Sound

The Crunch setting lacked a bit of power. You can tweak it real high and get decent metal tones, medium and you get that classic rock feel, and low and you get something good for blues.

The Clean is very good, and well, very clean. We can safely say that this amp’s clean channel is better than other 15-watt amps we’ve tested so far.

The amplifier has a bit of noise when your volume goes past 75% at the crunch setting. It might be a little too much for the amp to go past that level, but we know of other practice amps that are as quiet as a cat even on full.

Overall impression

It’s very well built and looks like a tank, and can be had for $179.99 retail. It has a headphone socket and a line on—probably the only other non-standard additions we saw on it. It has global controls for crunch and clean, which is quite alright for its application. It has reverb which makes it different from other 15-watt practice amps.

The sound is quite decent especially with the clean channel. It brought a little of that Laney clean sound, which can be used as a canvass for your distorted/lead if you have effects. The crunch channel, as stated above, was a bit weak, but if you devote some time to tweak the equalizer, you’ll get something there to suit just about any music genre.

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The Denon AVR-5308CI(A) is one of Denon’s top A/V receivers. Listed at $5,500.00, the 5308 does not come cheap. It has received numerous awards including an Audioholics CE Award and the Home Theater RAVE Award.

The receiver is packed with all the features current technology has to offer—THX Ultra2 certification, Denon’s legendary D.D.S.C.-HD surround sound decoding, no less than 3 high speed DSP processors with precision Burr-Brown DACs in differential mode on all output channels, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding via the latest HDMI v1.3a specification, Realta HQV video processor, all the way up to 1080p, digital media connectivity such as network audio and photo streaming, Ethernet, built-in Wi-Fi, built-in HD radio and XM satellite-ready capability.

The latest “A” version now also includes Audyssey Dynamic Volume, and is also Sirius Radio Ready. Name it, this baby’s got it. Did we mention that it weighs a staggering 75 pounds and is built like a tank?

For its complete specifications and details, check out Denon’s AVR-5308CI(A) product page.

To not bore the reader…

We will go out on a limb here say that if you have $4,000 – $5,000 to spend on an A/V receiver, look no further. Currently, Denon has a higher product—the AVP-A1HDCI(A), but it already starts at $7,500.00.

With its built-in Silicon Optix HQV Realta processor, you can look at it as a $3,500 receiver with a $2,000 video processor. It’s nearly identical to the AVP-A1HDCI(A) in terms of features that you wonder if the additional $2,000 for the separates processor is worth it. We say definitely not. Ultimately, you can read AVP-A1HDCI(A) reviews and decide for yourself.

The AVR-5308CI is a powerhouse receiver that delivers the goods whether they come from DVD, Blu-ray, SACD, USB, PC, HD Radio, XM or the Internet. That’s a lot of media formats. THX Ultra2 processing and certification means that this product was also put through the test by THX folks.

We have found this to be the most enjoyable receiver we’ve ever had in our Audio/Video collection and one that our editor will likely purchase for his reference system. The Denon AVR-5308CI(A), if all-in-one is your cup of tea, this is your milk and honey.

Denon AVP-A1HDCI(A) front

Denon AVP-A1HDCI(A) back

Denon AVP-A1HDCI(A) inside

Denon RC-1067 & RC-1070

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