Denon AVR-1911 7.1 Channel A/V Home Theater Multi-Source / Multi-Zone Receiver with HDMI 1.4a supporting 1080p and 3D (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)Note - This review is for the nearly identical Denon AVR-791
There are three $500 receivers to consider, if you're buying one in 2010 - Onkyo TX-SR608, Pioneer VSX-1020-K and this one. All three feature the latest HDMI 1.4, which is necessary for 3D signals. Here's how they compare:
-The Onkyo is the most powerful in terms of real world performance, followed by the Denon and finally the Pioneer. All three perform at par for normal listening volumes, but the Onkyo can handle very high volumes the best, while the Pioneer runs out of breath
-The Denon has Audyssey Multi-Eq, which automatically calibrates the receiver for use in your room (a mic is provided). The Onkyo has a similar but less versatile Audyssey 2EQ. Pioneer has its own system called MCACC which also works well, but Audyssey may be slightly better.
-All three can upconvert analog sources via HDMI - hence you'll only need one HDMI cable to connect to the TV. The 1.4 spec supports an audio return channel, so the TV's sound can be output to the receiver without extra cables. The Pioneer and Denon use the excellent Anchor Bay chipset, while the Onkyo uses the slightly inferior Faroudja DCDi chipset for video processing.
-The Pioneer and the Denon have a front USB input where you can connect your iPod (or iPhone) directly. You can browse playlists etc using the receiver's remote via the onscreen display. Since this is a digital connection, the sound quality is excellent - while the iPod can be connected to the Onkyo via an analog cable, it does not sound as good and cannot be navigated using the remote.
-The Denon offers an equal variety of inputs as the other two, but has fewer of them - eg, one optical input vs 2 for Pioneer and Onkyo
- The Pioneer's iPhone app is just a gimmick and of limited utility - I would prefer using the main remote.
Overall, I decided to purchase the Denon since it has Audyssey MultiEQ and adequate power (unlike the Pioneer) as well as excellent video processing and iPod connectivity (unlike the Onkyo). I have been using it for about a week and am very pleased with the level of performance offered.Update on December 3, 2010: The receiver continues to perform well and I have no new complaints. However, I have noticed that both Pioneer VSX-1120-K and Onkyo TX-NR708 are available for ~$500, while discounts on this and other Denon receivers are marginal (here on Amazon). Hence, both those higher spec'd receivers now represent better value than the AVR-791/1911, if you're looking to spend ~$500 on a receiver. Also, the Onkyo TX-SR608 and Pioneer VSX-1020-K are now available for ~$350 and hence have become more compelling alternatives to this receiver.

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The new AVR-1911 is packed with technology and features making it the clear choice for value oriented consumers looking for exceptional performance. Each of its 7-amplifier channels produce 90-watts of power, delivering detail and dynamics to music and movie soundtracks. They can be configured for 7.1 channel surround sound, or drive a 5.1 channel system in the main room and power a pair of speakers in a second 'zone". It's equipped with 1080p and 3D (all formats) compatible HDMI 1.4a Repeating technology, delivering both audio and video to your HDTV with single HDMI cable. This HDMI connectivity supports the latest generation surround sound formats available on Blu-ray disc, including Dolby TrueHD and DD+, dts-HD and dts-HR. Also included is Dolby Laboratories new Pro Logic IIz Matrix decoding featuring front height effects channels that expands front soundstage. The AVR-1911 boasts a number of Audyssey technologies. Advanced Audyssey MultEQ analyzes a speaker systems interaction with the listening room at up to six measurement points (microphone included), and then automatically corrects the response to optimize clarity and tonal balance. Audyssey Dynamic Volume is an automatic volume-leveling system that tracks audio dynamics to eliminate the irritating volume swings between TV shows and commercials. Audyssey Dynamic EQ is also on board to ensure rich bass and smooth tonal balance at low volume listening levels.

