Upgraded Denon Receiver with Audyssey Dynamic EQ & Dynamic Volume
I bought my Denon 4308CI receiver a couple of years ago. At the time, I had a Pioneer Elite receiver that did not have HDMI input/output. The main reasons I bought the Denon brand was its reputation for building quality products. If I have to single out the major reasons why I bought the 4308CI instead of the other models was because it had 4 HDMI inputs and 2 HDMI outputs, built-in WiFi, and the availability of the advanced Audyssey MultiEQ XT. I needed to connect the receiver to a projector and a TV at the same time without the hassle of buying another external box and the 2 HDMI outputs on the receiver were convenient. At the time, not too many receivers had this option.
Anyway, I recently decided to upgrade the firmware of the receiver. Denon recommends that the ugrade should be done with a network cable and not through wireless. Unfortunately, my internet router is set up in a different room and I had to buy a 50 ft network cable from Monoprice.
I connected the cable and upgraded the firmware. I also realized that Denon has made Audyssey Dynamic EQ and Audyssey Dynamic Volume available at a fee. Last year, the upgrades were available for free as part of a rebate program. Because the receiver is discontinued, Denon no longer honors the rebate and charges $100. After conntemplating a few minutes, I paid the fee and downloaded the upgrade. The whole process of downloading the firmware and Audyssey takes approximately about an hour and a half. As part of the upgrade, you will get the following:
Rhapsody Music Service
SIRIUS Satellite Radio
Audyssey Dynamic Equalization
Audyssey Dynamic Volume
Information about Firmware and Audyssey Upgrades:
Go to the product page of the receiver and click on the Downloads and Manuals.
I am now the poor (less $100) and proud owner of a receiver with Audyssey MultiEQ XT, Audyssey Dynamic Equalization, and Audyssey Dynamic Volume. I just wish there was some way of downloading Dolby PLIIz and Audyssey DSX.
The same exact upgrade applies to Denon 3808CI receiver. For other models, check Denon site.
All of the Audyssey technologies are designed to solve specific problems.
MultEQ: solves the problem of room acoustics. Sound from speakers interacts with the room, furniture, etc. and by the time it arrives at your ears it has been distorted by the room. MultEQ measures these interactions and creates a filter that runs in each channel to "undo" them and allow you to listen to the intended sound.
Dynamic EQ: solves the problem of differences in human hearing at various listening levels. Content is created by mixers who listen at very high levels. They make decisions about the balance of low and high frequencies at that listening level. At home, we listen well below that and so our hearing changes. For example, we are less sensitive to low frequencies as we turn the volume down. Dynamic EQ restores the balance of the mix at lower listening levels. It also restores the surround impression that diminishes at lower volumes.
Dynamic Volume: solves the problem of constant variations in the volume level of the content. From dialog, to explosions, to dialog, to commercial you have to constantly adjust the remote. Dynamic Volume allows you to set the volume for the dialog level you prefer and then monitors the content and makes automatic adjustments to the volume so you never have things get too loud (or too soft) around the dialog level you have selected.
Volume spikes are getting a lot of press these days. An Adweek Media/Harris Poll released today finds 93% of people say they are bothered by commercials that are louder than TV shows. The latest stories refer to the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act and move quickly into discussions of technologies, such as Audyssey Dynamic Volume, which already solve the problem. If the Senate passes the legislation, would the post-CALM age mean the end of Dynamic Volume?
If spikes were the only problem then the answer would be, “Yes.” But, volume spikes are just one problem for TV viewers and Dynamic Volume solves many problems.
When Audyssey developed Dynamic Volume, we tracked how people use the volume control. Of course they turned down the volume quickly during loud commercials. But they changed the volume in other ways, too. At times, our test subjects would slowly turn down the volume during parts that would gradually grow loud. We also observed that people crank the volume to hear soft dialogue. Remote controls get quite a workout!
It is no easy task to get all of this right, as anyone with a remote can testify. It seems, just when you turn up the volume to hear two people whispering to each other, a bomb goes off and you need to turn it down again. Before Dynamic Volume, automated systems would go crazy turning things up and down. This is called pumping and is almost as annoying as the spikes. In fact, our partners tell us of TVs with pumping problems being returned because the customers thought they were broken—not a problem with Audyssey Dynamic Volume.
