# Denon AVR-1610 receiver



## MataLeo (Dec 30, 2009)

i am looking at purchasing this receiver i have read reviews for it but i value the opinions from my fellow members here at the hts, any good things to say of it or should i look at a different route.


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## MataLeo (Dec 30, 2009)

* 75 watts per channel x 5 channels
* Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Digital Surround EX, Dolby Pro Logic IIz decoding
* DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, DTS ES 6.1 Discrete, DTS ES 6.1 Matrix, DTS Neo:6 decoding
* Analog video to HDMI conversion, with 1080p 24Hz/60Hz HDMI pass-through
* Audyssey MultEQ automatic room acoustic measuring and correction system
* Audyssey Dynamic Volume, Audyssey Dynamic EQ
* iPod/iPhone compatible via optional Denon iPod/iPhone dock
* 3 HDMI inputs, 2 component input

to me it looks good but am not sure if it is or not any help is appreciated


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

The Denon amps perform well and the newer range have most of the bells and whistles to go with them, what speakers are you running btw as obviously the power rating is of the conservative kind, also consider looking at Onkyo as they are excellent VFM and will probably give more power output for a similar pricing to the Denon...

Edit: just seen your other thread in the speaker section and you have gone for the Onkyo speakers which I have no experience of, but the Denon amp suggested would power them with no problems at all, although I would still look at the Onkyo amps to partner them with


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## MataLeo (Dec 30, 2009)

any onkyo receivers you would recommend price for about 300-400 range


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

MataLeo said:


> any onkyo receivers you would recommend price for about 300-400 range


Have a look at the HTS store which has a range of Onkyo amps in that price range 

 HTS Store


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## bkspero (Apr 3, 2008)

MataLeo said:


> i am looking at purchasing this receiver i have read reviews for it but i value the opinions from my fellow members here at the hts, any good things to say of it or should i look at a different route.


I just purchased a refurbished 1610 and have been very happy. There is an excellent thread on the 590/1610 siblings on the "Receivers, Amps, Processors" section of AVSForum.com. It describes them in great detail; compares and differentiates between the 590, 1610, 790, and 1610; and then provides detailed instructions on setup and operation. Then there are 90 pages of postings.

The thread was started by a member there using the id Batpig. He/she also has a website Batpigworld.com that is a comprehensive description and howto for the Denon 1610/590 and 1910/790 receivers. Together, these resources were tipping points that caused me to first choose Denon, and then decide that the 1610 met my needs even though I had originally planned to get the 790. If I was going to have any issues, these resources were going to be better than any factor direct service I would get on the phone or online.

The other factor was the general impression that the Onkyo receivers ran hotter than the Denons, and the possibility that their lives would be shorter as a result (I keep my receivers for 10 yrs or more).


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## MataLeo (Dec 30, 2009)

nice thanks for the info, im in the same boat i have had my receiver for 15 years an old sony thats still running strong i just want to get an upgrade but am not electronics smart i guess you could say it, but alot of people here are which has been a great help for other things.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

If you can streach your budget just a little the Onkyo TX SR707 is a fantastic receiver for the money. It has more power and THX certification that gives you some really useful surround modes that you dont get with non certified receivers. It also includes pre outs giving you the option of hooking up external amplification if you wish.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I really do find the Achilles Heel to the 1610 being a lack of preamp outputs. It drives me batty that the AVR's that would most benefit from outboard amplification are the ones without the provisions for adding an amplifier.

I am a huge fan of Denon. I am quite fond of their Industrial Design and parts quality. I wish that Denon would not price their gear so much higher than their fellow Japanese CE Companies. Moreover, it is only the ultra high priced AVR's which offer THX Certification and Processing. I really like that most of their AVR's are made in Japan as well.

In years past, Denon's were not priced that much higher than Onkyo, Pioneer, etc. However, now to have a comparable feature set, you have to literally spend thousands more with the upper range AVR's.
Cheers,
JJ


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## MataLeo (Dec 30, 2009)

im also looking at an onkyo tx-sr507 any thoughts on this receiver


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
MataLeo, what kind of Speakers would you be using with the 507 and how large is your room.
Cheers,
JJ


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## MataLeo (Dec 30, 2009)

i got a good deal on some onkyo sks-ht540b the speakers are 7.1 and will use 2 speakers for my garage and the room is 16 x 20


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
The 507 would definitely get the job done. I always recommend AVR's with preamp outputs and preferably Audyssey MultEQ. Unfortunately the 507 lacks both of these.

