Denon now offers Home Stereo HD Receiver

[1q2w3e]

I have not had a chance to try this radio out yet so I will post a few links for those people that would be interested in more information. Doesnt look like too bad of a receiver and at a list price of $899 it is about in line with that level of receiver. Looks like it was just released this month, so I dont see any reviews as of yet.

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-DRA-697...101/105-1685338-2626862?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

http://www.onecall.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=86650

http://www.crutchfield.com/S-bRuHM35sbFI/cgi-bin/prodview.asp?i=033DRA697H

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.pro...97CIHD&JRSource=zdnet.datafeed.DNN+DRA697CIHD

En Espanol:
http://www.crutchfieldenespanol.com...4cw/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=10420&I=033DRA697H

 

[hipporadio]

Holy bushel-full-‘o-beets... WHAT A DEAL!

Nearly NINE-HUNDRED DOLLARS for a TWO-CHANNEL old-fashioned stereo receiver—but with HD Radio! Now when’s the last time a simple stereo receiver made its way into a living room? Although the power output is a hefty 100-watts/channel and it appears to be a nice piece of audio gear—this is not 1985... We've had this little consumer event called "the multimedia revolution". This unit appears to feature VERY MINIMAL video integration and capability. This is far... FAR from today’s typical “surround sound” audio/video media center... Its ONLY video output option is the outmoded and lowest-level “composite” format.

...and at a list price of $899 it is about in line with that level of receiver.

I suggest you look at this option from Denon first: Their top-selling (and top-rated) AVR-687 with SEVEN 75-watt RMS full 20Hz-20,000kHz power-bandwidth channels (not just two), EVERY form of digital-surround audio format decoding, XM-ready, iPod integration, four video inputs in every format (except HDMI), and video output in all but HDMI.

...And the price... Under $400

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-687...r_3/103-0462001-0713421?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

Why should I be surprised? This is in-step with the usual HD Radio price points—more than DOUBLE with fewer features! I’ll bet my Denon dealer friend can hardly wait to get several dozen in his stock room :

 

[EasyPeazy]

Holy bushel-full-‘o-beets... WHAT A DEAL!

Nearly NINE-HUNDRED DOLLARS for a TWO-CHANNEL old-fashioned stereo receiver—but with HD Radio! Now when’s the last time a simple stereo receiver made its way into a living room? Although the power output is a hefty 100-watts/channel and it appears to be a nice piece of audio gear—this is not 1985... We've had this little consumer event called "the multimedia revolution". This unit appears to feature VERY MINIMAL video integration and capability. This is far... FAR from today’s typical “surround sound” audio/video media center... Its ONLY video output option is the outmoded and lowest-level “composite” format.

...and at a list price of $899 it is about in line with that level of receiver.

I suggest you look at this option from Denon first: Their top-selling (and top-rated) AVR-687 with SEVEN 75-watt RMS full 20Hz-20,000kHz power-bandwidth channels (not just two), EVERY form of digital-surround audio format decoding, XM-ready, iPod integration, four video inputs in every format (except HDMI), and video output in all but HDMI.

...And the price... Under $400

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-687...r_3/103-0462001-0713421?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

Why should I be surprised? This is in-step with the usual HD Radio price points—more than DOUBLE with fewer features! I’ll bet my Denon dealer friend can hardly wait to get several dozen in his stock room :

I hate to have to be the one to point out the obvious, but here goes - the receiver with HD is clearly designed to be the center of a whole-house audio system. It has routing capabilities and outputs that the other receiver you listed lacks.

From that perspective, it looks like a bargain. Have you priced any whole-house systems lately?

 

[Chuck]

From that perspective, it looks like a bargain. Have you priced any whole-house systems lately?

That's why most people buy several $199 (or less) Sony surround systems at their local Wal-Mart. Sure,there is a market for whole house systems, but not very many people just see the need, and don't want the expense.

Need I say more?

 

[R.F. Burns]

I don't know what to say. My amplifier alone, a Mac MA-6100 was 700$ and that was back in 1979. HD is only being included in premium products at this point. It's new technology. Anyway, if things don't change and these radios remain in the upper price range, you'll have your wish and HD will disappear. Of course it's not going to happen that way but hey, it''s your fantasy.

 

[Chuck]

I don't know what to say. My amplifier alone, a Mac MA-6100 was 700$ and that was back in 1979. HD is only being included in premium products at this point. It's new technology. Anyway, if things don't change and these radios remain in the upper price range, you'll have your wish and HD will disappear. Of course it's not going to happen that way but hey, it''s your fantasy.

I've owned racks full of Macintosh audio gear over the years, and a lot of other high-end audio stuff as well. That's well and good, but the average person doesn't buy Mac, or any other high-end gear. It's only tweakey people like us who buy this stuff. Most people are listening on garden-variety radios that come from Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Circuit City, Sam's Club, Target, etc.

Sure, there are people who buy whole house systems, but they are not your average consumer. Until your "average consumer" embraces this stuff, there will not be enough listeners to amount to a hill of beans.

Most early adopters (including me) have a garage full of obsolete junk that no longer has a purpose. Is this the next installment? Who knows? Right now, it looks like it might.

 

[Mike Walker]

Looks great. I'd love to have it (I'm an XM subscriber too). I did the "surround thang'" back in the 70s. It just doesn't offer the thrill TO ME that a good two-channel rig does. Plus if it's MUSIC you're interested in (not movies and tv), then two is the right number of channels. BOTH DVD Audio AND SACD have failed to catch on in the marketplace after SEVEN YEARS. I've yet to see either format in any store other than Best Buy...AND I LOOK (yes I've seen them at online and mail-order dealers. So what? I've also seen 10,000 dollar Single Ended tube amps. I ain't buyin' one of those either). So the vast majority of MUSIC RECORDINGS is stereo or mono. TWO is exactly the right number of channels for music lovers, and there's a reason that stereo receivers and amps are making a comeback. My next receiver will be stereo (the current one is surround...dolby digital and dts...a few years old). Ya'll have your 7.1 and welcome to it! I'm going back to stereo, and happy for the simplicity (when I bought speakers a few months ago, I deliberately bought A STEREO PAIR...Energy C3s...astoundingly good little shelf speakers, which go "subwoofer deep" all by themselves in my small room!

I'd like the option to use a subwoofer, however, if I ever move to a less bass-friendly room. So I'm considering Harmon Kardon's stereo receivers WITH VIDEO SWITCHING, and a subwoofer output. WAY cool. I can patch HD and XM in through an aux. Or hell, maybe somebody here will buy the Denon for me

I've "done" surround, and AM DONE WITH IT! I even was the first anywhere around here to produce radio commercials and promos in surround. Fun, creative, but utterly meaningless to most people...including ME!

 

[Chuck]

Looks great. I'd love to have it (I'm an XM subscriber too). I did the "surround thang'" back in the 70s. It just I've "done" surround, and AM DONE WITH IT! I even was the first anywhere around here to produce radio commercials and promos in surround. Fun, creative, but utterly meaningless to most people...including ME!

Surround is fine for movies, but think we are getting a little carried away with our multi-channel dreams. I still like listening to music through two speakers and a subwoofer. The image is very predictable and accurate to what ever the recording engineer/producer had in mind.

5.1 is nice while watching DVD's, and I find I frequently find I switch to 5.1 for movies, and two channel stereo to listen to music. 7.1 seems to me like an exercise in selling lots of cheap speakers for no particular reason, other than to make the installation more challenging.

I guess I'm getting too old for some of this stuff...