First Look: AV Receivers

Price: $1,999
Channels/Power: 7x130W
Decoding: DD, DD EX, ProLogic IIx, Dolby Headphone, DTS, DTS-ES Discrete/Matrix/Neo:6/DTS 24/96
Ins and Outs: Two coax and five toslink digital audio, one 7.1-channel analog audio, Denon LINK, two HDMI (spec 1.1), three component video, RS-232, one ethernet, two 12V triggers
Highlights: THX Select2, Audyssey MultEQ with auto setup and microphone, transcoding of incoming video to HDMI, XM Satellite Radio Ready, 24/96 A-D and 24/192 D-A conversion, A/V Sync Delay, multi-source/multi-zone, backlit remote

The AVR-4306 features all the latest and greatest in technologies that Denon could throw at an AVR: seven channels of amplification at 130-watts per, THX Ultra2 certification and post processing, all the Dolby and DTS sound processing there is, Audyssey MultEQ auto setup and calibration, streaming audio from a Windows PC, XM satellite, and much more. The HDMI switching is spec 1.1 so this AVR is ready to receive hi-res multichannl PCM from HD DVD and Blu-ray, and all of this is just the beginning. We're planning a closer look at this powerful and yet reasonably priced AVR. Available now.