My final thoughts... damn you Denon and HTF for giving me a fully functional second HT! :) :) The final paragraph is one that I still consider stunning, the level of support Denon puts into their product.
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It's a rarity that I say that a piece of hardware is stunning. I've seen lots of things that I think are impressive, but let's be honest, many of us who do home theater tend to be jaded because we always believe there has to be a better solution out there.
Years ago, I started with a definitive tech theater setup, with just dolby pro logic and a laserdisc player to get me started, along with an early denon receiver. AC3RF from a laserdisc was the bees knees, and everyone felt the need to show off the plane movement in "Top Gun" which was the end all and be all of how sound should work in a home theater. This, I thought, was magic.
Since then, there have been improvements that made me go "wow". DTS came to laserdisc, and I was amazed at the audio on discs.
A few years ago, I picked up the Denon 4806CI, and I found that unit had all the features I wanted. Sure, I had some complaints - the menus weren't perfect and the upconversion wasn't quite right. But the audio was damn good. What more could I really want? But then came the Denon 4810. I needed it to replace a damaged 4806CI, and I couldn't justify stepping up to an AVP, etc. Here's what I discovered
Build Quality
Sometimes the old standards are just... wrong. When I received the 4810, one of the first things I noticed out of the box was that the 4810 was significantly lighter then the 4806. This set me off thinking bad things. Lighter must mean worse! I've long been in the school that a good, hefty receiver meant the right power transformers, sturdy components had been used. Lightweight receivers were generally junk. Now, the 4810 isn't lightweight.. we're still near 30lbs. But it's down almost 10lbs from the 4806. What's going on I thought?
The 4810 is one of the newer receivers that maximizes efficiency. By using more efficient power units, more efficient boards, and more energy efficient design, it has to cope with less heat, less energy draw, and yes, a lighter weight. Giving up the weight would normally be a trigger to make me think "something is wrong" but boy, did Denon do a number on me. By using much more efficient units, the denon has far less energy loss.
I hooked the 4810 up to our voltage draw meter, (basically a plug that goes into your outlet to tell you the draw of power and estimated cost of an item) and the 4810 uses almost 25% less energy then the 4806. That's not a small statement. For those that worry about energy use, etc. that's a good thing. Does the unit suffer on the output? In no way that I found does the unit suffer.
I have since used this argument to point out to my wife that the small expense of purchasing the receiver was justified, because in the 10 years we'll have it, the savings on electricity will pay for itself. I'll leave that out there for all of you to use.
Denon has changed the rear panel design, moving all of the speaker connectors to be consistent, and the layout of connectors is incredibly efficient. One of my favorite pieces of the build quality is the move of an HDMI to be front mounted, which allows for easy connection of newer game type devices (XBOX, PS3, etc.) which may connect and disconnect frequently.
Video Performance
Sometimes, people who buy this unit would be the worst examples of the greatness of the video quality. I say that because the ABT chipset within the Denon 4810 works absolute magic with video quality. But the greatest impact of a good upconverter is on non-up converted media. Right now, in my home theater is an HTPC (Native 1080P), a Oppo-83 BD Player (Native), and my DirecTV, which can use the conversion. I also used a Nintendo Wii to get the feeling of what it can do.
First, let me say for the most part, upconversion is a bit of a risky proposition. When it works, it looks good. But upconversion can never create more actual resolution. It only has the original content, rendered as it is, and using multiple techniques it efforts to do it's best in increasing the scaling of the picture.
The one problem with the Denon 4806CI is that it did it.. just not all that well. Image quality looked as though it suffered, with a somewhat washy feel at times. People just accepted it because of convenience and it seemed as though it was the best thing available.
But the 4810 seems to work a sort of magic. No, let me very clear: it breathes life into media that you wouldn't think that it does.
To say I'm normally pessimistic about the manner in which receivers handle up conversion is an understatement. On most receivers, the upconversion simply looks.. upconverted. However the ABT solution works, it does. It does in a way that I simply haven't seen ever, in any generation of hardware. Color stays bright and vivid with almost no noticeable artifacting or additional noise. To say that's a triumph is an understatement. In fact, for those that still have tons of connectors and they want to maintain picture quality without a lot of switching, the Denon finally accomplishes the same effect as going straight to a display.. and improves on it. This feature alone is worth it's weight.
Audio Quality
All receivers are judged by their audio quality. It is, after all, what we buy them for. The Denon features all of the features that we expect. DD-HD / DTS-MA, etc. And, it renders them marvelously.
This is one of the areas that, to be honest, puzzled me for some time. While DTS-MA and DD-HD were not native on the 4806CI, since most Blueray players output LPCM as an option, I couldn't understand the fury over having this as a function on a reciever. After all, if it was decoded by the bluray player and output as LPCM, shouldn't I get the same results?
I had argued this fairly strenously with friends and others, saying that I couldn't understand the possible differences, whether the decoding was done before or in the receiver, the output of audio to the channels should be the same.
On a technical level, this should be true. But the 4810CI proved me wrong as to why decoding within the receiver matters. While this may not be true on everything, I've found that many audio tracks DO sound significantly improved, and bass management is much better. Using films like "Bourne" as references, I've found that the use of the sub is less boomy, and the panning and channel movement is far more crisp.. making breaks within the film, and moments where movement obviously should be occurring as seemingly more in line with the output. What helps make this happen? A big part of it is that within the 4810CI, you have the option to control the lag/delay between audio and video output, which is REALLY useful when I decide to go to the projector.
I admit, I have recently changed my speakers to help play with this review, and so part of this is influenced in my speaker choices, but having listened to the 4810CI on my older package and this one, the impact it makes are even more pronounced.
Summary
There are few times where I say: if you have the money, this is the item you should get. I'm going to tell you right now, that is 100% true. Why? What made me decide to buy this unit was the failure of my 4806CI.. a child spilled a drink on it. I, just as a lark, shipped it back to Denon in NJ, and asked for options on repair.. Denon sent me back, overnight SATURDAY DELIVERY, the 4806CI fully repaired, new firmware, nice new body.. my total cost? $65. There is something to be said for incredible support. More then that, I now have my second theater setup exactly as my first was.. the Denon 4806CI, and in my main theater, the Denon 4810CI. I can walk back and forth and play discs, testing out what to make of each.
The Denon 4810CI is a marked improvement. In almost every single area, it excels. But what makes me feel the most positive about recommending the Denon 4810CI is the level of support Denon has always showed me when it comes to their products. Denon's support has been exceptional. The 4806CI I received back would be a dream for most people's home theater.. still a class act unit that performs to the expectations of almost any home theater addict. The 4810CI is the logical successor. And it is, quite simply, a phenomenal product that is hard to challenge in it's price range.
If you don't believe it, check out the web-based menu; the new graphic on-screen displays, and the sheer "tweek" nature of the beast. This product is what I always wanted it to be.. a home run.
5 Stars out of 5.
. But hey, you got to buy a new toy! 
. I had to pay for mine! 
But it was worth it! 
