Initial room setup of the DT ProCinema 1000 7.1 speaker system we were using was actually made quite easy with the Marantz Room Acoustic Calibration (MRAC) that is built into the SR4003. Using a clever system of test signals and acoustic modelling algorithms, MRAC analyses your room (In this case an L shaped upstairs second sitting room) and determines your speaker setup. We found it produced a pleasing overall setup with pretty much zero user tweaking in our less than optimal room.

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In terms of inputs and output features the SR4003 is very well kitted out boasting 3 (repeat capable) HMDI ins and 3 separate Component ins. 5 S-Video and composite ins, audio wise the system has 3 digital optical ins and a couple of coax ins. The system has pretty much an input or output for whatever configuration you are likely to need, including a large group of front panel plug and play style inputs (S-Video/Video/Analog L&R/Digital Optical) for any temporary components you would like to run through your system.

The sound quality of the SR4003 is very pleasing and the marantz is what could be described as a very capable unit in this price range. The manufacturers specs state that the system is capable of less than 0.08 THD and we felt that this does seem to be accurate.

As regards signal purity we were expecting the ProCinema 1000s to show up a little hollowness in the mids and perhaps a little too much artificial boosting of the low end signal but to be honest this was so little in evidence that unless you are an audiophile who will be using the unit to primarily watch classical concerts or listen to your Satie CDs you are very unlikely to notice any of the very minor sound colourations we could detect.

Apparently the SR4003 uses a separate circuit for audio and video signals thus minimizing any interference from video signals. This is a great idea that I hope more manufacturers will add to their mid range receivers. Power wise we found the unit more than capable of powering the speakers to the point where it is uncomfortable to be in the room and the neighbours will likely complain. Even at these kinds of volume levels no audible distortion was evident.

Finally the unit comes with a well designed backlit remote that is capable of learning most of your TV remote outputs so after a bit of tweaking the TV remote can happily get chucked in a drawer. All in all the Marantz SR4003 receiver is a very capable great sounding and extremely good value for money package, highly recommended.

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Basic Product Specifications

• 80 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.08% THD
• Dolby® Digital EX, DTS-ES, Pro Logic® IIx, DTS Neo:6, and SRS Circle Surround II decoding
• RAC (Marantz Room Acoustic Calibration) auto setup system (microphone included)
• iPod® integration (requires optional Marantz IS201)
• HDCD decoding for compatible CDs
• H: 6.3 inches W: 17.3 inches D: 15.3 inches
• Weight: 25.6 pounds
• RRP: $549.99 (Check Current Pricing on Amazon)

Detailed Product Specifications

• Number of Channels 7 ch Amp. / 7.1 ch Processing
• THX: No
• DTS: ES/96/24/Discrete&Matrix6.1/Neo:6
• Dolby: Digital EX/Pro Logic IIx/Vertual Speaker/Headphone
• DSD: (SA-CD)/NEURAL - / -
• SRS: Circle Surround II
• HDCD Decoder: Yes
• Discrete Amplification all 7 channels
• Power Transformer EI
• D/A Conversion 192kHz/24-Bit
• Digital Signal Processing Cirrus Logic 32-Bit
• Video Off (Pure Direct): Yes
• Source Direct: Yes
• Variable X-over: Yes
• Display Off: Yes
• Video Up-conversion: S-Video to Component
• Auto Calibration by MIC M.R.A.C. (Marantz Room Accoustic Caliblation)
• AM/FM tuner AM/FM x1
• Bass management: Yes
• HDMI In: 3
• Component In: 3
• S-Video In: 5 (incl. Front)
• Composite In: 5 (incl. Front)
• HDMI Out: 1
• Component Out: 1
• S-Video Out: 2 (incl. Monitor Out)
• Composite Out: 2 (incl. Monitor Out)Analog L&R In 8 (incl. Front & AUX2 (L&R of 7.1 ch In))
• Analog L&R Out: 3
• Digital Optical In: 3 (incl. Front)
• Digital Coaxial In: 2
• Digital Optical Out: 1
• Digital Coaxial Out 0
• Pre-Amplifier Out: 7.1 ch
• Multi-Channel In: 7.1 ch
• Speaker A/B Surround Speaker “B”
• D-Bus Remote (RC-5) In/Out
• Flasher In/IR Receiver In/Emitter out 1/0/0
• Front Panel A/V Inputs S-Video/Video/Analog L&R/Digital Optical
• Headphone Outs: 1
• AC Outlets (Switched/Unswitched): 1/0
• Power Output: (8 Ohm) 80W x7 (20Hz – 20kHz)
• S/N Ratio: 105dB
• Freq. Response (Analog In); 8Hz – 100kHz (+/- 3 dB)
• Freq. Response (Dig In): 8Hz – 45kHz (+/- 3 dB)
• Frequency Range: 87.5 – 108.0MHz
• S/N Ratio (Mono/Stereo): 75/70
• Tuner Frequency Range: 520 – 1710kHz
• Tuner S/N Ratio: 50dB
• Video Freq. Response (Component): 5MHz – 80MHz (-1 dB)
• Video Freq. Response (Composit, S-Video): 5MHz – 8MHz (-1 dB)
• Video Signal to Noise: 60dB

