Denon AVR-1706 AV Receiver review
Denon has its fingers in many different home-entertainment pies, and as a result can sometimes forget to check the tick-list of products thoroughly. But despite missing out on some popular functions it still gets the thumbs up from us – after all for £200 you can forgive the for forgetting. What they have given though is a good, cheap home entertainment system that has seven channel AV receiver, auto tuning functions that fine tune your channels for optimum sound quality and you can pass all your video and satellite sounds through the 1706. Design |
| The AVR-1706 is a lovely looking machine. Not as big as its brother the AVR- 2106 in size, the 1706 measures 17.1 inches wide, 5.8 inches high and 16.4 inches deep which is just the right side of not too big. So as not to complicate things the designers have separated the front for knobs and the back for holes. All the functions are conveniently placed on the front of the machine. Starting at the left you’ll find the input selector, while to the right is a rather large volume knob. And sandwiched between the two is the display screen which has lots of small buttons for tuning, channel selecting and status buttons. Below this are a few Aux inputs, microphone socket, headphone hole and an on/off button that is surrounded by a rather fetching green ring. The back of the Denon is like Aladdin’s cave –jam packed with gems waiting to be used. There’s sockets to plug in your CD, DVD, TV, VHS inputs, speaker facilities for surround sound as well as five other pairs of speakers, room for a subwoofer and plenty of pre outs. The remote control that comes with it is a dark grey colour which has buttons well labeled for easy use. |
| Features |
| There’s so much to talk about in this machine we could use up the already diminishing internet space with just what this machine does. But to save your time and stop you from falling off your seat with boredom we’ll keep it short and sweet. There’s lots. The Denon AVR 1706 has a 32 bit floating processor as well as a DVD Video processor with a mode for Dolby Pro Logic IIx with cinema, music and game modes. The machine has a THX Surround EX Decoding facility. It allows for audio signal delay and an analog path. Whether you listen through speakers or headphones there’s virtual surround sound and up to seven multi-channel stereo with nine analog audio inputs including the tuner. There’s a variety of inputs and outputs including three composite video inputs, and two outputs, the same number of S-Video inputs and outputs, a mute button, discrete remote power source and subwoofer. |
| Performance |
| You have to bare in mind this one of the cheaper AV receivers on the market and it’s performance has to take this into consideration. There aren’t as many functions as the higher end receivers on the market but what you do get is pretty good and value for money. The receivers seven channel AV had a maximum of 110w output which might not sound like a lot but it’s more than powerful enough for a home entertainment device. And the fact you can add surround sounds and all those different devices makes it ideal for any home with lots of peripherals. There aren’t any digital optical inputs or digital audio output, and it having a pre-amp out socket would have been great, but its absence is overcome by the really beefy subwoofer. The front and surround channels have a good but didn’t work well when Aretha was pumping out her tunes at full blast. And finally the decoding Dolby and DTS soundtracks worked really well. |
| Overall Opinion |
| The Denon AVR-1706 isn’t the top of the range receiver. If we had to compare it with a car we’d say it was a Toyota – basic with very few trims but totally reliable. There aren’t as many functions as its bigger brother the AVR-2106 or the Panasonic SA-XR55 but it’s a couple of hundred pounds cheaper which means if you’re on a budget this might be the one for you. And there’s nothing wrong with it. Sound quality is good, there’s plenty of outputs and inputs, the decoder works for all Dolby digital and DTS soundtrack formats, the remote control is easy to use and you can link it up to many of your home devices. The quality of the component video feed was rich and vibrant and a joy to play with. |
|
Pros + Decoder for all Dolby Digital and DTS soundtrack formats + Good remote control + Lots of output and input sockets |
Cons - Doesn't have a pre-amp - Struggles on full volume |
|
Overall Rating 
|
By Babita Wakelin
19/7/2006 at 3:15:29pm
19/7/2006 at 3:15:29pm
Read Denon Reviews
