Denon AVR-4520
Just Tested
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EAR Yoshino V12
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In this month's mag
August 2013
GROUP TEST: Floorstanding speakers from £440-£500
GROUP TEST: TV Titans – 55in tellies from £2300-£2500
ULTIMATE GUIDE: DACs from £180-£4995
© 2013 Haymarket Publishing
Comments
Interesting to know- what speakers used for avr-4520 test?
Why AVR-4520 doesnt get 5 stars from what hi-fi??Why AVR-4311 doest get 5??Because Denon is not Pioneer and is not ONkyo:)
Have a look through the old reviews. Those brands don't always get 5 stars.
I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice RickyDeg: This isn't the first time WHF have been less than enthusiastic over a premium-range Denon AVR when that other magazine has seen fit to give "Best Buy" and "Editors Choice" awards... in this Denon AVR4520's case, "Best Buy" and "Reference Status" awards. Something does seem at odds between these two magazine's opinions, doesn't it?
Agreed! Other publications that have also favored the 4520 never once mentioned the lack of excitement, rather the contrary. Go figure. To be honest, I'm finding WHF reviews more and more lacking in believability lately and kinda smells of rotten fish sometimes. But that's the thing, it's simply their reviewers opinion (unless other things are involved that we don't know about... hence the smelly fish...).
I fear you must search elsewhere for the source of the odour. No fish, rotting or otherwise, around here...
Good to know Andrew. Although the odour still occurs sometimes when reading WHF's reviews. And I'm not the only one who experiences that. We could just be imagining that though, of course..
Also, I must say I find your reviews somewhat disappointing when you choose to basically ignore some of the significant and prominant features of this (or any similar) receiver - namely the advanced calibration and EQ process. Well treated listening room or not (and I don't doubt you guys have that) the vast majority of potential buyers interested in a machine featuring Audyssey MultEQ XT32 with Dynamic EQ and dual Sub EQ etc will use those and would therefor want to read a report about it. So why not give us that aswell? It would be far more interesting, and fair, to run part of the test with no processing at all and then run one carefully calibrated, and with Dynamic EQ. I don't think it's particularly clever to neglect the fact that most users (yes, even those with well treated rooms) are going to utilize previously named features. They are, after all, often the very reason people consider a unit featuring them. That is hardly news to you guys? Your ways of dealing with this in your tests have me scratching my head every time. Run both, report on both. Why not? Naturally I could be wrong, but I suspect with a well-done XT32 calibration and Dynamic EQ kicking into gear you would have found the 'attack' and 'excitement' you feel is lacking in the 4520.
..And do not forget the AL32 processing as well which is a unique feature in my opinion. Not only a simple 192 kHz/32 bit DAC. Denon has won EISA with a CD player containing this feature.. Anyway it is alawys true: do not rely only on reviews before buying.. People are different with different taste. Pioneer has surely more exciting sound at first sight, but for long-term I do not know if it is not too much. Pioneer has rather bright sound if I m not wrong. But this is one opinion.
HA! And I just came from reading the review of this machine in Home Cinema Choice who have a different experience than WHF in the "absolute excitement" department, as WHF themselves put it. Nothing strange about differences of opinion and/or listeningexperiences though of course. Just another reminder that we just CAN'T go by reviews! For example, the only 'negative' review I ever read on the NAD T787 receiver was in this very publication. Every other review was extremely positive. You never know what to believe in... until you test things for yourself.