Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

That is the retail cost for the license, but it requires a calibration kit that the dealers have, so I'm not sure what one would charge to calibrate it for you. You may need to upgrade your FW first (free). The process involves hooking a computer up to the RS232 port on the back, and hooking a mic to the front. There is a key that is activated through SW on the PC. The room measurements are passed onto the PC which does the number crunching. When you are finished, unplug the PC (it gives you some nice before and after graphs) and you are good to go. Here is more info: Audyssey Installer Program

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Here is a pic of what you see when you change sources. The HDMI 1 at the top left is my Samsung TV. The black box is the Denon. Please note that I believe you can disable on-screen displays



Here is the link if you can't see the pic: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...23622.imgcache

Here is what the volume bar looks like. If you mute it, it shows mute on/off inthe same black box:




Here is the link: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...23623.imgcache

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

The differences between the 3808 and 4308 are pretty minor. Here are all of them. The 4308 adds:
10 WPC
two more Audyssey room calibration points (irrelivent if you get the upgrade)
AL24 processing for all channels (as opposed to FL and FR on 3080)
HD Radio tuner
2 HDMI outputs (parallel)
Zone 2 component output
Wi-Fi
Can show jpeg images over ethernet port
Zone 4 digital in/out
more AMP flexability (9 modes vs 4) when using multiple zones (means nothing if you are using it for 7.1)
weights 5 lbs more

It's up to you if these are worth almost $900.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Thanks Adam, that is exactly what I was looking for.
But now I have 2 more questions:
1) Is there a way to display the input/surround info without changing the input. Ex, if you were watching something on broadcast TV and wanted to know if it was Dolby Digital (5.1) or Pro Logic?
2) When you press mute, will Mute stay on screen until you press mute again, or will the volume/mute eventually not show? - does that make sense?

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

1) Not sure. None of the "obvious" buttons put anything onscreen. The front panel give you all sorts of easy to read info, and there may be another way to display it on screen.
2) If you have on screen display turned on, the screen says Mute On as long as the mute is on (or at least the 10 seconds that I waited before I turned the must off. The volume bar disappears quickly when you stop hitting the button. The green ring around the power button also blinks so it is easy to tell even if the on screen display is turned off.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

It was no easy decision by any means. It took me over a month to make the decision. They both sound great and I could only imagine how much better they would sound with external high end amplifiers.

• Audyssey MultiEQ
• Ethernet Network
• Denon Link

Like I said it was a tough choice and I am sure I would be just as happy with the Pioneer Elite VSX-94TXH. I have been wanting a Denon for years now and even more so after going to the CES show in 03' & 04'. If I come into some cash I would most likely end up with the Pioneer Elite as well and set up a second HT system.

If I had the cash this is what I would most likely do.

Main HT:

• Denon AVP-A1HDCI Preamp
• McIntosh MC207 7 Channel Power Amplifier
• McIntosh MC1201 Monoblock Amplifier (Subwoofer) 1200 Watt RMS
• McIntosh MS750 750 Gig Music Server/CD Player
• McIntosh MCD-201 CD/SACD Player
• McIntosh MLD-7020 Laserdisc Player
• Denon DVD-3800 BDci Blu-ray Player
• Toshiba HD-A35 HD-DVD Player
• Pioneer DVL-919 Laserdisc Player
• Denon DTR-2000 DAT Recorder
• Clearaudio Master Reference Turntable w/Goldfinger Cartridge
• Runco Signature Cinema SC-1 1080p Projector
• Stewart Film Screen 120" Firehawk Screen
• Direct TV HD Satellite Receiver
• 7 JBL K2-S9800 Loudspeakers
• Dual Custom JBL 18" Subwoofers

Now the optional version would use 8 McIntosh MC1200 monoblock 1200 watt amps. And the question of how much power does the system have? Enough power to shame the space shuttle!