On the other hand, if you have a system that only focuses on turning down the spikes so it cannot get itself into a pumping state, it may turn down the overall soundtrack.
It is really about dynamic range
Dynamic range is the difference between the loudest and softest passages of a program. Controlling the dynamic range means that no matter the environment, no matter the material, you will always be able to hear everything at a level you enjoy.
Dynamic Volume allows users to control the dynamic range of any program (television show, movie or music) and that’s much more powerful than merely cutting out spikes.
To get the right dynamic range, Audyssey uses dialogue as the midpoint target. Set your volume at a level where regular speaking is comfortable to hear, and Dynamic Volume will make sure nothing gets too loud or too soft from that target. It anticipates level changes so there is never any pumping. Problem solved, right? Well, things are a little more complicated.
Take classical music. It is often said to cover the widest range of loudness, from silence (0 dB) to the full orchestra playing at its loudest (100 dB). In order to hear this dynamic range, you must listen in a carefully constructed and designed concert hall.
Now, go to a bar where people are ordering drinks, talking to each other and having fun and you will find the noise level is about 70 dB already. There will be no chance for anyone to enjoy anything approaching classical music’s dynamic range, but rock and roll fits the bill just fine. If the quiet parts are just equal to the background noise, they will seem pretty quiet and when the band cranks it, they may go over 100 dB for a dynamic range of 30-40 dB.
So what does this have to do with Dynamic Volume? Think of a romantic movie night with your significant other watching movies; this is your classical music night. You will enjoy it more if the dynamic range is pretty wide (around 80 dB). If, on the other hand, you have friends over to watch the Super Bowl, it will be similar to your night at a bar. In this case, you will enjoy the game more if you can limit the dynamic range to 40 dB and keep the volume above the noise of everyone talking.
Get the most out of Audyssey Dynamic Volume
Dynamic Volume has a number of settings you can control. Although our partners use different names, there are three settings: Heavy (Midnight), Medium (Evening) and Light (Day). These control the dynamic range.
Heavy (Midnight): This is the narrowest range. If you want to watch an action movie late at night and not wake anyone, use this setting. Use it, too, for Super Bowl Sunday.
Medium (Evening): This is the most common setting and is the default we recommend. This is perfect for daily television use, especially in a living room setting.
Light (Day): This setting offers the widest dynamic range. Use this when you pop in your latest movie from Netflix after dinner. You won’t miss a thing.
There are many other situations for using wide and narrow dynamic ranges for your listening enjoyment, but you get the idea. If you have any questions, submit a request on Ask Audyssey. If you want to make sure your next TV, AVR or HTiB has Dynamic Volume, just check our product catalog. Also, be sure to check the manual that came with your equipment, so you can exercise full mastery over your volume.
Unlike the other Audyssey technologies that are used to provide you with a reference experience, Dynamic Volume is a purely personal choice. The technology is designed to let you set the dialog level to where you prefer it and then not have to worry about the loud parts getting too loud and the soft parts getting too soft.
So, that's my recommendation: simply decide what level you want the dialog and then leave it there. I recommend starting with the middle (Evening) setting for Dynamic Volume. For late night watching (with others sleeping) you can switch to Midnight so that the range between softest and loudest is reduced even more and nobody is disturbed.
Movies are mixed in rooms calibrated for film reference. To achieve the same reference level in a home theater system each speaker level must be adjusted so that –30 dBFS band-limited (500 Hz – 2000 Hz) pink noise produces 75 dB sound pressure level at the listening position. A home theater system automatically calibrated by Audyssey MultEQ will play at reference level when the master volume control is set to the 0 dB position. At that level you can hear the mix at the same level the mixers heard it.
Audyssey Dynamic EQ is referenced to the standard film mix level. It makes adjustments to maintain the reference response and surround envelopment when the volume is turned down from 0 dB. However, film reference level is not always used in music or other non-film content. The Dynamic EQ Reference Level Offset provides three offsets from the film level reference (5 dB, 10 dB, and 15 dB) that can be selected when the mix level of the content is not within the standard.
