Understated power.

The remote control is clumsy

Well, it took me a while to decide on which receiver to buy within a limited budget. I narrowed it down to a Marantz SR-685 (I just didn't like the sound as much), and an Onkyo model I can't remember (again, the Denon sounded better). I also considered the Denon AVR-1800 which supposedly has 10 watts more power per channel as well as DTS decoding. Since the 1700 has much more power than I need and I don't require DTS, and given that the 1700 was down to $769.00 CDN vs. $899.00 for the 1800, the decision became easy. Both the build AND sound quality of this receiver are impressive, and considering that a comparable NAD receiver costs $1999.00 CDN, it was an amazing deal. I used to have a B&K ST-140 2 ch. power amp, and I am really quite impressed with the stereo sound of the AVR-1700 by comparison as I didn't think it would even come close. I still plan to buy a separate amp and speakers for stereo listening at some point, more out of convenience than need. The AC-3 sound compared to other receivers I've heard is simply amazing! The only flaw is the remote, which while functional (it learned my DVD player controls like a charm), it is really not comfortable to hold and the flip-open door to access certain controls is just a waste of design effort.

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Technics SA-AX6
Kenwood VR-357

I am completely satisfied with the Denon avr-1700 with cd, dolby digital,power and sound quality.This is not an ad but was my first mail order purchase and I couldn't be happier. Purchased from "new world audio from a straight shooter named Donald Highly reccomend both, Tom from WI.

Just bousght the AVR 1700 after comparing it against the Yamaha 595 and 795 I have it hooked up to an energy system and it sounds fantastic. I love 5 channel stereo for music when I wnat to fill the room with great sound. Movies sound very dynamic, it blows me away the rear effect channels sounds seem to origonate(sp?) from bewond the speakers, The 595 from yam did not have the build quaility(heatsink, binding posts,modular boards and a well laid out board) The remote also offered macro command functions something the yamahas did not. The 795 was nice but again build quality???? I do not think dts is ever gonna fly plus in a direct comparison I heard no difference. All in all I love my Denon.

5ch Stereo, Digital Decoding, Value

Nothing Major; especially at the price's you can get this unit for now

This is a great start-up receiver if you are just getting into a HT. It has a lot of features for a unit in the price range, you can get it for $200 or $300 dollars now at some internet sites. I have read many negative comments about all Denon manuals, but I have never had a problem. If you know anything about audio equipment, you don't even need to read the manual. If I do have a question I just turn to the section I need and read what it says. I have never found it confusing or hard to understand, but maybe I just have more audio knowledge than most. The DD decoder is great, my system sounds as good as much more expensive receivers. It doesn't have a lot of power though, if you have a big room, or like to listen are very high levels. Don't worry about the lack of a DTS decoder, they are just starting to come out with DTS software in decent numbers. I have 28 DVD's, most modern action and praised for their sound, and only one even has a DTS soundtrack. As far as I'm concerned you only need to worry about DTS, if you are interested in 6.1 and 7.1 sound. Anyway, this is a great receiver for the price, and is exactly as advertised. I would recomend it for anyone who wants to jump into building their HT with a solid component. Don't waste your money on a more expensive receiver if you are just going to connect your VCR and DVD player, this one has all you need.

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Sony Crap, and an old Sansui

Versatile, upgradeable, great sound for the money

I looked all over the net for the lowest price. I found it at YourInsider.com. I have owned mine for a year now, and have not had the slightest problem with it. Don't be put off by the price I paid for mine--I have seen them come way down in price in the last year. In my search for a surround receiver I auditioned products from Sony, Technics, Pioneer, Onkyo, Kenwood and others, but found that dollar for dollar the Denon unit had the best features and sound quality. The closest match I could find from Sony with regard to features and quality of sound cost $400 more! (Bear in mind that with Sony products, a significant amount of the purchase price covers their billion dollar advertising budget.)

Power output is rated at about 70 watts per channel, but the numbers can be deceiving. Many manufacturers claim 100 or more wpc, but they're usually talking about peak power, and they don't tell you that that's with plenty of audible distortion. I like my music and movies LOUD, and the Denon has never had a problem keeping up. As long as you don't try to mate this receiver to electrostatic or other inefficient and current-hungry loudspeakers, you shouldn't have any complaints.

As for upgrades in the future, the Denon does have 6 channel inputs, so if another format replaces Dolby Digital, you can hook a separate processor to the Denon, giving you more time before the product becomes obsolete. Also, with line-level outputs, you can always add a more powerful amplifier for the front channels at a later date if you decide you want or need more power. High level output is through binding posts for all channels, not the cheaper push-pin connectors found on most other receivers. As for the digital decoding, each channel has a separate 24 bit/96 kHz Burr Brown D/A converter--all in all, exceptional quality for the money! Give it an audition, I think you'll be pleased.

quality construction, excellent power for the money, awsome dolby digital decoding, multiway bidding posts for all channels

manual is a little hard to understand at times, no s-video inputs/ outputs

I have had this reciever since mar. 99, and the day I brought it home and hooked it up,(at that time I had a laserdisc player, not dolby digital) I was just blown away with the sound comparied to the Yamaha. It was like apples to oranges. I run the receiver with a pair of Paradigm 9se for mains, a pair of Paradigm Titans for rears, a Pardigm cc100 center channel,and a Yamaha YST-SW100 sub. The sub is ok, but a PS1000 would just rock!! Anyway three mnths. ago I bought a Pioneer DV414 dvd player and WOW!!!! what a difference in sound quality. My Denon just came alive! I knew my Denon was a great receiver before I bought it, but I didn't realize how good it could sound. Sound clarity is smooth and detailed. The built in DAC's are really doing their job. Smooth and detailed. This receiver never sounds punchy or that it is trying to do something it can't. On the Omaha Beach scene in Saving Private Ryan, the explosions and machine gun fire, man, it sounded just like you were there. Too real!! I would definitely recomend this receiver to anybody looking for a receiver with great clarity and excellent performance at a good price. This is the one to buy!!

