I think a lot of people whom are considering this class of AVR are coming from last generations 4 series (avr-4311ci), so this review will cover differences for those people.
FOR those who DON'T currently own a 4 series, let me just say it's an amazing receiver, IF you are building a serious theater room or listening area it's WELL worth the money (relative). It is one of the very few receivers that can handle 11.2 channel DSX and with it's additional capability, features, and quality it is truly currently the king of all receivers in 2012.
FOR AVR4311ci Folks:
First off, the amplification circuitry looks to be about the same, same power ratings.
They tweaked the Audyssey even though Denon claims they didn't, because I'm getting significant different results from my AVR-4311ci in the same room, same speakers, same everything. They tweaked it for the better, because everything sounds to blend perfectly, and the eq's records dead on once I mic'd the room using an external source. AFTER enabling the XT32 results and the response curve is perfect. This is to verify for the folks out there, LEAVE the Audyssey XT32 EQ on, it works PERFECT, I'm hoping my extra steps of measurement will save you time in your setup if you question what it's doing. Just make sure to perform Audyssey DSX property and use all 8 listening locations as it is measuring the acoustics of the room NOT seating locations. Even if you have a single chair in the room, use all 8 locations to measure the acoustics around the room per Audysseys recommended locations.
I had to adjust the levels of the surround speakers and sub since I always consider those levels too low for my taste (a preference thing). The EQ remains in tact with these manual adjustments.
The screen settings are all the same, but way snappier, this unit has better micro controllers handling the work, so everything including calculating results is much quicker.
Denon moved away from their "NASCAR" days and simplified the front of the their receiver with less logos, instead they are on the top plate now. I hated all the logos.
They removed the Audyssey DSX blue light when on, that was sad, I enjoyed that blue light.
New features include:
NEO:X which is a different 11.2 implementation (it's worth trying to see your preference)
4k up-scaling for when those 4k displays come down in price
Intstapreview (much like a picture in picture, but 4 views from your sources VERY cool)
Built in 4 port Hub (10/100mbps) actually very useful since everything now a days is Ethernet based
They moved over to THREE 32bit DACs to decode the audio, so we gain a better resolution in your music / movies!!
Apple Airplay built in
Network streaming (works great, my Samsung GS3 android didn't need additional software it just saw the receiver and asked if I wanted to play music on it instead of the built in speakers on the phone). I was VERY surprised this worked out of the box with my phone and receiver, then the volume control of my phone was controlling the reciever!! Very cool!!!
Ability to customize what amplifier circuits do what. Pretty amazing if you have a unique listening room or multiple seating locations and want multiple side surround speakers.
Audyssey LFC which modifies the subwoofer frequencys and amplitudes in a such a way you can still use your sub but it won't rattle the walls or get too loud. This feature is for people with kids or living in condos / apartments so they don't wake up people at night or bug their neighbors. I heard great things from other people with this receiver but I don't use this feature.
4 Zones of control including video on a few!! Pretty crazy. They designed this receiver to be in a rack somewhere and control everything in your house from audio to movies to different tv layouts. If you use it to it's full capability it can help you save money by just using a single unit for multiple rooms.
New Physical layouts include:
1 inch taller
Heavier
Less logos on the front face (classier)
Much nicer banana terminals on the back
Everything gold plated
Everything else remains from the AVR4311ci.
Overall I'm VERY happy to have upgraded, the Audyssey result differences alone was worth it, the extra DACs, network streaming, 4k upscaling to protect for the future, and other features was just icing on the cake.
Remember these receivers (4 series) only come out every 2-3 years hence why they changed their model number designator (the 20 in 4520ci) to let customers know this is not a normal yearly released product.
With the features they packed into this receiver, you will not need to upgrade for MANY years.
For those who are considering Audyssey DSX, let me say that I have a 11.2 setup. I will say from a typical 5.1 setup the addition of WIDES will make the biggest audible upgrade. They sound AMAZING and well worth the time and effort to set them up.
The addition of heights next will be an upgrade but not as significant as the addition of the wides
Lastly the addition of surround backs which I think add 5% content to movies, and only worth it as your last possible upgrade.
Good luck folks!!
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