Excellent stereo sound, DD, DTS

at 90% volume, you can hear a slight hum in any mode except stereo

I purchased this receiver mainly for stereo - but I also use it for home theater. I previously owned a Rotel 950-AX receiver, which I loved. I was afraid that going to a Denon or Pioneer Elite would be a major decrease in sound - I learned that it wasn't.
Hooking it up was a breeze, and the manual was decent (although not great). The sound quality matched that of my Rotel. It isn't better, but it is equivalent.
As said above, there is a little hiss/hum at 90% volume if in any mode except stereo. This isn't really a problem since it is never at 90% volume...it is plenty powerful.
There is also some crosstalk at that volume...I checked and the Rotel had the same problem at the same volume level.
When looking at receivers, I also looked at the Denon 2800, and Pioneer Elite 21 and 24. The 2800 didn't sound any different from the 1800, it just had more options. The Elite 21 sound, in my opinion, a little less open than the 1800. The Elite 24 did sound better, but it wasn't worth the extra money.
I paid $515 for the receiver, new/unopened at United Audio Center in Schaumburg, IL.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel 950-AX

DD, DTS, 6 ch. inputs, great looking & a FANTASTIC 5 ch. stereo feature!

A little light on power, no s-video inputs

This is a great overall receiver. Functions are easy to use and set up. Sonic quality is great. The 5 channel stereo mode is a must for anyone who listens to music as well as watches DVD's. The only real downers is the lack of s-video inputs and power. This makes a great high quality entry-to-intermediate level receiver that will benefit any home theater.

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Yamaha, Sony

clearity,good looking

bass

Very well for this price.
It sounds very clear with voices, but you have to use
the Coax digital input.
With a good Digital Cable like ( HMS Il Primo )
, you will get happy ( with small speakers ).
I think you have problems,if you own big speakers.
( not enought control for the bass )
Sometimes voices sounds a bit cold.

Similar Products Used:

H/K Signature 2.1

Build quality (Made in Japan!!!), DD, DTS, 6ch input, Banana plugs for all speakers, 5 ch stereo

Remote Control, Lack of power, 2 channel stereo,

Well, I've only had it a few days but here goes:

The Denon's build quality is definitely up to par with a good sized power transformer, 1 pair of output devices per channel (all discrete), and it's made in Japan! It comes with Dolby Digital, and DTS - a must at this price point. No S-Video switching - but it's available in the newer AVR-1802 (bear in mind the 1801 and 1802 are NOT made in Japan - which is why I bought the AVR-1800). The remote control at this price point should be a "learning" one, but Denon has never gotten it right when it comes to remote controls. Surround sound performance is pretty good (a little more convincing than my Nakamichi AV-8). Bass management and setup in general is pretty straightforward. I like the 5 channel. Unfortuntately - this is going into a bedroom 2 channel system so it won't be used for it strengths (DD, DTS, and 5 channel stereo). 2 Channel playback is absolutely terrible. I have to say that I am quite disappointed there. The problem is a lack of bass. It's virtually non-existent. I'm using Paradigm Monitor 7 v.2's as fronts and with them bi-wired to my Nakamichi AV-8 - the sound is clean, full, yet warm. But since I'm only using Energy E:XL15's in my bedroom setup with this - bass won't be an issue (the E:XL15's are small bookshelf speakers). The Denon is certainly a good run for the money in a home theatre system (where bass is mostly dependent on your sub), but if you're really big into 2 channel as well (like me), look elsewhere. (the Nakamichi is very good for 2 channel)

Similar Products Used:

Nakamichi AV-7, Nakamichi AV-8, Denon AVR-65, Onkyo TX-DS555, Onkyo TX-DS575

The remote, doesn't glow in the dark. It is too easy to press a button and find yourself spending 5 minutes trying to hear sound again!

I finally got my NHT Superzero repaired! I presently have 3 superzeros up front, and 2 acoustic suspension Infinity bookshelves for the rears (bought them used, don't know what type they are).

I have a DCM 710 Sub, and I am presently using a Panasonic DVD player.

I love the sound of this reciever! For movies it is great, the same for movies. I was watching "Almost Famous" using DTS yesterday and the "plane crash" scene was scary! I actually thought I had blown my left surround speaker!

I am a fan for vocals, and with my NHT's the sound is awesome. I am hearing details in songs I have never heard before.

I must admit that DTS is really superior to Dolby Digital when it comes to listening to moves. I will let you all know how it sounds when get my Denon CD changer of layaway tommorrow!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha AV Reciever

Great sound quality CD+DD+DTS.
Very beautiful design.

Dont like the remote and the manual.

Here is my story.....
I take the journey and go to ANTWERPEN where the price is better than brussels!!!
Well i was confused for making the RIGHT choice!!between Onkyo 575, Sony Str 940 and Denon 1800 receiver.
Arriving to the shop the seller told me "take the Denon it's the best, forget sony crap, Onkyo is good too but Denon still is my favorit sound".
Mmmmm what can i do, i dont thrust sellers!!! All they want is selling... I asked him for hearing the three system with the same speakers systems...
After listening them, "it took me 2 second" for making THE RIGHT CHOICE >>>>>>>>>DEFINITELY DENON<<<<<<<<<<<.
I'm so so happy that i made this choice, sounds great, great looking, excellent Dolby Digital and DTS decoding...
Buy it, you wont be disappointed.
Like other here DENON has a customer for life now!


