here

Thanks. Do I understand this correctly? The preamps will allow you to connect the AV Receiver to yet another Amp before connecting to the speakers? Why would you do that? Isn't the AV Receiver good enough to drive the speakers or wouldn't you just buy a better/more powerful AV Receiver rather than using a separate amp?

Even the really expensive av receivers like the Onkyo 905 will not be as good as say a £500 stereo amp. The receivers in the 1909 bracket are brilliant for surround sound but not the best with cd playback. There are a lot of people - like me - who have their stereo amp connected to the front left and right speakers used in a 5.1 system. You cannot connect a pair of speakers to two different amps so the alternative is to connect them to your stereo amp and the remaining speakers (rear, centre and subwoofer) to your receiver. This way you can listen to music using your stereo amp and when watching films etc, you have both switched on.

Thanks. Let me see whether I understand this correctly. With a pre-amp, you can connect the AV Receiver to the Stereo Amp whch then connects to the left and right front speakers. The CD Player connects to the Stereo Amp. When listening to music, you turn on the CD Player and Stereo Amp only to channel the sound through the front left/right speakers. However, when watching movies, you will need to turn on both the Stereo Amp and the AV Receivers? I presume that the front left/right speakers in this case would be driven by the AV Receiver and that the Stereo Amp is merely a "pass through"? Is this how this works?

 

[Gerrardasnails]

seakingadvice:Gerrardasnails:seakingadvice:Andrew Everard:See explanation here

Thanks. Do I understand this correctly? The preamps will allow you to connect the AV Receiver to yet another Amp before connecting to the speakers? Why would you do that? Isn't the AV Receiver good enough to drive the speakers or wouldn't you just buy a better/more powerful AV Receiver rather than using a separate amp?

Even the really expensive av receivers like the Onkyo 905 will not be as good as say a £500 stereo amp. The receivers in the 1909 bracket are brilliant for surround sound but not the best with cd playback. There are a lot of people - like me - who have their stereo amp connected to the front left and right speakers used in a 5.1 system. You cannot connect a pair of speakers to two different amps so the alternative is to connect them to your stereo amp and the remaining speakers (rear, centre and subwoofer) to your receiver. This way you can listen to music using your stereo amp and when watching films etc, you have both switched on.

Thanks. Let me see whether I understand this correctly. With a pre-amp, you can connect the AV Receiver to the Stereo Amp whch then connects to the left and right front speakers. The CD Player connects to the Stereo Amp. When listening to music, you turn on the CD Player and Stereo Amp only to channel the sound through the front left/right speakers. However, when watching movies, you will need to turn on both the Stereo Amp and the AV Receivers? I presume that the front left/right speakers in this case would be driven by the AV Receiver and that the Stereo Amp is merely a "pass through"? Is this how this works?

Yep

 

[Andrew Everard]

Except that's pre-outs, not a preamp.

 

[roger06]

Andrew Everard:Except that's pre-outs, not a preamp.

So is that why you don't seem to see AV Processors any more ? I have a Yamaha DSP-E492 which was used in conjunction with an Arcam Alpha 8 amp and will shortly be morphing into my Naim system - and can't see anything similar any more.

 

[roger06]

Clare Newsome:
Sorry, just seen this.

In the current, sub£500 HD-capable receiver market, pre-outs (sadly) simply aren't a reality - manufacturers have to give up something to come in at that price point, and it seems that while @£400 receivers of yore had pre-outs, these models have HD and HDMI.

I agree, however, that this should have been more clearly explained. I've asked that it's flagged up more explicitly from here on in...

Hi Clare

Having read this thread with interest I'm now quite excited that I can add a modern AV receiver to my 2 channel Naim system.

I was looking at your spec page for the Denon AVR-1909 which reads towards the bottom:

Preouts 1
It also reads the same for the Onkyo 606 spec.

Is this referring to something else ? is it a mistake? or do they actually have these pre-outs?

cheers

 

[Anonymous]

roger06:Clare Newsome:
Sorry, just seen this.

In the current, sub£500 HD-capable receiver market, pre-outs (sadly) simply aren't a reality - manufacturers have to give up something to come in at that price point, and it seems that while @£400 receivers of yore had pre-outs, these models have HD and HDMI.

I agree, however, that this should have been more clearly explained. I've asked that it's flagged up more explicitly from here on in...

Hi Clare

Having read this thread with interest I'm now quite excited that I can add a modern AV receiver to my 2 channel Naim system.

I was looking at your spec page for the Denon AVR-1909 which reads towards the bottom:

Preouts 1
It also reads the same for the Onkyo 606 spec.

Is this referring to something else ? is it a mistake? or do they actually have these pre-outs?

cheers

I think that's for use with a subwoofer.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Yes, the Denon 1909, like the Onkyo 606, only has a subwoofer preout, not multichannel preouts.

 

[Clare Newsome]

And I had a word earlier this week with Denon re updating the UK site with info on the new products. They're working on it!

 

[Anonymous]

So with Pre-outs this would mean you have to manage two volume controls when listening to surround sources? One for your front-sides and one for the rest of the surrounds including the front centre?

 

[Andrew Everard]

No - if you read that explanation I linked to further back up the thread, you just set the volume on the stereo amp once, and then the receiver's volume control does all the work

 

[Anonymous]

whats a pre out?

and if im only hooking hdmi to this system is it still decent?

wanted the sony 820 but it has problems and the onkyo is oooglee!!

will kef speakers 2005.3 be good with this receiver?

is this receiver all its cracked up to be?

it had 1080p upscaling and true HD audio

what more do i need? (cue barrage of answers!)

 

[Anonymous]

See the link Andrew posted on page 2 of this thread.

What do you mean? You won't be using it for music?

Which Onkyo?

Which receiver? They'll go OK with Sony and Onk though

(820?) Not really because nobody was expecting the issues with assignment.

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

the receiver i will be chosing would be the 1909 will the kef speakers 2005.3 do it justice?

the new onkyo receiver,the 606 for me is not pretty.

and would this system be good for music?

 

[Anonymous]

Totally depends on what you consider to be 'good for music'. Compared to a budget seperates hi-fi set-up? It'll be rubbish. This is of a course a home cinema amp with small satellite speakers, not really designed for music.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks!

ill stick with this set up for home cinema and buy a decent micro for music!

 

[Anonymous]

Just got the 2309 and it is great, and has the 7.1 pre-outs! Everyone is selling this for £599 right now, but everyone will also negotiate down to £520-£550 if you ask.