AVR-5308CI Installation and Setup Menu

Enough with the paperwork - it was time to install and execute the plan. This entailed making the physical connections and also getting into the GUI setup system to correctly configure the Denon to behave as it should given my room and the particular requirements I had for the system.

I hefted the behemoth into my rack and made all of the necessary connections, including power, HDMI, component video, Ethernet and attaching my IR emitter to the face of the receiver. Those without an Ethernet connection can opt for the integrated wireless networking with the included antenna which attaches to the back. Whenever possible, however, use a hard line for best performance and more reliable software updates. I used the charts above to set all of my inputs as needed, but quickly became overwhelmed with the flexibility of the system and everything that needed to be configured. It's really up to you as to the order with which you'll take in setting up the receiver. I chose to continue with my routing - getting all of my inputs and sources configured properly before moving on to the speaker setup. To break it down, here is my order of installation:

• Configure inputs
• Set speaker levels, distance/delay, crossover(s)
• Tweak video settings
• Enjoy!

Configuring the Inputs

You can easily flip several of these steps, but this is a good outline of how we'll proceed. To set each input, select the input in the GUI. You can then assign HDMI, digital audio, component video and even the iPod dock to that input. You can then decide whether you want that input to be upconverted and scaled. If Video Convert is set to "Off" then you cannot send analogue video sources to the HDMI output - and all options are blank (hidden). In general you'll want to upconvert standard definition to the native resolution of your display. In our case that was 1080p to match our reference Marantz VP-15S1 DLP video projector. Once your video settings are configured you may need to go and assign audio for any non-HDMI sources. The Assign menu also takes care of this and allows you to choose which coaxial or optical (TOSlink) digital input you are using for the input.

When audio and video are configured completely, don't forget that you can set the levels for both analogue and digital audio per input. This is great since you can ensure that all inputs have the same volume regardless of where they originate.

Loudspeakers and Subwoofers

I was now ready to set up the receiver for my speakers and configure the sound for everything it needed to work perfectly in my listening room. Like all AV receivers, the AVR-5308CI allows you to set the size, distance and levels of each speaker. The notable elements that call attention to the quality and advances of this product come into play in several key areas:

• 0.1 foot distance settings
• Independent speaker crossover settings
• Extensive subwoofer configurations

We set distances first, followed by speakers size and the crossover. At that point we were able to begin the test tone process, which we set to Manual in order to be able to get to exactly which speakers we needed. Be sure to turn Off any speakers you aren't using so that the test tone doesn't attempt to get sound out of an inactive channel.

Expanding on the last of these configurable niceties, the 3-subwoofer outputs have near-unlimited configurability:

• 1SP (single sub with LFE and bass managed frequencies)
• 2SP L/R (stereo subs + LFE to both)
• 2SP MIX (dual subs with identical LFE + bass managed frequencies)
• 3SP L/R/LFE (stereo subs + LFE only) [this is nice for a bass shaker but you will also need a dedicated subwoofer connected here as LFE will not go to the other 2 subs in your system)
• 3SP MIX (three subs with identical LFE + bass managed frequencies). This is the setting we recommend for 99% of installs using 3 or more subwoofers.

Each subwoofer configuration can use LFE-THX (LFE plus bass managed signal from speakers set to Small) or LFE+MAIN (LFE and all low range signals from all channels). The former is the standard method we recommend for most users, however some with larger or full range speakers may find some success with the latter as it provides another source for bass material which may alter the room response for low frequencies. My preferred setting was the 2SP MIX setting configured to LFE-THX. The crossover frequency we left at Fixed-THX (80Hz), though the AVR-5308CI allows users to configure a different crossover for each channel type (Front, Center, Surround A, Surround B, and Surround Back) plus a separate setting for the LFE channel. Keep in mind that Denon allows separate bass management settings for 2-channel direct mode, so be sure to set that up as well so you get the desired results.

It didn't take long before the entire system was humming along smoothly and with plenty of bass to rumble my chair during intense movie or music passages. While we utilized Audyssey's MultEQ XT system for our room and listening tests, we've covered the system in such extensive detail that it doesn't require any additional explanation here. If you'd like more information on how Audyssey performs, feel free to check out our review of the similar AVP-A1HDCI processor.