Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater harmon kardon avr 3600 vs denon avr 990

anybody using either of these with m80`s? any info would help..
50/50 hometheatre/music i have epic 80 6.1 setup now(large room)
what is difference between denon990(same as AVR-3310CI)audessey vs HK EzSet/EQ equalization...?video upscaling not important 4 me.pros/cons? Thanks in advance for any and all input....

Skins, both Audyssey and EZSet/EQ should do an essentially equal job of calibrating speaker levels and distances(and probably more accurately than would be done manually,even with a SPL meter, considering the human error factor).

As to room equalization, Audyssey and the HK EQ system differ greatly in technology. The general consensus appears to be that Audyssey is superior.

Since you do about 50% HT, it would seem that video up-scaling would be a significant factor. The Anchor Bay processor in the 3310/990 would also have the edge.

The units have similar power capabilities(HK is typically conservative in their ratings)but the features of the Denon(or a similar Onkyo)might make it the better choice.

I don’t have the M80s or either of these receivers, but I did try both the HK2600 and Denon 2310CI when setting up my first home theatre. I started with the HK before I received the Epic Master 500. With my existing stereo speakers I was very impressed the amplifiers and DACs, on par or better than my HK3500 stereo receiver and Oppo DV-980H. You can’t really use the EZset/EQ with just two speakers so I can’t comment on how well that works. Where I did have problems was the HDMI interface with a Scientific Atlanta 8300 HD PVR. From time to time, audio and video would be dropped for a couple of seconds and this was a deal breaker.

I returned the HK and tried the Denon 2310CI, again at first with the stereo speakers. My first impressions were that the amplifiers and DACs were not as good as those of the HK or my existing equipment, though still very good. The HDMI interface with the PVR is much more robust; it will only occasionally drop out in the first few seconds after power up and is fine otherwise. The Audyssey MultiEQ worked well with the stereo speakers and I am glad to have it with the Epic Master 500. What you may appreciate with the M80s is that one of the multiEQ settings will bypass the equalization for the front left and right speakers. Hope this is helpful.

Chris

thanks john and chris for the info!
john i only use ps3 (gaming/movies) and bell hd tv so i`m not sure upscaling will do anything for me(currently have hdmi multi switch) as ps3 does a fine job upscaling reg dvd`s..unless hk or denon does it better?or am i missing something else upscaling will do 4 me?also currently have onkyo 700 which has served me well for 6yrs++ now and still going,but i find it a little bright on music.
Chris i have heard of the hdmi issues with the hk`s, otherwise i think i would of already went for the 3600. so r u saying room EQ lets u bypass fronts on both units or just 1?i can getthe hk a few hundred cheaper than the denon,but the dropouts may be to much 2 live with!!!.from other reviews/forums seems hk is better on music and denon better on hometheatre???That is why i would like some feedback from axiom owners..
thanks again guys

As a completely selfish person, I'd love to see more H/K owners, just so we know if they've gotten better.