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Thankfully this first impression does last. We found the components to be easy to install and rig up (for the more impatient of you the set comes with its own ample supply of wire in the box) and after installation the sound give off by this reasonably compact system is actually quite exceptional for this price bracket (especially when recent pricing cuts are taken into account).

Audio performance wise the systems bass end is tight and has good power and punch, enough volume to entirely fill all but the biggest of living spaces. The center channel is crisp and with no discernible distortion even at high volume levels, the surround units create a nice and consistent audio environment and work well in balance with the center channel. The subwoofer is almost unnecessary but still adds a nice deep sonic edge to the system. You don’t at any point feel that the systems sound gets mushy or out of focus from any point in the room. Over all we rated this system 4.5 to 5 stars. We feel that this is definitely one of the best 5.1 speaker set-ups available for under $1000.

JBL CS6100BG 6-Piece Home Theater Speaker System

Check current JBL CS6100BG Home Theater Speaker System pricing on Amazon

Technical Specifications

• Overall Frequency Response 30Hz – 20kHz (–6dB)

Satellite Speakers

• Maximum Recommended Amplifier Power 100 Watts
• Impedance 8 Ohms nominal
• Sensitivity 88dB @ 1 Watt/1 meter
• Frequency Response 100Hz – 20kHz (–6dB)
• High-Frequency Driver 1/2″ (13mm) Titanium-laminate dome, video-shielded
• Midrange Driver Dual 3-1/2″ (75mm) Drivers, video-shielded
• Dimensions (H x W x D) 11-3/8″ x 5-1/8″ x 3-3/8″ (289mm x 131mm x 86mm)
• Weight 3.2 lb (1.5kg)

Center Channel Speaker

• Maximum Recommended Amplifier Power 100 Watts
• Impedance 8 Ohms nominal
• Sensitivity 88dB @ 1 Watt/1 meter
• Frequency Response 100Hz – 20kHz (–6dB)
• High-Frequency Driver 1/2″ (13mm) Titanium-laminate dome, video-shielded
• Midrange Driver Dual 3-1/2″ (75mm) drivers, video-shielded
• Dimensions (H x W x D) 5-1/4″ x 11-3/8″ x 3-3/8″ (133mm x 289mm x 86mm)
• Weight 3.2 lb (1.5kg)

Subwoofer

• Amplifier Power (RMS) 300 Watts Peak 150 Watts RMS
• Frequency Response 30Hz – 120Hz (–6dB)
• Low-Frequency Driver 10″ (250mm) Woofer, bass-reflex enclosure
• Dimensions (H x W x D) (including feet) 18-1/2″ x 12-3/4″ x 15″ (470mm x 324mm x 381mm)
• Weight 41 lb (17.3kg)

General

• Optional Accessories CS Stand – Floor Stands For CS480 and CS6100
• CS600SAT – Pair pack of two matching satellites to expand to 7-channels
• Original RRP: $1,199 (Check current JBL CS6100BG Home Theater Speaker System pricing on Amazon)

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Basic Features
The AVR-2809CI comes with 4 HDMI 1.3a inputs and a Faroudja FLi2310 to allow convertsion of analogue signals to 1080p, audio wise it also decodes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio ensuring great audio from Blu Ray players. Overall the AVR-2809CI does a fantastic job with diverse video and audio sources.

Denon AVR-2809CI Front - Click to enlarge

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Interesting features

The AVR-2809CI comes with Audyssey Dynamic Volume, and Audyssey Dynamic EQ the first of which is an audio mode that keeps a stable volume level to stop the annoying tendency for commercials to be played at a louder volume than programming that gets on so many peoples nerves these days, I see this feature as a great boon that is likely to be used by many owners. Secondly there is the Audyssey Dynamic EQ which is supposed to make quiteter passages sound richer. We felt that this option didn’t really deliver and in fact we felt the unit performed better and with more clarity with this feature left off. Denon has also fitted the AVR-2809CI with Audyssey MultEQ® XT, a proprietary automatic speaker calibration system. The units included microphone is used to analyze sound from up to eight different listening positions, then automatically adjusts level, equalization, and delay settings for each speaker. We found this feature quite interesting and fairly simple to set up, likely to keep the tweakers amongst you happy for quite some time.

