Home > Consumer Reviews > Denon AVR-1909 7.1-Channel Multizone Home Theater Receiver

Spent a while looking for an AV receiver, and looked at many of the same models other reviewers report evaluating (Onkyo, H/K, etc.) This is my first Denon and I've been just wow'd by the sound it produces. The Audessy EQ feature works incredibly well -- you get perfectly balanced sound when watching a movie. I'm using KEF 3005 speakers in a 7.1 set-up.

I also concur with the other reviewers who comment on the complicated setup. Granted, any decent AVR will take a bit of time to setup, but the Denon manual seems to go out of its way to make the process more convoluted than it needs to be. There's a great setup "crib sheet" and FAQ on the AVSforum site -- a must read before you set yours up. Without that, I'd still be lost in the weeds!

The upside is that after a few hours of cursing the setup process, you're rewarded with the best sound you'll hear unless you're willing to spend thousands more.

I was finally ready to upgrade to an HDMI receiver with the latest HD audio options so I could take full advantage of my LG BH200, Samsung LCD, Cox Cable HD DVR and Polk speakers. Previous receiver was an Onkyo TX-SR504 and I really liked it, so my first look was at Onkyo receivers. However, after reading the AVS Forum and Amazon reviews, the heating issues of the newer Onkyos concerned me.

Enter the Denon AVR-1909 with multi-eq, Audyssey, and Dynamic Volume, 3 HDMI inputs, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master processing. Glowing write-ups from users at AVS really had me psyched (and provided a great deal through J&R Electronics). I have to say that this receiver is incredible for the price.

I love the multi-eq and the dynamic volume is a big help while watching TV so I don't go from quiet TV shows to blaring commercials. The Audyssey set-up was extremely easy, and really makes this receiver shine. Even my mother, who doesn't really pay attention to surround sound, commented it was "really nice to hear the sound all around" while watching "Independence Day" on blu-ray. The sound out of this unit is fantastic.

Having said that, the one big weakness of Denon is the manual. As mentioned by another reviewer, check out and print the FAQ section on the AVS Forum to help you set this AVR up because the manual is totally insufficient. Even with the help of the FAQ, I still spent a couple hours getting inputs assigned and setting up the various profiles for TV, DVD, etc. and I generally don't have problems with electronics. I also spent the next couple of weeks haunting the forum to see how others had wired their speakers and tweaks they had made to their systems so I could get the most out of this unit. I know there are still way too many things I don't understand about it, but since I have it sounding the way I want it to I don't think I need to delve any deeper.

So this is a great receiver, well worth the money, but with a very poor manual- which is why it garners 4 stars.

I purchased this receiver as part of a new home theater system. I matched it with a Polk RM10 5.1 speaker package and a Polk PSW 10 subwoofer (both reviewed separately). The entire system works and sounds great.

I shopped for several months looking for good quality surround receiver that fit into my budget. After reading some of the forums (www.avsforum.com) and audio/video reviews on-line, I narrowed down my search to two brands: Denon and Yamaha. Specifically, I narrowed the choice down to the Denon AVR-1909 and the Yamaha RX-V663. Both of these represent the "entry level" receiver in either product line that support the latest surround formats (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master) and provide for full HDMI 1.3 switching.

I decided on the Denon since it had 3 HDMI inputs (vs. 2 on the Yamaha) and I have a Denon receiver that I've been very happy with. The features on both receivers were pretty similar so it really came down to these two factors. In doing my research, it appears that both brands are well respected so you would probably be ok with either.

I've been very happy with this receiver. It sounds and works great. I use it as the hub for my surround system -- all components feed into the receiver and the receiver in turn drives the TV. Because of the full HDMI support, connecting the system was very easy: One HDMI cable from the Tivo box to the receiver.... one HDMI cable from the DVD to the receiver... one HDMI cable to the TV. That was it (aside from the speakers).

One thing to keep in mind, however, is this is a very complex receiver. You can't simply attach everything, turn it on and expect it to work. You need to go through a set up process that was not intuitive -- at least to me. Also, the manual is not helpful at all. It's more of a reference than a users guide. For help in setting this receiver up, check out the "official Denon 1909 thread" on avsforum.com. There are a couple posts that will help you do the set up. Once set up, it works great.

If you're looking at building a home theater and you're not an audiophile, then here are some basic recommendations:

1. Only buy products with full HDMI 1.3 support. This connection type really simplifies connecting your components. Also, make sure the receiver doesn't just "pass through" the HDMI signal. Some do this and you have to send the audio back to the receiver again from the TV with audio cables.

2. Buy your HDMI cables on line (such as Amazon). For whatever reason, these cables are VERY expensive at retailers. I purchased a couple on amazon for about $12 each.... in a retail store they go for about $50 each.

3. Don't forget to purchase a good power filter/surge protector. I purchased an APC AV C5BLK Home Theater Power Filter.

4. I would recommend a Logitec Harmony universal remote. This is key if you don't want 3 or more remotes that you have to use collectively. I purchased the Harmony 670.

Good luck in your research. I hope this review helps.

The Denon AVR-1909 is a nice A/V receiver, but with significant limitations on the video side. There are lots of connectors on the back, but it can handle only four video sources connected to the back (and only three HDMI). An additional video source (composite only) can be connected to the front of the unit.

I purchased this unit hoping (among other things) that it would serve as a Control unit: I wanted to connect all my other components to the back panel, and to be able to select any input source (except OTA DTV) through this unit. The video output from this unit would go to the HDTV through an HMDI cable.

