Denon AVR-4311
Just Tested
Home cinema amplifiers
Denon AVR-X2000
The AVR-X2000 brings Denon back to the AV receiver top table in this ultra-competitive price category
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Soundbars
Otone Sonora AV-Lance
A decent, affordable effort from Otone but sound quality is tainted by a distracting brightness
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DACs
Chord Electronics QBD76 HDSD
Chord’s QBD76 HDSD is a top-class converter that delivers a brilliant sound from a well-built package. It has plenty of visual appeal, too
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In this month's mag
July 2013
SUPERTEST: Soundbar solutions £250-£450
GROUP TEST: 46-47in smart TVs
GROUP TEST: Standmount speakers £350-£450
© 2013 Haymarket Publishing
Comments
music is something odd....i just read in your receiver forum that
someone who tested the pioneer 86 arcam 600 and yahama 3010
bought these amplifier because he was sounding the best .....
ah yes bether than the antem 700 also
human earing is ultimate the only guide
I just bought this amp, so want some opinion here as to which sat speakers eg Dali Fazon, Focal Dome, KEF T105, B&W 25 or Arcam Muso/Logo will be a good match to a give mure punchy sound..
Charles
I have not heard this receiver or any of the others in the group, but I think this review does a huge disservice to what looks like a great piece of kit for the price. I can't see how 'too much bass' can be a meaningful criticism in this context when there is so much digital processing involved before the signal reaches the amplification stage. This is almost certainly a system/room calibration issue rather than an an innate characteristic of the receiver, and could have been corrected using the premium version of 'audyssey' room correction built into this amp. Instead of focusing on subjective sonic characteristics wouldn't it be more helpful to comment on the image processing? Timing and detail in the sound, dynamic range? How realistic are the power ratings, especially into 9 channels? Would the receiver be comfortable in a large-ish room or would it struggle? I am sure the reviewers thought about all these things and in the end it was down to space on the page, but it would be better to focus on points that help people listen more critically when auditioning these products themselves.
Yes but you see our test team has listened to both this and the price-comparable rivals, rather than just going on what the specification looks like, hence the review.
I've owned this receiver (4311) for almost six months now: I use the 3311 before for a year and half, and this is my opinion concerning this unit:
-sound quality is far far better than any rivals (whatever the brand: Onkyo, Pionner, Yamaha precisely), more detailled, more subtil, more audiophile in fact.
-Maybe it is not the most important thing (sound quality) for an AVR, but for whom (as me) choose to buy a such piece and put about 1500€ to get it, there is no rivals at this price range for a high end AVR (even if you rather (I guess) Onkyo and/or Pioneer stuffs switch on your review with 5 stars...)
-I have tested it (including sound quality which is the main factor to choose at end the unit for me) comparing it to Onkyo 5009 and Pionner LX85, verdict:
-Denon is far far in front of the others for sound quality, Pionner for a mix of sound and video treatments but it still sounds too "metalic", and last place the Onkyo because it is too neutral at HiFi use even if it use also Audyssey XT32.
All high end models of each brand are very good but depending of what you are looking for (better sound, better video processing, etc) people can choose switch on their own taste...
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My HC/HiFi materials:
HC: AVR-4311, BD DBP-1611UD (Blue Ray), DCD-1510AE (CDs), Front speakers (bi-amp) and Surrounds speakers: 2 pair of Triangles Antal EX 30th special edition, Wide speakers: Triangles Comete 30th special edition, Central: Triangle Voce Genese, SW: Triangle Meteor 0.1.5