Comments about Denon Denon 7.1 Channel Home Theater/MultiMedia A/V Receiver - Black Finish:

This is state-of-the-art for its price point, but complex to setup and to operate initially. Anyone contemplating stepping up to this level of product better spend a couple of hours with the manual. This is not a simple piece of equipment.

Here's what I really liked. Performance is superb. Plenty of power. Connectivity for nearly a dozen different hookups. 3 HDMI inputs (wish it had a DVI input, tho). A web-browser interface that makes setup much easier than using the remote or front panel controls. Build quality is just top-notch (unit is heavy, so make sure you know where it's going; you won't want to be moving it much). Easy to read front panel display. Video upconversion is excellent for 480i to 720p signals. Will pass 1080p (for those with Pioneer FHD1 plasmas and Blue Ray DVD's!). Ethernet jack allows for slick web-based control setup (this might be beyond those without some computer networking skills). And there's more I really dig about this unit, but there are some things I really don't like.

The remote control is not ready for prime time. Pressure-sensitive window pad for selecting functions/sources reacts slowly and unintuitively. Some really necessary functions are not on the remote at all. Switching from one source to another is sometimes slow, especially when switching video. And try setting the tone controls (bass/treble only). Try finding them! You have to dig into the front panel surround processor controls to find them, and they are very limited in their range. That's stupid. Denon dropped the ball here, but you do get more control when setting up 5.1 or 7.1 systems. And the setup won't remember your input settings unless you assign them to a User Memory. Too much to go into here, but again, plan to read the manual with a keen eye, or have a tech-savvy friend around.

Generally, I consider this AV receiver too complicated for average folks to setup. In trying to put everything into this unit, including a kitchen sink, Denon forgot that most people don't want to spend time punching a slow-react touch pad trying to just boost the bass a it, or even just tuning the radio. Yeah, you have to use the remote to do that! No tubing knob on the unit itself.

Most would need some professional assistance and in many cases, this receiver will be installed by a pro. By they way, the AM/FM receiver is not that great - they should have just left it out altogether since the 4306 is ready for satelite/HD radio.

This is a super-clean solid-state amp, and tube addicts won't like it. Absolutely pristine sound - no flab involved. Very neutral sounding. I found the bass a bit lean, even with a boost of +6db, and I will probably bi-amp my front speakers (which the 4306 does quite easily). This amp is listenable for extended periods of time. No fatigue at all.

I currently run my Comcast box, my CD player, DVD player, a separate FM tuner into the 4306. I am installing a wireless access point to its Ethernet port so I can access its settings from any computer on my network.

conclusion: Best of Breed, but not easily tamed. Would I buy it again? If running a 2-channel stereo system - no. If running a multi-channel system - yes.

Comments about Denon Denon 7.1 Channel Home Theater/MultiMedia A/V Receiver - Black Finish:

Setup was easier than I expected based on the online comments I had herd. I have it driving HDMI to the TV, getting component video and digital sound from a DVD player. Main reason I go this vs 2807 was that it did upconverting to 720p.... video quality vs native 480i from DVD player is hard to notice. (oops, so much for the primary justification to spend [...]) I do really like the network feature, getting internet radio was interesting, but the ability of it to directly listen to songs from my PC as organized by Media Player 11 was a very pleasent surprise. The negatives: Manual should have some sort of index in the back, always hunting around the manual to find what I am looking for; Programmable remote codes did not support my Elite 50" TV, and had to program manually. If Denon is watching, how about adding ability to stream video from a PC on the network?, that would be awesome (and leave the upconverting to the DVD players)