It is just once one starts down the path of getting a high quality HT, often the desire to upgrade hits. With AVR's like the 507, you are unable to add outboard amplification. Adding a outboard amplifier often makes a huge upgrade in performance. Especially if upgrading Speakers.

I really would recommend getting a B-Stock Onkyo TX-SR706 from Accessories4less for 429. (899 MSRP)
THX Certified, Audyssey MultEQ as opposed to the less powerful 2EQ in the 507, much more powerful amplifier, preamp outputs, and much more. 

The 706 would give you the flexibility to upgrade your HT to a really high level if the bug strikes. That being said, if you think you will not get upgradeitis, the 507 would be fine.
Cheers,
JJ


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

Completely agree with JJ, if you do get the 507 it will not leave you much room for any future upgrades, pre outs are important for adding extra power amps if needed and with certain features lacking like Audyssey Multi EQ is IMO essential for trying to get the best out of your system !


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## MataLeo (Dec 30, 2009)

I really would recommend getting a B-Stock Onkyo TX-SR706 from Accessories4less for 429. (899 MSRP)
THX Certified, Audyssey MultEQ as opposed to the less powerful 2EQ in the 507, much more powerful amplifier, preamp outputs, and much more. 

i went to go check it out what does "Onkyo Factory Reconditioned" mean


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

It may well mean that they had faults on the units and then were repaired and being Sold off cheaper than a brand new unit.


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## MataLeo (Dec 30, 2009)

the price for this is great at accessories4less but i dont feel comfortable shelling out the money for a unit that is "Factory Reconditioned" i dont know


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

MataLeo said:


> the price for this is great at accessories4less but i dont feel comfortable shelling out the money for a unit that is "Factory Reconditioned" i dont know


I understand your point, but they will come with full warranty if anything should go wrong but I would rather have a brand new unit if it were my money too...


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I can understand People's reticence in regards to B-Stock, but with Onkyo many of the units that were termed B-Stock were actually A-Stock that went unsold. Not all the units, but definitely some of the units. This is especially true with the PR-SC885 and PR-SC-886 SSP's.

I mostly recommend B-Stock's when it is an instance where someone is contemplating getting an Entry Level AVR when for the same money you could get one with THX Certification and Processing, preamp outputs, and a much more version of Audyssey. All things which make a real difference.

It is only with Onkyo and PSB that I ever recommend B-Stocks. With PSB, it is cosmetic blemishes that make them B-Stock and are usually virtually unnoticeable. With Onkyo, I have helped friends and family who are on a budget build around B-Stock Onkyo and still have never had an issue and ever B-Stock AVR I have ever seen looks literally Brand New. However, whatever makes people happy. 
Cheers,
JJ


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## MataLeo (Dec 30, 2009)

i broke down and bought this receiver today set it up with the new speakers i bought and like my setup, it sounds really good havent had a chance to play around with it but so far so good. Thank you for all the suggestions from everyone here it made a big difference.


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## Popester (May 27, 2010)

Any body, I have purchased a Denon 1610, still setting up items to it. My question is anyone can guide me is this, hooked up my Sony Blu-Ray via HDMI and was wondering why it is when I play a DTS audio format it does not tell the receiver that it is DTS, I have to toggle between different modes, can someone tell what I have missed?
Popester


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## bkspero (Apr 3, 2008)

My 1610 automatically recognizes the signal type from my BluRay player and shows it on the front display. Some possible causes of your symptom that I can envision are:

1) While the disk contains a DTS soundtrack, it is not selected in the Audio Menu of the disk. So the player is actually sending something other than DTS (I have read that not all disks default to the highest quality audio options).

2) You are looking for DTS-HD, and not getting it. In that case, if the disk/player are set to play the DTS-HD track, the player may be set to send PCM audio to the 1610, and not Bitstream. In effect the decoding is being done in the player and the already decoded signal is being sent to the 1610. In that event, the 1610 does not know the original encoding format of the audio information, as it gets the decoded data only. So the 1610 does not show that the data was originally DTS-HD. If this is happening with you, and you would prefer to see the DTS-HD indication on the 1610 (i.e., you want to do the decoding in the 1610 and not your BluRay player), then you need to set the BluRay player to output Bitstream Audio for DTS-HD. To do that you will probably need to deselect sending of 2nd audio sources.

There may be other possible causes. There is an excellent thread on the 590/1610 siblings in the "Receivers, Amps, Processors" section of AVSForum.com. It describes them in great detail and provides detailed instructions on setup and operation. Then there are about 130 pages of postings!

The thread was started by a member there using the id Batpig. He/she also has a website Batpigworld.com that is a comprehensive description and howto for the Denon 1610/590 and 1910/790 receivers.

Good luck.


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