Could this be the Holy Grail of A/V processors?

[mcmd]

Reading the manual, they clearly have a long ways to go to really explain all the power of this unit. I'm fairly savvy about this whole topic, and I was still left scratching my head and having to read up on other forums for more detail on certain functions.

I did the same and felt the same. Jonathan, you're right, the manual's lacking in some specifics even though it weighs in at 124 pages!

 

[STV]

Well my Denon AVP-A1HDCI should be arriving in 6 days. I am chomping at the bit to get this pre/pro. I already have the CAT6a cable in place, so I'm ready for it!

Once I get it I'll give my detailed first impressions of it.

Stay tuned.



Seth

 

[mcmd]

Hey Seth,

You lucky dog, you! What kind of *actual* pricing can we expect?

 

[STV]

Hey Seth,

You lucky dog, you! What kind of *actual* pricing can we expect?

Thanks.

Right now it's staying right at or close to the MSRP of $7k. But I'm sure some B&M stores will discount 10%- 20%, bringing the price to around $5,600- $6,300.


Seth

 

[JonFo]

Thanks.

Right now it's staying right at or close to the MSRP of $7k. But I'm sure some B&M stores will discount 10%- 20%, bringing the price to around $5,600- $6,300.


Seth

Seth, congrats! Keep us posted.

As for price, I'm going to talk to my dealer in a month or so and see if they'll do a bundle of the AVP-HD1 + DVD2500BT for ~$5,500. That's pretty much my target, and will wait it out if needed.


Did they sell you an 'Audessey installer kit'?

Much controversy whether they'd allow end-users to get that.
I'd be willing to pay for and sit through a day long course if needed to obtain this, but will not be held hostage by a dealer.

 

[STV]

Seth, congrats! Keep us posted.

As for price, I'm going to talk to my dealer in a month or so and see if they'll do a bundle of the AVP-HD1 + DVD2500BT for ~$5,500. That's pretty much my target, and will wait it out if needed.


Did they sell you an 'Audessey installer kit'?

Much controversy whether they'd allow end-users to get that.
I'd be willing to pay for and sit through a day long course if needed to obtain this, but will not be held hostage by a dealer.

Thanks Jonathan.

I know that the learning curve will be great with so much that is offered on this unit. But I will first cover what my impressions are of the user menu system, 2 channel audio with both analog and digital connections, multichannel SACD/DVD-A using its A/D conversion for Ext In, TrueHD and DTS-HD MA performance, and streamed FLAC and WMA Lossless.

Later on I will cover the Audyssey system, and see how it sounds compared to using the traditional calibration method with an SPL meter. At that time I will also put the HQV Realta video processing through its paces to see how that does. Will be interesting to see how it compares to my Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD player that uses the Silicon Optix Reon chip. I was using a DVDO iScan Ultra for my SVHS and LD player, but now that I have Realta processing in the pre/pro I will be taking the iScan out of the rack as there will no longer be a need for it.

If you can get the AVP and 2500BT for around $5,500 that would be sweet! I am also thinking about getting the Denon Blu-ray Transport since my current Sony BDP-S300 will not pass bitstream TrueHD or DTS-HD MA. Plus the Denon BD transport has DenonLink which would team up with the pre/pro perfectly.

Re Realta MultEQ Pro, no I didn't get an installer kit (didn't ask about that). But for my needs at this point I really don't need any more than 8 position calibration, so for me the Pro isn't a necessity. But in your setup I can see where you would want/need the pro version.



Seth

 

[mcmd]

Uh, I have 15 active channels in my rig (12 for 7.1 with some biamping, 2 for Sub, 1 for ButtKicker), so 10 is not even enough

If/when I get this Denon piece, I'll be adding surround-back channels for EX and other modes. So I'll actually need another pair of amp channels.

Jonathan,

Reading the POA-A1HDCI manual today, I found something you might be interested in: you can run *two* of these Denon amps and control them with the Denon processor. Just think of what you could do with another 5 extra channels!

 

[STV]

Jonathan,

Reading the POA-A1HDCI manual today, I found something you might be interested in: you can run *two* of these Denon amps and control them with the Denon processor. Just think of what you could do with another 5 extra channels!

Yeah isn't that the coolest thing!! Having 2 of those beasts connected would be freakin' awesome!

 

[STV]

Well it looks like availability of the Denon AVP-A1HDCI won't be until the second week of March. I was really hoping to have it by the end of this month. Oh well. So hopefully if this date holds true, I'll have it in around 3 weeks.

So patiently I wait....



Seth

 

[STV]

Denon AVP/POA now shipping to dealers!

Just wanted to let you all know that the Denon AVP-A1HDCI/POA-A1HDCI are now shipping to dealers! Here's Denon's Jeff Talmadge AVS post:

Folks,

Just wanted to alert all of you that the AVP and POA-A1HDCIs are shipping to dealers today!!
__________________
Jeff Talmadge
Director, Product Development & Systems Integration
DENON Electronics (USA), LLC

Looks like my AVP should be in next week sometime!

