Loud clean & crisp sound with heaps of pre-sets and options
for use and looks great. Hard to beat for its price

In all fairness, for a lower range model, its hard to find a
weakness at all with this model

Dolby Digital is somewhat new to our family, however we took
great pride in the Sony Midi Hi Fi Dolby Prologic System we
had prior to upgrading. After careful consideration of the
cost to the many Midi Hi-Fi Digital systems out there and their capabilities plus a little research into the benefits of buying a reliable yet
inexpensive av-receiver, which we could just add better speakers to latter we came across the denon1601 and have never looked back since.

Since purchasing Good Quality Speakers and a little more research into the finer details on setting up a home theater one can begin to appreciate the quality of power this baby has to offer, as opposed to the many other brands boasting many more watts per channels being sold to the unsuspecting buyer.

I am more into its Home Theater capabilities but having said
that I really don’t understand other reviews seemingly righting this system as disappointing in this area. If you
want more power and pre-sets ect pay more money and go two
models above. I have already booked hearing tests for my
four children and dirty looks from the neighbors.

Overall for it’s price I believe this unit to be one of the best out there....Researching on how to use the options and
configuration settings, buying compatible speakers & learning more about the basic fundamentals of sound set up can make this unit rival any other twice its price

I feel denon have outdone themselves with this model.

Simple set-up, clean sound

Remote buttons are smallish but not bad when you get used to them, spring clamps for rear speaker connection.

Set-up for this unit was very easy. I don't know how I ever listened to CD's before 5 Channel Stereo. What a dramatic change, the sound field is everywhere and encompassing. Denon has rated their power very concervative. I am in a 13' X 22' family room and this unit fills this space well.

My System

Denon 1601
DVD Pioneer DV-343
Paradigm Titan Fronts
Paradigm CC-170 Center
Paradigm Atom Rears
Hitachi 50" Model 50GX Rear Proj. TV

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Luxman

a lot of power, ton of features for the money

idiotic remote control, counter-intuitive ergonomics

i'm a college student on a very tight budget. shelling out $300 at one time is a pretty big thing. when i saw this deal though, i jumped on it. even though i know denon's reputation as being very difficult to operate, and my dad has had great luck with yamaha receivers, i knew that this receiver was a bargain at the price i got it for. first of all, it feels and looks like a piece of equipment 3 times its price. i'm sorry, but i felt a lot better about spending big money (for me a least) when i picked it up out of the box, and it felt like a ton of bricks, at least it has some substance! set-up was fairly easy. my first test-run dvd (panasonic rv31 player) was gladiator, and the sound in the germania battle scene was sharp and full (on pioneer h352f speakers). however, i wish the brilliant people at denon would figure out how to make a decent remote control! forget the manual for the receiver, i need one for the d**n remote. but that aside, awesome receiver, great deal!

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yamaha, sony

Sound is great (which is what matters...)

Not enough power, Not enough inputs, Remote SUCKS!

Excelent overall quality of sound.
The more powerful AVR1801 would be a better choice.

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Sony STR830

Clean, Clean sound. Built like a tank, it's a DENON of course! 5 channel stereo. Tone Defeat. 0.08% THD

Remote is a little cheap

I have to say that the Denon is the best receiver for the money. The sound that comes from it is absolutly intense. I love it. The 60 watts per channel is a very conservative number, can't be compared to crappy Sonys, JVCs, Kenwoods etc. This is the real deal.
The bass is low and defined, midrange is accurate, highs are also articulated. It has so many features. The store where I bought it had one with a plastic see through cover, to show how solid it was. The inside has a huge heatsink right down the middle, the wires inside are all thick, not like the others (Kenwood, Pioneer, JVC etc.). The channels are all amplified separately. It also has card slots, like a computer, so if it ever needs repair, you can just take out one of the cards, instead of the hole motherboard.
Built in Dolby Digital, DTS. Home theatre sounds fantastic. CD's sound excellent too.
Even has a six channel expansion on the back, just in case new technology comes around.
Denon is the best, cannot be beat.

