Just to clarify a mistake made in a previous post, the Denon 5700 is rated at 140 watts per channel into 8 ohms at 20 Hz to 20 kHz on all channels, front, center and surrounds. This information can be found at Denon website in the white paper for the Denon 5700. The surrounds are not rated at 1 kHz as mentioned by earlier posts.

I recently replaced my DSP A1 with separates and I thought DSP A1 was something but hey you gotta hear the difference. A budy of mine replaced his B & K for separates and I did not notice to much the difference. I think the B & K 202 has a more detailed sound and realistic than the DSP A1.

I've brought the A1 recently after having observed the performance of my friend's A1 for more than a year. This is really a good piece of product. It offers reliable and quality performance with beautiful and smart appearance. I've got this new product for HK$10.5K (about USD1375) from the authorised dealer and I think for this price, A1 is really value for money. Overall, I would give it 5 stars.
By the way, I am really surprised by the poor manner of the people below giving only one or two stars in their reviews without really having tried the product. They should respect this review area. Reviewers should give their constructive opinion here for other readers' reference. Denon 5700 (it has different model name in Hong Kong)and A1 are both quality and reputable products here in HK. Denon 5700's price, however, is 30-40% higher than A1, so I chose A1 because it can meet my budget. I might also consider Denon 5700 if I had more budget.

Therefore, for those childish guys who keep messing up this review area, please get out of here and go back to tell something meaningful in the review area of your products.

One of the Best recievers out there. I owned one and replaced it for A Sony TAE-9000 ES. The DSP-A1 had some of the best DSP I ever heard and I compared allot of expencive processors out there like Meridian and Lexicon..etc. I took the Sony because Im into seperates and I dont need The A-1 amplifiers because I already have seperate amps. The Sony will probably outpreform the A-1 in stereo mode and Dolby, DTS mode. I think I was allso upset with the silver binding posts on the back but I cant realy remember if thats true since its been a while. I would like to see Yamaha make seperate Pre's with top quality parts because Yamaha is a world leader in audio processing. I did not like the remote which felt cheapy and fragile but the Sony also has a poor remote. Concidering todays price for this unit I give it a 4.
Aragon 8008BB
Acurus A250
Acurus A150
Sony TAE9000ES
Sony DVP 7700
Sunfire Sub MK II
D.H LAB cables
Paradigm Studio 80
Paradigm CC-450
Paradigm Studio 20

The DSP A1 is the same wattage for all units. The international version appears to have more wattage because the amps are rated at 1KHz instead of full bandwidth.
Denon also rates its amps at 1KHz to give the illusion of more power.
Pursue the truth and visit: http://www.audioholics.com
All your answers to your technical questions regarding audio equipment may be found there in a friendly and informative environment.

Enjoy!!!

I have a yamaha dspa1 and a pioneer dv 717, and it can output 24bit/96KHz signal via it´s digital output.I tried it width a chescky dvd to see what hapens, and the yamaha change automatically to the ansalog input (it cannot decode 24bit/96KHz signals) "only" 24bit/48Khz signal, and believe me you cannot see the diference (96KHz analog input versus 48Khz digital input).This amplifier is a five star amplifier...

For the price is the best unit to buy.The sound in well difined, the DSP is good and it is very complete .

I spent too much time contemplating the great audioreview.com "Denon 5700" vs. "Yamaha DSP A1" debate, the bottom line decision, as it should in this case, comes down to your own personal preference. I went with the Yamaha DSP A1. I have only had the unit for a month and let me just say WOW! Of coarse it wasn't until last night when I experienced the units true potential watching Go! on DVD that my hair blew straight back (I had yet to adjust the output setting from PCM to Bitstream from my DVD player).
As for the natural music conversation and whether or not DSP is a viable "necessity", case closed! The DSP system out of Yamaha is a musicians dream. I have been a percussionist since the age of 2 and I wish I still had my Muppets drum set ta'boot. I have been searching for a home system that could recreate the acoustics of a live venue and turn my living room into a theater. The DSP A1 is as close as it gets. There is no arguing that the Denon 5700 in pure stereo wins hands down. But then again there is no such thing as pure stereo when it comes to music. Two speakers and a CD is like an alcohol swab and a surgeons knife, sterile. I a/b'd Duke Ellington, Ellington at Newport 1956 (Complete) and your guessed it, the DSP A1 was tear evoking, knuckle biting, drinking a Bombay Saffire and Tonic good. Please don't get me started on Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Live at Luther College. The Denon 5700 was interesting at best.

