Receiver recommendation

[IndyColtsFan]

It looks like my trusty Denon AVR-2310CI may have died tonight. I can sometimes get audio, but video isn't displaying. I suspect the HDMI board went bad but I am going to try a processor reset and a few other things to see if I can resurrect it.

In the event that I can't resurrect it, I am looking for a replacement. Here are my requirements:
1. Must be 4k ready (up to at least 60 Hz if possible).
2. Must support 7.2 sound.
3. Must be networkable.
4. Must support Audyssey or another form of audio optimization.
5. Must be carried by Amazon - while I may fudge a bit on some requirements, I won't fudge on this one as I have hundreds of dollars in rewards to use and I get additional rewards from buying from them.
6. Budget - I'd prefer to keep it under $600 but could go to $800 if the new features can be justified.

I have yet to do any research, but last year's Denon AVR-X3000 for $600 at Amazon looks good at first glance. The newer updated model is the X3100 and it is $1000, but I don't think I can justify the difference.

Thoughts/recommendations?

 

[Anubis]

that denon is a solid buy, the Onkyo 646 is as well

however it seems Onkyo no longer has Audyssey but something else

the Pioneer VSX-90 is very solid as well, and MACC is pretty good for room cal

the yamaha rx-a750 is also a solid option, i had a Yamaha RX-A3000 for a while and really liked it, YPAO however is a little weaker then the other room corrections, however it may have gotten better

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I cannot remember the name of the seller, but there was one out of NYC/NJ that sold Denon--and I imagine other brands--as NIB at greatly discounted pricing. In fact, they may have been outright new as I bought my Denon from them and it had factory seal and this was a brand new model. Saved a bundle. Keep in mind while I buy a lot from Amazon they do not always have the best prices.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Actually, accessories4less is selling factory refurbs on the 3100 for $499.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Actually, accessories4less is selling factory refurbs on the 3100 for $499.

Cool. I learned that the 3200 is about to be released so I may try to wait a couple of weeks to see if the 3100 price on Amazon drops.

Anyone know where to buy an HDMI board for the 2310ci? I wouldn't mind repairing it and using it elsewhere.

 

[manimal]

Actually, accessories4less is selling factory refurbs on the 3100 for $499.

thats a smoking deal right there.

 

[Anubis]

thats a smoking deal right there.

yea it is and it says it comes with a 3 year warranty

 

[Thump553]

I have a more general question-is there some site where you can input your requirements for a receiver and get a list of potential matches? Sometimes it seems like researching receivers is made intentionally difficult.

 

[Railgun]

Crutchfield perhaps.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Ok guys, another question. Audio from the receiver seems to work fine, reinforcing my view that the HDMI board is dead. So, to buy a little time (ie, the wife wants it "fixed" but I think the AVR-X3200W is probably worth waiting for over the X3100) I decided to buy a TOSLINK cable from Amazon and attach my Panasonic 50G25 to my 2310CI. Audio comes through great, but it seems that the TV only passes stereo - I was hoping that if I had a device attached on an HDMI port passing some form of 5.1 sound (like a Roku), the TV would simply act as a passthrough and send the entire audio stream out to the receiver. It seems that isn't the case and the receiver sees it only as stereo. I can adjust the surround mode (PLII cinema, for example, or DTS Neo) but I'm assuming those are not "true" surround modes and are interpolated - correct? Will the TV only pass stereo over digital audio out? I'm hoping that isn't the case and I just missed a setting, but I did see a post on another forum that seemed to say I'd only get stereo and would need to use another mode.

 

[nsafreak]

The only audio that it will send as 5.1 over the optical output is OTA if you have that hooked up. All other audio that is sent to it is passed back through optical as stereo.

 

[Anubis]

Ok guys, another question. Audio from the receiver seems to work fine, reinforcing my view that the HDMI board is dead. So, to buy a little time (ie, the wife wants it "fixed" but I think the AVR-X3200W is probably worth waiting for over the X3100) I decided to buy a TOSLINK cable from Amazon and attach my Panasonic 50G25 to my 2310CI. Audio comes through great, but it seems that the TV only passes stereo - I was hoping that if I had a device attached on an HDMI port passing some form of 5.1 sound (like a Roku), the TV would simply act as a passthrough and send the entire audio stream out to the receiver. It seems that isn't the case and the receiver sees it only as stereo. I can adjust the surround mode (PLII cinema, for example, or DTS Neo) but I'm assuming those are not "true" surround modes and are interpolated - correct? Will the TV only pass stereo over digital audio out? I'm hoping that isn't the case and I just missed a setting, but I did see a post on another forum that seemed to say I'd only get stereo and would need to use another mode.

your TV wont do 5.1 over optical

pretty much no TVs do

 

[IndyColtsFan]

your TV wont do 5.1 over optical

pretty much no TVs do

Yeah, I suspected as much. We'll have to use fake surround sound for now I guess.

I may have asked this before (forgot) - any ideas where I can get a replacement HDMI board?

 

[nsafreak]

Did some digging around and it looks like the only way to order the part is directly through Denon. You'll want to use the form here: http://usa.denon.com/us/support/orderparts and order part number 963189004780D .

