Customer Reviews

Denon AVR1910 7.1-Channel Multi-Zone Home Theater Receiver with 1080p HDMI Connectivity

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Last year I spent several months trying various A/V receivers when I upgraded to bluray and a new plasma TV. I tried an Onkyo 606, Denon 988, and a Yamaha 663 and ultimately ended up with the Yamaha RX-V663 as I felt it gave the best performance for the money. I decided to switch to a different receiver after I changed my home theater setup and began to route everything to the tv via 1 HDMI cable. The Yamaha's video processing on HDMI sources was fine, but other analog sources were seriously degraded when converted to digital. So my search began again.

After many months of research at various forums and websites, here were my conclusions about the new 2009 models:

1. Yamaha 665 added extra HDMI inputs and video upscaling which is good but also cut weight by about 8 lbs mainly from the amplifier which means less output and clean sound.

2. Onkyo 607 is mainly the same as last year's, with an extra HDMI for a total of 5 inputs. Added Dolby Prologic II Z which is more of a gimmick than useful from what I have read. Still runs very hot and has same poor video processing chip. Questionable reliability.

3. Harman Kardon was the brand I owned before my Yamaha and I really love them, but last year had excessive amounts of glitches with video and audio compatibility. Most have been corrected buy I'm not willing to take that chance as of yet.

4. Pioneer makes a nice unit in the 1018 last year, but this year the 1019 has been cut drastically in weight too. Power amp has been cut down to lower levels. Nice GUI and ipod compatibility built in, but a little weak in the power section.

5. Sony. Never really been fond of Sony receivers in the past. ES series is nice, but pricey. I personally never even considered anything below the ES line.

And that brings us to the 1910:

I am flat out blown away by this receiver. The main reason I wanted it was for the Audyssey processing. The only thing I was in love with on the Onkyo 606 I tried out was the Audyssey dynamic EQ. The 988 I demoed did not have it but the 1910 does and it is worth every penny. I have 2 small kids and even though my theater room is 2 floors below, I obviously can't listen at reference volumes. Audyssey dynamic EQ along with Dynamic Volume is a knockout combo. The bass response and sound from the rears is jaw dropping at lower levels. I would pay much, much more just for this feature. Last night I listened to Goo Goo Dolls live from Buffalo DVD and I heard things I never heard in the mix before. Every strum on the guitar and bass line was alive and distinct. Drums thumped and vocals were crystal clear. I also watched Live Free or Die Hard on bluray (thanks Amazon for the lightning deal!!) and the surround effect at -35db on the volume was nothing short of spectacular. Speaking of spectacular, the Audyssey auto setup nailed everything perfectly. I have a 6.1 Jamo surround setup consisting of 4 matched satellites, a larger center, and a smaller rear center. The 1910 has independent crossover levels for each speaker, unlike my Yammy which was one global setting. The crossovers were dead on for each of the 3 different speakers. Levels and EQ settings were perfect. My room is 18 x 22 and my wife even commented how on the other side of the room not in the sweet spot for listening, the sound was much better than before. I am running all 6 ohm speakers and this thing seems to have plenty of power for my room size.

The 1910 has the Anchor Bay scaling chip this year instead of the Faroujda chip last years 1909 had and from what I have seen so far, it handles component to HDMI signals with no problems.

I always thought Denon was overpriced and over hyped after trying the 988. With the added Audyssey features and half the price, this 1910 is the deal of the century. The only drawbacks are:

1. Poor remote. I have a Harmony One so it' not much of an issue for me.
2. Confusing at times. I have quite a bit of experience setting up home theater equipment so I made it through OK, but I did have to hit the manual several times which is poorly written. A trip to the AVS forums has a section specifically for Denon setup and can really help newbies.
3. No GUI. This receiver has the blocky white on black on screen display. It really was not much of an issue for me. Others may care.
4. No pre-outs. I have no need for an external amp. Others might.

Bottom line is that for the money, this receiver has all the pros and very few cons. I thought my Yamaha sounded natural, clean, and extremely lifelike. This Denon has me floored in comparison. Makes everything else seem dull and lifeless. If you have some electronic knowledge, don't hesitate. 4 HDMIs, HD audio, full Audyssey suite, Anchor Bay chip, and a great power section makes this thing a knockout!!

I bought this receiver a month back when they start arriving at Best Buy. Always been a fan of Denon's, have AVR 788 which I love.
The most important thing 1910 adds is the Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. These are new 'lossless' codecs that Blu-Ray discs now a days have. While not significantly different than normal Dolby/DTS, these provide more possibilities to the sound engineers And since they are starting to use it, better make your receiver to be future proof.
I've a 7.1 setup and the receiver produces an awesome sound. The setup was a breeze ( I don't get the complaint Denon's are hard to setup!), Audyssey helped somewhat, but I changed the levels to my liking after the Audyssey setup. Crisp, deep sound. Never had my 128kbps mp3s sound so good! Love the dynamic sound control, almost a gimmick but works flawlessly to control the sound during those annoying informercials!

