Don't think there are any 2312 owners on here but I know a few are looking to buy this so I thought it would be ideal to start an owners thread.
Purchased my receiver last weekend from Richer Sounds but only got round to taking it out the box 2 nights ago.
Receiver is currently connected to x5 Mission 70 speakers and a BK XLS200 DF sub. Floor is concrete and speakers are all in ideal positions with the exception of the rear surrounds which are a little higher up than i would have liked. Receiver connects to a Panasonic TX-P50ST30 which I also purchased this week - in a word, it's amazing!
Current sources feeding the receiver are a Sky HD box and a HTPC Ive built.
Just to give a little background in regards to what Ive come from, the setup in this room prior to this week was a Yamaha DSP-AX620 Amplifier, x5 Mission 70 speakers and a Yamaha YST-SW160 sub.
So what's the Denon like? Out of the box it's a pretty lush piece of kit - certainly when compared to the Onkyos. I'd say the Pioneers probably look the best but the Denon still has a sense of elegance about it.
Setup was straight forward as per every other receiver - connect all the speaker wires where they need to, a HDMI feed plus optical from Sky box to receiver (CBL/SAT), HDMI from HTPC to receiver (i chose GAME2 input - later renamed to PC), and then just the one HDMI feed from receiver (MONITOR OUT) to HDMI 2 on the rear of the Panasonic (note HDMI 2 is the ARC connector, not HDMI 1).
First things first - my setup is nowhere near setup properly yet as i didn't have sufficient tools (i.e. mic stand for calibration mic) so did the easy method of resting it on a stack of pillows. Yeh i know what you're thinking but it was approaching midnight on Friday and I just wanted a quick fix for demo purposes. So anyway, switched all the kit on, the receiver first runs through some basic questions - language, etc. Then proceeds to Audyssey setup wizard where it guides you through the process taking up to 8 readings around the listening position - I only took 3 for quickness and skipped the rest. The GUI by the way is very nice - nice soft colours, easy to read and understand, Denon logo in the background - certainly better than Onkyos.
Won't bore you with the details of the menus and settings you can make - it's all there in the downloadable manual if you really want to know everything - but I would just like to say that they are quite extensive and certainly there's a lot there to keep you faffing about for a bit if you're the type like me who like's that kind of stuff. Last year I bought an Onkyo TX-SR608 which i found quite limited/bland in terms of menus/settings - the Onkyo and Denon are worlds apart. I suspect the 609 is very similar to the 608.
Moving on, the Audyssey setup wizard did a pretty good job of setting the speakers up. The distance measurements were spot on, the Missions all set to small and filter out at 80Hz. The sound is also a lot more urm (how do i put this) musical perhaps. Ok Im comparing to a 7/8 year Yamaha receiver which was good back in its day. The speakers now sound like they have an improved top end- something I always felt they lacked before on the Yamaha - but in its defence it didn't allow for EQ of any speakers. So yeh, the Audyssey MultEQ XT on the Denon has done its job pretty well - at least to my satisfaction anyway. And all this from 3 poxy readings taken with the mic balanced on a stack of pillows. I also like that Audyssey MultEQ XT on the Denon allows you to delve in further and view a graphical chart of how it has EQ'd/curved each individual speaker. I must admit I am quite impressed. Also how the BK sub has integrated with the Missions very well. On this note though, I would also like to point out that I did manually increase the sub level (by about +3db) after Audyssey did its thing because I felt it needed a bit more bass - this is just how I like my listening. After a little more playing about I experimented with turning Audyssey off and the sound was just so flat! What else I also like is that you can manually tweak the EQ that Audyssey calculates from the calibration. There's an option to copy the curve, and then if you prefer, you can manually edit a 9-way frequency band EQ (yes 9-way!) of every single speaker. You can do all the speakers together, or fronts as a group and the rears as a separate group, or each speaker individually - there's certainly a lot you can play with here. So getting the sound how you want it shouldn't be a problem.
Don't really know where else to go with this review from here as Ive not had much time to play with the 2312 yet - but initial impressions are that I am a very proud owner. I have tested a few movie scenes (War of the Worlds is always a good one, Transformers too) and the amp certainly hits hard. There's plenty of muscle in reserve - it is good!
Oh and i love the fact the fact that you can access the 2312's setup menus via a web browser on your PC/laptop. The online GUI admittedly is quite boring but on the positive it's very simple - with drop-down lists and radio buttons. All the settings can be done from there if you don't want to do them on the Amp. I'm old-school (Im only 29 BTW) in the sense that I quite like this boring/simple approach - it's very easy to see what you're doing - and you can also see/hear the changes take place on the receiver's display and on the monitor in real time. The ability to save the whole configuration is a very nice addition too because it gives you the re-assurance of knowing that if you've made too many changes or mucked it up too much, or lets face it, you every have to reset the receiver, you can restore all the settings from the backup. It also notified me of an update last night too - this downloaded and installed fine without any hiccups - only took the best part of 15 minutes too like it stated on its display.
ARC works seamlessly with my Panasonic Plasma, when i switch the Plasma to TV (as opposed to HDMI feed from the Denon) say for example if I want to watch Freeview - the receiver automatically plays the TVs sound through the receiver. If i switch the receiver off, the TV automatically unmutes and resumes audio. Likewise, switching the TV off automatically switches the receiver off too.
Overall, I am very impressed by this piece of kit. Some of you who have been kindly helping me over these past couple of weeks know that I was considering the Onkyo 609 as too. From my experience with a 608 previously, i already knew what i was going to get with the Onkyos I wanted to try something different. When the 2312 came into the same price range as the 609, it caught my attention straight away. So i downloaded the user manual and had a read - my heart was set on the Denon. I couldn't find any online reviews of the 2312, and there isn't anything concrete on here too. I also went against the recommendation of Richer Sounds - who told me to go with the 609.
In the end, Im glad i stuck with what i wanted. Not a single regret at all. I know that if i got the Onkyo 609 - i always would have had it in the back of my mind that i should have gone with the Denon. I paid £400 for the Denon - quite a bargain I think.
For any of you guys who want to ask any questions from an owners point of view - feel free to ask. I am more than happy to help.
Are Denon receivers good quality?
Yes, Denon is as good as Marantz both brands are often considered to be of comparable quality in terms of their home theater electronics. Both brands are owned by the same parent company Mosimo. If you prioritize modern features and dynamic sound, Denon might be your choice.
What is the top line of Denon receiver?
Like my AVR-4308 and the venerable AVR-5805, Denon's new flagship 15.4-channel AVR-A1H is made in Japan — in the same Shirakawa Audio Works facility where the company builds the PMA-A110 110th Anniversary Integrated Amp that so impressed Gene in 2021.
What are the new 2023 Denon receivers?
The Denon AVR-S770H and AVR-S670H are new for 2023 and each include six HDMI inputs.
How do you reset a Denon AVR 2312?
Reset procedure: With the power off, press and hold the “PRESET CHANNEL 2” button, “PRESET CHANNEL 3” button, and “POWER” button simultaneously on the AVR for a few seconds until the display starts flashing at intervals of about 1 second. Back up your settings.