0 dB (Film Ref): This is the default setting and should be used when listening to movies.
15 dB: Select this setting for pop/rock music or other program material that is mixed at very high listening levels and has a compressed dynamic range.
10 dB: Select this setting for jazz or other music that has a wider dynamic range. This setting should also be selected for TV content as that is usually mixed at 10 dB below film reference.
5 dB: Select this setting for content that has a very wide dynamic range, such as classical music.
There are two fundamental differences from every other method available in AV receivers today. The first is that MultEQ is not based on parametric equalization. Parametric equalization relies on a few bands that are centered at certain frequencies. These bands do not provide sufficient resolution to address many room acoustical problems. Also, parametric bands tend to interact so that changes at one frequency have undesirable results at nearby frequencies. Moreover, parametric equalization methods use a particular type of digital filter called Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) that only attempts to correct the magnitude response in the frequency domain. These filters can cause unwanted effects, such as ringing or smearing, in the time domain particularly as the bands get narrower. MultEQ uses Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters for equalization that use several hundred coefficients to achieve much higher resolution in the frequency domain than parametric bands. Furthermore, by their nature, FIR filters simultaneously provide correction in the frequency and time domains. FIR filters had been considered to require too many computational resources. But Audyssey solved this problem by using a special frequency scale that allocates more power to the lower frequencies where it is needed the most.
The second major difference is that MultEQ combines multiple measurements to create equalization filters that better represent the acoustical problems in the room. Most other methods only perform a single point measurement and this can result in making other locations in the room sound worse than before equalization. There are some methods that use spatial averaging to combine multiple room measurements. Although this is a step above single-point correction, it does not provide optimum correction when discussing spatial averaging. For example, it is common to find a peak at a certain frequency in one location and a dip at the same frequency at another nearby location. The averaging methods will add the peak and the dip and this will result in an apparent flat response at that frequency, thus causing the equalization filter to take no action. MultEQ uses a clustering method to combine measurements so that acoustical problems are better represented, thus allowing the equalization filter to perform the appropriate correction at each location.
The technology is a result of a multi-year university research effort to understand the key factors that influence sound reproduction. From this research came two key findings:
Acoustical problems in the room are more accurately measured in the time domain. This type of analysis provides information about the direct sound and the effects of reflections from room surfaces. This was a departure from traditional EQ methods that only looked at data in the frequency domain.
Measuring in a single location does not capture sufficient information and often results in equalization artifacts. Multiple measurements are required to capture the spatial distribution of acoustical problems, particularly in the low frequencies where the problems are more serious.
MultEQ captures multiple measurements in the time domain and then groups them in clusters based on similarities in the data. Using Fuzzy Logic mathematics, the clusters are allowed to overlap so that each measured response belongs to each cluster with a certain probability. In each cluster a representative response is then created that is weighted by the acoustical problems in that cluster, but also by those in the other clusters. MultEQ then re-combines these representative responses to create a final room representation and then inverts that to create the correction filter for each loudspeaker. The type of filter used by MultEQ simultaneously corrects the time and frequency domain problems to produce a smooth response.
MultEQ also measures the time it takes for the signal to arrive from each speaker to the first microphone position. Delays are then applied to the speakers that are closer to match the timing of the signals coming from the speakers that are farther away. Finally, the sound pressure level produced by each speaker is adjusted with the trim controls so that they match each other.
* You might be $100 poorer but you gain EQ & Volume in return, which is a fair trade for a guy of your caliber I think. ...Besides, you just increased the resale value of your receiver!
I am beginning to enjoy both Audyssey Dynamic Equalization and Audyssey Dynamic Volume more everyday. Even when I turn the volume down, the bass is still there and does not disappear like it used to. In addition, I don't have to constantly turn the volume down during excessively loud special effects to protect my hearing and the speakers/subwoofers and then turn the volume up again a few moments later to be able to hear the dialog.
I love the Dynamic EQ on my 5507, everything sounds so much better with it on and movies are out of this world with that feature. I am Pro Audyssey for sure!!!
I will be the happy owner of the Denon 4311 later today. Glad to move the Yamaha to a room for lesser duties and try out Audyssey MultEQ XT32 and DSX. For the time being I won't be using timbre match wides, that may have to wait until next month.
