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Entered CNET Catalog: 08/27/2005
SKU: 0081757506557
Manufacturer: Denon
Manufacturer description
The AVR-1906 is equipped with an Auto Setup function, to achieve the most ideal sound field for your room. With the microphone placed at your listening position, the powerful 32bit floating point DSP automatically and accurately analyzes, adjusts and sets the speaker configurations of your system. The chassis that supports the large transformer has been designed to absorb vibration, and the transformer is housed inside a highly rigid frame to secure it more solidly to the chassis. In addition, a cushioning material has been placed around the core of the transformer to minimize interference on the signal and enable more faithful reproduction of the original sound. The AVR-1906 inherits these low-noise design from higher-end models not to mention the use of short ring. DENON's Twin Drive Rectifier design uses two rectifying diodes in parallel to bring out the maximum potential of the large transformer. Since the rectifiers recharge the large block capacitors at low impedance, they are able to supply ample current to reproduce deep basses as well as sudden bursts of sound from percussion or other musical instruments. DENON uses a large heatsink made of extruded aluminum. It is placed in a design that ensures mostly uniform temperatures throughout the heatsink. This will ensures that all channels respond with equal performance to the demands of the audio signals. For optimum Dolby Digital and dts reproduction, the AVR-1906 features high quality, wideband audio amplification, providing 85 watts power output for each of the seven main channels. A large capacity power supply includes a high current power transformer along with discrete power output devices on all 7 amplifier channels for highest dynamic range and superb reproduction clarity. The power amp circuits of the AVR-1906 have been meticulously designed to reproduce the exceptionally high sound quality with wide frequency response from 10 Hz to 100 kHz. The AVR-1906 is equipped with a total of 7 power amps including 2 for the Surround Back channel speaker to give you more clearly defined sound localization at the rear for 6.1-channel surround sources such as DTS-ES Discrete 6.1, DTS-ES Matrix 6.1, Dolby Digital EX, and DTS-ES NEO: 6. Amplifiers initially reserved for Surround back (L/R) channels can be assigned to biwire Front (L/R) channels to improve playback quality in the front for enhanced listening enjoyment. Or the amplifiers can be assigned to Zone 2 speakers (with multisource), in addition to PREOUT for Zone 2. The sound from movie sources recorded in Dolby Digital, DTS or other formats emphasizes high-frequency range due to a theater's front speakers being placed behind the movie screen. If this sound is reproduced in the home theater without correction, the high-frequency range is too strong. The AVR-1906 features a Cinema Equalizer to correct these high-frequency components so that the sound is clearer and easier to listen to. (For Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Digital EX and DTS surround modes) The AVR-1906 includes the Personal Memory Plus function that automatically remembers the surround mode you last used for each program source, so that you do not need to select the mode again for that program.CNET editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 02/07/2006
Editors' note: Denon Electronics will not honor the warranty on Denon components purchased from unauthorized dealers or if the original factory serial number has been removed, defaced, or replaced. If in doubt about a particular online or brick-and-mortar retailer, call Denon at 973/396-0810. Denon's handsome styling has worn well over the years, and there's no doubt the AVR-1906 exudes solid build quality. The same can be said of the system's large remote, which offers a well-conceived button layout that makes you forgive the fact that there's no backlight. Our only real complaint is that the gold labeling on the receiver's front panel is tiny and hard to read in dimly lit home theaters.
Everything about the receiver worked as expected, including navigating the manual setup's onscreen menus, but the Denon AVR-1906's autosetup system will be the preferred mode for home-theater novices. True, the autosetup doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of higher-end Denon receivers (such as the auto-equalization found on the AVR-3806), but it's a lot easier to use. Just plug in the supplied measuring microphone, bring up the onscreen setup menus, and away you go. After a few minutes of passing tones and beeps, the AVR-1906 will determine the sizes of your speakers, set the listener-to-speaker distances, and level match the volume of all the speakers and the subwoofer. We found the autosetup to be almost as accurate as what we achieved in our manual setup, though no autosetup system has beaten us yet.
