Denon 4311 vs Denon 4810?

[Poida]

I have had my heart set on a Denon 4810 for sometime now and it is getting closer to me buying an AV Receiver, however I have just realised that the 4311 is out.. Which one is better? Overall and Value wise?

As far as I can tell the 4311 is basically the same as the 4810, however with a few extras the 4810 doesnt have and yet the 4311 is $2000 cheaper than the 4810. It seems too good to be true.

Edited November 30, 2010 by Poida

[RayW]

I think the new 4311 is now manufactured in China and hence the price drop.

whether the QC is the same than the last generation of 4310 remains to be seem

there has been reports of problems over at the DTV for early adopter

I have been a fence sitter for a while and had my eye set on Denon 4810 and earlier on Denon 4308

For a long time I did not commit beacause I only just wanted a decoder for Ht duty without all the network/zoning etc . I just can't justify myself for paying something I don't need.

However I have just bit the bullet and put a deposit for a Onkyo pre/power 5507/5500 on a runout price. hopefully this will last me for a while

[tb123]

no, the 4311 is manufactured in Japan.

There is a 145 page thread over on AVS on the 4311 (google up AVS Denon 4311, look for the "official" thread), some of which discusses pro's and con's of the 4311 over the 4308. Perhaps you could check out AVS and ask some questions there as they have had them on the ground for a while.

TB

[com5984]

As someone who has owned a 4810 and has just recently purchased a 4311, I prefer the 4311 in my HT setup mainly because I use a elektra power amp and I find the pre outs to the amp sound a little bit flat or dull compared to just using the 4810 as a stand alone.

The 4311 can be set to be a pre not sure this makes much difference to overall sound but it certainly seems much brighter. The networking is a little better as well

[Peter_F]

I purchased my 4311 about a month ago and finally had it calibrated through West Caost Hi-fi who did it for free. I'm watching the Melbourne V Collingwood game at the moment and all I can say is faaaarrrrrrkkk me! So hard to believe it's a free to air broadcast! For atmosphere and sound wise, it's like being at the game.

I have also noticed too that the 1611BPD when playing RBCD is significantly better. IMO the bass management has gone up several levels as has the overall musicality. It will be interesting how it will sound when I get my SB Touch.

[Nevyn72]

I purchased my 4311 about a month ago and finally had it calibrated through West Caost Hi-fi who did it for free. I'm watching the Melbourne V Collingwood game at the moment and all I can say is faaaarrrrrrkkk me! So hard to believe it's a free to air broadcast! For atmosphere and sound wise, it's like being at the game.

I have also noticed too that the 1611BPD when playing RBCD is significantly better. IMO the bass management has gone up several levels as has the overall musicality. It will be interesting how it will sound when I get my SB Touch.

Ahhhh..... So that's the high end AVR you've been talking about over in the SB Touch thread! 8-p

It's certainly a very nice unit, I've just recently picked one up myself (being used a pre-pro only though).

For 2ch duties it does a better job than any of my previous AVRs, however it doesn't compare to either my previous (Cambridge Audio) or current (Primare) dedicated 2ch pre-amps.

This is of course no surprise, however it's amazaing how good AVRs are getting and how much closer to a dedicated unit they are performance wise compared to a fewe years ago.......

[Time_Lord]

SOme AVRs surprising can do reasonable performance in 2 ch stereo mode, but you end up paying so much more.

But as you said peter_vfr they won't compare to a dedicated 2 ch stereo amp for music.

Even my Yamaha 663 that I use in my setup is not to bad for 2ch stereo music considering it a AVR, but I will down the track get something better.

[DoggieHowser]

I thought my 4810 was a reasonably good preamp when I hooked up my power amps to it.

[Peter_F]

I have to admit sitting there last night watching FTA I can't ever recall a time when my rear speakers have ever been used that much. I am just amazed at how information is being moved about through all the speakers (and the room) and even the sub cops quite a lot of involvement. I still haven't tried a bluray dvd yet! When it's footy season just about everything I watch is footy or footy related. A footy tragic I know but when the season ends I intend to frequent the local video store.

I am pleasantry surprised how good an amp the 4311 is in 2 channel mode, but it can't compete with my 2 channel rig.

[RockandorRoll]

did Denon go through a bit of a model change a few years ago? Ive read that the 4308 is closer in spec to the 4810 than the 4310. and the 43xx series has taken a downward step from where it used to be. The equivalent to the 4308 now is the 4811

any truth to that?

