Denon AVR1312 AV Surround Receiver

This is an AMAZING deal if you can get it under $150. Even at $200, it's great. I've yet to try it with digital audio, but the analog I've used so far has been great. There's tons of options to customize sound to your speakers. The audio is very clean, and can be as balanced or unbalanced as you desire. No audible distortion to my ears. A good amount of inputs. Definitive pros of the Denon AVR-1312: - For the price, you really can NOT beat it. I got mine for $135. - Although I won't use video, it has HDMI pass-through and 3D support. - Good amount of inputs for a receiver in this price range. - The volume dial locks into place, and doesn't freely glide. Gives a good feeling of control. - Very clear display, white colored font. - 3.5mm input on front, as well as Composite and RCA stereo. - Headphone out. (The headphone out doesn't seem to stay "equalized" sadly, seems very flat.) - Has a sleep timer. - About 75 WPC at 8 ohms, powerful enough for a fairly "big" sized living room/family room for entertainment. - Gives you the option to delay your audio signal, in case your television has input-lag. Allowing for audio-visual synchronization control. - Dedicated sub-woofer out line. - By far, the best looking receiver line I've seen in years. (Denon AVR-13XX) - Light around the power button isn't overly bright/obnoxious. - Optional iPod/iTouch (maybe phone?) dock controller. My only problems with this receiver are VERY insignificant/small, mostly personal issues: - Not sure if I can set the "surround out" to be used a sub woofer yet, but I'm sure I can. (And possibly have two subs. Not that I'd use it, just a thought.) - As far as I can tell, you can't change what the display says. (You CAN, but it won't stay on that setting for longer than 10 seconds.) - Only binding posts on stereo channels. - No component video out. (Doesn't matter, I bought this to be used for audio on my PC. Some people may not like this though.)

This is my first experience with a Denon product, and I must say that I am overall very happy with this purchases. The AVR-1312 is Denon's first entry level offering, featuring their great quality design with affordable pricing. While this is very basic 5.1 surround receiver, it has quite a lot to offer the budget audio enthusiast; namely, clean consistent sound across the spectrum. There are no holes in the listening experience but very clean highs, perfect mid range and tight, solid bass. While I was reviewing other units, I kept on noticing problems with different aspects concerning the HMDI hook ups and other anomalous things. My final two choices I had narrowed down in my price range were the Denon and the Sony STRDH520 7.1 Channel 3D AV Receiver (Black) . While the Sony was by far more feature rich, there were enough complaints that kept me leaning towards the Denon, which boasted 91/2 stars and a long history of excellence. Sony seems to have quality issues in their manufacturing, because many different products from them often have a fair amount of problem-ed units. The only drawback for me is that I am pushing 8ohm speakers and the amp is designed for driving 6ohm speakers more efficiently. I really have to crank it to get any level of sound out of it passed a whisper, but in the end this isn't much of a problem. The discrete separate amplification circuits rated at .08% THD, you can crank this guy up with minimal distortion until the very end of the dial. I can get an acceptable volume without any discernible distortion for music and movie viewing. Getting to the higher volumes that I like at times, it still out performs other audio systems I have owned before. But, would still like a little more crank for those, "I really want to feel this" times. At the end of the day, this is a small thing compared to the build and quality that comes from owning Denon equipment. Need a basic 5.1 receiver that won't brake the bank but deliver great sound and be reliable years down the road; buy the Denon.

Update: After a few days experience with this unit, I have to downgrade it to four stars. 1) I have had the same overheating/cutting out problem that others have reported. I could not get through a complete Beethoven 9th without the amp shutting down multiple times. even with the amp sitting by itself on a cold tile floor with nothing else near. This was worse when all five speakers and the sub were plugged in. 2) As others have mentioned, the CD user manual is poorly designed, difficult to use, and very light on information or help. 3) Most important, however, the left main speaker channel cut out completely last night in the middle of Sergeant Pepper's. I have tried rewiring, troubleshooting for shorts, bad speaker wire, bad speakers. The channel still only puts out a very light hiss when it's connected. It looks to have been blown after only four or five days of use. From the reviews I have read of other amps, even more expensive ones, I don't think that quality control or confusing user manuals are Denon's problems alone. In the end, I decided to return it and spring for the next model up, the AVR-1612, in hopes that it will perform better. I still give it four stars, though, because I think that when it is working correctly it is well worth the money. Original review: If this is "entry level" audio, I want to know what high end is like. I have recently had to replace a 500 watt jcv tuner from the early 90s. I chose this unit because of its price, its reviews, and its compatibility with my other components. I had listened to another amp/tuner at about the same price, and ordered this one sight unseen. Its sound is miles beyond the other unit, and surpisingly, much better than that old 90s unit. The speakers are Polk Audio Monitor 40s, a tiny Yamaha center, Dayton speakers for surround, and a subwoofer. The sound is clear,transparent with great, even freq response. Plenty of power for my needs,and strong, tight bass. Setup was fairly easy, though it must be connected to a tv to access all of the controls. So, tv sound is also hugely improved in clarity. (Some friends had complained about the sound on my bargain brand lcd tv. I thought they were just going deaf.) AV design has certainly improved dramatically since the last time I went shopping. This unit is more than a bargain, it's superb value. Delivery was speedy,well packaged.

