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HIGH-PERFORMANCE SOUND & VISION
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AVR-3313
:+4 DENON AVR-3313
& DBT-33]3UD + Approx f,t,tOO/f,9OO
Denonrs deadlyduo
Denon's DBT-33]3UD transport is designed to partner the brand's AVR-33.I3. Never one to argue
with nature, Riehard Stevenson lets this new pairing [oose together
THERE IS SOMETHING right about using
a BD player and AVR that have been designed
together as an holistic partnership. One can
expect not onty matching cosmetics but a
synergistic duo, tike Bonnie and Clyde or Sooty
and Sweep. And not onty shoutd their
performance exceed the sum of the parts,
they won't look tike a car-crash into a Richer
Sounds shop-front on your kit rack, either.
HOME CINEMA CHOICE.JANUARY 2OI3
Enter Denon's AVR-3313 and DBT-3313UD,
sporting a fetching tine in premium sitver - a
more sedate btack finish is atso avaitabte. And
this is no regular AVR and Btu-ray ptayer combi.
Not only are both festooned with Denon's
bespoke technotogies and high-performance
components, the DBT-3313UD is actualty a
dedicated universal disc transport rather than
a standard BD deck. lt has no analogue or
digitat audio outputs - jusr F l'.' . lenon Link
HD and stereo audio for mui.l zc-:. n fact,
Denon now eschews futly-et_ cc:o decoding
players and only offers transc 3 -:s. This makes
a [ot of sense as anyone b_, -: : igOO Btu-ray
ptayer is tikety to have the c::: I ^g hardware
in their AVR or processor -^.. .'.:..
White the AVR and :ra^s::-: :a.< video over
a
traditional HDMI co"^=::
:^
w
:-= aldio can
be routed via the tatest incarnation of Denon
Link HD. Using the supptied phono-to-phono
cabte, digitat audio is sent from disc to the
decoding processors in the AVR near jitter-free,
promising even better sound than that
achievable over HDMI. Surprisingty, Denon Link
HD is not backwards-compatibte with any of
the previous generations of Denon Link which
used CAT5 cabte. Atthough the new version
promised to engage automatica[ly when the
cabte is connected, thus negating the deepmenu shenanigans of previous tinks, that just
didn't happen - as you wi[[ read tater.
Supporting 3D Btu-ray, DVD, CD, SACD
and DVD-A discs, the DBT-33]3UD oozes styte
and a no-compromise buitd. From the solid
fascia and uttra-steek SVH toading mechanism
to the chunky gotd-ptated connectors on
the rear, it is a class act. There are two HDMI
outputs; one tabetted 'audio', the other as
'video'. Both terminals output simuttaneousty,
but Pure Direct mode sptits the sound and
vision over the two.
Connected to your network, the DBT33l3UD offers direct access to Netftix and
YouTube, and its DLNA function can stream
music fites up to FLAC atlg2kHz/24-bit.
Connections
The AVR-3313 has a more traditionat array
of connections, atbeit not the terminaI excess
of some of Denon's previous f,l,0O0 AVRs.
Most interesting are the three HDMI outputs,
including one for Zone 2, atthough onty two of
these can be driven simultaneously. The new
Denon Link HD socket takes top-tine bi[ing
atong with four opticaI inputs. On the obviousty
missing list are any digitat opticat outputs
or muttichanneI analogue inputs. Given
the matching BD transport's eschewing of
anatogue outputs that woutd seem okay, but
coutd be timiting in the future if some other
muttichannel format emerges that the AVR
can't hand[e. Stitt, the architecture is futly
firmware upgradeabte over its Ethernet
connection and there are plenty of toys to be
PRODUCT: Seven-channeI AV receiver and
universal disc transport
POSITION: The DBT-3313UD is Denon's cunent
ftagship deck; the AVR-33'l3 is onty out-muscted
by the AVR-4520
PEERS: Marantz UD7007/SR7007; Oppo
BDPJ05EU; 0nkyo TX-NR818; PioneerSC-1X56
going atong with. These inc[ude 4K scating,
shoutd you be weatthy enough to own a 4K
display of some sort (and don't trust its own
4K chippery...) three-zone output, a whopping
ctaimed 165W-per-channeI output (to seven
channels) and a new GUI with wizard-styte
setup assistant. lt's futty networked, of course,
DLNA-certified and continues to offer Airptay
audio streaming for Appte fans. And it now has
Spotify, too, just to annoy Onkyo.
