Denon AVR1910 7.1-Channel Multi-Zone Home Theater Receiver with 1080p HDMI Connectivity

Reviews

1. A pleasure to set up and use

   by Brent Butler

   I recently replaced a defective Onkyo receiver with this Denon model, and boy am I glad I did.

   Set up was extremely easy:

   Speaker wires – as with all receivers, this was the trickiest part. If your wires all have solid pins on the end, it will take moments to connect them. Many of mine are just twisted wire coming out of the plastic casing tho. That takes a bit more effort, but this is true with all receivers.

   HDMI inputs – There are four of these. I used them for satellite box, a Sony 400 DVD changer, and my Blu ray player. They all worked perfectly, unlike the Onkyo I replaced.

   Optical inputs – I believe there is only one of these, and I’m used to more. However, some of the devices that I used to use optical for I’m now using HDMI for. As it turned out I needed only one optical, for my CD player, so this worked out.

   There are also sufficient other inputs, including many Left/Right stereo pairs. I hooked up everything I had, which was a Blu Ray player, a Panasonic DVD/DVR, a JVC CD six pack + 1 player, a Sony 400 CD player, a Sony 400 DVD player, a turntable, the Satellite receiver/DVR, and a VCR. There were inputs for at least a few more devices if I’d needed it.

   Setting up the ’software’ side of the receiver amounted to this:
   
   I plugged in the mike. The receiver immediately displayed the set up on my TV, and led me thru it. Once done with that I spent about two minutes manually setting input labels to the device inputs I’d used, and I was done. Incredible.

   Sound from this receiver is beautiful. I’ve owned every major brand at some point in time, and this is the best quality sound I’ve ever heard coming out of my speakers. Is there better out there? I’m sure. I’ve never spent top end money on a receiver, but I’ve always bought in the $350 to $500 price point, so I’ve never owned chopped liver, either.

   Make sure to check the posts below to find the coupon code from Electronics Expo. I stumbled across that and got $190 off the price, making this a thrifty as well as a most enjoyable home entertainment purchase.

2. Great experience of a lay person

   by Alan Eiger

   I’ve had the Dennon 1910 about a week now. Had it professionaly installed. I used to be able to do the installations myself many years ago but it is to much beyond my limited expertise. Previously I had an HK 254, which began giving me both audio and visual problems after several months. I’ve had satelite service come to check out the dish system. They felt it was the receiver. Back to the presernt. I decided to replace the HK receiver. Prior to the HK I had a Dennon and it finally died after several years. I researched on line Dennon and found the 1910 reviews were good except for CNet. Decided to buy it and have been very happy with it since. It’s only a week but my wife told me the other day that she can tell the difference in the sound and she is hearing the rear speakers more clear and the entire sound much better than with the Harmon-Kardon 254. Being that I had it installed, all the difficulties people have had with installation were not there. The set up did take about an hour as he set up the remote, Audyssey the HDMI connection etc. I’m very pleased with the sound and the picture and sound from my blu-ray player. The HK caused my blu-ray picture to freeze, snow etc.. I’ll never go back to HK again. This works great with my LG 47″ tv and the Samsung blu-ray as well as my JBL speake

3. Denon AVR1910

   by williewyotech

   Superb sound as expected from Denon. My home theater set up is just awesome using this AV’s 7.1 capability – a Bose VC10 center, Infinity P362 front towers, Infinity P162 surround backs, Bose VCS30 surround sides and a Polk Audio PSW10 sub! Its an upgrade of my 2006 model and now I can cleanly connect via HDMI. The former Denon didn’t have the HDMI ports yet and I encountered AV synchronization problem and turning off audio when I had it connected via coax to my Mitsu 73″ DLP. It does work flawlessly on composite (the red and white RCAs) but you lose the digital surround special effects. Ease of use is not great as you need a lot of work to put it at its best. But if you are fond of calibration tasks (like 8 times via Odyssey)among others, then this is perfect for you. The user’s manual is horrible so just like what I read on the reviews, I downloaded a 3rd party instructions. The remote is pretty challenging to work on still for me.

4. Great addition to my HT

   by Word Hack

   I was able to swap this into the spot my old 1803 had. Same size, doesn’t run terribly hot. Speaker set-up took about 15 minutes but not overly complicated. I like that you can configure it to skip components you don’t have (like VCR, Phono, Radio — who listens to radio anymore?) and also being able to re-name the components is a big deal, although it doesn’t seem like it at first. Also having all sources come out of the HDMI port is a VERY nice feature.

