Denon AVR owners, this one is for you...

ikolbyi

Own a Denon receiver and frustrated by Audyssey? Can't seem to make your speakers sound right? Fighting with "pitchy" or "dull" sound experience from your speakers connected to a Denon receiver? Then this thread is for you!

I was a very happy customer for over 10 years with my Denon AVR-2800 connected to Polk RM 6600 satellite system (5.1 setup) and Polk PSW 350 sub. The AVR-2800 was recently upgraded to a AVR-1909 and converted to a secondary system. The primary system is now:
* Polk RM 85 (5.1 setup)
* Polk DSW Micro-pro 1000
* Denon AVR-2809

Both set-ups had different experiences because both are wired differently (and obviously slightly different products).


AVR-1909 set-up with legacy RM 6600 system and PSW 350

According to the manual of the RM 6600 in bold print, it states not to connect the sub to the LFE/sub-out port in the back of the receiver, but to connect the R/L front RMS 6600 speakers to the sub using its crossover and not the crossover of the receiver. I 'RTFM' and followed the manual so this set-up continues to have the front R/L speakers connected to the sub, and the sub L/R are connected to the receivers front R/L speakers ports.

The Audyssey setup recognized this configuration and for the most part set the frequencies and speaker distances correctly. I did have to adjust the rear speakers crossover from 180 Hz to 140 Hz.

Everything seemed to work out of the box in this set-up configuration.


AVR-2809 set-up with RM 85 and DSW micro-pro 1000

I hope you have a lot of time available with this one......
Step 1) Forget Audyssey setup, It's just plain wrong!

Why, it can not recognize any of the speakers distance and frequencies correctly, including the sub connected to LTE/sub-out port.

Audyssey configured my speakers with 180/200 Hz settings and 60 Hz for sub, and the listening distances were off by about 5-10 feet. You will need to manually configure these settings.

The room this equipment resides in is 20'x24' with hardwood floor and cathedral ceilings. The following settings seems to work well:

* Engage Dynamic Volume
* Engage Dynamic EQ
Crossover settings:
* L/R front speakers: 100 Hz (small)
* Center speaker: 100 Hz (small)
* Rear speakers: 120 Hz (small)
* Sub: 100 Hz (LFE, also lower the volume from default 20 to 18)

Make sure your sub is sitting on some type of rubber cushion otherwise it will literally walk out of the room on its own during your entertainment experience as I had witnessed. In addition, without the rubber feet cushions the base sound will seem over powering even if you lowered the volume if it sits directly on the hardwood floor.

If your room is similar in size with carpet or bigger in size, I recommend getting the DSW micro-pro 3000 to compensate for the sound absorption. Cranking up the volume on the little 1000/2000 sub only makes the sound louder, not fuller.

Hopefully this helps you Denon owners.

thsmith

Have Denon 2808 here with no issues at all with Audessy. The best thing you can do is get wall treatments and calibrate your sub before using the AVR calibration tools.

cnh

Interesting, I run a Denon AVR 2807 in a second system but I configure it manually...don't use Audessey....it sounds fine to me but I'm not running satellites off it...but TSi-300s as the mains...with a BA 12" sub...dynamic enough.

I should add that the 2807 is the heaviest of the three units. Don't know what Denon is thinking but I bet that the 2807 has a bit more robust construction but fewer features--seems to be a trend on newer Denon?

cnh

greg2350

Run a Denon 3801 myself thing is built like a tank and sounds very good. I to did the calibration myself sounded much better that way. I think its better to calibrate yourself you will probally like it better than using the audessey. I feel its better to self calibrate because everyone hears different and has different taste on what sounds good to them just my opinion. Yes I am using a Rotel for power but before that I was using the Denon and it was very capable of driving my RT800i's. Honestly the Rotel was a minor improvement in sound quality:)