Both units come with Denon's latest remote
controt, which has gone a tittte retro and
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AvR 3313
Ge new AVR-3313
hides additional USB
and HDMI inputs behind a pull-down flap
JANUARY 2OI3 HOME CINEMA CHOICE
46 REVIEWS
otd-school; 'btack with buttons'and no
backtight. This, we assume, is because Denon
expects users to leverage the funky Denon
Remote App on their iOS or Android device.
Power up the receiver and you're guided
through basic connections and setup with an
assumed AV knowtedge-[eveI that your mum
coutdn't get confused by. Thankfutty these
can be skipped through very quickly untiIyou
get to the Audyssey MuttEQ XT setup. This
incarnation now forces you to measure at least
three seating positions in the room, extending
the setup time to about l0 minutes.
Denon's new GUls are quite different from
each other. The AVR is more traditionat, with
each menu tayer disptayed on the whole
@E
'l was quickly revet[ing
in the Denon duo's
pace and sheer
passion for delivering
high-octane thritls'
screen. Ctick a function in this menu and the
screen changes complete[y to the options
of that function. lt is clear, but easy to get tost.
Conversely, the DBT uses a three-column grid
so you can see three layers of the menu at
once. Less confusing, but it leaves little room
for function descriptions. You get a number
of truncated feature names such 'Dynamic
Range C...J and, my favourite,'Parental Con..]
My usua[ setup routine involves waiting for
the Audyssey EQ to finish, before going into
the menus and switching off a[[ the extraneous
features than may affect performance,
inctuding disabting atl HDMI CEC contro[s.
This, it transpired, stops Denon Link HD from
functioning. You must have HDMI control
switched on, in both machines, to enable the
completely separate Denon Link HD cable to
work. Go figure. White lam fiting stuff in the
niggle drawer, I could not get the AVR remote
control to operate the BD ptayer. This may
be rectified in firmware before you read this,
but worth checking.
Paceand passion
With setup done lwas quickty revetling
in
the Denon duo's pace and sheer passion for
detivering high-octane thritts. The performance
of this t2,000 ensemble is lnspired.
Audio over Denon Link HD is absolutety
superb, dropping the noise floor wetL into the
basement and giving the sound spectacular
dynamic range. The Audyssey EQ system does
its job welt (atthough there is no facitity to
switch it on or off from the remote without
diving into the menus), but even without
the EQ the sound is fast and frisky with
exceptionaI top-end detail'ing and tightty
controlled bass. The AVR-33xx models were
HOME CINEMA CHOICE JANUARY 2O']3
always some of Denon's more refined and
poised-sounding receivers and this pairing
takes that refinement to the next level.
A wet Sunday afternoon demanded
something betty-achingty funny and Hot Fuzz
on DVD came quickly to hand. The receiver's
upscaling proved top-drawer stuff, making
the SD resolution look pteasingty close to a
futty-ftedged BD l0B0p retease; sharp, detaited
and with smooth motion processing.
As Simon Pegg rides into town on the horse,
the Denon duo buitds the scene with
admirable atmosphere and great attention to
tittte sonic detaits. Then, as the bu[[ets start to
fty, the AVR goes up a gear in Pace Yet
continues to extract every bit of sonic
information from the disc. The buttets hitting
ptant pots are portrayed as discrete events; the
shot, the impact, the exploding pot and att the
bits of earthenware hitting the cobbted streets.
Back in 2000 I reviewed the AVR-3300 with
the hot fitm of the day, Gladiator, describing
the sound as a revelation in natural dialogue
CoNNpctroNs
AGEr coNNECTED
With no buitt-in Wi-Fi onboard, use the
DBT-3313UD's Ethernet jack to get online.
