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Full Product Name: Denon AVR-988 7.1-Channel Multizone Home Theater Receiver

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Denon AVR-988 7.1-Channel Multizone Home Theater Receiver Description:

Denon AVR 988: Dolby Sound, 1080p Scaling, Multi Zone and More Denon has long been one of the elite names in home theater receivers, offering a mix of advanced technologies and user friendly features that transform the most mundane living rooms into rich, powerful audio environments. Now Denon has rebuilt its receiver technology from the ground up to produce the AVR 988 7.1 channel home theater receiver, which has been equipped with the new audio and video advancements to deliver improved multiroom operation and performance. The AVR 988 incorporates such features as HDMI v1.3 inputs and outputs, which let the receiver to play back many of today’s leading audio/video formats, as well as Dolby Digital TrueHD and DTS Master Audio; A Faroudja FLi2310 video processor that gives video scaling up to 1080p resolution; Denon’s Audyssey MultEQ calibration process, which makes setup easier than ever; and an RS 232C system control port and serial IR ports, which make it easy to integrate third party controllers into complex home audio installations.

Under the Hood: part Technology

With a power output of 110 watts per channel, the AVR 988 multizone 7.1 receiver can handle a range of audio applications. The AVR 988 offers a power output of 110 watts per channel, but adds many engineering advancements to get the most out of the technology. One of the most significant 7 Channel Equal Power lets you connect seven speakers independently without connecting individual power amps via pre outs. that is because the AVR 988 comes with a fitted interior amplifier for each speaker in your collection. This makes it possible to do things like connect a second surround back speaker directly off the big amplifier to play 7.1 surround formats. The receiver’s Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuit DDSC, meanwhile, optimizes all elements of the surround processor through the use of discrete high performance components, as well as separate analog to digital and digital to analog converters, with sophisticated DSP surround decoding. The receiver also offers AL24 processing, which was meant to faithfully copy many of the fragile nuances of analog music in digital form a technology that is particularly economical among next generation media with ultra high bit and sampling rates. The results sound particularly good when music silently fades away or starts again following silence, helping the listener detect many of the low level details. The receiver more ups the ante with AL24 Processing Plus, which adds support for the 192 kHz sampling frequency of DVD Audio. In addition, the receiver is equipped to manage the new in HD video support, with such features as Deep Color up to 36 bit, 1080p video pass through, analog video to HDMI scaling up to 1080p, and 12 bit video encoding and decoding. The receiver also offers a couple of video essentials: progressive scan technology, which processes about twice as much video data to produce a sharper, noise free image with better details; and Faroudja DCDi video processing, which employs advanced algorithms to take off the jagged edges that appear when standard interlaced video is viewed on progressive scan displays. Diverse Sound Modes As with the best surround receivers, the AVR 988 is able of reproducing a host of 5.1 , 6.1 , and 7.1 channel audio formats, with many number of processing technologies layered over the top. also to standard Dolby Digital, DTS, and Pro Logic II formats, the receiver also supports Pro Logic IIx, which lets 5.1 channel resources to be played in up to 7.1 channels; the expanded multichannel potential of DTS 96/24, Neo:6 Surround, and DTS ES expanded Surround, all of which improve the digital surround impression for 5.1 or 6.1 channels; and DTS HD Master Audio and Dolby True HD, which increase the maximum sampling frequency up to 96 kHz and faithfully reproduce the sound of the studio master on up to 7.1 channels. To help with film soundtracks, the receiver offers a theater Equalizer that corrects for the placement of your speakers and the way they are placed in the movie theater. Theaters that find their front speakers behind the movie screen tend to emphasize the high frequencies, which can sound too strong in a home with a regular surround setup. Denon amplifiers change the high frequency range so that the sound is cleaner and easier to listen to than uncorrected audio. Listeners can also improve the image detail of their audio resources using Neural Surround technology. This audio breakthrough which is 100 percent matched with stereo offers superior spectral resolution and channel separation, drawing the brain’s attention to the sonic details in musical instruments, vocals, and ambience that are typically masked by other playback systems. This lets the listener to completely experience the richness and subtleties in recorded performance as never before. Neural Surround is the chosen format for XM satellite radio’s XM HD surround programming. Finally, the receiver offers a seven channel stereo mode that enables top quality two channel stereo output through your surround speakers.