So I spent a month making a decision between these two units, A/B'ing, reading, contemplating, etc. Don't waste your time --run don't walk to the DSP A1. This is one decision you won't regret. Take it from someone who doesn't claim to know-it-all, someone who just loves to listen, and someone who spent the time to own a technology before opining to the masses.

Why only 4 Stars? Spend just one evening at Andy's Jazz Club in Chicago listening to jumping horns, pounding base, and mesmerizing skins --you just might be compelled to agree that 5 Stars should be reserved for the truly live experience.

I bought the DSP-A1 for my home theatre set-up. System comprises of the following :
Pioneer DVL 909 CD/DVD/LD player
Yamaha DSP-A1 AV processor-amplifier
5 NHT SuperOnes speakers
1 NHT SW2Pi subwoofer / power amp combo
Speaker cables : Nordost Flatline Gold (5.1 channels)
Digital cable : Illumination D60
RF coaxial cable : XLO Type 4
Analogue cable : Nordost Black Knight interconnect
Subwoofer cable : Monster M440i interconnect
Audio Power Industries Power Wedge P212

I did comparison with the Marantz SR-18 (the other unit I was contemplating to buy). For the extra money, I find that the difference in capability (i.e. 24 bit / 96 kHz decoding) was not worth it. Besides, I know that I will only be using the AV amp / receiver for home theatre use, and not music (have a separate system to take care of that). Therefore, I decided on the Yamaha instead. I must say that the SR-18 is a fine unit too, with merits of its own. However, the price difference (compared to the Yamaha) does not justify its purchase.

Having played with the DSP-A1, I must say that it is a fine unit. The amp section is powerful enough to drive the power hungry SuperOnes and make them sound effortless in their delivery. Music is pretty decent too, with its DD / DTS capability making the best of it. 2 channel stereo is not shabby either, although there are losses in soundstaging and detail retrieval. But, this is not about music. Its about home theatre and, for the price, I think this unit does it very well. The best part is its DSP function. I was able to play around with it and eventually tweak it to make the entire system to sound like what I would hear in a theatre, with the slight echoes and reverbaration. It really is fun to fool around with the DSP. All owners of this fine unit should try it out.

Well, at the end of the day, my conclusion is that this is a unit worth buying if you are thinking seriously of setting up a home theatre system and, as a secondary function (horrors !), for music. It is future proof as it is able to accept furture 5.1 formats (if it stays at 5.1 that is) and be a fine processor for those who wants more powerful amplification to drive even more power hungry speakers. It obviously would never be able to beat separates and it would not beat a fine stereo system. However, for the money and capability, Yamaha has really come up with something special. Its a no brainer for those who have always loved Yamaha products (this is my first) and I finally understand all the hype about this unit.

5 stars for performance and value.

The DSP-A1 has been in for a month - Have fronts, rears, centre, subwoofer and side speakers hooked up. I use the CDP all day (home office) and use either the DVD or the satellite in the evening and usually finish the night with more CD/LP. The A1 is giving me everything I wanted out of an amp with lots to spare - I don't want to go on and on about all the fabulous attributes it has, suffice it to say I'm not about to trade this pup in for a long time.
I got a decent deal from my guys at A&B Sound in southside Edmonton (as I always do) and I'm an all around satisfied consumer/listener