   A few minor complaints: It’s hard getting the speaker wire into the middle speaker posts unless you’re using banana plugs. Not a big deal since you only do it once, but a little more space between would have been nice. Also, you need to keep an eye on which speaker mode you’re in. IIz works great for HDMI audio from the PS3, but you need to switch to 7 Channel if your source is stereo (like my old DVR is). There might be a way to tell the amp to use IIz for one source and 7.1 for another, but I haven’t figured it out if so. Remote is kludgy but who cares? I don’t know anyone who uses their amp remote after set-up.

5. It is what they said it was!

   by Glen K. Narimatsu

   I read a lot of reviews, and most complained about the manual and remote control. This is very true. The manual is so difficult that I still have not figured out the features. The speaker set-up through Audusey was difficult, because the manual was not clear on how pick the six positions for the mic. I like the sound, but am not clear on how to get the most out of it. I’m sure it will take some time to get adjusted. It took two week to get it to work.

6. Saved over $149

   by Oscar

   Check out the savings at Electronics expo! Used coupon code WS901X5750 and got the Denon for under $400.00.This is a great receiver. The 1910 powers my Paradigm monitors and sound far better then my Onkyo did. Love the way the Denon sets it self and even dolby pro logic on my old VHS tapes sound great. If your looking for a great receiver yo really need to check out the 1910.

7. A sales raiser for a Logitech Harmony One!

   by S. Goldstein

   In a nutshell (from a techie, but only a novice as regards home entertainment gear): this AVR Denon AVR1910 7.1-Channel Multi-Zone Home Theater Receiver with 1080p HDMI Connectivity adds new dimensions to my home entertainment system, but a Logitech Harmony One (or similar) Universal Remote Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging] is a must because the Denon Remote is worse than other reviewers have already stated: it is almost totally brain dead. The User Manual is pretty lame, too, and the generic Denon AVR User Manual “translation” by BatPig at the on-line AVR Forum is a great substitute.

   How could a manufacturer with a reputation for top-notch AV gear degrade the utility of such a fine AVR with such a lousy remote? Unless, that is, they were in cahoots with Logitech to make purchase of a Harmony Universal Remote almost mandatory? I struggled for hours to get the Denon remote to control my Vizio HDTV, my Toshiba DVD player (my Vizio Blu-ray Disc player is on pre-order with Amazon), or my Scientific Atlanta cable box. I tried every single component code in the manual, and I followed the directions meticulously, but I COULD NOT GET IT TO RECOGNIZE EVEN ONE OF THOSE PERIPHERALS! I wrote to the star of the AVR Forum (“BatPig”) for a clue, and he answered that he just ignores remotes that come with components and uses the Harmony One.

   I have had a top-of-the-line Sony ES receiver for years, and I was reasonably satisfied with it (although their remote was pretty poor, too, though nowhere as bad as the Denon’s). But, it was pre-HDMI, and I wanted to be able to experience the performance boosts of HDMI, and that was my reason for purchasing the Denon. I had also looked at a less expensive Onkyo, but I was deterred by reports of heating and line buzz in the subwoofer. Every review pointed me to this Denon. (BTW, I got a brand new one from an Amazon Marketplace seller for more than 25% less than Amazon’s price. But it was a gamble, as there was no return privilege.)

   OK, I have not done a lot of speaker setup tweaking, other than to use the wonderful Audyssey MultEQ built-in capability of the Denon. In my main listening room, I have two small Boston Acoustic speakers in front, two BA satellites in the rear, all mounted near the ceiling, a BA center speaker on a shelf atop the TV, and a BA subwoofer. I have two small BA speakers mounted near the ceiling in an adjoining room, but rarely use them for other than two-room mood music when we entertain. The Audyssey MultEQ did an outstanding job of equalizing my main room speakers. Setup was so straightforward that I did not even have to consult the manual, though there are great instructions at the AVR Forum (on line). This is a huge plus for any AVR that includes Audyssey MultEQ. Now, as other reviewers have also stated, I hear things in music that I had not heard before with my previous Sony ES model–nice things, that is!

