Denon AVR-1909 7.1 CH/5.1+2 CH Independent Zone Home Theater Receiver

• Identical quality and power for all 7 channels, 90W x 7ch
• Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio decoders
• Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ
• 3 HDMI inputs (Audio and Video)
• Sirius Satellite Radio ready

Made For Home Theater - I bought this to replace a Harmon-Kardon AVR330. I loved the HK, but after getting a Sony BDP-S350 Blu-Ray player, I couldn t live without lossless audio support, nor without HDMI switching. I first bought a Sony STR-DG820 - long story short, audio quality paled in comparison to the sound I was used to from the HK, so I returned it.The 1909 really shines in home theater use. It has a very precise sound. Machine gun fire in the Band of Brothers Blu-Ray DTS-MA track sounds incredibly realistic. Audyssey Dynamic EQ is a very useful feature. I live in a condo, so I have to turn my system down at night. With dynamic EQ, I get consistent frequency response even with the 1909 set at -41 dB. End result - satisfying sound without getting a knock on my door at midnight from a neighbor who can t sleep. Dynamic volume is more useful for TV - haven t used it as much, but it would be very useful for someone who watches a lot of TV. All in all, I am very happy with the sound quality I m getting. It s probably not as warm sounding as the HK AVR330 I m giving up, but that s more a concern for music listening.As others have pointed out, setup is a bit laborious, but I can t knock a star off for that. Setup will take several hours, once. The post-setup performance will last for years. If you truly enjoy your home theater, a difficult setup shouldn t concern you as much as buying a product that will continually leave you underwhelmed.Reading this over, it may not sound like a rave review, but I m incredibly happy with the performance of the AVR-1909. It switches HDMI well, it s very easy to use (once you spend some time setting it up), and it sounds great in a home theater context - particularly with lossless Blu-Ray discs. You could go cheaper (Onkyo, Harmon-Kardon) but I wasn t willing to risk dealing with a flawed product (both have their problems). If sound quality isn t a concern, the Sony entry-level products (STR-DG820 et al) are fine.If you want to have a great theater experience without spending four figures (or close to it), don t want to deal with potential problems, and are willing to spend more than a bare-bones solution would cost, this is truly a 5 star product. It isn t ideal for the music-oriented audiophile (still love HK s sound for music), and it s more expensive than an entry-level buyer needs to spend, but for a mid-level home theater enthusiast, this is perfect.

Denon AVR-1909: Great receiver but poor instructions - I was finally ready to upgrade to an HDMI receiver with the latest HD audio options so I could take full advantage of my LG BH200, Samsung LCD, Cox Cable HD DVR and Polk speakers. Previous receiver was an Onkyo TX-SR504 and I really liked it, so my first look was at Onkyo receivers. However, after reading the AVS Forum and Amazon reviews, the heating issues of the newer Onkyos concerned me.Enter the Denon AVR-1909 with multi-eq, Audyssey, and Dynamic Volume, 3 HDMI inputs, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master processing. Glowing write-ups from users at AVS really had me psyched (and provided a great deal through J&R Electronics). I have to say that this receiver is incredible for the price.I love the multi-eq and the dynamic volume is a big help while watching TV so I don t go from quiet TV shows to blaring commercials. The Audyssey set-up was extremely easy, and really makes this receiver shine. Even my mother, who doesn t really pay attention to surround sound, commented it was really nice to hear the sound all around while watching Independence Day on blu-ray. The sound out of this unit is fantastic.Having said that, the one big weakness of Denon is the manual. As mentioned by another reviewer, check out and print the FAQ section on the AVS Forum to help you set this AVR up because the manual is totally insufficient. Even with the help of the FAQ, I still spent a couple hours getting inputs assigned and setting up the various profiles for TV, DVD, etc. and I generally don t have problems with electronics. I also spent the next couple of weeks haunting the forum to see how others had wired their speakers and tweaks they had made to their systems so I could get the most out of this unit. I know there are still way too many things I don t understand about it, but since I have it sounding the way I want it to I don t think I need to delve any deeper.So this is a great receiver, well worth the money, but with a very poor manual- which is why it garners 4 stars.

Top notch, unbelievable sound - Spent a while looking for an AV receiver, and looked at many of the same models other reviewers report evaluating (Onkyo, H/K, etc.) This is my first Denon and I ve been just wow d by the sound it produces. The Audessy EQ feature works incredibly well -- you get perfectly balanced sound when watching a movie. I m using KEF 3005 speakers in a 7.1 set-up.I also concur with the other reviewers who comment on the complicated setup. Granted, any decent AVR will take a bit of time to setup, but the Denon manual seems to go out of its way to make the process more convoluted than it needs to be. There s a great setup crib sheet and FAQ on the AVSforum site -- a must read before you set yours up. Without that, I d still be lost in the weeds!The upside is that after a few hours of cursing the setup process, you re rewarded with the best sound you ll hear unless you re willing to spend thousands more.

Great features, unbelievably difficult setup - Looking at the back of the unit, I wasn t at all intimidated by the number of inputs and connections. I rate pretty high in geek-factor, so I had no fear. But sadly, the manual is more technical reference manual than instruction manual, so getting the inputs set up took hours. Though I have just a few inputs (DVD, iPod, Satellite TV, and 2 game systems), assigning the inputs took several iterations and connector swaps, sometimes I had only sound, sometimes I had only video. Yet after some hours, I ve hit a brick wall and simply can t figure out why I m not getting iPod video. One thing that made this unecessarily complicated was that the manual, the on-screen assignment actions, and the rear of the unit all used different and sometimes overlapping terms to refer to the connection locations. So you end up kind of guessing at times. Even the most mundane activities required several minutes to figure out. For example, you probably want the subwoofer going when listening to music, yet you must figure out the TLAs (three-letter-acronyms) and complicated menu system to get find that feature. Turned out that LFE setting won t get subs, I needed LFE+MAIN. Seem obvious? Not to me. Overall, there are numerous TLAs that I still don t understand, and I ve gradually accepted that I ll never understand even a third of what this unit can even do. For example, the manual has page after page of different functionality available to the dozens upon dozens of sound modes. Skip. I m oddly curious about the Restorer button on the front. I can t even fathom what that does, even after playing with it. I liked the Audyssey auto setup, and I think I might even understand its purpose. Regardless, the system sounds great and seems to be performing properly (mostly). The first unit I bought had its front display fizzle out after a few short minutes. Fortunately, I purchased locally, so replacing it wasn t too much of a chore. I haven t yet experimented with the Dynamic Volume, but I suspect this will be a useful feature. Fingers crossed. Next step is to read about the remote control, which appears brutally complicated. I just need to learn enough to get my universal remote set up, and I dread that chore. Overall, a good unit with great features for the price, but apparently intended to be installed by only a professional.

im enjoying this great reciever since the the day i got it !!! - after bad experience with harmen kardon avr-254 (i left a review on it s page),i did tons of research, to make sure im not falling again. i ll make it short, and tell u that DENON is top of line company with a big line of recievers that had me confuesd for a while, but, i found out that, actualy, almost all of us don t need the pricy $1000 and up recievers- they are good but with a lot of functions and over power than what we ever use on daily basis.the avr 1909 is new -2008, have everything that you need and more to enjoy bd (ps3) and music- the power is great - sound is just perfect, setup is fast, 4 hdmi- upconverts, hd decoders and a lot more. that reciever, for me- it s the best, watching movies is so fun now that, the movie theather looks old comper to the quality u have now with bd + lcd + denon.recommended !!!!one more thing- great customer service from amazon and fast shipping. thats why every purchasing, i make sure it s by amazon.