I own a Denon Receiver and I paid $150.00 for it with shipping and it was new! With that having been said, it took me a long time to commit to the purchase of a receiver. I have now been using it daily for approximately a month and the power, clarity, and features of this receiver have left me wanting nothing. I will soon commit to the purchase of some decent 5.1 speakers; however, even with the low quality speakers I currently have, this receiver actually makes them sound good. I have zero complaints. P.S. What a sense of pride I feel when I walk by my entertainment center and see DENON on the shelf. Updated: March 20, 2013 I am so completely satisfied with my Denon receiver. This update is to let potential buyers know that after many months of heavy use, this Denon NEVER got hot, never stopped functioning or had any technical problems, and never did anything it was not supposed to do. It is still connected to my 42 inch 720 plasma TV, Infinity Entra Two 5.1 surround sound speaker system, HD cable box, and Sony Bluray player. I use this Denon heavily. We listen to a lot of music daily and we like to watch movies. I check the temperature of the unit by putting my hand over the ventilation holes on top of the unit and it is never more than warm. Note: my speakers are 8ohms but I have run it with 3ohm speakers and it is such an efficient receiver it never overheated. The sound quality from this receiver is excellent. I give a lot of credit also to the Infinity Entra Two floor standing front speakers. I seldom need to use my Polk subwoofer because the Denon works so well with my floor standing Infinity Entra Two speakers. I am very impressed with this entry level Denon receiver. You don't have to spend over 300 dollars to have a great receiver. My favorite feature about this receiver is its ability to identify the audio signal and change the audio mode automatically. Awesome feature! Whether you're watching a movie, cable tv, or listening to music, this Denon will automatically switch from Dolby D to PLIIX C to whichever setting is best. This means you always get the best sound distribution and the right sound to the right speaker at the right moment. Always.

This item is a factory refurbished unit. I opened the box, set it up and it's worked perfectly every since. The "cons" to this unit are: 1. the physical size is larger than I expected. It takes up a lot of realestate on the shelf. 2: The 'power' to the speakers is lacking. Even though the rated wattage is good the performance is short of expectations. 3: There are no individual adjustments for bass or treble. You have to use the preset options of which aren't impressive. The "pros" is relatively simple. It's an inexpensive home theater receiver that works well and is worth the price. If you are looking for a wall thumper, this isn't it. Basically you get what you pay for.

I purchased this Denon AVR-1312 5.1 because it seemed like a great value for the price paid. It's been 45 days since purchased and the sound skips and at times is completely gone and I have to turn it off and back on to get it to work for a while. I say for a while because eventually while watching a movie, the sound goes intermittent. I intend to call customer service soon and will later comment on my experience. For now I give it one star. It's been a lot longer now and I had to edit this review to add that this piece of equipment did nothing for me. Not only lost audio but also video and ended up taking it for service. Took it to a service repair shop a second time and it got more problems than it did originally. Word from the shop was that perhaps this Denon receiver is not compatible with my Panasonic 3D Wi-fi Blu-Ray player. I'll never buy this brand receiver again. Reconnected my blu-ray player to my old Panasonic all-in-one (dvd) home theater and it works! Not with the sound that I was hoping to get from the Denon but at least I can watch and listen to my movies which is a lot more than I can say for the AVR-1312. I threw my money away but is good thing it was inexpensive since I paid less than $150.00 brand new. Next time I pay more and get something worth paying for. Since I'm tired of taking it to the service dealer which is about an hour away, I guess I'll keep it and leave it laying around in case a need a radio for a party outdoors.

When the receiver works I like it but Starting about six months after getting the receiver I have had it go into protect mode (red flashing power button) about 50% of the time I try to start it up. I have tried a few different approaches to fix the problem but none have worked. It sounds like I have to take it to a repair shop now which may or may not be worth while. Just wanted to warn that the Denon receives seem to have reliability issues.

I love this receiver as a cheap home theatre/living room stereo unit. I have had issues with it giving me a red ring of death. But only when It's off and is turned back on. I then have to reset it and reconfigure my settings. I sent it back to the retailer and they tried to tell me nothing was wrong which is BS. But for what I paid, it's a small inconvenience to just keep it on at all times (months at a time) and it's caused zero problems when it's on. I just would have expected more from Denon in the realm of build quality. Partially my fault for only springing for the cheapo model. But make no mistake, when functioning, this receiver is an incredible value.

As you can see from the title, I am no expert in the field of high fidelity or in fact home cinema systems. Before choosing this product, I decided to read independent reviews all of which gave this product a glowing report and value for money. The first thing I noticed was that this was a well built product which certainly looked the part. The connections at the rear almost seem to overwhelm me and far exceeded my requirements. Not only does it sound good but it has simplified the external wiring between my television and other components. I don't know why I didn't look at such a product before now. It is aesthetically pleasing sitting just below the television and looks more expensive than it actually is. If you don't have cash to burn and looking for a good home cinema entertainment system that looks and sounds the part then I personally would not discourage you from considering this one.