   My TV is 1080i, and though I got it to play OK at first going from my cable box through the Denon to the TV (all with HDMI cables) instead of straight from the cable box to the TV, on the next day I got flashing of the picture (good picture, then snowy picture, etc.). I tried the suggestions at the AVR Forum (power everything down; disconnect all HDMIs, power back up one at a time after several minutes), but that did not help. I knew that it was not my TV going bad, because I could receive pictures directly from the roof antenna just fine. So, I fiddled around with the settings (the instruction manual doesn’t really clue you in as to how to get to the settings, but it is the tiny button on the front of the AVR to the left of the “+” shaped button array, and then navigating with the “+”shaped button array and the “Return” button to its right). So, I found one setting that was something to the effect of “i/p” which I figured was up-converting from interlaced to progressive (1080i to 1080p). I turned that option off, and then things worked just fine (had I inadvertently turned it on when I was fiddling with the Denon remote?). If only that troubleshooting symptom were to have been called out in the manual (maybe it was, but I never found it). Also, I find that when I switch between a standard definition (SD) channel on the cable to a HD channel, sound comes on, but the screen turns blue (shades of Windows’ “Blue Screen of Death”!) for about 15 seconds before the picture appears. One person told me that it was buffering the signal, but others say that it is a matter of HDMI handshaking, and I tend to believe the latter explanation. Compared to my pre-HDMI days, this is a whole new world, and it takes some getting used to.

   My Roku Player and my Toshiba DVD player work beautifully through the Denon’s HDMI input ports, by the way. Sound has much more “presence” as compared to my previous setup.

   So, once again: my bottom line is that this is a sophisticated and specialized computer in a big black box that will give you wonderful results once you succeed in setting it up and controlling it with a Universal Remote such as Logitech’s Harmony One. Would I buy it all over again, knowing what I know now? Yes. Would I recommend it to a friend? Well, yes, but only if the friend were minimally clueful about AV components.

8. Amazing for the price

   by A. Gill

   This is one awesome receiver for the price. Both audio and video perform extremely well and I am over the moon with mine. But take my advice, do some online reading (e.g. Batpig’s useful tips – just google it) before you get it, when you get it, and for the week after you get it. Why? Because I guarantee that unless you have lots of experience setting up receivers (plus video/audio equipment and their technologies), you will not get it quite right the first time and may sell yourself short in terms of results. Buy it for sure, but be patient and educate yourself. The results are worth it – trust me and the 1,000s of others who are happy they made this choice.

9. Great Receiver

   by Peter C. Byrne

   This is an excellent AV receiver that is a little difficult to setup but provides lots of options and good sound. The manual, by itself, is useless but with Batpig’s online guide it becomes serviceable. Assigning the inputs is probably the most difficult task but after this is done correctly everything else falls into place.

   + 7.1 sound and supports latest Audio/Video Codecs
   
   + Upconversion of video (480p, 720p) is very nice
   
   + 4 HDMI, 2 Component Inputs and 4 digital audio inputs (2 coax and 2 Fiber)
   
   + weighs 23.6lbs and has max power consumption of 5.5Amps. It will be close to its stated power output unlike a lot of its competitors.
   
   + does not run hot
   
   + Audyssey setup and dynamic controls

   - Manual not good for setup (use Batpig’s install guide and read FAQ)
   
   - Remote is kinda of funky
   
   - Doesn’t have a usable s-video input (reserved for I-pod dock)
   
   - Price here is high but can be found for significantly lower
   
   - poor upconversion of 480i over analog(composite) cables not sure how the upconversion is over HDMI or component cables though

10. Great audio quality

    by Melanie H.

    We didn’t have an HD TV when we purchased this, so the initial setup was rather complicated with our TV, TiVo, VCR, DVD player, and various game systems. It looks like it’s much easier if you can use HDMI. Once we got it all set up, though, it has been easy to use and the audio quality is fantastic!

11. Denon AVR-1910: Deal of the Century?! I Think Yes!

    by Gregg Ingram

    I am not going to beat around the bush here; for under $400, there is no better receiver for my money than the Denon AVR-1910. The quality of everything it does is top notch, and the price I got from Electronics Expo, with the shipping, just 409.00. I snagged a coupon code (WS901×3807)and off I went. There is no better deal out there.

12. Not hard to set up at all

    by Van L. Adams

    First I want to say that this is the best reciever I have ever owned. The sound quality is fantastic, and I’m even running it through some fairly cheap yamaha speakers (plan on upgrading speakers soon). My family members have all been impressed by the sound. I can hear sounds in movies and songs that I didn’t hear before with my old reciever. But you’ve probably heard all of this in other reviews.

