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TNTEGRATED NErwoRKAv REcEtvER AVR-3313

:+4 DENON AVR-3313 & DBT-33]3UD + Approx f,t,tOO/f,9OO

Denonrs deadlyduoDenon's DBT-33]3UD transport is designed to partner the brand's AVR-33.I3.with nature, Riehard Stevenson lets this new pairing [oose together

Never one to argue

THERE IS SOMETHING right about usinga BD player and AVR that have been designedtogether as an holistic partnership. One canexpect not onty matching cosmetics but asynergistic duo, tike Bonnie and Clyde or Sootyand Sweep. And not onty shoutd theirperformance exceed the sum of the parts,they won't look tike a car-crash into a RicherSounds shop-front on your kit rack, either.

Enter Denon's AVR-3313 and DBT-3313UD,sporting a fetching tine in premium sitver - amore sedate btack finish is atso avaitabte. Andthis is no regular AVR and Btu-ray ptayer combi.Not only are both festooned with Denon'sbespoke technotogies and high-performancecomponents, the DBT-3313UD is actualty adedicated universal disc transport rather thana standard BD deck. lt has no analogue or

digitat audio outputs - jusr F l'.' . lenon LinkHD and stereo audio for mui.l zc-:. n fact,Denon now eschews futly-et_ cc:o decodingplayers and only offers transc 3 -:s. This makesa [ot of sense as anyone b_, -: : igOO Btu-rayptayer is tikety to have the c::: I ^g hardwarein their AVR or processor -^.. .'.:..

White the AVR and :ra^s::-: :a.< video overa traditional HDMI co"^=:: :^ :-= aldio canw

HOME CINEMA CHOICE.JANUARY 2OI3

be routed via the tatest incarnation of DenonLink HD. Using the supptied phono-to-phonocabte, digitat audio is sent from disc to thedecoding processors in the AVR near jitter-free,promising even better sound than thatachievable over HDMI. Surprisingty, Denon LinkHD is not backwards-compatibte with any ofthe previous generations of Denon Link whichused CAT5 cabte. Atthough the new versionpromised to engage automatica[ly when thecabte is connected, thus negating the deep-menu shenanigans of previous tinks, that justdidn't happen - as you wi[[ read tater.

Supporting 3D Btu-ray, DVD, CD, SACDand DVD-A discs, the DBT-33]3UD oozes styteand a no-compromise buitd. From the solidfascia and uttra-steek SVH toading mechanismto the chunky gotd-ptated connectors onthe rear, it is a class act. There are two HDMIoutputs; one tabetted 'audio', the other as'video'. Both terminals output simuttaneousty,but Pure Direct mode sptits the sound andvision over the two.

Connected to your network, the DBT-33l3UD offers direct access to Netftix andYouTube, and its DLNA function can streammusic fites up to FLAC atlg2kHz/24-bit.

ConnectionsThe AVR-3313 has a more traditionat arrayof connections, atbeit not the terminaI excessof some of Denon's previous f,l,0O0 AVRs.Most interesting are the three HDMI outputs,including one for Zone 2, atthough onty two ofthese can be driven simultaneously. The newDenon Link HD socket takes top-tine bi[ingatong with four opticaI inputs. On the obvioustymissing list are any digitat opticat outputsor muttichanneI analogue inputs. Giventhe matching BD transport's eschewing ofanatogue outputs that woutd seem okay, butcoutd be timiting in the future if some othermuttichannel format emerges that the AVRcan't hand[e. Stitt, the architecture is futlyfirmware upgradeabte over its Ethernetconnection and there are plenty of toys to be

PRODUCT: Seven-channeI AV receiver anduniversal disc transport

POSITION: The DBT-3313UD is Denon's cunentftagship deck; the AVR-33'l3 is onty out-musctedby the AVR-4520

PEERS: Marantz UD7007/SR7007; OppoBDPJ05EU; 0nkyo TX-NR818; PioneerSC-1X56

going atong with. These inc[ude 4K scating,shoutd you be weatthy enough to own a 4Kdisplay of some sort (and don't trust its own4K chippery...) three-zone output, a whoppingctaimed 165W-per-channeI output (to sevenchannels) and a new GUI with wizard-stytesetup assistant. lt's futty networked, of course,DLNA-certified and continues to offer Airptayaudio streaming for Appte fans. And it now hasSpotify, too, just to annoy Onkyo.

Both units come with Denon's latest remotecontrot, which has gone a tittte retro and

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AvR 3313

Ge new AVR-3313 hides additional USBand HDMI inputs behind a pull-down flap

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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 mumcoutdn't get confused by. Thankfutty these

can be skipped through very quickly untiIyouget to the Audyssey MuttEQ XT setup. This

incarnation now forces you to measure at least

three seating positions in the room, extendingthe setup time to about l0 minutes.

Denon's new GUls are quite different fromeach other. The AVR is more traditionat, witheach menu tayer disptayed on the whole

'l was quickly revet[ingin the Denon duo'space and sheerpassion for deliveringhigh-octane thritls'

screen. Ctick a function in this menu and thescreen changes complete[y to the optionsof 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 atonce. Less confusing, but it leaves little roomfor function descriptions. You get a numberof truncated feature names such 'Dynamic

Range C...J and, my favourite,'Parental Con..]

My usua[ setup routine involves waiting forthe Audyssey EQ to finish, before going intothe 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 fromfunctioning. You must have HDMI controlswitched on, in both machines, to enable thecompletely separate Denon Link HD cable towork. Go figure. White lam fiting stuff in theniggle drawer, I could not get the AVR remotecontrol to operate the BD ptayer. This maybe rectified in firmware before you read this,

but worth checking.