Direct access to Netf lix and YouTube is
offered, as we[[ as DLNA f ile streaming
BLovr rHE LINK
Buyers of both this player and the AVR
are advised to connect via Denon Link HD,
which offers an improved sound performance
than over HDMI
CTrrnnn's coMPANY
The AVR-3313 provides a trio of HDN,4l outputs
atongside its seven HDM inputs (one
front-mounted), atthough only two can be
used simultaneousty
D CHooss YouR FLAVoUR
Atthough on[y a seven-channeI AVR, the
Denon offers speaker outputs for both Front
Height and Front Wide, so you can
experiment with different arrangements
if you're getting bored of tradiiionat 7.]
REVIEWS
AVR-33t3
yes
Yes
No
No
-
strangely
yes. Three-zone ir.trdiTrX
116;#
digitat audio (2 x
3 x composite: 4 x
optical and2xcoaxial)
3 output sockets), vl,4
7-in,2-out (of
Yes
2-in,
-
4K
l-out
435(w) x 382(d) 168(h)mm
Spotif y inregration; nnl2jfi
HDMI outputs; Denon Link HDlstandby HDMI
passthrough; Appte 0S and Android lontrot
apps; Audyssey MultEQ XT RoomEQ; DLNA
media ptayback; Ethernet: USBaAirptay
DBT-33I3UD
Yes
yes
No. Region B Blu-ray/R2 DVD
2 x v1.4 outputs
No
-
t'ro
apart trom
oe#8
Link HD
yes
No
Yes
-
both
No
434(w)
pfflA
x
transport onty
yes
108(h) x 295(d)mm
Netftix and youTube integra6ilJnl
1!1eqm!ng; USB fite ptavback; MP3, wMA,
AAC, WAV, FLAC, JPEG, MPEGI, -2, -4, WMV and
DivX support; fanless construction; fast-toading
SVH mechanism; Pure Direct mode; 0.3W
standby power consumption
and movie dynamics. I could use exactty the
same sentence here, albeit stepped up several
notches into today's HD and high-resotution
world. This new pairing makes Gladiafor on
B[u-ray sound fresh and aIive, with sparkting
speciaI effects and realisticaIty metatticsounding sword clashes. The grunts, groans
and btood are more vivid and defined than
ever and the way these machines eke out
microscopic sonic detai[s is second to none.
lf anything I found mysetf wanting just a tittte
more guts and gusto, a smidgeon more bass
excess and maybe the occasionaI outrageous
LFE to throw me off the sofa. The sonic
presentation is potished to a royat standard
and rich with detait but, some nights, ljust
want a bit of rough.
This detaited and articutate presentation
is absolutety perfect for SACD ptayback,
doubty-so given the typicat SACD fare of
ctassical and diddty-diddty music. yet the
Denon excels with remastered rock ctassics,
too. Pink Ftoyd's Wish You Were Here shines
tike, we[t, a crazy diamond, coming across
with
tangib[e high-fidetity pedigree. As they might
say over on one of our sister hi-fi magazines,
the top-end has admirable extension and
artjcutation without succumbing to fatiguing
sibilance of brightness. The batance is a bit on
the cool side of neutrat at the bottom-end but,
in a comptetety non-hi-fi way, I found giving the
subwoofer a coupte of extra dB on the tevet
setting made the system rock.
I woutd suggest this is Denon's most refined
AVR,/ptayer duo to date and that certainly
shows through in the HD picture performance,
too. The smooth yet fairly stow disc-toading
mechanism ctoses to reveal a picture of
outstanding c[arity, sharpness and detait.
Difficutt fu[[-picture diagonaI pans are handted
easily, equat in performance to any ptayer
sporting the current crop of Qdeo processors.
The DBT-3313UD may tack a few features
compared to the competition, but it's a
high-end performer - and don't forget about
Denon Link HD...
I
Denon AVR-3313/DBT-33I3UD
+ fl,.l00/[900 Approx -.r www.denon.co.uk
+ Tet: 02890 279830
HIGHS: Lush buitd quatity; crisp and refined
muttlchannel performance; superb Denon Link
HD sound; great Blu-ray performance
__
LOWS: No anatogue inputs on AVR: BD otaver
[acks some of the features of simltarlv-briied
rivals; GUls not best-of-breed
Perf'ormtanee
nrsian
Feratures
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JANUARY 2O']3 HOME CINEMA CHOICE