I will be the happy owner of the Denon 4311 later today. Glad to move the Yamaha to a room for lesser duties and try out Audyssey MultEQ XT32 and DSX. For the time being I won't be using timbre match wides, that may have to wait until next month.
My receiver does not have Dolby PLIIz or Audyssey DSX. I am using Big Daddy PLIII (BD PLIII) for the time being with two awesome Cadence speakers.
The Cadence speakers are definitely the deal of the century.
I will be the happy owner of the Denon 4311 later today. Glad to move the Yamaha to a room for lesser duties and try out Audyssey MultEQ XT32 and DSX. For the time being I won't be using timbre match wides, that may have to wait until next month.
Hey let me know what you think of the 4311, i was looking at getting the 4810ci but i am beginning to lean towards 4311 for some of its newer features. I am very interested in this receiver but have not seen any consumer reviews or many reviews period on it.
Hey let me know what you think of the 4311, i was looking at getting the 4810ci but i am beginning to lean towards 4311 for some of its newer features. I am very interested in this receiver but have not seen any consumer reviews or many reviews period on it.
There is an Office Denon 4311 thread over on AVS that has a few personal reviews. Personally, I think the 4311 is the better choice over the 4810 due to the MultEQ XT32. I would guess they will come up with a 4811 at some point.
There is an Office Denon 4311 thread over on AVS that has a few personal reviews. Personally, I think the 4311 is the better choice over the 4810 due to the MultEQ XT32. I would guess they will come up with a 4811 at some point.
Ill check it out, and maybe by the time I get back home they will have a few more higher end models out. I do wish they would up the wattage a bit more on their receivers
You motivated me. I ran my setup tonight for the first time. Sounds great, but the rears seem to provide most of the sound now. I dont hear much from the fronts, center is great. I was going to adjust them, but it looked like the rears levels were lower than everything else, so I dont get whats goin on. But its still nice.
You motivated me. I ran my setup tonight for the first time. Sounds great, but the rears seem to provide most of the sound now. I dont hear much from the fronts, center is great. I was going to adjust them, but it looked like the rears levels were lower than everything else, so I dont get whats goin on. But its still nice.
Are you talking about Audyssey Dynamic Equalization? If the answer is yes, then make sure you turn it on in the receiver's menu. Also, with Dynamic equalization on, you should turn the volume up to zero (reference level).
On Denon receivers, the Audyssey Dynamic Equalization and Audyssey Dynamic Volume are under Parameters in the menu.
Ill check it out, and maybe by the time I get back home they will have a few more higher end models out. I do wish they would up the wattage a bit more on their receivers
Just add few Emo amps with it if you seriously need more power.
Ill check it out, and maybe by the time I get back home they will have a few more higher end models out. I do wish they would up the wattage a bit more on their receivers
Be warned, it is a long thread already. So you may just want to skip ahead to around the date the receiver was released.
I just got mine setup, I put two M&K S-80's on stands to use as the wides for now. I will eventually change them for the Gallo Micro's or A'Diva's for wides and heights which will match the rest of my setup. But that will have to wait for now.
I haven't read the manual yet but just went through the Audyssey setup which went off without any issues. I think I will move the bedroom sub down to the HT so I have two and re-run Audyssey at night later this week. I do have traffic noise in the day so best run it again under better conditions.
The funny thing is that I do not really have many blu-rays that could be used for audio demo purposes. 3:10 to Yuma has some great moments with gun shots so I am using that now to demo.
The sound is quite impressive, the bass if a lot better integrated and the surround detail fills the room a lot more then it did before. I was never quite happy with the Yamaha results but I am now.
Anyway, just 1 hour into testing it but so far it is a keeper. That is two upgrades in the last two weeks, now I will have to be happy for a while.
Yea, its Audessey setting, there are two other options (one is flat) but I leave it at Audessey and the setting is at 0 - reference. But, I have ran it a few times and they still pull all the main sound to the rears, and the fronts are quiet. Very strange.