But here's the problem: several of my sources are SD, essentially 480x640. But sometimes they contain 9x16 (aspect ratio) letterboxed images (image size: 360x640). My HDTV can zoom on these inputs (composite, component, or S-Video) so that they fill the screen with no stretching distortion, but it cannot do this same zoom on its HDMI input. The AVR-1909 can instead convert these inputs (composite, component, or S-Video) to 1080p (for HDMI output), but it does not have the zoom capability. So the result is, with the Denon handling the video, the HDTV shows little images with black bands all around. The HDTV user manual warns that damage to the screen can occur if images with black bands are viewed more than 5% of the viewing time. And of course the HDTV images look much better when they fill the screen. Because the AVR-1909 can convert SD video inputs to 1080p, it should also provide the zoom function on these inputs when needed. [Note to Denon: the needed zoom is essentially multiplication by 3 both horizontally and vertically.]

In a similar way, the HDTV can send Dolby 5.1 audio through a digital optical cable to the AVR-1909 for OTA DTV programs. But for other sources that have Dolby 5.1 audio, the HDTV only passes stereo to the AVR-1909. So, for my sources, I have connected the video to the HDTV and the audio to the AVR-1909 for best picture and sound. So, in selecting a source, I need to select it separately on the HDTV and on the AVR-1909. This can be managed (somewhat awkwardly) through a programmable universal remote control. All this because the AVR-1909 doesn't have a zoom function.

Yet another video problem with the AVR-1909 is that, when an input SD video is converted to 1080p, the result looks 'blotchy' on the HDTV; in contrast, when the same source is directly input to the HDTV, the HDTV must do a similar conversion, but the results look much better. [The HDTV is a Samsung LN52A750.]

On the other hand, the audio side of the AVR-1909 is very good. Two important features are the Auto Setup with the included microphone and the Audyssey chip with MultEQ and Dynamic EQ processing. There are also a variety of DSP settings for cinema and for music. The resulting sound is very nice. With regard to its audio quality and capabilities, in its price range the AVR-1909 is certainly among the best A/V receivers available.

But then, yet another problem is the User Manual. It is complicated, confusing, hard to understand, and not well written or organized. Just three examples. Regarding the On-Screen Display for menus, the manual states, "When only HDMI or component video signals are input to the AVR-1909, the characters of the on-screen display are not displayed over the picture." What is really meant is "... the characters of the on-screen display are displayed but the source video is not." As a second example, regarding an Audio Delay function, the manual states "When the Auto Lipsync Correction function is operating, you can set within the range 0-100 ms." The problem here is that this is on page 51; the the Auto Lipsync Correction function is discussed on page 32, but there is no page reference to it on page 51. Further, there is no index and no glossary. There are numerous abbreviations such as "HDP", "LFE", "DTS", "DTU", "AFDM", and various others, which are never defined (or perhaps are in one obscure place in the manual). As a third example, another reviewer returned his unit for refund in part because the button on the front panel did not work. Well, mine does work. It is described in the Playback Section on page 54, and the button switches between "Front A", "Front B", and "Front A+B". However, in the Setup Section on page 31 there is a Front Speaker Setup that is a choice between "Normal" and "Custom", with the caveat "NOTE: When set to "Custom", does not operate." This caveat should also have been placed on page 54; without it, the manual implies on page 54 that the button always works.

I would rate this receiver as a 5 for audio and a 3 for video (and maybe a 3 or less for the user manual), so the compromise is four stars.

I bought this to replace a Harmon-Kardon AVR330. I loved the HK, but after getting a Sony BDP-S350 Blu-Ray player, I couldn't live without lossless audio support, nor without HDMI switching. I first bought a Sony STR-DG820 - long story short, audio quality paled in comparison to the sound I was used to from the HK, so I returned it.

The 1909 really shines in home theater use. It has a very precise sound. Machine gun fire in the "Band of Brothers" Blu-Ray DTS-MA track sounds incredibly realistic. Audyssey Dynamic EQ is a very useful feature. I live in a condo, so I have to turn my system down at night. With dynamic EQ, I get consistent frequency response even with the 1909 set at -41 dB. End result - satisfying sound without getting a knock on my door at midnight from a neighbor who can't sleep. Dynamic volume is more useful for TV - haven't used it as much, but it would be very useful for someone who watches a lot of TV. All in all, I am very happy with the sound quality I'm getting. It's probably not as warm sounding as the HK AVR330 I'm giving up, but that's more a concern for music listening.

As others have pointed out, setup is a bit laborious, but I can't knock a star off for that. Setup will take several hours, once. The post-setup performance will last for years. If you truly enjoy your home theater, a difficult setup shouldn't concern you as much as buying a product that will continually leave you underwhelmed.

Reading this over, it may not sound like a rave review, but I'm incredibly happy with the performance of the AVR-1909. It switches HDMI well, it's very easy to use (once you spend some time setting it up), and it sounds great in a home theater context - particularly with lossless Blu-Ray discs. You could go cheaper (Onkyo, Harmon-Kardon) but I wasn't willing to risk dealing with a flawed product (both have their problems). If sound quality isn't a concern, the Sony entry-level products (STR-DG820 et al) are fine.

If you want to have a great theater experience without spending four figures (or close to it), don't want to deal with potential problems, and are willing to spend more than a bare-bones solution would cost, this is truly a 5 star product. It isn't ideal for the music-oriented audiophile (still love HK's sound for music), and it's more expensive than an entry-level buyer needs to spend, but for a mid-level home theater enthusiast, this is perfect.