    Second and more importantly I wanted to comment on how easy it is to setup. Someone previously wrote a review commenting on how complicated it is to use, and how he owns thousands of dollars of Mac equipment, and blah, blah. I do not understand this at all. I have a samsung LED LCD tv, a samsung blu-ray player, a samsung cable box, a Wii, and I was able to hook them all up and get them all to work with little to no problems at all. I thought the interface was fairly simple and easy to use. The manual is not nearly as difficult to read and understand as other people have said. And the Audessey software runs you through the setup of the speakers step by step. I even got the anynet feature to work on my TV, so when I use my TV remote to adjust the sound it adjusts the sound of the reciever and shows you the sound level on the TV for the reciever, and when you turn the TV off it turns the reciever off. The only gripe I have is with the HD decoding: with some blu-ray player models (including my blu-ray player) you have to have the blu-ray player do the HD sound decoding and not the reciever. This is a known issue with this reciever and some blu-ray players. The denon people on the denon forums say that it sounds the same regardless of which device does the decoding, and that the only thing you are missing by having the blu-ray player do the decoding is the blue light come on on the reciever. But I still think I would rather have the reciever do the decoding.

    Anyways, that is my 2 cents on this excellent reciever. And as a side note, if you are having trouble using this reciever, just google batpig, and use his guide.

13. Mostly wonderful to own and operate

    by Adam Collins

    As with the other Denon components I’ve owned, the AVR-1910 is well buit, cool running, sonically excellent, and (mostly) wonderful to own.

    First, the three niggling bits: 1) Denon needs to stop putting meaningless (“SAT”, “DVD”, “DVR”, etc.) labels on inputs, 2) the on-screen configuration interface seems dated, especially for a digital receiver and 3) the remote control interface is finicky: press the buttons too rapidly and the poor receiver is likely to be confused.

    I gripe about the input labeling because it just makes things more confusing when you’re wiring up your receiver. You can rename all of the inputs through the on-screen interface anyway, so why not just give the inputs a number or letter?

    Let me explain the remote thing, also, and describe why it can be frustrating. The remote interface has a repeater function, much like a computer keyboard: hold a key down for more than half a second and the key starts rapidly repeating itself until you let up on it. Well, the AVR-1910 has that too and it is gets in the way more often than it helps. It’s frustrating with the on-screen interface and annoying with the volume control (3 slow taps means +/- 1.5 db, while 3 quick taps could mean anything from +/- 1.5 db to +/- 6.0 db).

    You’ll get used to all of that though, which is why I gave the AVR-1910 a 5 star rating and recommend it as a home theater receiver. The big points for me were the 4 HDMI inputs, generous power output, wonderful video scaling, and the reliability that Denon is known for. I had no idea that the quick select function would be so nice, so that was a major bonus. Basically, you get all of the settings (input options, output options, and volume) the way you want them and hold one of the three “quick select” buttons down. From then on, pressing that quick select button on the receiver (or remote) will recall all of those settings. Even better, the receiver lets you name each of the three quick selects.

    Despite a few interface issues, this receiver is satisfying and I highly recommend it to anyone in the market for a mid-range 7.1 A/V receiver.

14. Pointlessly complicated

    by picture1

    I’ve had this for about 6 hours now and I’m about to throw the damn thing out the window. I write websites for a living, I’m surrounded by tens of thousands of dollars worth of Macs and TVs and audio equipment, I’m not some doddering old man shoving toast into the VCR, so believe me when I tell you this POS is pointlessly complicated and unthinkably frustrating. If you have several hours to kill and don’t mind jumping through endless hoops to get a machine to do you the honor of working, you should love this.

15. Excellent sound. Great features. Setup could be easier but doable.

    by Durham Geekster

    I have had this receiver for a month now and I’m extremely happy with the sound quality, which is the #1 reason for choosing a receiver. It also has every feature I needed and supports all the latest sound formats. I’m very happy with the upconversion video quality. Note that this receiver can take an analog SD or HD signal and convert it to digital HDMI output, so you only need one connection between your receiver and your TV. Many other receivers do not perform this conversion and you need multiple connections between your receiver and TV.