Another thing is that it set the crossover frequencey of my fronts to 60hz and everything else to 80hz, and the manual's recommendation is to have them at 80hz when set to small (which they are).
I would change the ch levels, but when I do the box around Audissey Dynamic EQ located on receiver's display goes away, didn't know what that means.
Does anyone else run Audyssey Eq and Dynamic Volume, but change their ch levels to their liking?
Yea, its Audessey setting, there are two other options (one is flat) but I leave it at Audessey and the setting is at 0 - reference. But, I have ran it a few times and they still pull all the main sound to the rears, and the fronts are quiet. Very strange.
Quote:
Originally Posted by amper
Another thing is that it set the crossover frequencey of my fronts to 60hz and everything else to 80hz, and the manual's recommendation is to have them at 80hz when set to small (which they are).
I would change the ch levels, but when I do the box around Audissey Dynamic EQ located on receiver's display goes away, didn't know what that means.
Does anyone else run Audyssey Eq and Dynamic Volume, but change their ch levels to their liking?
It is very strange. After I downloaded and installed Audyssey Dynamic Equalization and Dynamic Volume, I ran the calibration program and all the speakers and subwoofer gains were reduced significantly and are in the negative territory. However, when I set the volume to zero (reference level), the sound is awesome. Even though the subwoofer gain is set to -10dB in the receiver's menu, the bass is very loud and scary.
Check all the wiring and make sure you have not accidentally connected the speakers to the wrong terminals. As far as the crossovers are concerned, it is ok to increase the level from 60Hz to 80Hz, but it is not ok to lower them below the crossovers set by the receiver. If you lower them, Audyssey will no longer apply its filters to those frequencies.
You can use an SPL meter and adjust the levels of the speakers, but it is possible that you may not be able to set the volume at reference level anymore. You may have to turn the volume down so that you do not hurt your speakers and/or your hearing.
It is very strange. After I downloaded and installed Audyssey Dynamic Equalization and Dynamic Volume, I ran the calibration program and all the speakers and subwoofer gains were reduced significantly and are in the negative territory. However, when I set the volume to zero (reference level), the sound is awesome. Even though the subwoofer gain is set to -10dB in the receiver's menu, the bass is very loud and scary.
This is my second unit I have had with Audyssey (I previously had a NAD T175) and one unit with Yapo (the Yamaha receiver I just replaced). I have never been able to approach reference level, it is just too damn loud. The most I ever get it -10db on the volume, can you really play it at that volume?
This is my second unit I have had with Audyssey (I previously had a NAD T175) and one unit with Yapo (the Yamaha receiver I just replaced). I have never been able to approach reference level, it is just too damn loud. The most I ever get it -10db on the volume, can you really play it at that volume?
Before I upgraded my receiver, I could not go more than -14dB for most movies and -18dB for SACD. After I dowloaded Audyssey Dynamic Equalization and Dynamic Volume and recalibrated the system, all the speakers and the subwoofer levels were reduced significantly and I can turn the volume to reference level. The good thing is that when I turn the volume down, the bass is still there. For movies that have very heavy and exaggerated bass, I turn the Dynamic Volume on and set it to Day (Low) or Evening (Medium) mode.
Before I upgraded my receiver, I could not go more than -14dB for most movies and -18dB for SACD. After I dowloaded Audyssey Dynamic Equalization and Dynamic Volume and recalibrated the system, all the speakers and the subwoofer levels were reduced significantly and I can turn the volume to reference level. The good thing is that when I turn the volume down, the bass is still there. For movies that have very heavy and exaggerated bass, I turn the Dynamic Volume on and set it to Day (Low) or Evening (Medium) mode.
I have not played with Dynamic Volume and EQ, just setup yesterday and left them off. I will try it out more this week after I borrow a few BDs from a friend that have a lot of action (Dark Night and Iron Man) I still have not opened it the manual, it is like a novel.
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Upgraded Denon Receiver with Audyssey Dynamic EQ & Dynamic Volume
After conntemplating a few minutes, I paid the fee and downloaded the upgrade. The whole process of downloading the firmware and Audyssey takes approximately about an hour and a half. As part of the upgrade, you will get the following:
...Besides, you just increased the resale value of your receiver! 
Linear Mode