HDMI A/V passthrough works great, 4 HDMI inputs are more than enough. Remote is pretty bad, but I have Harmony one which sets up easily to control.

As far as other brands, I compared this system to Onkyo's, Harmon's, Yamaha's and this blows them away. Since Marantz and Denon merged a while back, Denon's have improved their quality to be almost like Marantz. Can't justify Marantz price, I think I got almost everything Marantz offers.
Will recommend the system to anyone who wants professional quality system at almost a bargain price!

Before I begin this review, I must confess that I'm not an audiophile by any means. But I do have hearing sensitive enough to notice compression artifacts in low-bitrate (<160kbps) mp3s in certain songs. So I can appreciate lossless high-quality audio.

Short summary: I've owned this receiver for one month, and am very pleased.

I had a decent 5.1 receiver before, but it was 6+ years old, didn't support HDMI and thus lacked the lossless audio formats (DTS-MA, Dolby TrueHD). I now have a 1080p HDTV and a blu-ray player, so it was only fitting that I'd upgrade the receiver to get the full high-def experience: video AND audio.

My requirements were simple: at least 4 HDMI inputs, support for lossless audio via HDMI (LPCM at minimum, since PS3 handles decoding just fine), ability to upconvert all input from digital and analog sources to 1080p over HDMI, and had to be under $[...].

There are a few other brands of receivers that fit the requirements (Sony, Onkyo, Pioneer), but I settled on the Denon because it contained a few extras that sweetened the deal: low heat (ugh, Onkyo), no major HDCP handshake issues (Sony should know better), Audyssey (which the Pioneer lacked), and Dolby PLIIz.

Despite the Denon's horrid manual, setup was a breeze thanks in large part to online guides ([...]).

My first impressions: even before running the Audyssey setup, I was blown away. I tested it with Blu-ray versions of Ironman and The Dark Knight and was shocked that I could get such clear sound out of my low-end small speakers.

After running Audyssey with the included microphone, I'm even more impressed. Tweaking is unnecessary- it automatically detects optimal crossover frequencies, speaker distances, sizes, etc- something that would've taken me hours to fine tune through countless research and trial+error. I can still tweak individual settings if need be, but I'm content with the ones chosen by the Audyssey setup.

Another added bonus: the receiver's ABT scaling chip. My TV (Toshiba RV530) doesn't have the best upscaling ability. Before, 480i broadcasts from the DVR/cable looked terrible- I had to force myself to only watch HD channels. The upscaling ability of this receiver is far better than what my TV has to offer, and I now use the receiver to upscale everything to 1080p.

[...].Also, keep in mind that the AVR-790 is practically identical to this model (save for 1 or 2 very minor features), and is often priced $50 less than this one.

Fortunately I can keep this short thanks to J. Shiver's review. It is right on. I've had my 1910 for almost a month now and couldn't be happier. The Audyssey features are nothing short of fantastic. [...] explains the modes and how they work. At first I thought it was just another gimmick but it really does work. Denon offers Audyssey on many of there newer models so you can pick one that fits your needs (channels, inputs, decoders, wattage, price, etc...). This is one of very few things I would pay retail or more if I had to (didn't have to). I was mainly looking 4 or more HDMI inputs that will pass both audio & video. Was considering Yamaha till I found out it had Tivo issues. If you have TiVo, make sure you go to tivo forums to check out which AVRs have issues. Denon is not one of them. Also if you want to play Wii @ 480p, make sure the AVR will take analog audio and componant video at the same input or, like this denon, has assignable inputs. Being able to assign inputs allows for just about any kind of A/V cabling combination. You can also rename the inputs to whatever you want.
This is the first Denon product I can honesty say is not a bit over priced. Packed with features, lots of inputs and combinations, and most important, REALLY, REALLY, great sound at ALL volume levels.

First I want to say that this is the best reciever I have ever owned. The sound quality is fantastic, and I'm even running it through some fairly cheap yamaha speakers (plan on upgrading speakers soon). My family members have all been impressed by the sound. I can hear sounds in movies and songs that I didn't hear before with my old reciever. But you've probably heard all of this in other reviews.