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No A/V Receivers

Strong amp for 5 chanel stereo, excelent set in rear plug
and go !

Made in Korea, if that is a weakness.

Great unit for someone who doesnt want to have to buy another unit for some time. Many features to grow with.
Great for smaller rooms less than 250 sq ft.
Controls easy to read and operate.
Best buy for the money.
DOUBLE THUMBS UP RATING

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Denon DRA 75 VR, Bought in 1987 not digital{ using in my
office now }

Price, features, s-video switching, personal memory plus

REMOTE! Poor quality s-video filters, poor DACs quality

For the money, the Denon is a pretty good value. I had this hooked up to a pair of Celestion E1 bookshelfs, a Klipsch KV-1 center and some cheepie surronds and was initially fairly satisfied. The more I used it however, its shortcomings really began to irritate me. First, the 1601 has poor quality s-video filters; the image was visibly less sharp, muddy and the colors more muted when compared with a direct connection to my Toshiba digital tv. Second, the quality of CD playback through a toslink connection to the 1601 DAC was extremely poor.
On the plus side, the DD and DTS decoding seem pretty good, and the power is adequate for a receiver in this price range.

In conclusion, while the 1601 offers a lot of value for the price, I can't recommend it due to its glaring shortcomings. Unless you intend to use it only for watching movies, I would suggest you pay slightly more for the Marantz or Onkyo units.

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Marantz SR-5000, Onkyo TS-DX575X

strong and big stuff

i want it stronger some times

excelent... i am using this product for the difficult winter nights and it will always keep me hot and ready for more and more and more...

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t28 with vibration

high quality, great features, low cost, S-video switching, more inputs and outputs than I can use. :) Binding posts for fronts and center speakers.

remote is pathetic, see review. Slight audio delay but that could be dvd player.

I decided it was time to get a real stereo system so I went for a home theater system including this receiver, DVD/CD changer, and full complement of speakers. I did a lot of research and wanted something good but at an entry-level price for the first time. This receiver is better than I had hoped for and I am *quite* happy with it.

The Good (actually the Great!): setup was fantastic for a first-time owner with the receiver's display leading me through speaker setups including distance from the listening "sweet spot" and assigning the digital audio inputs. This receiver can take in almost anything, switch it, and send it out to the right place. Back panel has a good layout even with the myriad of connectors (that's good, IMO). S-Video switching is wonderful to have in a starter AV receiver. Tuner will scan and preset all on-air FM stations. Speaker connections are binding posts for fronts and center channel.

The Bad: Rear speaker connections are only spring clips, binding posts would be nice. I find it annoying that when I start a DVD or a CD there is just a split second of audio that's lost at the beginning, and not due to switching inputs. It may be my Pioneer DV-C503 however... I don't have any other dvd or cd players to test with.

The Ugly: The Remote. Considering all the wonderful things about this receiver, it's pretty minor to worry about the remote but it is annoying. It has tiny buttons, is hard to read & hit the right button even in good light, and has insufficient "universal" ability - cannot control my VCR (Samsung mid/lo-quality) and controlling my DVD/CD changer is messed up ("pause" stops play, "stop" does something else, etc.) The remote is the *only* reason I do not give this receiver 5 stars for the overall rating.

The name..DENON..The best Dolby Digital/DTS Receiver I have seen for the price.

None

After selling my Kenwood VR 2080, which I had owned for two years, I decided it was time to get a "high end" Receiver.
I purchased the Denon 1601 in Greensboro...Sound Systems is the only dealer in the Triad Area that sells Denon Products.
I knew that Denon was a solid product, but I had never owned one until now. I opened the box and with minimal setup I was cookin' with gas. I can not begin to say how much this Receiver differs from all others in the same price range. It is very well built, and please do not be fooled by the rating of 60 watts per channel, I have found this is a very conservative rating and the signal to the speakers is clean and undistorted. I shoped several different Receivers before purchasing the Denon, and I must say it was a very wise choice. This is an awesome unit and there is no matching the price, or quality.. it is a steal.

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Kenwood VR 2080