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Logitech Harmony 900 Rechargeable Remote with Color Touch Screen Review

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(More customer reviews)The Harmony 900 is VERY similar to the Harmony One, which is a terrific remote. If you don't need the RF capability, I would stick with the Harmony One - It is a much better value.
My Harmony experience: I started with the 880 and upgraded to the One, and now to the 900.
All of these remotes pass the babysitter test - that is, can a babysitter pick up the remote and watch tv. The RF capability (using radio frequency "RF" instead of line of sight infrared "IR") helps the 900 pass the babysitter test with flying colors.
PROS of the 900
1) The remote has a great screen and there are tons of icons available online to take advantage of it.
2) The ability to use RF means that you can set up your system so that the remote does not need to pointed anywhere near the components for them to work. This is especially useful where your "Watch TV" command includes several steps such as turning on a receiver, cable box and tv - miss one of those and you can become very frustrated. The RF prevents this. Three provided blasters (one large and two small) convert the RF signal to IR in your av cabinet. The 900 also can send IR and you can select which devices have signals sent over RF or IR. I have a plasma set on the wall and can't easily put an IR blaster nearby, so I have the plasma set to IR and all of my other components - in a nearby AV rack - set to RF. It works great.
3) All of the other pros you get from the 880 and One are also present in the 900 (except macros - see below).
4) The other obvious difference between the One and the 900 is that the 900 adds a row of four colored hard buttons to correspond to the A B C and D commands on some cable boxes and blue-ray players. To make room, the mute and previous channel buttons are a bit smaller.
5) The IR blasters are great and do NOT need to ever be removed from the cabinet to do updates (as you have to do with some other models). All updates are done on the remote over USB, and the remote then updates the blasters wirelessly.
CONS of the 900
1) By far, the largest con is the inability to simply upgrade from previous models. Upgrading from the 880 to the One took five minutes. You just have to remap a couple of buttons and everything else carries over. Upgrading from the One to the 900 requires you to start from scratch. It forces you to create an entirely new Harmony account. You have to reconfigure all of your devices, all of your activities, and all of your favorite channels. You have to re-teach any custom IR commands. This is fairly inexcusable. I have five devices and four activities. I've been using Harmony remotes for years and have really fine-tuned my set-up. It took me over three hours to get it all back in shape - and I'm probably still not there. So, this is a major flaw I would hope they can fix.
2) The remote can still do customized macros when starting or ending an activity, but you cannot do macros within an activity anymore. That means you cannot have the pause command also mute the sound and bring up the lights. This is not a big deal for me, since I never used macros on my older Harmony remotes, but some people seem to be quite bent out of shape over the removal of this feature. To be clear, you can still do whatever you want when starting or ending an activity.
3) The "slideshow" on the older remotes has been replaced with a sleep timer.
4) The stickers provided to affix the blaster and mini-blasters to your AV cabinet shelves are terrible. You will need to use better double-sided tape.
5) The 900 takes longer to switch between screens than the One or the 880 did. It is as if it is "thinking" about things for a second or two before they happen.
6) The left and right soft keys used to switch between screens are less sensitive than they were on the One, and you cannot adjust the screen touch sensitivity.
7) The 900 gives you the ability to add icons to the soft keys, but - unlike the favorite channels - you cannot use custom icons from the internet. This is a silly limitation and the number of available icons is very limited. In any event, this is still a step up from the One.
8) Favorite channels are still limited to four screens per activity. If you want to have more than that (and many people do) you need to add another watch TV activity. Each activity gets independent favorite channels. I wish this could be expanded. My remote is only using 31 MB of 62 MB of onboard memory, and I would love to have the ability to add many more channels to my favorites.
9) You no longer have the ability to adjust the brightness of the light on the charging cradle, but it isn't very bright and doesn't bother me. The One has a switch on the bottom of the cradle to adjust the brightness.
CONCLUSION
All in all, once configured, I really like the 900. However, I would never upgrade from the One to the 900 unless I really needed the RF functions. If you were to remove the RF function from the 900, I would think the One is a better remote and only costs half as much. That said, the RF function is a great addition and really makes it much easier for others to use. It easily passes the babysitter test. I'm giving it three stars because I think the One gives much better value, and the inability to easily upgrade really irked me. If the One did not exist, or if I had never owned a previous Harmony remote, I would give it 4 1/2 stars.


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Logitech Harmony 900 lets you put your home-entertainment equipment behind walls or cabinet doors using RF (radio frequency) technology. Just place the simple-to-install IR blaster and mini blasters near the equipment you want to control to turn RF signals into IR commands your devices understand. Once you're set up, the full-color touch screen lets you see only the controls you need and start your entertainment with just one touch. You can replace up to 15 other remotes. And our software finds the control codes for your equipment from our online database of more than 5,000 brands and 225,000 devices. So chances are, if you own it, your Harmony 900 can control it.

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