Home > Consumer Reviews > Denon AVR-789 630-Watt 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver

Well... This is my second review of the product... now that I have been using it more I would have to agree that it's a pain in the neck to configure other than HDMI interface devices. I have tried to add component stuff and S-video... and I am having a hard time doing it... Some of the controls have un-intuitive functions... The quality of the sounds and functions is really good but what an awful setup...

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I'm writing this to help you make a decision. I know it's a nightmare to try and find the best bang for the bucks, but why not search for the best receiver for you.

What I liked:
Robust body and great looks.
Good HDMI switching.
3 HDMI inputs.
2 optical 2 coaxial
1 optical output !!! I like to be able to send to a digital recorder.
Has a small learning curve.
I had no trouble setting it up. I spent 3 days wiring the speakers before so when I got it I hooked it up and configured it in about 3 hours.
Audyssey Mic included... great for adapting the sound to your room acoustics.

What can be improved:
Remote layout... but I see everyone buys a Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote. 185dlls !
Distance between the speaker plugs, you can't really use twin banana connectors.
The graphic interface has slow response and its just text. but it gets the job done.

The popular Onkyo TX-SR606 7.1 Channel Home Theater Receiver (Black) went over 400 dlls when I was looking for a receiver so I didn't go for it. I think Denon is a better brand, maybe a little more expensive but has more quality.

I got some speakers to go with it Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Entertainment System (Set of Six, Black)

Bottom line: Sounds great, good set of inputs, not so good graphic interface, solid look and overall feel.

Works well, no problems with it. However, there are others that I could have bought with similar features (Pioneer) that would have been significantly cheaper. So I probably would check into them before I bought this again.

The good: lots of options in how to set things up, has volume leveling feature (a must in my opinion), and auto calibration of speakers.

The Bad: Lots of options means the manual must be very good in order to understand them - instead its very bad. Expect to spend a lot of time figuring out how the receiver works. When emailing Denon, they answered my question but it took about 3 weeks (web site says 24 hours).

I was forewarned. I bought this unit after reading many reviews that said it was difficult to set up and had a poor manual. No kidding. I'm a very technical person, engineer etc. I'm the guy everyone calls when they can't get their stuff to work. I'm still struggling with this thing.

In this century, there is no excuse for an interface as primitive and impossible to understand as this one. There is also no excuse for a manual with sentences that cannot be understood no matter how many times you read them.

The basics can be great. But if you can't access them they are worthless.

I would not recommend this receiver. I would not buy it again.

I think this is an excellent unit for the price. It has all the features that I was looking for. My order arrived without incident; on time and in excellent condition. The unit was fairly easy to set up, but I would definitely recommend that you read the manual. The AVR-789 has plenty of power and features for my needs (which is for a home theater setup in my master bedroom, where I have an SVS SB12-Plus subwoofer and Klipsch Quintet SL speaker system). The included microphone really made it easy to adjust the speaker levels. I was enjoying my blu-ray movies (in Dolby TrueHD) in no time at all.
I'm thinking about getting another one for my front room setup.