Pairing Receiver w/ Ascend CBM170 System

[johnnylongwood]

yes there is a "package" discount that reduces the prices listed on the website provided you buy the speakers and receiver together. to be honest you can find better prices elsewhere. onecall's prices (incl shipping) look better to me; however, i did not ask David whether or not he'd be willing to price match.

i've read the auto setup and EQ on the 435 is better than the 335, so it's between the HK 435 and Denon 2805 for me at this point...

the recommendations for the Denon 3805 has me seriously thinking about delaying my purchase of the Denon 2910 universal disk player. there are refurbs available for $830+shipping with a 1 year warranty.

wish i could a/b these receivers somehow. i'm going to have a look over the weekend to see what the local stores carry. thanks for the rechargeable battery tip.

[shane55]

One of my other reasons for getting the Denon 3805 was the Denon-Link feature. This is a single cable solution for sending digital SACD (now that it's been released by Sony), DVD-A, DTS, DD, etc. signals from a DL-3 equiped DVD player (DVD-3910) to the receiver. The 3910 will be the unit I wind up getting because I will then be able to one-cable it (audio) instead of 7 (6-for the surround, and 1 for the bitstream - toslink). Then the DAC's in the receiver will be employed on all digital audio from this one input.

With HD-DVD (or whatever they'll end up with) on the horizon, I want to get a DVD player that will carry me to the point at which these become viable (read: affordable).

The 2910 does not have the Denon-link.

At places like Dakmart and OnSale.com (as listed on the Denon site), these can be had for much less than MSRP, and they carry a relatively good mfg. warrantee. These should be basically as good as new. I can not afford to pay for a new 3910 at MSRP... outrageous.

Not that this (the Denon-Link) is important to you, but it was to me in my decision making process... for whatever that is worth.

[johnnylongwood]

i saw the blurb on denon link on their website, but didn't really spend any time thinking about it.

i'm an HT newbie, so bear with me here. how is that different from taking the coax/optical digital out directly into the receiver? passing a digital signal won't allow the dac's in the receiver to do the conversion to surround sound (5/7ch)?

yikes, i was trying to do this on the cheap. you guys are killing me!!!

[shane55]

In essence it is not different from the optical/coax signal, but it (D-link) will now transmit everything. So with the 3910 you would only need one audio cable, and all digital transmission to take advantage of the DAC's in the receiver. And yes, it does all necessary conversions as well as bass management.

Toslink-optical, coax digital will send a 'pure' bitstream digital signal signal to your receiver, but only for DTS, DD, Stereo... not SACD or DVD-A. this is *now* the advantage to the D-link. It used to only transmit the DVD-A, but Sony (as you read) has allowed transmission of the SACD signal so it will now pass every digital signal that the laser picks up.

Now... should that matter to you? I have one SACD that I have never heard in surround (Layla). Should I spend the extra so that I can spend even more on DVD-A's and SACD's? I don't know. I haven't gotten there yet. I have mixed feelings about this whole thing, to be honest. Many say that the audiophile surround phase is dying a fast death. Could be. As I said, I'm a bit conflicted about the whole thing and might just opt for the Panny s77 or something else inexpensive to last me 'till the HD-disc comes along.

Obviously D-link was what I was considering when I got the 3805, and I do not regret the purchase, nor will I even if I don't get the 3910. It's a great receiver.... well... except for the remote

shane

[dakulis]

Just a heads up, I just had a Denon 2805 delivered today. It's a "B" stock, refurbished by Denon that I won in an auction. It's on eBay with seller name "dakulis", at a great starting price. It's the exact same product being sold by Dakmart and others, but I got it from a wholesaler. Anyway, if you're leaning towards Denon, you can probably pick it up "relatively cheap," less than $600, that's for sure. In fact, if you're real interested, let me know before the auction ends.

[bikeman]

Just a heads up, I just had a Denon 2805 delivered today. It's a "B" stock, refurbished by Denon that I won in an auction. It's on eBay with seller name "dakulis", at a great starting price. It's the exact same product being sold by Dakmart and others, but I got it from a wholesaler. Anyway, if you're leaning towards Denon, you can probably pick it up "relatively cheap," less than $600, that's for sure. In fact, if you're real interested, let me know before the auction ends.

According to Denon, there's no warranty with the unit you've purchased. You get a manufacturer's warranty with the unit purchased from Dakmart and others. How much the warranty is worth is up to the purchaser but it definitely adds value.

http://www.usa.denon.com/dealers/dealers.asp?l=1#ETAIL

David

[johnnylongwood]

Thanks to all that have helped me with my decision. I finally took the plunge today

After having a look at the HK and Denon lines over the weekend. I went with a 3805 refurb unit from Dakmart w/ 1 year warranty. I'm sure I couldn't go wrong either way, but I preferred the Denon 3805 over the HK 635 (couldn't find a store with a 435 in stock). I ordered 3 pair of CBM 170's a CMT 340 center and a pair of Niles OS25's for my out on my deck. The DVD upgrade will have to wait for me to save up a few more bucks. I'm still inclined to go with the 2910, just b/c the 3910 is so much more expensive and before too long I know I'll get the bug to buy an HD-DVD player. Maybe by that time the price will have come down a bit more...

Which setup disc would you recommend the Avia or the Digital Video Essentials? I've already got the basic sound and vision disc, so I was leaning towards the DVE disc as it sounds pretty comprehensive. Just curious which one people like/dislike.

Again, I appreciate all the help/suggestions. I can hardly wait, this stuff can't show up fast enough...

[jojo]

Congradulations on your new setup. you will like them if you havent heard these speakers yet. i also had a uestion on which setup to buy. avia, dve, and lee bailey and some others also suggested soundandvisions setup disk. well because i was impatient for mail orders, i found dve here for $30. dont know how much they cost in usa, but avia delieved would cost me $90 dont know how much it would have been for s&v's. the dve is pretty cool. its great for those who just pluged into ht. i havent played with the avia but from what ive heard its for those who are really into configurations i guess for the advance crowd. im still toddler in ht.

[shane55]

Yikes... indeed.
Congrats on the new system. You should love it!
The 3805 is a great receiver that gives the Ascends what they need.

Let us know how it all goes for you!

shane

[FibreKid]

Congrats on your AVR purchase. Before you toss the 3910 for a 2910, remember the cost of 6 cables 2910->3805 vs 1 denon link for the 3910 ->3805. The denon link cable will come with the DVD player. According to Denon, SACD has been approved and an update for the DVD player will be available shortly. I myself am looking forward to removing a few cables shortly my my setup.