Second and more importantly I wanted to comment on how easy it is to setup. Someone previously wrote a review commenting on how complicated it is to use, and how he owns thousands of dollars of Mac equipment, and blah, blah. I do not understand this at all. I have a samsung LED LCD tv, a samsung blu-ray player, a samsung cable box, a Wii, and I was able to hook them all up and get them all to work with little to no problems at all. I thought the interface was fairly simple and easy to use. The manual is not nearly as difficult to read and understand as other people have said. And the Audessey software runs you through the setup of the speakers step by step. I even got the anynet feature to work on my TV, so when I use my TV remote to adjust the sound it adjusts the sound of the reciever and shows you the sound level on the TV for the reciever, and when you turn the TV off it turns the reciever off. The only gripe I have is with the HD decoding: with some blu-ray player models (including my blu-ray player) you have to have the blu-ray player do the HD sound decoding and not the reciever. This is a known issue with this reciever and some blu-ray players. The denon people on the denon forums say that it sounds the same regardless of which device does the decoding, and that the only thing you are missing by having the blu-ray player do the decoding is the blue light come on on the reciever. But I still think I would rather have the reciever do the decoding.

Anyways, that is my 2 cents on this excellent reciever. And as a side note, if you are having trouble using this reciever, just google batpig, and use his guide.

Standard definition made into high definition signal looks superb. You have to see it. It worth every penny. It runs cool with absolutely no distortion. The sound is incredible: clear, dynamic and equally ubiquitous in a 14X20 large living room. On maximum it blows your mind. Bi-amplified into B&W 983 3 way tower speakers it is just too loud at -20. At maximum level it has NO distortion what so ever. I used to listen to rock music not long ago. The power it delivers and the clarity is fantastic. I can't believe it cool at higher amplification levels. it must be power efficient. I have did a lot of research before buying it. It has a neutral sound unlike other bright receivers. Perfect for classical music or any other commercial music for that matter. If you want a durable, energy efficient receievr with excellent sound quality (total harmonic distorsion, THD=0.07 and not THD 0.7) you have to check this one out.

This feature laden reciever added greatly to the viewing/listening enviroment of my new plasma TV. Same speakers, same difficult room listening enviroment, GREAT SOUND!! My old high end Yamaha was not up to the job. If you have the time and patience to read and understand the manual, you will be rewarded with a great listening experience.

I have purchased Yamaha receivers, 5.1, with the last purchase 2005. I was looking to upgrade with HDMI inputs and eliminate a bunch of cables. After reading the current reviews on the Yamaha, entry level, I went on a search for other brands. After reading the review for Denon's 1910 on [...], I was sold on this Denon model, w/o going in debt. I have it hooked up to DIRECTV HD, with 50 inch Panasonic Plasma, with 5 JBL Northridge speakers, one subwoofer, coupled with Sony DVD and Pioneer DVR. The picture quality is outstanding from all components using the HDMI monitor out from this receiver. The upconversion using component cables on my 4 year old DVR was free from any visual distractions. If you want better upconversion you will have to buy the higher end Denon models which offer an enhanced video processor[ABT] The picture quality is STELLAR along with the audio. Be patient with the auto-set up, as it tests all your speakers and adjusts for best performance. The sound from my speakers are much more subtle than from my previous 4 year old Yamaha. Hearing Denon is believing! The advertised price at American TV, Rockford, IL, was [...]. I asked the salesman for a better price and he came up with [...]. As with all remotes for AVR's, I would give this a 3 out of 5. The manual gets a 3 out of 5 too. Hook all your components into this higher end entry level Denon AVR-1910 and you will be all smiles. I am a Denon believer.

As with the other Denon components I've owned, the AVR-1910 is well buit, cool running, sonically excellent, and (mostly) wonderful to own.

First, the three niggling bits: 1) Denon needs to stop putting meaningless ("SAT", "DVD", "DVR", etc.) labels on inputs, 2) the on-screen configuration interface seems dated, especially for a digital receiver and 3) the remote control interface is finicky: press the buttons too rapidly and the poor receiver is likely to be confused.

I gripe about the input labeling because it just makes things more confusing when you're wiring up your receiver. You can rename all of the inputs through the on-screen interface anyway, so why not just give the inputs a number or letter?

Let me explain the remote thing, also, and describe why it can be frustrating. The remote interface has a repeater function, much like a computer keyboard: hold a key down for more than half a second and the key starts rapidly repeating itself until you let up on it. Well, the AVR-1910 has that too and it is gets in the way more often than it helps. It's frustrating with the on-screen interface and annoying with the volume control (3 slow taps means +/- 1.5 db, while 3 quick taps could mean anything from +/- 1.5 db to +/- 6.0 db).

You'll get used to all of that though, which is why I gave the AVR-1910 a 5 star rating and recommend it as a home theater receiver. The big points for me were the 4 HDMI inputs, generous power output, wonderful video scaling, and the reliability that Denon is known for. I had no idea that the quick select function would be so nice, so that was a major bonus. Basically, you get all of the settings (input options, output options, and volume) the way you want them and hold one of the three "quick select" buttons down. From then on, pressing that quick select button on the receiver (or remote) will recall all of those settings. Even better, the receiver lets you name each of the three quick selects.

