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Why do the instructions go thru each settings. I'll start with the pros and cons:Pros: 4 HDMI's, good looking, sturdy, sounds great.Cons: Horrible remote, big(hangs out of my cabinet), instructions(i know i need glasses but please make the type a little bigger), very long setup.OK the main points are that it sounds great. It took a good 4 hours of running the wires and plugging in all the stuff. Thats its main function. I'm no expert on this stuff and 99% of the time the defaults are fine. Then running the config wizards. The review from Alvin Bruney is spot on.(he obviously doesnt work for denon).
The remote is probably the only item that I can complain about, my god it is cheesy, poorly laid out and you have to open a flap on the back to get all of the functionality. I do not care for how long it takes to switch between sources, about 20-30 seconds but that is a minor drawback. For starters, this is a wonderful receiver at a very good price. Now as for the sound, it is amazing for movies and music is not lacking at all. It's a great machine with fewer HDMI inputs but a better backlit remote and 5.1 pre-outs. It feels like a piece of crap and it is. I have some slight older Polk's and without this machine being calibrated it sounds incredible in 5.1, especially the 80 lb towers I have, it can actually get them moving.
I have a 65" Mitsubishi and movies look amazing in blu-ray or HD-DVD. I got it for $499.00 which made buying this even sweeter. The picture coming out is perfect, especially when I used pass-through for my 1080p signals. It has no backlighting, it cannot learn from other remotes and the little flap already broke on mine (not my fault). I have not listened to enough music to give a complete answer but from what I heard, it was great. I would have to say that anyone getting this receiver will be more than happy, the only receiver in this price range I would think about getting would be the Marantz 5300 (my mother in-law has it) $799.00. If you have the means I highly recommend this device, cheers.
The AVR-889 was in the "sweet spot" for me in terms of performance and price. Be patient.*Setup can be daunting, but if you use the included microphone for automatic configuration, you can have very good sound within twenty minutes of plugging the device in.*Read the manual. Thus far, I'm thrilled with the performance and build quality of this unit. Pros*Terrific sound for music and cinema in a small to mid sized room*Very solidly built in Japan*No issues with heat*4 HDMI inputsCons*The on-screen menu system is rudimentary at bestRecommendations*Although the menu system looks like something from a Commodore 64, it works. Several times. Things will make more sense if you are having difficulty with setup.*Be sure to measure the depth of your av rack or entertainment center before purchase.*As others have mentioned, invest in a Logitech Harmony One (or your favorite universal remote).
I've given this product five stars because it produces extraordinary sound, particularly with blu-ray disks. I'm not familiar with the performance of similar Denon products, but I would have to spend at least twice as much to get the same quality from competing manufacturers.It is difficult to set up, however, and the manual doesn't provide easy access to all answers you may need. If you search the web, you can find some sites that provide more-easily understood directions for setting up Denon products.
TV, DVD, CD,.). Setting up the Harmony was incredibly simple, since all the settings are kept on their online site for every device they have been able to come across. The big difference is that the Denon remote will try to replicate each of the other remotes (e.g. I bought a Harmony 880 after a month of juggling about 4 remotes and trying to make the Denon remote act like a universal remote. Excellent Receiver. DVD's played on a very old low end DVD player are up-converted and looks unbelievably great. It will turn off the DVD, and change the settings on the receiver and the CD. Want to change to a CD.
The Harmony shows up on sale on ebay continuously or on Amazon. The Harmony on the other hand is designed around what you want to have happen. Follow the manual to set up, but assume you'll end up tweaking the connections and settings. Don't hesitate. To change from one input device to another may require changes to the receiver and the source device, plus. That is, if you want to see a DVD, it will change the receiver and the DVD pressing one button. Back to the Denon. It's slowed me down on buying a new DVD player as planned.
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