    Many people have complained about the manual and complicated setup. In my opinion, the manual is actually very good. The setup is obviously designed by engineers and not a human factors person. I would certainly not expect my parents to be able to set this up, but if you have decent technical knowledge, then you won’t have any problems. I did need to consult the manual to understand some parts of the setup, but like I said, the manual was accurate and fine for someone of reasonable technical knowledge. If you want to see for yourself, just download the manual from Denon’s web site before you buy it.

    The receiver does allow you to rename the inputs, but the way you assign the inputs to quick select is very strange indeed. Instead of labeling each input as HDMI 1 – 4, Component 1-2, etc., they label each input with a name such as DVR, DVD, etc. And some labels overlap between the type of input. For example, DVD is an HDMI input and a component input. If you have both DVD inputs in use at the same time, then it will not work by default. You have to go into the setup and assign the component DVD or HDMI DVD another default label, such as DVR. Then you can use both inputs.

    You can also rename DVR to a custom label, such as XBox or PS3, for example. It would be much more straightforward, if they just has HDMI 1-4, Component 1-2, etc., and then you could label each input with a custom label. Then you could also assign quick select 1 to be HDMI 1, for example. In any case, this part of the setup is complicated, but once it is set up, you don’t have to mess with it, so it’s worth the hassle if you can figure it out. You can also hide inputs you don’t use. Once it is set up, you can press Source Select on the remote and see a list of inputs (with custom labels), and just choose the input you like. So when you see the select list, you will see PS3, Wii, Xbox, Tivo, Apple TV, etc., based on the custom labels you entered. This is nice and the way it should be.

    My only other complaint about the receiver is that the setup and selection screens are text based and look like they are from the 80s. It would be nice to have HD menus with nice graphics and fonts. However, you don’t spend much time in the menus once the system is set up, so I can overlook this.

    Overall, the receiver is awesome. I would definitely buy it again. I wish they would address my complaints, and I’m sure they will eventually in new models, but like I said, my complaints mostly affect the usability of the setup, and once that is done, you can just enjoy the awesome sound!

16. Excellent sound quality and superb HDMI picture

    by Claudiu Bradeanu

    Standard definition made into high definition signal looks superb. You have to see it. It worth every penny. It runs cool with absolutely no distortion. The sound is incredible: clear, dynamic and equally ubiquitous in a 14X20 large living room. On maximum it blows your mind. Bi-amplified into B&W 983 3 way tower speakers it is just too loud at -20. At maximum level it has NO distortion what so ever. I used to listen to rock music not long ago. The power it delivers and the clarity is fantastic. I can’t believe it cool at higher amplification levels. it must be power efficient. I have did a lot of research before buying it. It has a neutral sound unlike other bright receivers. Perfect for classical music or any other commercial music for that matter. If you want a durable, energy efficient receievr with excellent sound quality (total harmonic distorsion, THD=0.07 and not THD 0.7) you have to check this one out.

17. Denon AV1910 7.1

    by Adebayo Boboye

    Product is not an amplifier – therefore it has limitation for those looking for an amplifier, but has features that equally give comparable functions as an amplifier would. Once you get going with it, it is easy to navigate.

18. New Denon

    by F. R. Murdock

    It replaced a older Denon that I needed to connect to my new Sony TV to get maxium sound & picture. It has given us good results.

19. Sound to Bring Your HD Picture Alive

    by Amazed By Technology

    This feature laden reciever added greatly to the viewing/listening enviroment of my new plasma TV. Same speakers, same difficult room listening enviroment, GREAT SOUND!! My old high end Yamaha was not up to the job. If you have the time and patience to read and understand the manual, you will be rewarded with a great listening experience.

20. Suppose to be great

    by D. Chapman

    Purchased this product on DENON’s name, 5 star reviews and features available. I needed 4 – HDMI inputs. I unfortunately assumed this was plug and play with minimum setup. I connected my 4 HDMI devices and was looking forward to receiving my excellent audio and visual experience. NO AUDIO. I reset every audio switch in the Receiver and I even read the instructions. Nothing. I disconnected the HDMI from the TV and got sound but when I connected the HDMI cable back to the TV no audio. I contacted Best Buy’s Geek Squad and had them come out and find the switch to turn on the Audio. Two hours after the Geek Squad arrived – still no audio. The Geek Squad checked with Best Buy’s Home Entertainment service and discovered that they have had several AVR1910 receivers returned with the same problem. No audio through the HDMI cables appeats to be a known problem with this receiver – beware. As a side note returning stuff to Amazon was the easiest operation in the buying process of this receiver.