Despite a few interface issues, this receiver is satisfying and I highly recommend it to anyone in the market for a mid-range 7.1 A/V receiver.

I bought this receiver after much research and reading lots of reviews - everywhere there were glowing positives about the audio and video brilliance of this receiver. The only exception was the CNET review which strangely (and contrary to all the other reviews) said that this receiver was lacking on the audio department (i.e it had bad sound as compared to other receivers in its class). However, given the vast majority of positive reviews, I did not pay much heed to the CNET review even though I was buying this mainly to listen to music - Classical and Jazz to be precise. I am a music lover and was already in love with this receiver even before I bought it, just by reading all the raving reviews, as I envisioned what a bliss it would be to listen to it once I bought it and set it up to listen to my Classical and Jazz collection - I could not wait to enjoy the rich deep bass and clear sublime highs and mids which this receiver was reported to be capable of producing and which was supposed to be superior to any other comparable receiver in this price range. I bought this mostly for listening to Stereo music (on BW Floor Standing speakers) and purely as an Audio Amp. I already had an Onkyo TX SR 606 whose sound I really liked and which was hooked up to my Sony EX500 HDTV and Panasonic Blu Ray player and I intended to use the Denon purely for listening to music.

But alas ! I got the shock of my life when I bought it and set it up. Usually I am quite intuitive when it comes to electronics and hardly ever need to consult a manual, but since this was my first Denon I decided to open the manual and have a look. It'd be no exaggeration to say that this is the worst manual that any one could ever come across - an absolute disaster in its purpose of explaining to the user how to set this up and get going. After a frustrating first few minutes I kept the manual aside and just started exploring the menus. Before long I was able to figure out most of the configuration myself owing to my experience with other A/V Receivers. However, the real reason for the shock was that I could not find the sound that every one was talking about. I was playing Audio CDs on a Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player using HDMI connection to the receiver and there was absolutely no sound stage. I had used the Auto Calibration using Audyssey which was one of the most praised features of this receiver. So I reconfigured the settings manually. That improved the sound quite a bit but still this was definitely not what I had been waiting for for so long - the delightful sound that everyone was talking about still eluded me. The yardstick of a good audio system is its ability to produce a sound stage - i.e an illusion that you are right at the location of the performance (I'm, NOT talking about 'surround sound' here). The sound from this AVR lacked any kind of sound stage whatsoever and was flat and not full or mellifluous. Even the Onkyo 606 sounded way better and fuller.

Since then, I have gone through the manual and its relevant sections several times (since I wanted to believe that I could be missing some important configuration setting which was the reason for the disappointing sound), visited numerous on line forums, read all of batpigs configuration pages (google 'batpig' if you don't know what I'm talking about) hoping to find that big secret - something which I could be missing and which could unleash the sublime sound that every one was talking about - but never found any such thing - I have tried all sorts of adjustments possible and come to the conclusion that this receiver just does not have it in it for the true audiophile (of course I am talking about 2 Channel Stereo music because I mainly listen to Classical, Jazz and Blues on a 2.1 B&W system).

For the Pros and Cons:

Pros : Good video section on Anchor Bay chip - upscaling from analog SD signal to 1080p 24 fps HD is really good. My DTH (satellite TV) through this with Analog i/p 1080p scaling looks much better on my HDTV then when connected directly to the TV.

Cons :
Horrible for listening to music. Absolutely flat sound with no sound stage.
Worst User Guide ever written
Bad Remote
No GUI - primitive White on Black menu

While this has a large feature set and lots of connectivity options in this price category, it fails to deliver on the most important aspect that I bought it for - i.e as a good receiver for listening to music.

I cannot help but be amazed in hindsight by the accuracy of the CNET review which I had ignored. My confidence in their reviews has increased now. Before buying this I had bought the Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K and then returned it despite its enviable features. The biggest mistake was not to audition the Denon 1910 before buying and the irony is that in my quest to try to discover the 'secret setting' on this receiver that would unleash the audio demon, I expended the return window of one month. So now I cannot return this and I have no other option but to sell this at a throwaway rate or donate this (yes - I am that frustrated with this receiver - I just need to get a good replacement quick) and am now resuming my search for a good receiver just for listening to music. Any suggestions would be really helpful. I heard Harmon Kardons are really good for music but was wary about buying them due to firmware issues plaguing their recent launches. I am looking to spend within 1000 $ for the kind of sound I am looking for. The new Onkyo TX SR 608 sounded really good when I heard it at my friend's place (and I did not even try adjusting the sound because I was in a hurry).

This time I will be very careful and let my own ears decide above all else.

I advice all music lovers and audiophiles who are planning to buy this receiver mainly for listening to music to please hear it in person and compare it with other receivers before investing. I do not want any one else to suffer like I did.