As far as dimensions go, the Denon AVR-1906 is of average size: it's 17.25 inches wide, 5.75 high, and 16.25 deep. The receiver weighs nearly 26 pounds, which is on the heavy side for a midrange receiver and indicates that Denon isn't cutting design and build-quality corners. The Denon AVR-1906 is an 85-watt-per-channel receiver and comes with the standard assortment of Dolby and DTS 7.1-channel surround processing modes. There are only three rear-panel A/V inputs, which many will likely find to be too confining--once you've connected, say, a cable box, a DVD recorder, and a video game system, you'll be full up. On the bright side, each of the three inputs can accept S-Video, composite-, or component-video sources, and the receiver can convert any of those inputs to component output, which means you'll need just one set of component cables running to your TV or projector. That's particularly useful if your TV has two or fewer component inputs. (Anyone needing HDMI connectivity will need to step up the price scale a bit to more full-featured receivers.) An additional set of composite-only A/V inputs are available on the front panel for temporary camcorder hookups.
On the audio side, the hookup suite includes 7.1-channel pre-out jacks that can be connected to external power amplifiers, three stereo sources, and SACD/DVD-Audio players. We counted four digital-audio inputs (two optical, two coaxial) and one digital optical output.
A/B speaker switching is just the beginning of the Denon AVR-1906's output options. The receiver's optional biamp configuration will be appreciated by owners of compatible speakers--ones with separate connectors for their woofers and tweeters. In some cases, those speakers will sound substantially better biamped. The AVR-1906 is a 7-channel receiver, but if you take advantage of the biamp capabilities or assign the surround back channels to Zone 2, the unit will operate like a 5.1-channel model. That said, it is worth mentioning that according to the fine print in the owner's manual, you can alternatively hook up a stereo amp to the AVR-1906's Zone 2 outputs to regain 7.1 capability. Another potentially useful feature is lip-sync delay, which can be helpful for owners of whose TVs' image lags behind the AVR-1906's audio.
All in all, the Denon AVR-1906 is a remarkably flexible design; the only obvious absences are HDMI video connectivity and built-in XM Satellite Radio compatibility. The Denon AVR-1906 didn't pull any punches when we played the Cinderella Man DVD. Yes, the boxing scenes were visceral and strong, but it was the naturalistic dramatic scenes where we came away impressed with the purity of sound. The outrageous displays of muscle-car horsepower on The Dukes of Hazzard DVD came through loud and clear. It's all stupid fun, but scrawny receivers and puny HTIBs won't come close to dishing out the DVD's bare-fisted brawling and ZZ Top's boogie-fueled music the way that the AVR-1906 can.
John Hiatt's Live from Austin concert DVD was thoroughly enjoyable. Hiatt's stage show is lot looser than his studio recordings are, but we did note that on this DVD as well as on some CDs the sound lacked warmth. Hiatt's voice was ever so slightly thinned out, and the AVR-1906 doesn't deliver much in the way of soundstage depth and wide-open spatiality that we've experienced with Denon's pricier siblings such as the AVR-3806.
As direct competitors go, in our listening tests we found that the Harman Kardon AVR 140 ($499) sounded fairly similar to the AVR-1906, though we ultimately give the nod to the Harman for its wider stereo separation and better depth. On the other hand, the Denon AVR-1906 offers superior features, so we can't declare the Harman the clear-cut winner.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 User Rating: 
8/10
Excellent DSP
Pros: It sounds really nice, Immersive
Cons: None experienced
Review: It might not be the top of the line but it gives the best performance/price ratio of any other AVR in its class. Movies sound really good. Its built in processors like DTS:Neo adds that extra kick and has the ability to create a 7.1 speaker setup.
User Rating: 
1/10
Don't buy Denon! Bad quality, horrible customer service!
Pros: None at all!
Cons: Bad quality, horrible customer service!
Review: I owned the AVR-1706 product for about six months and several problems have developed. First the receiver would just randomly change input settings. For example, many times I would be sitting on the couch watching TV and the receiver would go from the TV/DBS input to the radio without me touching the remote. This would happen about once a week and was very annoying. The other problem is that the audio in for the TV/DBS failed but the video still works which means I cannot listen to my Directv on the receiver if I have the video going through it.
Customer service? There is none. I called several times and after sitting on the phone for over 50min each time (try calling and see if I'm kidding 201-762-6665 Option 2) , I gave up. The only live person I was able to get in touch with was the operator, Christina, who was rude and told me I had no option but to sit and wait.
This is the first and last time I buy Denon. I'm going back to Harman Kardon where I have purchased several of their products with no problems.
