Denon AVP-A1HD - Page 8

8
WWW.AUDIOHOLICS.COM
Video Test Results
Denon has really reached the pinnacle
of performance with the video processing
capabilities of this processor. I loved the
transparent OSD that overlays on the
picture via HDMI. I’ve been waiting for this
type of feature to come to market on pre/
pro’s and best of all without compromise
in picture quality. I ran a 480i signal out
of my DVD-5910CI to the AVP-A1HDCI
via HDMI and had the processor do the
scaling and upconverting. I was pleased to
note a perfect score (130) for HQV testing
and full resolution via Avia test patterns.
The AVP-A1HDCI was basically giving me
indistinguishable results whether it or my
DVD player did the processing and scaling.
This isn’t too surprising considering both
units have virtually identical video processing
capabilities.GivetheAVP-A1HDCIaquality
interlaced signal and it will reward you with
the very best picture quality the format is
capable of delivering.
A real bonus to me was applying Realta
processing to my Verizon FIOS service.
I helped smooth out motion artifacts
and extract the very best picture quality
possible. Even some of the non high def
channels looked deceivingly good. I was
really digging Star Trek Enterprise, and the
HD music channel in 1080p. Best of all I
didn’t need to switch calibration settings on
my projector since I dialed everything in on
the AVP-A1HDCI via the input I was using
for my FIOS service.
Audyssey Room
Correction Analysis
I’ve reported Audyssey test results in
countless reviews of A/V receivers that
featured it in the past but I thought it would
be prudent once again to illustrate how
well it does on a flagship product while also
covering Dynamic EQ.
Although I measured all seated positions
in my theater room, I thought it would
be best to focus on the money seat to
compare how well Audyssey built into the
AVP-A1HDCI faired against my stand alone
Audyssey MultEQ Pro processor which
sells for $2500. The calibration results are
a combination of my two main channeIs
playing simultaneously with all four of
my subwoofers. I was able to achieve
good post calibration results via the AVP-
A1HDCI (+-6dB from 12Hz to 200Hz)
but they weren’t quite as good as what I
achieved with my Audyssey standalone box
(nearly ruler flat sans the room suckout
around 85Hz) running a special editor
software Audyssey provided me so I could
go in an customize the results. This isn’t
surprising since the Audyssey standalone
processor has double the resolution
compared to its implementation in any A/V
receiver or processor. I am hopeful once
Denon releases the Audyssey Pro with
receiver editor software for this processor,
I can better dial in my calibration to nearly
duplicate my original results without having
to install another box between my pre/pro
and amplifier. I will report back on this once
the software becomes available.
With Dynamic EQ (DEQ) engaged, you
can see the bass boost below 70Hzof up
to+10dBwhenlisteningata70dBaverage
SPL. Once you start cranking the volume
up, DEQ proportionally lowers the boost
as you can see at the listening level of 80dB
where the bass boost was a mere +3dB
or so below 35Hz. If you look at the full
range measurement I took of my front
speakers, you will notice a modest boost
of the high frequencies above10kHz with
a slight recession in the 4-6kHz region.
Perhaps the slight recession I measured in
the midrange region partly explains why the
vocals seemed get pushed back a bit in my
“The AVP-A1HDCI exudes
benchmark performance in
every category”
GeneDellaSala
*Source component was the Denon DVD-5910 set to 480i via HDMI output
upscaled by the AVP-A1HDCI to 1080p and fed to the Epson 1080UB Projector.
Audioholics/HQV Bench Testing Summary of Test Results
Denon AVP-A1HDCI Benchmark Score: 130/130
(perfect score – it doesn’t get any better than this!)
Test
Max
Points
AVP-
A1HDCI
Pass/Fail
Color Bar 10 10 Pass
Jaggies#1 5 5 Pass
Jaggies#2 5 5 Pass
Flag 10 10 Pass
Detail 10 10 Pass
Noise 10 10 Pass
Motion adaptive Noise Reduction 10 10 Pass
Film Detail 10 10 Pass
Cadence 2:2 Video 5 5 Fail
Cadence 2:2:2:4 DV Cam 5 5 Fail
Cadence 2:3:3:2 DV Cam 5 5 Fail
Cadence 3:2:3:2:2 Vari-speed 5 5 Pass
Cadence 5:5 Animation 5 5 Pass
Cadence 6:4 Animation 5 5 Pass
Cadence8:7animation 5 5 Pass
Cadence 3:2 24fps film 5 5 Pass
Scrolling Horizontal 10 10 Pass
Scrolling Rolling 10 10 Pass
Total Points 130 130