Denon AVRX520BT or Onkyo TX-SR343 (UPDATED Subject)

[TheOne]

Hi all,

Anyone know much about the new Denon receiver? I picked this up from Richer Sounds yesterday and not quite sure what to make of it.

It ticked the main box I needed which was having more than 1 HDCP 2.2 HDMI input (it has 3!), but for £199 it's almost 1/2 the price of most other entry level receivers which all only have one HDCP HDMI input.

There's no reviews I can find and I had limited amount of time to test it yesterday, although it has all been set up with the new Canton speakers I purchased.

I did manage to go through the set-up process which seems fairly straightfoward but there are a few niggly things which my 8 year -old Sony was able to do but wasn't sure whether it was because of my price point or whether it was a general Denon specific issue (this is only my 2nd receiver!). My set up is having all equipment connected to the receiver and then connected to the TV. I've also got an optical connection between the TV and receiver although don't think this is doing anything! Here are some initial issues and questions which I'm hoping someone could shed some light on -

1) When using ARC, turning the receiver off to use the TV audio blanks out the screen for 2/3 seconds before the picture comes back. Is this normal ARC behaviour or specific to a Denon?

2) My old Sony displayed which speakers were being used on the front. On the Denon you have to press a few buttons to see it and even then it only shows what signal it is receiving rather than the actual active speakers.

3) I used to have the Sony display set to show what source was incoming. On the Denon it seems to default to channels.

4) Can't rename inputs (I know it's a small thing but really wish I could!)

5) Not sure whether it's because of the way it's been set up, but when I turn my Sony on it would revert the TV sound to the receiver and changing volume using the TV remote was possible. With the Denon it effectively mutes the TV sound but when change the volume using the TV remote, it changes the muted TV volume rather than the receiver.

I'm tempted to return it but wanted to get thoughts on whether it's because I'm really used to the Sony and will get used to the Denon, I'm getting what I paid for(!) or whether there's an alternative receiver with more than 1 HDCP 2.2 input under £400.

Thanks for reading and sorry for long post!

UPDATE -

Having spoken to a really helpful guy at Richer Sounds, I covered most of my questions! -

1) This is normal as the receiver is reestablishing the HDMI connection. This wasn't an issue with my previous Sony as it was connected via optical cable.

2) Forgot to ask about this!

3) Forgot to ask about this too!

4) Not sure on this one. The manual says you can but it's under the 'Connecting and Operating Onkyo RI Components' section. Effectively what I'm trying to do is say rename DVD/Blu Ray to PS3 which is what I was able to do on my Sony.

5) Another question I forgot to ask!

I'll be popping into the store to demo the Onkyo and may end up changing for the Denon!

 

[macdiddy]

you have an optical cable between the tv and amp, when you have hdmi, this is probably why the optical link is not doing anything as you can normally use one or the other and not both at the same time.

as regards some the other issues you are having such as renaming inputs, showing which speakers are being used etc, I think it's down to the budget nature of this particular amp.

my advice is to try both amps with your new speakers, if you prefer the denon then you will just have to get used to losing a few features.

*music2*

 

[macdiddy]

your updated post, please ignore mine.

*dance4*

 

[TheOne]

Hi macdiddy,

no worries, before speaking to RS your advice would've been valid!

in terms of performance, as they are both budget amps I can't see there being too much difference so main decision will be based on usability (features and functions are pretty identical).

popping to RS tomorrow to demo the Onkyo with the Denon, then can decide which to go for.

Also want to give a thumbs up to the RS branch in Bristol, 5* customer service. I'll drop a line to update my decision.

 

[TheOne]

Demoed the Onkyo and decided to make the swap.

In terms of performance, at the price point there isn't a lot of difference between the Denon and the Onkyo but would say the Onkyo was very marginally better.

In terms of the issues I had with the Denon, as mentioned in previous post the ARC blank screen is common thing. I would say the Onkyo does reestablish the pic a little quicker than the Denon.

The speaker information is the same on both the Onkyo and the Denon, although the Onkyo does provide an additional symbol when a dolby digital signal is being received which I didn't notice on the Denon. On both you still have to press the display button to cycle through the information.

In terms of the front display, although you can change the input name in the Onkyo, this is from a pre-defined list and not a free-format option like in the Sony receivers. The display screen on the Onkyo provides the input name and volume. The Denon is better in this respect as it provides both input name and audio channel information.

The remote on the Denon I think is better than the Onkyo. More straight forward to use and I like the fact that there's a lip-syncing adjustment on it.

It's a pretty close call between the two and don't think you could go wrong with either.

 

[TheOne]

Swapped the Onkyo for the Denon AVRX2200W!

Was happy with both the 520 and the 343 but wanted something a bit extra so decided to swap it for the 2200.

i know I've doubled my cost but wow! What a great peice of kit!