Better To Receive

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday January 6, 2003

Greg Borrowman

The best way to save money when buying hi-fi and home theatre equipment is not by trading off one store's price against another, or by purchasing from a retailer who has one of those "if you see it for less we'll refund the difference" guarantees. No, the best way to save money is to work out exactly what performance and features you need and then buy a product that delivers exactly this and no more.

This advice holds true across all component categories. There's not much point in buying a projection TV if you live in a bedsit, for example, because you'll never be able to get far enough away from the screen to appreciate the image, and the noise from the cooling fan will drive you mad.

You should be especially careful when buying an audio/video receiver, because they have similar features and performance, yet range in price from $700 to $7000. For most consumers, a basic A/V receiver with Dolby Digital and Dolby ProLogic II surround circuits, an external multi-channel input to allow future upgrades and S-Video switching, so the receiver automatically switches the image on your TV screen along with the audio, will be all they need. The only proviso is that the receiver must have sufficient power to suit the speakers being used.

Denon's latest budget receiver, the AVR-1603, has the surround, the multi-channel input and the S-Video switching, so it will be up to you to decide whether the 70-watt per channel output is sufficient for your speakers. It boasts other interesting features that might be useful. For example, there's a front panel patch bay with inputs for audio and video signals that will be very handy if you own a video game console or a camera whose display can be viewed on a television, or if you regularly connect portable audio components to your system.

The remote control supplied with the AVR-1603 operates all Denon components as well as those made by other manufacturers. Programming the remote for other brands is just a matter of typing in a three-digit number from a supplied list. Denon has been sensible enough to equip the remote with brightly-coloured fluorescent buttons so it's easy to use in the dark, but some of the often-used buttons, such as those for changing TV channels, are neither bright nor fluorescent.

Installing the Denon is easy, thanks to an internal set-up routine that shows you how to calibrate the internal circuit to suit your loudspeakers and compensate for where they're positioned in your room. The subwoofer circuit is also good, offering a choice of three crossover frequencies (80, 100, 120Hz) as well as dual-mode operation. The ProLogic II circuitry is full-featured, with not just the usual Cinema and Music settings, but also Panorama, Dimension and Centre Width adjustments.

If 70 watts per channel will see you through, this new Denon is a great little receiver for the money, but could become even more of a bargain during the inevitable January sales.

Greg Borrowman is the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine.

Infofile

Denon AVR-1603 AV Surround Receiver

Price: $799

Audio Products Australia Pty Ltd

Unit 6, 67 O'Riordan Street, Alexandria, NSW 2015

1800 642 922

info@audioproducts.com.au

www.audioproducts.com.au