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Denon AVR-988 AV Receiver |
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Home Theater AV Receivers AV Receivers
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Written by Jim Swantko
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Sunday, 01 June 2008 |
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Page 3 of 3
The Downside
With the wonderful performance of the AVR-988, there are a few
ergonomic issues that I would like to see improved. First of all, I
think the menu structure needs to be updated to be more intuitive and
requires less back and forth screen changes. I would also like to have
the option to display the menu over the current video, so I could see
changes I made to the video settings in real time. Second, I would like
to see the remote control get some backlighting for the buttons. Even
though the most common buttons are discernable by touch alone, the
others are not. I would note that the folks at Denon made a
half-hearted attempt by surrounding the buttons on the remote with
glow-in-the-dark material, but what good is that when you are sitting
in a dark room watching a movie? In a few minutes, the glow material no
longer glows and you are fumbling with buttons again.
Conclusion
It’s been a long time since I had a receiver and I honestly had little
desire for one. After spending time with the Denon AVR-988, I realize
just how far they’ve come since the last time I owned one. The Denon
can honestly do it all, and do it at a very high level. It sounds great
and has boatloads of power, which can get you into serious trouble with
the neighbors. It has processing power for dozens of surround and DSP
modes. It’s a video switcher, processor and scaler all in one, and it
never once gave me a problem with my multiple HDMI sources, which was
truly a surprise. I am so impressed with this receiver that I truly do
not want to give it back. This receiver has single-handedly re-opened
my eyes to the fact that performance and convenience are not mutually
exclusive. Very, very well done, Denon.
| Manufacturer |
Denon
| | Model | AVR-988 AV Receiver | | Reviewer |
Jim Swantko
| | HDMI Version |
1.3
| | # of Output Channels |
7.1
| | Room Correction/EQ |
Yes
| | Extras |
XM Satellite Radio •
FM/AM Tuner •
RS-232
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