2nd HT setup:

• Denon AVR-4308ci Receiver
• Denon DVD-2500 BTci Blu-ray Transport
• Toshiba HD-A35 HD-DVD Player
• Denon DVD-5910ci DVD Audio/Video & SACD Player
• Sony SCD-XA9000ES CD/SACD Single Disc Player
• Pioneer Elite Kuro Pro-110FD 50" 1080p Flat Panel
• Paradigm Studio 60's (Main), StudioCC590 (Center), Studio ADP-590 (Rear)
• SVS Subwoofer PB13 Ultra

3rd HT setup:

• Pioneer Elite VSX-94TXH Receiver
• Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD Blu-ray Player
• Toshiba HD-A35 HD-DVD Player
• Pioneer Elite PD-F27 301 disc CD Changer
• Pioneer Elite Kuro Pro-110FD 50" 1080p Flat Panel
• Paradigm Studio 60's (Main), StudioCC590 (Center), Studio ADP-590 (Rear)
• SVS Subwoofer PB13 Ultra

Thanks for the information Adam, very much appreciated. Am looking forward to getting my 3808ci asap! The back up to that will end up being the VSX-94TXH if for some reason I do not get the Denon. My Yamaha RX-V995 will end up being used for my PC all I need is a pair of bookshelf speakers and a nice sub to go with it. And my Sony DVP-S9000 ES will most likely get moved to the PC setup just for CD/SACD playback, for when I am surfing the web or using applications.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

When using up Auto setup with my Denon AVR 3808 it tells me to defeat my volume and crossover, does that mean set them both to the lowest possible settings?

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Just got mine setup....doing the firmware update now. It gave me weird settings for my speakers when I did the Audyssey before; so I'm going to redo it after the firmware is complete. Seems like my sub level is a little low for it - it ended up placing my sub 25' away from the sitting position, when it is only 10-12' away. I'm going to turn up my sub amp before I run Audyssey to see if that helps, then adjust from there. It did well with my speakers, although it set them to large, but I want to do it one more time for safe measure.

Then I'm throwing in The Rock for some lossless audio.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Exactely why I'm asking, it showed my sub farther away than anything and it isn't.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

I went in and changed the distances manually. The Rock sounds freaking awsome.....and I'm almost positive it isn't 100% correct.

Thanks!

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Hey Mike,

I am wondering how well does the video section perform with the Faroudja scaler? And what HDTV do you have? I only ask because I am in the middle of researching wether or not I am going to pull the trigger and buy the 3808? I will be going to do some critical listening to it at UE tomorrow as soon as the store opens.

If anyone else would like to give me there impressions and how it is working for them, I could use all the information I can get ahold of to make a good decision.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

As to the on-screen display you can set it so the on-screen display is on, but it doesn't show the volume bar when you adjust the volume.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

If you have any Audyssey related questions there is an "insider" answering questions in this thread:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...non-et-al.html

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Dave,

I am watching a Transformers SD through my PS3 and it looks great, Blu-rays look the same as they did running it directly to the TV. I'd have to say the video section performs wonderfully. I also re-did the Audyssey today when I got home for lunch and so far I really like how it sounds, the only thing I adjusted manually was the Center channel and changed my fronts to small - it had set them to large.

I also think I'm going to redo the sub level; it seems a little low for my liking.



Thanks for that link Adam, I'll have to check that thread out.

Mike

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

So far I am seriously impressed with the Denon AVR-3808ci even though it does not have the Reon HQV chip. The Onkyo TX-SR will seriously have to blow my socks off if it is to end up in my HT rack instead of the Denon.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Hi to all.... new to the forum and honored to be posting as well...i have a question about the 3808ci how do i allow my bd player to just pass through without letting the upscaler in the receiver do it i read the manual which isnt to informative..and didnt get a grip on it ..im not a HT guru but i can defend my self enough to get by any help would be great.....


thanks in advance for any replys.......

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

See page 30 of the manual. Look for i/p Scaler. The way to get there is Menu-->Manual Setup-->HDMI Setup-->i/p Scaler. The manual really doesn't explain what the choices mean, so I'll take a stab at it.
A to H: This uses the internal scaler for any analog video source like composite, S-Video, or component, doesn't touch HDMI inputs. You will want to use either this setting or OFF
A to H & H to H: this will use the internal scaler for analog and HDMI sources (including your Blu-ray player).
Off: No internal scaling will be used for any input.

Note: The A stands for Analog and the H stands for HDMI.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

And to add to the great description Adam provided--just in case anyone else asks..."i/p" is "interlaced/progressive".

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Thanks Tony. Seeing your sig pic, Parker added a XBOX icon for under your username that pulls your current gamertag info. You can find it in the user control panel.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

This question is for the 3808ci owners.

After living with the Denon 3808ci what quirks and or bugs have you found with this receiver. I am narrowing my list of receivers and I figure since all of these receivers are using the newest technology. That if there are to many bugs a quirks with all the brands out there, I might just wait till next year?

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Thanks, Adam (and Parker)!

OT--speaking of XBOX...my voice is a bit hoarse from a weekend session of Karaoke Revolution:AIE--LOL!