[Jliang70]

I have to admit sitting there last night watching FTA I can't ever recall a time when my rear speakers have ever been used that much. I am just amazed at how information is being moved about through all the speakers (and the room) and even the sub cops quite a lot of involvement. I still haven't tried a bluray dvd yet! When it's footy season just about everything I watch is footy or footy related. A footy tragic I know but when the season ends I intend to frequent the local video store.

I am pleasantry surprised how good an amp the 4311 is in 2 channel mode, but it can't compete with my 2 channel rig.

You are just looking at audio side of the things with HT and then there is video side of the thing. Just like audio you can blow just as much dough on video side like video processor, video equalizer, calibration software and for projetor owners lens and screen.

[com5984]

I thought it was a fantastic pre, and it was not until I tried an Integra and a 4311 both brighter. Don't get me wrong I love the 4810 and it's only when I tried the others, another member on DTV has reported similar.

I think it boils down to personal taste.

[Nevyn72]

did Denon go through a bit of a model change a few years ago? Ive read that the 4308 is closer in spec to the 4810 than the 4310. and the 43xx series has taken a downward step from where it used to be. The equivalent to the 4308 now is the 4811

any truth to that?

Best way to consider it is there was a bit of a re-jig over the last few years....

4308 - beacme 4810 - now not going to be replaced

3808 - became 4310 - became 4311 - now the flagship consumer model. Debuts all new technologies that then filter down the range. Less frequent update cycle than other consumer models (there will be no 4312, next will be the 4313).

Premium range is still 5308 & AVP which have no updates on the horizon but are getting paid upgrades available later this year to bring tech inline with the 4311.

Is the 43XX a downgrade from 4308 series and earlier? Depends on your perspective, the focus has moved more to the tech/processing side of the equation (both video & audio). Has this resulted in a downgrade in audio performance? Well this is highly debatable, some would say yes others no, some would even say it's improved.... YMMV.....

[RockandorRoll]

thanks for the clarification Peter. Just had a look at the Denon website and those 4311's come with quite a bit of kit, up to 9.2 now are we?

im really happy with my 4308, havent regretted its purchase for a second

[Nevyn72]

thanks for the clarification Peter. Just had a look at the Denon website and those 4311's come with quite a bit of kit, up to 9.2 now are we?

im really happy with my 4308, havent regretted its purchase for a second

It's certainly loaded with bells & whistles, that's for sure.....

Can run 11.2 with an external amp, has 9 internal amps so 9.2 without.

Also capable of 3 independant zones too.

One of the nicest features for room correction is it also comes with the highest level (short of pro) of Audessy - MultiEQ XT32 and includes SubEQ to properly integrate 2 subs, works very well in my experience.

I only use mine for HT duties though, I have a dedicated 2ch signal path for music listening in my media room.

Unless you need the additonal channels, HDMI 1.4 for 3D, or the SubEQ for multiple subs then there's probably not much benefit in going to the 4311 from the 4308. That being said, there are a lot of reports that the Audessy XT32 is a signifcant improvment over older XT versions......

[Peter_F]

Ahhhh..... So that's the high end AVR you've been talking about over in the SB Touch thread! 8-p

It's certainly a very nice unit, I've just recently picked one up myself (being used a pre-pro only though).

For 2ch duties it does a better job than any of my previous AVRs, however it doesn't compare to either my previous (Cambridge Audio) or current (Primare) dedicated 2ch pre-amps.

This is of course no surprise, however it's amazaing how good AVRs are getting and how much closer to a dedicated unit they are performance wise compared to a fewe years ago.......

With your 4311 which output did you connect your SB Touch to, and how did you connect it? Are you using a seperate storage device for your music files or direct from your computer? My SB hasn't arrived yet and may be delayed due to the volcanic ash stuffing up air travel, but I'm just trying to get my head around all this "new to me" technology!!

Cheers, flemo.

[Nevyn72]

With your 4311 which output did you connect your SB Touch to, and how did you connect it? Are you using a seperate storage device for your music files or direct from your computer? My SB hasn't arrived yet and may be delayed due to the volcanic ash stuffing up air travel, but I'm just trying to get my head around all this "new to me" technology!!

Cheers, flemo.

I don't actually have a SB Touch yet and may not get one depending how the budget pans out..... 8-(

If I do get one it won't actually get connected to the Denon. I will use it as a transport only, Co-ax or optical into the DAC (actually the CD player - CA840c), then onto the dedicated 2ch pre. As for storage it will be using either a HDD (hard disc drive) or a Memory card/stick as my house isn't networked and even if it was I don't like leaving my computer on all the time.