Convenience Features

The AVR 988 offers 2 HDMI inputs, 1 HDMI output, and a host of other connectivity options. Modern A/V receivers are increasingly meant for multi room listening, and the AVR 988 is no exception. The two zone, two source system allows you to choose different audio resources for listening in different locations, letting you simultaneously listen to the DVD player in the big room and the iPod in the bedroom, for example. The receiver also offers compressed audio restoration, an audio technology that restores the fidelity of compressed MP3, WMA, and AAC formats to reproduce a higher frequency range and deeper bass performance. And to make iPod playback easier, you may be able to connect the receiver to Denon’s individually sold ASD 1R iPod docking station, which allows you to control your iPod through the receiver’s display. Other user friendly features are XM satellite radio compatibility requires a subscription and an optional plug and play XM antenna, a night mode for neighbor friendly listening, an auto surround mode, and a volume limiter that allows you to set maximum volume levels. Connectivity and Setup The AVR 988 offers a host of inputs and outputs for connecting to diverse audio and video sources. The most important is HDMI v1.3a, the digital interface standard for next generation TV. With the receiver’s two HDMI inputs and one HDMI monitor output, you may be able to easily connect to such devices as HDTVs, DVD players, video game consoles, and cable and satellite boxes, each through a single cable that handles both high definition video and multichannel audio signals. HDMI is matched with High bandwidth Digital Contents Protection HDCP, a technology for defending copyrights that encrypts digital video signals. If your parts do not offer HDMI outputs, you still have lots of options, but, as the receiver also offers three part inputs, seven S video and seven composite inputs, seven total audio inputs four optical and three coaxial, and 10 analog audio inputs. The receiver also allows you to input multichannel audio signals, if in high definition MUSE 3 1, SACD, or DVD Audio formats, via the eight channel input. Made using eight standard RCA cables one each for front left, front right, center, surround left, surround right, surround back left, surround back right, and subwoofer the eight channel input receives discrete analog audio signals via a digital source like a DVD player, creating an immersive multichannel audio performance. Setting up the AVR 988 is simpler than ever thanks to Denon’s Audyssey technologies. Audyssey Equalized was the 1st technology to properly measure sound info during a listening area, , then add the info to exactly represent the acoustic problems in the room. established on these measurements, Audyssey calculates an equalization solution that corrects for both time and frequency answer problems. Denon also employs Audyssey MultEQ XT technology, which automatically establishes how many loudspeakers are connected, if they are connected in phase, and if they are satellites or subwoofers. After processing, it then analyzes all the physical details speaker level, size, and distance and establishes the correct frequency answer for up to eight listener positions simultaneously. it is a must for people who want to get the most out of their surround systems.

AVR 988 Accessories The AVR 988 is matched with the following Denon accessories. The Denon ASD 3N iPod/network connectivity dock The Denon ASD 3W iPod/network connectivity dock with WiFi The Denon AK HM100 HDMI cable The Denon RC 7000CI two way remote control

A/V Multi Source/Zone Receiver

Denon AVR-988 7.1-Channel Multizone Home Theater Receiver Reviews:

63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars
High performance for a great price! Denon AVR 988,
August 5, 2008

By Rob Williams See all my reviews
REAL NAME
  

This was a strong performing receiver at $1200. Now it is an amazing value. Why?

