Denon is about to introduce a new series of audiovisual receivers that have a comprehensive set of features, with ease of setup stressed as a selling point.
Generally the more features you have, the more complex setup is, as is the case with the new top-of-the-line Denon AVR-E400. I could not get past the first step without calling tech support.
That is not to criticize this receiver, though. There is just no way that I have seen to add a lot of programmable features and make setup easy.
The AVR-E400 is particularly feature-packed. It has Apple AirPlay, so you can stream music from your Apple computer or portable; it streams from SiriusXM, Pandora or Spotify; it hasa video converter that improves standard definition video for high definition viewing, and it even converts video to the new 4K standard, which has roughly four times the resolution of current HD. It comes with a microphone to adjust the system for your room acoustics. That’s just the beginning of a long feature list.
Denon has taken some common-sense steps to simplify setup, such as color-coding the posts on the back panel and providing matching labels for the cables. (I do the same myself with a label maker.)
But the rest of the setup falls prey to the same features-versus-ease conundrum that faces every product. I must have touched the wrong button when checking the batteries in the E400’s remote, because I could not get the setup instructions to appear on my TV. Once I got it turned to the right setting, it still wasn’t that easy.
I tried something I expected to be simple, adjusting bass and treble. So I went to the tone settings, and found that the bass and treble could n! ot be adjusted until I turned on that function, which was on the same screen. But I wondered, why the extra step Why would I go to that setting if I didn’t want to adjust it
In the end, rather than dismantle my current system, I listened to the sound quality of the E400 using headphones â€" I know, it gives me no idea of how effective the surround sound features are â€" but the idea of hours of setup followed by hours of resetting my current gear was too much to take. Headphone listening did let me hear basic sound quality, which seemed accurate and natural.
The bottom line is, if you want easy setup, don’t buy a feature-filled receiver. If you want a great listening and viewing experience, expect to spend several hours on configuration.