Paceand passionWith setup done lwas quickty revetling in

the Denon duo's pace and sheer passion fordetivering high-octane thritts. The performance

of this t2,000 ensemble is lnspired.

Audio over Denon Link HD is absolutetysuperb, dropping the noise floor wetL into thebasement and giving the sound spectaculardynamic range. The Audyssey EQ system does

its job welt (atthough there is no facitity toswitch it on or off from the remote withoutdiving into the menus), but even withoutthe EQ the sound is fast and frisky withexceptionaI top-end detail'ing and tighttycontrolled bass. The AVR-33xx models were

HOME CINEMA CHOICE JANUARY 2O']3

always some of Denon's more refined andpoised-sounding receivers and this pairing

takes that refinement to the next level.

A wet Sunday afternoon demandedsomething betty-achingty funny and Hot Fuzz

on DVD came quickly to hand. The receiver's

upscaling proved top-drawer stuff, makingthe 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 withadmirable atmosphere and great attention totittte sonic detaits. Then, as the bu[[ets start tofty, the AVR goes up a gear in Pace Yet

continues to extract every bit of sonic

information from the disc. The buttets hittingptant pots are portrayed as discrete events; theshot, 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

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CoNNpctroNsAGEr coNNECTEDWith no buitt-in Wi-Fi onboard, use theDBT-3313UD's Ethernet jack to get online.Direct access to Netf lix and YouTube isoffered, as we[[ as DLNA f ile streaming

BLovr rHE LINKBuyers of both this player and the AVRare advised to connect via Denon Link HD,which offers an improved sound performancethan over HDMI

CTrrnnn's coMPANYThe AVR-3313 provides a trio of HDN,4l outputsatongside its seven HDM inputs (onefront-mounted), atthough only two can beused simultaneousty

D CHooss YouR FLAVoURAtthough on[y a seven-channeI AVR, theDenon offers speaker outputs for both FrontHeight and Front Wide, so you canexperiment with different arrangementsif you're getting bored of tradiiionat 7.]

and movie dynamics. I could use exactty thesame sentence here, albeit stepped up severalnotches into today's HD and high-resotutionworld. This new pairing makes Gladiafor onB[u-ray sound fresh and aIive, with sparktingspeciaI effects and realisticaIty metattic-sounding sword clashes. The grunts, groansand btood are more vivid and defined thanever and the way these machines eke outmicroscopic sonic detai[s is second to none.lf anything I found mysetf wanting just a titttemore guts and gusto, a smidgeon more bassexcess and maybe the occasionaI outrageousLFE to throw me off the sofa. The sonicpresentation is potished to a royat standardand rich with detait but, some nights, ljustwant a bit of rough.

This detaited and articutate presentationis absolutety perfect for SACD ptayback,doubty-so given the typicat SACD fare ofctassical and diddty-diddty music. yet theDenon excels with remastered rock ctassics,too. Pink Ftoyd's Wish You Were Here shines

tike, we[t, a crazy diamond, coming across withtangib[e high-fidetity pedigree. As they mightsay over on one of our sister hi-fi magazines,the top-end has admirable extension andartjcutation without succumbing to fatiguingsibilance of brightness. The batance is a bit onthe cool side of neutrat at the bottom-end but,in a comptetety non-hi-fi way, I found giving thesubwoofer a coupte of extra dB on the tevetsetting made the system rock.

I woutd suggest this is Denon's most refinedAVR,/ptayer duo to date and that certainlyshows through in the HD picture performance,too. The smooth yet fairly stow disc-toadingmechanism ctoses to reveal a picture ofoutstanding c[arity, sharpness and detait.Difficutt fu[[-picture diagonaI pans are handtedeasily, equat in performance to any ptayersporting the current crop of Qdeo processors.The DBT-3313UD may tack a few featurescompared to the competition, but it's ahigh-end performer - and don't forget aboutDenon Link HD... I

REVIEWS

AVR-33t3yes

YesNo

No - strangely

yes. Three-zone ir.trdiTrX 116;#3 x composite: 4 x digitat audio (2 x

optical and2xcoaxial)7-in,2-out (of 3 output sockets), vl,4

Yes - 4K2-in, l-out

435(w) x 382(d) 168(h)mm

Spotif y inregration; nnl2jfiHDMI outputs; Denon Link HDlstandby HDMI

passthrough; Appte 0S and Android lontrotapps; Audyssey MultEQ XT RoomEQ; DLNA

media ptayback; Ethernet: USBaAirptay

DBT-33I3UDYesyes

No. Region B Blu-ray/R2 DVD2 x v1.4 outputs

No

t'ro - apart trom oe#8Link HD

yes

NoYes - both

No- transport onty

yes

434(w) x 108(h) x 295(d)mm

Netftix and youTube integra6ilJnlpfflA 1!1eqm!ng; USB fite ptavback; MP3, wMA,AAC, WAV, FLAC, JPEG, MPEGI, -2, -4, WMV andDivX support; fanless construction; fast-toading

SVH mechanism; Pure Direct mode; 0.3Wstandby power consumption

Denon AVR-3313/DBT-33I3UD+ fl,.l00/[900 Approx -.r www.denon.co.uk

+ Tet: 02890 279830HIGHS: 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 * *' .*:l*]i)nrsian 7k- f, ;f ll

Feratures fr'fikllfivs'"r'IiE-q--il-f

JANUARY 2O']3 HOME CINEMA CHOICE