Pros

1 Clean high current power in the end, the most essential thing. Strip away all the bells and whistles and “features” and listen to it. Many receivers brag about 100 watts of power and still sound thin. Denon is distinguished for amplifier quality. This Denon receiver was meant for the $1200 instead of the $500 price point and has the parts quality that reflects it good power supply, shielding, and separate circuit boards for Digital, Analog Video and Analog Audio The receiver has 110 watts for 7 channels and will drive your speakers for better bass and clarity.

2 1080P Upconversion there’s two types of upconversion. In other words, what are you doing to a VCR or another analog video signal to make it HDMI? many receivers “Transcode”, which means they change from regular composite video, S Video, or part video to HDMI. This is done for convenience. You get your resources on one HDMI cable going into the TV, but do not expect any improvement in video quality. The other way of conversion is called upconversion or “scaling.” Now you are taking a 480i signal and converting it to 1080i or 1080P. The quality of that procedure differs widely. many upconverters make the image look horrible. many only upconvert to 1080i. Denon uses a Faroudja FLi2310 video processor that gives video scaling up to 1080p resolution. On other words, it makes your old stuff look good. Not as good as true HD source material, but it is a important improvement.

3 Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio decodes them both.

4 Multi Zone/Multi Source: Use 5 of the channels for home theater and the 2 other channels to power a second zone like speakers for an outdoor deck with a different source. So you may be able to watch movies in the family room and still have a CD playing outside. The second zone can be fed from the coax digital or optical digital input rather than only analog, something that many other multi source receivers can not do.

5 Auto Setup: Many people buy a receiver and never annoy to set it up to reimburse for their room and speakers. I favor to set up a receiver manually for inputs, speaker size and distance and it can make a big difference in sound quality. Denon makes setup easy. Once you plug in the microphone, the receiver automatically detects and enters in auto setup mode. The Audyssey Multi EQ XT can be setup for 8 favorite listening setups…you can calibrate it for a couple watching movies vs a group watching a football game. there’s a big difference among auto EQs, and Audyssey does a good job.

6 Auto Lipsync Have you noticed the image not match up with the sound? Rather than put up with that movie experience, the Denon receiver will let you to correct for the delays between the video and audio processing.

7 Shh…don’t tell anyone, but this receiver is very, close in performance to Denon’s AVR 2808. Just less expensive!

8 Yes, it still has a phono input.

9 Music restorer Playing an iPod? Use this to make compressed audio resources sound less worse.

Drawback

Although it will change other inputs to HDMI, it only has two HDMI inputs. For those who want more HDMI inputs, add a HDMI switcher box. One of the best reviewed ones is the Oppo. It works with Tivo, Comcast cable boxes, and with Denon receivers.

OPPO HM 31 Certified HDMI 1.3 and 1080p Switch

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars
Verry affordable, great receiver for the money!,
July 20, 2008

By Tech Junkie “Tech Junkie” San Jose,CA See all my reviews

Excellent music and video potential as well as the new HD formats, and 1080p conversion is real works well.

Denon is distinguished for faithful reproduction of music and typically the cornerstone of low end /budget audiophile systems. I tried these with Martin Logan Aeon i Speakers and they sound good considering Martin Logans require amps to drive big currents at 2 to 4 ohms, but still not enough while the sound quality is good no extra noises/artifacts, the volume tends to be low with martin logans; so I am forced to use other Polk speakers with the too for the most part in 5 channel mode instead of stereo for classical music in most situations that and the bad docs/remote/gui setup is why I am giving 4 stars!

Pros: 1. analog conversion all the way to HDMI 1080p

2. down conversion to svhs/analog for multizones

3. Excellent connectivity to networked music ASD 1r/3w/3n docs optional and ipods

4. easy setup for room

5. Preamp output available

Cons:

1. Still bad/complicated remote! and bad documentation too.

2. Only 2 HDMI inputs?

Didn’t test on screen menu feature on this still one year old Denon 588 did not have that

Overall it is a good product particularly compared to the alike 2808 that sells for $1000 upwards. Both are alike shown except that 2808 supports 3 zone/3 source compared to 2 zone/2 source for 988 model; and 2808 also has a simple second remote that is good; the rest of the amp is exactly the same as 988, just costs more!.Considering the price and features, this model is a steal right now!

