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

Wow, this is a nice piece of equipment, a steal at this price really. I'm upgrading from an old Pioneer VSX-D711 and while the quality of sound on this unit is clearly better (albeit the Pioneer certainly wasn't poor in this regard) the more complex setup options and rather poor menu and remote make accessing many of the nicer features of this receiver somewhat bewildering at first.

If you're thinking of buying this as a first receiver I would recommend asking a friend or family member with experience to help out for setup and figuring out the menu system and (rather uncomfortable) remote. Once you understand it all this is a great receiver with a huge variety of advanced audio options and does a great job of combining competent analog-to-digital upscaling with full resolution 7.1 at a very affordable price.

I have the Denon 1909 which is virtually identical to this unit.

Pros:

1. Listening at low volumes (like at midnight) while trying not to wake a child up is MUCH better with the included Audyssey Dynamic Volume! Great feature! Because of this, I like and use this much more than my older and more expensive (but higher end series 3803 receiver) that didn't have these features.

2. Audyssey system is general seems to work well.

3. I like the visual display and the feature that lets you choose what volume level it starts with when you first turn it on. It also has a max volume setting to help prevent you from setting the volume too loud.

4. General Denon quality and reputation.

5. Supports HD audio formats for watching movies.

Cons:

1. Would be nice if it had 4 HDMI inputs instead of 3.

2. Menu system is ugly and can be difficult to navigate.

3. Remote seems cheap and not well designed.

4. A bit of a pain getting some remote commands into my Harmony (I consider this a Logitech AND Denon issue). But now my Harmony has buttons to easily switch to day, evening, amd midnight modes.

5. Made in China.

Other:

1. If you have a Harmony remote and want some commands to change Dynamic Volume then email Harmony tech support and ask to copy these commands from account name "batpigworld" to the Denon AVR-789 receiver on your account: RoomEQ, DynEQVolToggle, DynEQVol All OFF, DynEQ ON Volume OFF, DynEQVol ON,DynamicEQVol DAY, DynamicEQVol EVENING, DynamicEQVol MIDNIGHT

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.

.... The other reviews pretty much cover the difficulties regarding the manual and remote. Once it is up and running the sound is very rewarding. My first Denon AVR unit is from the 80s and still sounds great.
The learning curve on the 789 is steep compared to the earlier unit but the difference in what it can do with the sound is just a wee bit short of incredible.
Flipping through the manual looking for something else I noticed you can assign two of the 7.1 amps to be used for bi-amping your main speakers. Definitely on my to-do list.
One caveat for purists, if you like being blown out of your seat by loud sounds, i.e., bombs exploding ect. you will probably not like the way this unit tames the sound.
I expect Denon will improve the user interface on these units in next few years to make the the features more accessible to mere mortals...
UPDATE: As a down-side, the unit did have to go in for repair. I have a SquareTrade warranty on the unit which after a little coaxing they decided to honor. It was a hassle non-the-less. On the plus-side, the unit seems to be widely available at discount prices currently but make sure you have a warranty. Enjoy...

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.