General Sound & Specifications

The surround processing section of the AVR-2809CI is powered by two 32 bit floating point DSP chips, and features extremely high resolution surround decoding with 192kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog converters for all channels. The  seven channel amplifier section features 115 watts of power per channel, and provides the choice of driving a 5.1 channel system in the main room, with another stereo speaker pair in another room with independent source selection.

The AVR-2809CI’s channel isolation is second to none and provides excellent signal purity, the unit also includes denons “Dynamic Discrete Surround Circuit” technolgy which gives you discrete circuit blocks for such tasks as DtoA conversion, AtoD and surround decoding. All of which makes for an extremely clear, responsive and pure sound.

Manufacturers Specifications

• 115 watts x 7 into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.05% THD
• 192kHz/24-bit digital-to-analog converters for all channels
• Dolby® TrueHD, DTS-HD™ Master Audio, Dolby® Digital Plus, DTS-HD™ High Resolution Audio, Dolby® Digital EX, DTS-ES™, Pro Logic® IIx, and DTS Neo:6 decoding
• Audyssey Laboratories’ MultEQ® XT eight-point auto setup and room calibration system (microphone included)
• XM Satellite Radio Ready (requires XM subscription and optional XM Mini-Tuner package)
• Neural Surround decoder for XM’s HD Surround channels
• ALPHA 24 Plus upsampling for stereo digital sources
• Dolby Pro Logic IIx – with Cinema, Music, Game Modes
• Active Center Channel In All Surround Modes
• Pure Direct/Direct/Stereo Modes on Digital/Analog inputs
• Analog Audio Inputs, Incl. Tuner: 11 (inc XM)
• Phono Input: MM type
• Analog Record Outputs: 2Composite Video Inputs: 7 (inc 1 in front)
• Composite Video Outputs: 2 (plus Mon/Z2)
• S-Video Inputs: 7 (inc 1 in front)
• S-Video Outputs: 2 (plus Mon)
• Component Video Inputs: 2
• Component Video Outputs: 2 Main Zone
• Dolby Digital Surround EX Decoding
• dts ES Discrete 6.1 Decoding
• dts ES Matrix 6.1 Decoding
• dts Neo:6 Stereo-to-Surround Cinema and Music Modes
• dts 96/24 5.1 for DVD-Video Processing
• dts-HD Master Audio
• SIRIUS satellite radio capable (requires SIRIUS subscription and optional SiriusConnect™ home tuner kit)
• iPod® integration (requires optional Denon ASD-11R, ASD-3N, or ASD-3W)
• Compressed Audio Restorer for better sound with compressed music sources like MP3 files
• Audyssey Dynamic EQ™ for fuller sound at lower listening levels
• Audyssey Dynamic Volume mode to keep listening levels steadythree-room/three-source output:
• line-level and powered stereo audio output with volume, balance and tone control for 2nd room (using powered 2nd room stereo output allows 5.1 home theater in main room)
• composite video output for 2nd room
• line-level stereo audio output with volume control for 3rd room
• conversion of optical or coaxial digital signals to analog audio output for 2nd and 3rd rooms (PCM signals only)
• high-current, low-impedance amp design
• Pure Direct modes switch off all unneeded circuitry for the cleanest possible sound
• on-screen display for easier system setup and operation
• learning/multibrand touchscreen electro-luminescent remote
• basic remote for second or third listening room (requires remote control extender system, not included)

Denon AVR-2809CI Back - Click to enlarge

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Connectors

• 1080p-compatible HDMI digital video switching (4 in, 1 out)
• analog-to-HDMI video upconversion (up to 1080p) with Faroudja DCDi™ video processing and scaling
• HDMI version 1.3a with support for Deep Color, x.v.Color, auto lip-sync, 7.1 uncompressed 24/96 audio, DVD-Audio, SACD, and HDMI-CEC
• component video switching (3 in, 1 out)
• component video conversion (composite to S-video, or composite and S-video to component)
• digital audio inputs: 3 optical (including 1 front panel), 3 coaxial
• digital audio outputs: 1 optical
• 7 audio/video inputs, including: 1 front-panel & 6 rear-panel inputs with composite and S-video
• 2 audio-only inputs (inc phono)
• 7.1-channel analog audio preamp input
• 7.1-channel analog audio preamp output
• RS-232C port for automated control systems
• detachable power cord
• 2 sets of main speaker outputs
• back surround speaker channels re-assignable for bi-amping front left and right speakers

Physical Specifications

• Weight: 28.2 lbs
• Width:17.1 inches
• Height: 6.75 inches
• Depth: 16.55 inches
• Warranty: 2 years
• RRP: $1,199.00 (Check current Amazon Pricing on the Denon AVR-2809CI Home Theater Receiver)

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