 

[Robin]

Denon AVP-A1HDCI/POA-A1HDCI

STV,

Woowers... :wow: Really stunning processor by Denon. IMHO, Black would look cool as well. I remember when Zippy shared the pre-view info from the 07 Audio show. Glad to see Denon raising the audio / video bar for the industry. Simply amazing... :music:

Thanks for the excellent photo's and information.

 

[STV]

STV,

Woowers... :wow: Really stunning processor by Denon. IMHO, Black would look cool as well. I remember when Zippy shared the pre-view info from the 07 Audio show. Glad to see Denon raising the audio / video bar for the industry. Simply amazing... :music:

Thanks for the excellent photo's and information.

Thanks Robin for chiming in, it's aways good to hear from you.

Yes this pre/pro is definitely an amazing piece of engineering. It is the only "high end" pre/pro currently available that has all the new audio codecs, offers the ability to stream WMA Lossless and FLAC, and has on board HQV Realta video processing. I know quite a few people who are changing out their Meridian's, Krell's, Theta's, and Lexicon's for this unit.

It's interesting that you mentioned the color of the AVP. I was actually wanting it in Premium Silver but found out that it will only be available in Black here in North America. But that's cool, the black finish is fine with me. The European market however will only have the Silver finish available.

I get to put the AVP through its paces later this week!! I just found out from my dealer that my AVP was shipped out from Denon on Friday, so it will be available for me to pick up by weeks end. I am so jazzed!!


Seth

 

[sleepysurf]

While waiting for the unit to arrive, might as well start reading Chris Kyriakakis' posts in the Audyssey thread on AVSForum... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=795421

There are LOTS of nuances for getting GOOD measurements, including using a tripod or microphone boom along with well-selected measurement locations, using blankets to prevent near reflections (if you have leather seating), setting sub(s) volume to moderate levels prior to measurement, bypassing the sub low and high pass filters, etc. etc.

Be prepared to be OVERWHELMED!! I only have the 3808CI, and am STILL scratching my head!

 

[STV]

While waiting for the unit to arrive, might as well start reading Chris Kyriakakis' posts in the Audyssey thread on AVSForum... http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=795421

There are LOTS of nuances for getting GOOD measurements, including using a tripod or microphone boom along with well-selected measurement locations, using blankets to prevent near reflections (if you have leather seating), setting sub(s) volume to moderate levels prior to measurement, bypassing the sub low and high pass filters, etc. etc.

Be prepared to be OVERWHELMED!! I only have the 3808CI, and am STILL scratching my head!

Thanks for the heads up on using Audyssey, and thanks for the link. I may fiddle with it a bit over the weekend, but initially, just to get it up and running, I will most likely just use the traditional SPL meter method and calibrate each channel myself. Then with a bit more time (and patience ) I'll use the Audyssey system. I have a tripod to place the microphone on, so that should make placing the mic at different locations in the room a bit easier.

I know that the learning curve on this pre/pro is going to be a long one. And probably even a year down the road I'll still be learning new things. But it is good to have all the options available. Just like the saying goes, better to have and not need than to need and not have. There's going to be a lot to learn but I think I'm up to the challenge.

Curious, have you tried streaming either WMA Lossless or FLAC?



Seth

 

[sleepysurf]

Curious, have you tried streaming either WMA Lossless or FLAC?

I use my Squeezebox for that. Denon's streaming solution is quite cumbersome at this point. Perhaps they'll improve it with firmware updates.

 

[STV]

I use my Squeezebox for that. Denon's streaming solution is quite cumbersome at this point. Perhaps they'll improve it with firmware updates.

Yeah the Squeezebox is probably the easiest, I was just asking to see if maybe you had tried out the Denon's streaming capabilities. This way I'd have an idea of what to expect. But in less than four days I'll find out



Seth

 

[STV]

My AVP has arrived!!!!! It's at the dealer and I will be picking it up tomorrow (Thursday), but I may not have a chance to hook it up until Friday sometime. Will give my initial impressions either Friday or Saturday. Stay tuned.



Seth

 

[jk319]

CONGRATS!! God knows you've waited long enough, and good things come to those who wait. And good things come to good people... (or at least I like to think at times)

 

[Pcar928fan]

My AVP has arrived!!!!! It's at the dealer and I will be picking it up tomorrow (Thursday), but I may not have a chance to hook it up until Friday sometime. Will give my initial impressions either Friday or Saturday. Stay tuned.



Seth

Seth,

I look forward to reading about this wicked processor you have picked up! Should be NICE!

Hope all is well for you out there in NM!

 

[STV]

CONGRATS!! God knows you've waited long enough, and good things come to those who wait. And good things come to good people... (or at least I like to think at times)

Thanks John.