Denon AVR-988 7.1-Channel Multizone Home Theater Receiver

Denon AVR-988 7.1-Channel Multizone Home Theater Receiver
by Denon

List Price: ~~$1,199.00~~
Our Price: $450.00
You Save: $749.00 (62%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Receiver or Amplifier
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Customers in the UK, Buy this product at amazon.co.uk for British Pounds

Digital Photo Product Details

Manufacturer: Denon
Brand: Denon
Edition: Electronics
Model: AVR988
Color: Black
Publisher: Denon
Studio: Denon
Music Label: Denon
Product features:

7.1-channel 2-zone/2-source A/V home theater receiver with 110 watts per channel power output
Supports Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS Neo:6 Surround, DTS-ES Extended Surround, DTS-HD, and Dolby True HD multichannel formats
Audyssey MultEQ calibration process makes setup easy; Faroudja DCDi video processing
2 HDMI v1.3a digital video inputs and 1 HDMI monitor output; compatible with iPods and XM satellite radio receivers
Measures 17.1 x 6.75 x 16.55 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 29 pounds; 2-year warranty

Accessories:

Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Denon AVR-988 7.1-Channel Multizone Home Theater Receiver

Customer Review: Performance vs. Price = Steal
Summary: 5 Stars

Denon AVR-988 is a fully loaded receiver. 1080P upconversion is real. I am connecting PS3 via HDMI "8m ~ 33ft 400 Series Cable", XBOX 360 via THX Certified Component Cable and have it upconverted to 1080P, Dish Network FTA receiver via Component cable THX1000 Series and upconverted to 1080P.

Now what is interested is the picture quality of the FTA Receiver (ViewSat Ultra) on 112" Fixed Projection Screen. The picture is really beautiful. I am sitting about 10 feet away from 112" and using Epson PowerLite Home Cinema 1080UB (top of the line 1080P HDMI v. 1.3). I connected the receiver directly to the projector and the picture just didn't look as good. So this receiver upconverts signals to higher resolution (of course not close to HD sharpness).

Also, I connected all devices through Fiber Optic Cables except for PS3 HDMI. Two things I noticed:

1- To get the True HD sound set up your PS3 to Linear PCM and NOT Bit Stream. This is because the PS3 decodes the raw HD Sound internally `using complicated mathematical equation' and then sends it to the Denon receiver in Linear Code Pulses (Linear PCM stand for Linear Pulse Code Modulation) so you end up with True Uncompressed sound but with no little light indicator on the front display of your Denon Reciever . So go to set up on PS3 (I think BD AUDIO) and set it up to PCM Linear; and then set the Denon to either Direct or Pure Direct (Pure Direct since you are using HDMI). Of course nothing will show on the Denon front Display but you are getting HD Sounds and to prove it PRESS DISPLAY on the PS3 remote and it will show Dolby Digital HD or DTS HD or Multi Channel PCM. Now to get the Denon Front display show HD SOUNDS you need a Blu-ray player and does bit streaming which means the raw material/sound is sent purely to the receiver so it can decode it internally (of course using a complicated mathematic equation) and then output as Dolby True HD or DTS-HD and that's when the Light Indicator will light up. Which one is better Linear PCM from PS3 or Bit Streaming to the receiver? Not sure, but it all depends on the system that does the decoding. I mean we don't have super ears to distinguish the difference (maybe there is/maybe there isn't) but the point is you are GETTING Dolby True HD/DTS HD sound. Maybe once Blu-ray players get cheaper, then you upgrade or at least try it yourself and see if it makes a world of difference or not.