Customer service? There is none. I called several times and after sitting on the phone for over 50min each time (try calling and see if I'm kidding 201-762-6665 Option 2) , I gave up. The only live person I was able to get in touch with was the operator, Christina, who was rude and told me I had no option but to sit and wait.
This is the first and last time I buy Denon. I'm going back to Harman Kardon where I have purchased several of their products with no problems.
User Rating: 8/10
Great Home Theater Amp
Pros: Power, Clean, easy mode selection, lip sinc, 2 year parts and labor warantee
Cons: With black bezel the fine white lables are hard to read
Review: I purchased this amp from Best Buy on a recent clearance sale, new in box from their Magnolia Home Video center. What a great amp. Very clean power and crispness. Very fine volume controls with fine inter steps so you can fine toon this with ease. Comes with a microphone and antennas which I did not know. Rear has two optical jacks for DVD and Cable audio inputs... nice. Slew of front jacks as well. The two year parts and labor warantee that Denon offers standard is perhaps the best in the price range. This is a great receiver and I am happy with it. If the bezel labels with illuminated, it would be perfect. However I am using the remote for contoling it now.
User Rating: 
9/10
Perfect for my small apartment
Pros: easy set-up; great sound; Denon quality
Cons: remote could be less complicated
Review: Purchased a couple of months ago, and so far so good. The set-up was very easy. After connecting my DVD player and XBOX, the auto-setup was very quick and easy to use. My previous receiver was an old 2.0 surround, so the upgrade to full surround was quite a treat. I'm no audio-phile, but I know what I like and I like this. I'm currently using a center speaker, two front speakers, and two surround speakers with a non-powered sub and have more than enough volume for my one-bedroom apartment. There are a large number of features that I'm not using yet, but plan to continue upgrading the rest of my system, so I'm glad there are more options available for me to use as my system grows. My only (minor) complaint is that the remote has SO MANY buttons. You'd think they could have hidden some of the lesser-used functions under a flip-cover, but so far, that's my only gripe. I'm very happy with my purchase (from Crutchfield who provided quick and safe packaging and delivery) and have no regrets whatsoever.
User Rating: 8/10
Great bang-for-buck receiver
Pros: Sound quality, auto-setup, build and finish, lots of inputs
Cons: No HDMI, no other bells and whistles
Review: I love this amp. It's very feature- and input-rich, it has great sound quality, and it powers my Mirage Nanosats and sub perfectly.
The lack of HDMI or DVI switching capability is annoying; thankfully, my Westinghouse flat panel has 2 DVI inputs, component, S-video, and VGA inputs, and makes up for the lack of video switching on the amp.
But video switching is not what a receiver is made for! When it comes to sound, this is a great amp. It sounds excellent even without an additional external amp. It has a plethora of inputs (the 3 optical and 1 co-ax digital inputs were exactly enough for me, and probably for most audiophiles for the time being). And the auto-setup onscreen menu is great, though it took some time to get used to.
Once it's set up, there's really not much else to do but sit back and enjoy the sound. From movies to music, there's not much this thing doesn't play well. It even has some line-noise damping / filtering circuitry that takes 60Hz hum out of my Dell laptop's cruddy audio card when I play mp3s through it! Total silence between tracks, and no noise during playback either. Kudos for that, Denon...
All in all, a great receiver. Definitely pleased with my purchase.
The lack of HDMI or DVI switching capability is annoying; thankfully, my Westinghouse flat panel has 2 DVI inputs, component, S-video, and VGA inputs, and makes up for the lack of video switching on the amp.
But video switching is not what a receiver is made for! When it comes to sound, this is a great amp. It sounds excellent even without an additional external amp. It has a plethora of inputs (the 3 optical and 1 co-ax digital inputs were exactly enough for me, and probably for most audiophiles for the time being). And the auto-setup onscreen menu is great, though it took some time to get used to.
Once it's set up, there's really not much else to do but sit back and enjoy the sound. From movies to music, there's not much this thing doesn't play well. It even has some line-noise damping / filtering circuitry that takes 60Hz hum out of my Dell laptop's cruddy audio card when I play mp3s through it! Total silence between tracks, and no noise during playback either. Kudos for that, Denon...
All in all, a great receiver. Definitely pleased with my purchase.