 

[IndyColtsFan]

UPDATE: Amazon now has the AVR-X3100W for $499 free shipping. Worth jumping on or waiting for the 3200? Here is the link to the 3100 and you can make a comparison to the 3200 if you'd like. Is lack of HDCP 2.2 a deal breaker? I can't imagine I'd ever use Atmos.

 

[nsafreak]

Lack of HDCP 2.2 is indeed a deal breaker if you have any plans of playing protected content whether it's from Netflix or the updated Blu Ray standard.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Lack of HDCP 2.2 is indeed a deal breaker if you have any plans of playing protected content whether it's from Netflix or the updated Blu Ray standard.

Just certain 4K content? That's just dumb for the industry to do and will sink 4K if it becomes widespread.

What's a reasonably-priced HDCP 2.2-compliant receiver that supports 4K @ 60 Hz?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

So, I've been thinking this over. I don't really anticipate moving to 4K for another year and maybe even longer. With Amazon dropping the X3100 to $499, I figure I can buy that and use that for 1 or 2 years and then when I move to 4K, I can buy the previous year's model of the Denon which is equivalent to the X3x00 line, as by then, it should support pretty much everything I need. Over those 2 receivers, I'd probably be spending the same (or slightly more) than buying a single X3200W now but I'd end up with having 2 receivers, the older of which I could sell or use in my office. Any thoughts on this logic?

Yes, I could go with a lower receiver for now but at $499, the X3100 drops below most of the current S line. Last year's S900 is about $120 cheaper though. Any opinions on S900 vs. X3100?

Also emailed Denon about an HDMI board replacement for the 2310CI. If I can get it, I can repair and replace.

 

[PrinceMyshkin]

I have been pondering the same and was looking at the Denon avr-s710w which is $480 and does support hdcp 2.2. It is supposed to get an update in the fall to bring hdmi 2.0a support.

I'm just trying to determine if hdcp 2.2 is that much of a deal breaker and if the 2014 x series (x3100) is worth it over a 2015 s series receiver (s710w). I do not have any 4k monitors/tv yet.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I have been pondering the same and was looking at the Denon avr-s710w which is $480 and does support hdcp 2.2. It is supposed to get an update in the fall to bring hdmi 2.0a support.

I'm just trying to determine if hdcp 2.2 is that much of a deal breaker and if the 2014 x series (x3100) is worth it over a 2015 s series receiver (s710w). I do not have any 4k monitors/tv yet.

Yeah, I compared the X3100 to the S910 and S900. The X3100 has a longer warranty and I believe has higher-quality components. I'm heavily leaning towards buying the X3100 at this point. In addition to what I posted above, it is entirely possible that I won't go 4K for 2-3 years and if I bought the X3200 now and don't go to 4K for another 3 years, it was probably a waste of money to pay that HDCP 2.2 premium now. On the other hand if I'm wrong and move to 4K next year, I can just wait until the X3300W is released and then pick up an X3200W for $500 or so. That is actually how I bought my AVR-2310CI - Amazon dropped it from $850 to $499 in preparation for the AVR-2311CI. So I buy the X3200 next year for $500 and sell the X3100 for $200-$300 and I come out pretty well IMO.

The X3100 pretty much has the same 4K capabilities outside of HDCP 2.2, but it is such a small upcharge at this point over much of the S series and I think it is probably worth it. It is only $120 more than the S900W and you get another year of warranty and some more capability. The S900W still interests me to some extent but I imagine I will go for the X3100 at the end of the day unless someone presents a compelling case.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Went ahead and ordered the AVR-X3100W.

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone.

 

[spacejamz]

UPS just dropped off the X2100 this afternoon that I just ordered from Amazon for $399. The UPS guy said his X2100 died just before the Mayweather/Pacman fight after a year of ownership...

I was reading the owner's thread on AVS and even though there are issues, I felt okay in ordering it (since you could get a bum unit from any manufacturer)...I do have an extra year of warranty from my AMEX...

 

[IndyColtsFan]

UPS just dropped off the X2100 this afternoon that I just ordered from Amazon for $399. The UPS guy said his X2100 died just before the Mayweather/Pacman fight after a year of ownership...

I was reading the owner's thread on AVS and even though there are issues, I felt okay in ordering it (since you could get a bum unit from any manufacturer)...I do have an extra year of warranty from my AMEX...

Yeah, unfortunately for me, I didn't have time to research the X3100 in great detail other than reviews. For the 2310CI I bought before, I had been doing a ton of research on receivers at AVS and other sites and knew it was a good one.

 

[Aikouka]

I was reading the owner's thread on AVS and even though there are issues, I felt okay in ordering it (since you could get a bum unit from any manufacturer)...I do have an extra year of warranty from my AMEX...

I haven't owned any Denon AVRs from the x1xx series, but I have owned a few so far, and I haven't had any issues. Although, my 2112 has disappeared from my list of AirPlay targets, but I haven't spent the time to find out why. My X4000 still shows up. Although, I do recall the 2112 having a lot of issues with disappearing from AirPlay a few firmwares ago, but it has been fine for a while.

 

[spacejamz]

So far I am loving the X2100...sound is pretty sweet with my polks (Monitor 70's and CSi 3 center in front and RTi 7's in back - not sure why, but I like the sound of the Monitors up front better than the RTi's...) and 12" Polk sub...