One thing I remember reading through online forums (don't remember which one it was) that someone has the PS3, which sends Linear PCM, and his friend got the Panasonic Blu-ray Player DMP-BD30K, which Bit Streams, and they both have the Denon AVR-2808, which an equivalent same exact model as Denon AVR-988 except of the extra remote for the 2nd zone and three sources/zones instead of two for the AVR-988, the person was asking how in the world the sound coming from the PS3 (Linear PCM) to the Denon is the same to the sound from the Bit Streaming player. Therefore, in the end I do believe that it really doesn't matter if you are using a Bit Streaming Player or Linear PCM as the bottom line this Denon AVR-988 receiver handles the HD Sound beautifully.

Now let's get to the second thing that I noticed:

2- For the XBOX 360 (connected through Fiber Optic Cable) when I press Direct (note: pure direct won't work as it is connected through Component and have it upconverted to 1080P which means the Video Processor needs to be working and what Pure Direct does is Turns off all video AND audio circuits for optimum pure signal from the source - HDMI just passes from source to the projector) the Denon front display is off (Typical) and I get 2-CH Clear totally Uncompressed sound that is coming from the Front L/R speakers. No surprise for two reasons:

A) Xbox 360 is connected to the receiver via Fiber Optic Cable which doesn't have enough Bandwidth to carry up to 7.1 of uncompressed audio in forms of either bits or codes.

B) DIRECT mode is ON, which means no audio processing is working in the receiver.

Now you are probably wondering what if I get an Xbox 360 with HDMI output, will I get Linear PCM sent to the receiver or will it Bit Stream?

The answer is NEITHER. Why? Because the Xbox 360 or "Microsoft" doesn't have a built-in decoder and it just doesn't have the firmware or update to make it produce Dolby-HD or DTS-HD. Note: Sony didn't have it few months ago; but they added a firmware which updated the PS3. So, indeed the PS3 is the ultimate in Home Theatre as it makes a great Blu-ray Player and a Game/Entertainment system. Note: there is no benefit of getting HDMI converter for 360 as you will not get HD-Sound.

You can of course get Dolby Digital/DTS through Fiber Optic Cable and that is when the Audio Processing needs to be on in the receiver (i.e don't use Direct mode). When you switch between DIRECT on and off, you will 100% notice the compression difference (DIRECT ON: PURE CLEAR UNCOMPRESSED SOUND) (DIRECT OFF: Compressed Dolby Digital/DTS) now, the original Dolby Digital/DTS isn't the worst thing you hear, but you just need to increase the volume to compensate for the compressing. Also, DTS or always less compressed that Dolby Digital, so choose DTS when you go the DVD menu set-up option. But the thing is, Denon AVR-988 is very close in performance to any High Current Amplifier (when you don't take advantage of the HD Audio and of course 1080P Up-Conversion) like the Harman Kardon Receivers.

The bottom line is:

If you need simplified connection between the receiver and the TV get the Denon AVR-988 as one single HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV will do the job

ALSO

If you have PS3 or any Blu-Ray player and you are into Blu-ray movies, then you owe it to yourself to own a receiver that processes HD Sound with the most updated version of HDMI 1.3. DENON IS A GREAT CHOICE AND WELL KNOWS IN HOME THEATRE WORLD.

Please post your comments or questions as I will be regularly checking my post.

One thing to note is that once you set up the Auto Calibration to account for Room Acoustics, speaker size and distance, you need to increase the subwoofer a little (you can always add a second subwoofer though Y-Adapter cable) you need to the low frequency and NOT hear it.

I have 12" DPS Velodyne and it rocks.

I have not tried to Bi-amp my front Polk Audio RTi10 towers yet 'cause the sound is just perfect for me. Maybe I will Bi-Amp as there is two channels not used (5.1 set up only). or maybe i should set it up to 7.1.

My advice is to get the Denon for this price ($650 including the OPPO HD-31 switch with free shipping) as it is a steal right now. I called another Denon Authorized Online Retailer and asked them to price match and they told me that THEY CANNOT as "it is like giving it away".

So ADD IT TO YOUR CART NOW AND ENJOY HD SOUNDS and you will NOT regret it a bit.

Denon Performance vs. Price (this is a steal).

Good luck.

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