Denon AVP-A1HD Folleto
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Denon AVP-A1HDCI Surround Sound Processor and POA-A1HDCI Power Amplifier - Page 2
position. This is all done automatically
through the use of the included microphone
which you place in several (usually six)
different positions, and the processor collects
data from each position, finally calculating
the most appropriate sound overall. Audyssey
also includes Dynamic EQ which adjusts the
relative volume of the surround channels and
the LFE channel at a different rate than the
front left, center, and right channels. This
is because when we turn down the main
volume, the rear channels get so quiet that we
lose the sense of a surround space. Audyssey
Dynamic EQ takes care of that problem.
The Denon Link is another noteworthy
feature. Because of copyright protection
issues, it has been difficult to develop a method
of sending SACD bitstreams (DSD) from
players to processors. Denon simply designed
their own connection, called the Denon
Link, where DSD signals are encrypted, sent
via the link to a Denon processor that has a
Denon Link jack (the A1HDCI has it). The
DSD signals are unencrypted, decoded, and
played through the processor. With HDMI
version 1.3a, SACD bitstreams are allowed,
but I have found difficulties in getting it to
work properly. The Denon Link, on the other
hand, worked perfectly when I connected a
Denon DVD-2930CI DVD player to the
A1HDCI processor. Since that point, I have
been catching up on all the multi-channel
SACDs that I have accumulated over the
years never had the chance to listen to them
in full multi-channel DSD bitstream mode
(dedicated SACD players are two-channel
only, and for other systems, the DSD is
converted to PCM before decoding and
playing). Using the Denon Link, DSD
bitstreams from an SACD remains DSD
all the way through the processor until it is
finally converted to analog for output to the
power amplifier.
In terms of processing, I don’t think Denon
left anything out. It handles every codec
out there, and has multiple post-processing
features such as Timbre Matching (matches
the sound of the rear surrounds to the front
speakers which are usually bigger speakers),
Advanced Speaker Array (coordinates the
sound between the side and rear speakers),
and Boundary Gain Compensation (adjusts
the bass depending on how far out from the
wall the speakers are located). It also has the
standard requisite features such as Cinema-
EQ (reduces the harshness that movie
soundtracks tend to have because they are
designed to be played in commercial theaters
where the speakers are, by comparison,
much farther away from the listener),
Dynamic Compression (makes the soft
sounds louder and the loud sounds softer),
Panorama, and Lip Sync (an HDMI version
1.3a feature). Dialog Normalization (Dial
Norm) is automatic, and occasionally one
sees a message about it displayed on the front
panel, telling you that it is functioning to
keep various programs at the same listening
level). Denon’s Advanced AL 24 Processing
upsamples all the audio to 24 bit. There are
also numerous THX modes.
Although the standard Dolby Digital and
DTS codecs that we have been using with SD
DVDs are all there, it is really the inclusion of
Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio
that distinguish the processor from many
others that don’t have these codecs yet.
“It sets up easily, in spite of a very
complex, powerful set of menu
options ...”
setuP
One of the first things you should do is run
the Audyssey Setup which is accessed from
the front flip down panel (shown below).
Over on the very far right hand side you
can see a jack for the “Setup Mic”. There is
a small microphone that is included with
the SSP and you simply plug it into that
jack. The Audyssey setup menu will come
on the display and step you through the
process (Speaker Detection, Measurement,
Calculation, Check, Store). If one of your
speakers is connected in reverse phase, you
will see an error message about that speaker.
You have to reconnect the speaker in correct
phase and run the start the setup over
again. The setup is repeated for six different
microphone locations (places where you
and your family are likely to be seated), and
then Audyssey calculates the best fit EQ that
takes into account the six different seating
positions. The data are stored, and when
you use the SSP, an Audyssey indicator will
be illuminated on the front panel readout.
It is not lit (not active) when you are using
“Direct” modes, such as CD Direct, which
I used for the bench tests. You can turn
Audyssey off anytime you wish, and this is
fun to do so you can hear the difference that
it makes (big difference).
The flip down panel also has buttons for
various modes, setup options (manual
speaker and EQ setup), and for turning on
the other four zones. Other than the flip
down panel controls, the only other controls
are the input selector on the left, and the
volume control on the right. Volume is read
out from -80 dB to +18 dB. I generally found
a volume setting of -20 to -15 dB to give me
all the volume I needed.
The rear panel of the A1HDCI is inputs and
outputs from one edge of the chassis to the
other (see photo below, click on the small
photos to see a full size version).
There are 12 output channels, available as
XLR or RCA (shown in red, below). I used
the XLR outputs exclusively because my
reference amplifier (Classé CA-5200) has
XLR inputs, and so does the Denon POA-