Update/Caveat: If your speakers are 6 ohms or higher, then this receiver is great! So choose carefully taking all the parts in to consideration. For my case, I am adding a good stereo amp Class D to drive the martin logans using the pre out for zone 2 as the input for the stereo amp.

UPDATE: looks Denon presented new models AVR 989 and 2809Cl with just 2 differences 115W instead of 110W per ch. and 4 HDMI inputs they listened to the reviewers/users and increased the number of HDMI inputs! that is the reason that they are to get discounted right now; if you do not care about more than 2 HDMI inputs, this is the best sale ever.

I used Marantz, harmon kardon and sony in the past never used Onkyo but reading reviews I stayed away from it because of power/burn out issues and all of them have had troubles with power typically gets heated many more than denons, on occasion protection circuit kicks in and turns off those receivers in my setup goes to power efficiency of Denons, that they are able to give better wattage without wasting extra power.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent quality and value!,
October 25, 2008

By Bala Rajagopalan “Bala” Darien, IL See all my reviews
REAL NAME
  

I have been using the Denon AVR 988 for a month now. Excellent sound, build quality and aesthetics. Reviewers before covered many points, so I will just address the following:

Shipping experience: I had opted for next day delivery. The receiver arrived as promised in original factory packaging. There were a couple of nicks and dents in the box, but nothing significant.

Hook up: did not take too long to set up the system. I see many comments on the user manual being complicated etc, but if you have dealt with any A/V receiver before, there’s not a whole lot different here. In fact, you most likely do not need the manual at all to hook up your components.

Audessey set up: The 1st time you have to consult the manual is to figure out how to start the Audessey auto set up. Specifically, you just have to know how to get your On Screen menu display going, and after this, you may be able to just follow the instructions. The system can take up to 8 measurements, but I needed only 3. This took many minutes.

Remote: As with most receivers today, the remote is cryptic and requires many figuring out. Especially, the 988 remote has a hidden set of buttons in the back, where many of the useful functions are kept why put it in the back? as well, it has a strange slider switch system to choose parts to control other parts like CD, which is odd. The remote may have been better, but this is no big deal considering many other positives.

Overall, I’d propose that people do not get put off by previous comments on set up and complexity. if you are not familiar with A/V receivers, this is just a one time effort.

Build: hard build quality by weight of the unit, and the feel of it as you lift it and operate it. Note that this unit is made in Japan, not in China or Malaysia unusual These days to find such products.

Aesthetics: nice to look at, buttons are hidden under a flap, and the display is clear and working no jazzy colored lights. Of course, like all receivers, you have to go up close to read the volume level, active channels, but looks good overall.

Sound: I have a 3.1 set up don’t like to run wires for rear speakers, and the sound quality from both stereo and 5.1 resources is crystal clear, nuanced, with tight bass. You do not have to jack up the volume too much I typically listen at 40 DB, the receiver goes up to +18DB. many DVDs require me to increase the volume to about 25DB, that is the max I have gone so far in a medium sized room. Receiver automatically establishes the kind of source Stereo, digital, etc, and plays it accordingly. Audessey automatically sets the tone controls, but there’s also bass and treble settings you may be able to manually change plus levels of all 7.1 channels. Overall, happy with the sound. Pleasure to watch movies like Matrix with both great instrumental sound and effects, or listen to music.

Running it for hours: I on occasion have it on for many number of hours, and the unit just barely gets warm. Compare this to Onkyo heating/flaming issues, and this is another reason to think about buying this unit.

In summary, as someone said before, this is a $1200 unit selling for less than half the price. it is not much different from the new 989 or 2809, at half the price! Great value, IMO, and I recommend 988 whole heartedly.