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Here's a list of bugs/quirks that I'm either aware of and/or have noticed myself:

1) When using the 3808's internal scaler/upconverter to go from 1080i to 1080p, the last three right-hand pixel columns are essentially a repeat of the previous three pixel columns--i.e., if the last 9 pixel columns are supposed to be "123456789", the bug presents them as "123456456". Sorry if I may have explained this bug incorrectly from a technical standpoint but the point is that the last three pixel columns are not unique onto themselves;

2) Apparently the 3808 has some sort of memory issue when trying to handle a really extensive list (e.g., more than a thousand or so) of MP3 titles/files streamed to it via WMP 11; I noticed that when trying to scroll through my list of files, the 3808 at times will truncate the list--i.e., it doesn't list MP3 files that I know exist on my PC while I attempt to scroll down the list of titles. It has no problem listing all available titles if it reads the files off a storage device directly attached to it via USB.

3) If you configure the networking on the 3808 to use DHCP when obtaining its IP address (vs. assigning a static IP address for it) and tell it to check for firmware updates, it may report that you have a 3-minute update ready to download even though you know that you are running the most-recent firmware revision.

4) I can't recall if a f/w update resolved this issue, but w/ previous f/w revs Audyssey EQ will complain if you try to run it and your AVR is configured for 6.1-ch. (it will only acknowledge 5.1 and 7.1-ch setups).

5) More Audyssey--while running the Auto Setup it may sometimes erroneously report that one or more of your speakers are out-of-phase.

6) Even more Audyssey--it may also report that your sub is located much further away than it actually is (it did in my case).

7) GUI menu does not appear on-screen right away if you try to bring it up while in a source input whose source is connected via HDMI and is not actually turned on--e.g., if I switch to my DVR source input on the 3808 and my DVR (connected via HDMI) isn't on...then if I press "Menu" on the remote in order to pull up the GUI menu, it may take a moment for the GUI to actually display on-screen (it does appear right away on the 3808 display itself).

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Hey Tony,

Thanks for all the information you supplied, it is very much apreciated. I am currently re-evaluating my choices for receivers. Only because my hours at work have been cut and business is slow. So I am ether going to have to wait longer to upgrade my receiver and get the one I want. Or I might have to settle for something like the Onkyo 805, or I might just put off the upgrade unitl next year. The Denon is going to stay on my consideration list though right next to the Onkyo TX-SR905. I am hoping to upgrade my current Sony 50" HDTV to something like a Mitsubishi 73" DLP 1080p, sometime next year.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Tony-
Number 4 on your list was fixed with a FW update, and I'm not sure that number 6 is really a problem as is it setting it based on its room corrections.

I have encountered two bugs. I use RS232 to control mine and it stopped sending feedback at some point, resetting the unit fixed this. I also found a on-screen display bug. If you turn the on screen volume control off and hit mute it says mute on the screen (that's ok). If you hit mute again (to unmute it) it goes away. If you hit volume up to unmute it the sound comes back, but it still says mute on the screen. I reported it to Denon two weeks ago and I'm sure it will get addresses in a future release.

I have no regrets about purchasing it and in fact just bought a second one for the bedroom.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Adam--thanks for confirming the Audyssey 6.1-ch. issue has been resolved; I thought it was but couldn't remember for sure.

Regarding #6--agreed, but in my defense I didn't say that it was a "problem"; rather, it could be fairly categorized as a "quirk", to say the least...only if because most of the time Audyssey is not nearly way off in calculating/guestimating speaker distances of the other speakers.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Wow..............so much to learn...................


It's a process, thanks!

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Hopefully this is not too late, but I do believe the Pioneer has ethernet, as well as iPod connectivity 'included'

Still catching up on the threads, but there defintely doesn't seem to be as much love for Pioneer as for Denon.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

If you could see the stack of Pioneer Elite seperates in my basement you would be "feeling the love"

Pioneer makes great products. The main reason I chose the Denon 3808 was fantastic RS232 support (I control via Crestron) and the ability to do an upgrade to the Audyssey Pro.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

Well, we're starting to really get in the process of ordering everything that we lost in our house fire in December. I really debated on the receiver; I had previously owned a Denon unit as my primary receiver, so here was my chance to step up and go to the new; I really debated between the 2808 and 3808, in the end, it was the connectivity options, and I ordered the 3808CI. So far, I'm -very- happy.

Re: Denon AVR-3808CI: An Overview

THe 3808 has a lot more in common with the 4308 than the 2808. I think it is a smart move if you can afford it to step up the the 3808.