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technics sa-470(least that's what I think it was)
Yamaha RXV-690

Just bought it to go with my DVD player and go Dolby Digital. Hook-ups were very simple. Nice and solid speaker terminals for all channels. 70 Wattsx5 is more than adequate for 95% of the speakers out there. Construction quality is what I like best about Denon products and this receiver is no exception. What also separates this receiver from many others is the 5 channel music surround mode. Man, does it sound great!!! Why? All 5 channels play full range unlike many other sound fields from other receivers that muddies it up. No, it doesn't have S-video inputs or outs, but that's the price you pay for the "price you pay." Nevermind that though. The composite video inputs going into and out to your TV/monitor is VERY good. I can only find a slight degradation of it by not going direct into my TV. Harmans, Yamahas, and Sonys defintely show more distortion.

What's not to like? I don't like the miniscule display. You really can't see what it says from 15 ft. away. That's VERY minor. Overall...

Just bought one last week from the Good Guys for $600. Yes, I know you can
get it for less mail order ($500 seems to be the going rate) but I really
wanted to try out a few models before "settling down", and liked the ease
of returning local goods. I tried out a similiar Yamaha (595 I believe) and
a Denon avr-1100. The 1700 wins hands down. Build quality is first rate,
sounds great, and has plenty of a/v inputs and outputs. I have this driving
AR 315HO speakers (outstanding combination, by the way) which have built in
powered subwoofers. I was able to send the left and right preamp outs to
the line-level inputs on the speakers, set the amp speaker's to "small" which
keeps the low (sub) frequencies from going into the top half (high frequency)
drivers in the speakers.

I have two VCRs, a laserdisc player, and DSS box plugged into the video inputs,
and a CD player, phono, and tape deck into the audio inputs.

And... dig that "infinate rotating" volume knob! Very smooth -- feels like
it'll last forever.

One complaint: ugly (but functional) remote. Luckily I use a Marantz RC-2000 for
all my remote needs, so after teaching it all of the Denon commands, into the
coffee table drawer went the Denon.

Oh - and the unit doesn't have s-vidio inputs. I did do a comparison between
the rca line video from my dss into the denon and also s-video from the dss
into my tv (Sony XBR53 rear projection) and could see *no* difference between
the rca video inputs and the s-video, so I'm not at all upset at the lack of
s-video support.

Hi all, I purchased this receiver about 2 weeks ago for $499. What a great piece this is. I use it for about half music, half movies. The 70 watts per channel is enough for both, if that was worrying you. I really like the 5 channel stereo mode for music, and contrary to what a previous poster said, the channel levels ARE adjustable in this mode.. (I have the 3 front speakers +1 higher than the rears in this mode). Which brings me to another nice feature, that for every mode you can have the levels set differently, such as in the dolby digital/prologic mode where the levels are set much differently. I also really like that the digital inputs can each be assigned to whatever component you like, which none of the other receivers I looked at did. Of course it also has the must have 6-ch inputs.
As far as sound quality goes I don't have much to compare it to. I've had a low price sherwood receiver for the past 8 years, and this denon is definitely a step up from, but that's about all I can say. Movies are excellent on this thing, but I too noticed that the receiver seems to boost subwoofer freqs when playing movies. On music the sub is nice and musical, but without oomph. On movies, it becomes a completely different beast altogether, and I do mean Beast. There's got to be some boost going on here.

Some things I could nit-pick are that the tuner sucks (as do all tuners in receivers nowadays). You also cannot directly access station presets, you have to cycle up or down through your presets. The seemingly inconsistent subwoofer level makes set-up difficult. The remote itself is an enormous monstrosity. It has an odd hinged cover over a portion of it, hiding lesser used buttons.

Overall, its got great sound, rocks on movies, and only a couple of nit-picks. Its got all the features you could want in this price range too.

I set this system up for a friend and have
listened to it for a good period of time
with the Energy Take 5 and Energy 8 inch subwoofer.
Sound is great.
Great Sound over a diversity of inputs

Complexity of Remote Control.
I installed Satellite System recently, 10/27,
Spent more than 4 hours reconnecting forest of wires
and checking out systems - reading manuals, etc.
There are now more than 5 remote controls for different
systems. The VCR no longer works with the system.
The bugs are not fully worked out yet.

I will give this system good marks for sound quality
and versatility of source inputs.
I give a dismal grade for the complexity of the remote
controls and ease of set up and use.
I wish you did not need the equivalent of an AA degree
in Electronic Technology from your local Junior College
to use these systems. Maybe some people delite in the
complexity of systems but I do not.

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I am getting the Energy Speaker system for myself
and the Kenwood VR-407 AV receiver for myself.
I will be setting it up next week and will keep you posted.