Ibegan with a bird's-eye view of the product at hand. This is a good idea foranyone integrating a new AV receiver (really the 'brains'of any system) into your home theater, Here is a brief feature comparison (focusingon things we thought would be of particular interest to some):

With no fewer than eight HDMI inputs (including one conveniently located on the front panel), along with dual HDMI outputs, the AVR-X2300W's advanced video section features the latest HDMI specifications, including 4K Ultra HD 60Hz video, 4:4:4 Pure Colour sub-sampling, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and 21:9 video, 3D, and BT.2020 pass-through support on every input. You can find the 'AVR 2310 Instructions' on In the Manual you will see that you can update the firmware via the RS-232C connector. Denon hasn't announced any upcoming feature updates, but it has reserved the ability to charge money to add additional functionality to the AVP and AVR flagship products by using this feature. Since its debut both the AVP-A1HDCI and AVR-5308CI have received two firmware updates.

AVR-5308CI	AVR-4308CI	AVR-3808CI
150wpc rating (x7)	140wpc rating (x7)	130wpc rating (x7)
THX Ultra-2 Certified	- -	- -
toroidal power transformer + 2 EI core transformers	toroidal powertransformer	EI coretransformer
Dolby Digital + Dolby TrueHD, dts HD MA	Dolby Digital + Dolby TrueHD, dts HD MA	Dolby Digital + Dolby TrueHD, dts HD MA
HD Radio/XM/USBx 2 (HDD-compatible)	HD Radio/XM/USB	XM/USB (flash only)
4 digital outs (incl Z2/Z4)	3 digital outs(incl. Zone 2)	2 digital outs
6 HDMI inputs (v1.3a)	4 HDMI inputs (v1.3a)	4 HDMI inputs (v1.3a)
2 HDMI outputs (dual-capable)	2 HDMI outputs (dual-capable)	1 HDMI output
6 component video inputs (incl. 1 BNC)	3 component videoinputs	3 component videoinputs
3 component videooutputs (1 BNC + 1 Zone 2)	3 component videooutputs (incl. Zone 2)	2 component videooutputs
time basecorrection (TBC)	time basecorrection (TBC)	time basecorrection (TBC)
analogue to HDMIupconversion (scaling up to 1080p)	analogue to HDMIupconversion (scaling up to 1080p)	analogue to HDMIupconversion (scaling up to 1080p)
video upscaling to 1080p HQV Realta	video upscaling to1080p Faroudja DCDi	video upscaling to1080p Faroudja DCDi
Denon Link III	Denon Link III	Denon Link III
Audyssey MultEQPro w/Dynamic EQ	Audyssey MultEQPro w/Dynamic EQ Dell n5110 drivers windows 10.	Audyssey MultEQPro w/Dynamic EQ
4 x Assignable 12V triggers (250mA)	2 x Assignable 12Vtriggers (150mA)	2 x Assignable 12Vtriggers (150mA)
Zone 2/3 preampout (Zone 4 digital output)	Zone 2/3 preampout (Zone 4 digital output)	Zone2/3 preampouts
62.7 lbs.	41.6 lbs.	39.2 lbs.
17.1” W x 8.5” H x19.25” D	17.1” W x 7.7” H x17.9” D	17.1” W x 6.75” Hx 16.5” D

The AVR-5308CI would handle all AV switcher duties, butit could also do much more. Since it had dual HDMI outputs I could eliminate anentire component - a NextGeneration Home Products 4x2 HDMI Matrix Switcher I had used to get signalsimultaneously to both my theater and living rooms. While excellent for areviewer, this also does wonders for SuperBowl parties. Looking further, we can see that the AVR-5308CIhas six (count 'em) HDMI inputs and six component (YPbPr) inputs. One of the componentinputs is BNC, as is one of its dual outputs. I chose to use three smallBNC-to-RCA adapters to convert these to something that would mate to myexisting arsenal of cables. The receiver has 7 amplifiers, each capable ofdriving 150W into 8-ohms. With seven channels, home theater virgins have a tonof options:

5.1 surround + powered Zone 2 OR Zone 3 (or Zones 2& 3 in mono)
5.1 surround + bi-amped mains
7.1 surround
7.1 surround OR 2-channel bi-amped
9.1 surround (for larger rooms via SR-A + SR-B inparallel)
3.1 + powered Zone 2 ANDZone 3

SinceDenon allows so many configurations, though surprisingly not some of the moreuseful ones I'd expect, we'd like to spend some time here to help usersunderstand the possibilities this receiver offers. If you were to simply throwthis into your rack withoutunderstanding the options you'll likely miss out on all that it can do - orpresume it can do something it cannot.

9.1 - Got a Big Room?

Startingwith the biggest rooms you'll note that you can, in fact, run a sort of 9.1surround system. Go to a movie theater and look around and you'll see that theSide Surround 'channels' are made up of an array of loudspeakers.This is great for long rooms (let's say over 25 feet) with multiple rows ofseats. Now let's see what other options you have in this 9.1 configuration.Without moving a single cable you can operate your system in either of thesemodes:

9.1(left), '7.1' + Powered Zone 2 or 3, '7.1' + Powered Zone 2AND 3 in mono

In the above example, Denon runs theSurround A and B speakers in parallel, so it gets it's a 9.1 designation eventhough the receiver only has 7 amplifiers. While the system does deliver anarray, it's not discretely amplifying those channels. This should be noted forthose looking to run 4-ohm surrounds, which would put a 2-ohm strain on the amplifiers(not recommended.)

Denon can also shift the system into a 3.1audio scenario in the main room when using powered Zone 2 and Zone 3simultaneously in stereo mode. This allows for a powered three zone system fortime that you simply want your whole house filled with sound during dinnerevents or parties.

Bi-amping Made Easy

Moving on, we see that Denon is payingattention to those who wish to use the Amp Assign-2 connections to bi-amp theFront speakers. The AVR-5308CI takesthe Surround Back channel amplifiersand re-routes them to biamp the mains. This leaves a 5.1 + array system withthe extra channels utilized up front.

Two-Channel Ecstasy

Two-channel fans will be pleased toknow that the AVR-5308CI has aspecial mode designed for use with those who have a separate, dedicated pair ofspeakers for Stereo listening. By enabling Direct/Stereo m

Denon Avr 2310 Firmware Update