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TV & AVR Shopping

Scott Wilkinson  |  May 30, 2011

I am in the market for some new gear—specifically, a new plasma and receiver. Is Home Theater planning to do a review of the Panasonic VT30 any time soon? I expect it to improve upon the VT25, but I would like to hear it from you or Tom Norton before I get it.

On the receiver front, I would like your opinion on the Denon AVR-4311CI versus AVR-4810CI. What are the differences between the two? In your opinion, do those differences or features justify the 4810CI's extra cost?

Spencer Torgan

We just got the VT30, and the review will appear in the September 2011 issue of Home Theater. Like you, I expect it to improve upon the VT25, but not necessarily by all that much. We still have a VT25, and we'll be doing a direct side-by-side comparison with the VT30, so stay tuned for that.

As for the Denon AVRs, the 4810CI is last year's model and Denon's first 9-channel model with Audyssey DSX processing. This year's 4311CI (pictured here with its two included remotes and calibration microphone) improves upon the 4810CI in many ways—for example, it has Audyssey Sub EQ HT and MultEQ XT32, Dolby Volume, iPhone connectivity, Airplay upgradability, and pre-amp mode, which turns off the internal amps for less heat and more power to other parts of the AVR—and it's $1000 less expensive. Seems like a no-brainer to me.

If you have an A/V question, please send it to askscottwilkinson@gmail.com.

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