My system:
JBL SCS 175 KIT Front,left,right, surround right,left speakers and powered active JBL 110W SUB.
DVD Sony DVPS 535D (Nice slim design and very good quality).
TV Sony 29" KV29C5B.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TX-DS575.

Very srong built.Quality made.

Taking days,and days to figure out to run the receiver from the remote..

If you're going to get a receiver for your home theater system set-up,seriously look into the DENON AVR 1800.You have complete controll of sound going to any speaker that is hooked up to it, and you can feel the quality that's built into it.It's worth the price, and you'll be more then happy to show it off to your friends.Exellent sounds, and ALOT of features you can use..I paid $550.00 for it,but i feel that this thing will be with me forever!

Similar Products Used:

none.

Build Quality, Remote

Overpriced for features, no S-Video

I purchased this receiver along with a Yamaha RX-V795a to do an at-home comparison. Although I did like the appearance, build quality, remote, and general sound of the Denon, I couldn't justify spending as much as I did for a receiver that lacked s-video inputs and limited pre-outs.

This receiver also seemed to lack in the bass department, especially compared to the Yamaha (and yes I set it up correctly). The Yamaha was a much more powerful sounding receiver, especially for movies.

Don't get me wrong, the Denon AVR-1800 is a very nice unit, with great sound, very nice remote, and great quality, but for a recently released receiver to be missing some key features just doesn't make sense. I would in a heart-beat, however, buy this unit if I was looking for something entry-level and future upgradeability wasn't that much of an issue.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V795a, Pioneer Elite VSX-24TX

Great, clean sound, Universal remote, 5 channel stereo for music

Lack of S-video switching

I have had this receiver for about three weeks now and I really like it. The 5 channel stereo feature for music is awesome and dolby digital is incredible for DVDs. I have a Toshiba 3109 and I like the way the Denon remote handles fast forward and chapter skip better than the Toshiba remote supplied with the DVD player. The lack of s-video switching is no big deal for me because I have plenty of inputs on my tv but if you only have one s-video input on your tv it could be a problem. Other than that I see no drawbacks and I would definately recommend this unit to anyone. I got it at YAWA and they are an incredible organization to deal with. You will never find nicer, more courteous and knowledgeable people (the complete opposite of the big box stores) and they back up everything they sell with no hassle policies. Truthfully, I think part of why I like this unit so well is because of my pleasant buying experience with YAWA. So overall, I give this unit top marks for value and overall satisfaction.

Good looks, excelent performance.

Kind of tricky to use in the start, but you'll get it.

When i was looking for a surround receiever, i was looking for a feature speked reciever with good looks, and good performance. I listen to Sony, H/K, and other models from Denon. The reason i bought this one, was beacuse i think it had the best looks, and the best performace at the price.

Even tough it only puts out about 50 watts per channel (in reality if tou see how much power it consumes, and not the given specs), i like what it gives me. It can play more than loud enough, and it really gives my Paradigme monitor 9 good punch in the cinema. In stereo mode I think it could have been better, it seems like it doesn't use the extra powers it uses in the cinema mode. But then there is the 5 channel stereo mode, wich really gives good punch to al your music, and you'll rediscover many details in the old cd-collection when you use this mode. The other "surround modes" are ok, but I don't think you'll use them often.

In Pro-logic mode, it works very well, and I don't think I've heard so much surround sound from this mode before. It really is quite good. The only thing you have to be aware of is that it's pretty sensitive to the signals you put in, so if you have a bad tv signal will this influence the sound quality a good deal.

For the Dolby digital mode, i just have to say it's bleeding perfect. Hook it up to a DVD player, and you'll have a sound that's not far from the quality in your local movie thater. And the fact that it has DTS is a plus in itself. I can't use this mode very often, because we don't have any DTS movies in Eorope. We an get a imported ersion from the US, but that'll cost so much I don't think it's worth it. However, if you do manage to get a hold og one, this reciever can deliver the quality sound you need. The digital inputs work really well, and i felt I've got an upgrade on both the DVD and minidisc player.

I think it actually delievers the power I need. Just find some easy driven speakers, and it will kisk as. Of course it won't handle all speakers well, so use your time to look for a easy driven speaker, that can deliever quality sound. And if you can afford it, I recomend you buy a active sub, that way you get plenty of bas, and the reciever gets a easier job delivering the power for your speakers. Now I'm not a kind of guy who apreciates to loud music either, so it works good for me. And if you find out that it doesn't deliever what you want, you'll allways have the pre-outs to hook up a stronger power amplifier. It do not have pre-outs for the rear channels though, but I think it delivers all you want for those channels already.

For the question of why you should want this instead of the other models from Denon, I think it has all you need, and a bit more. The higher models offer s-video sockets, more power, and more inputs. But do you need this? I don't think so. And this reciever actually have exactly the same looks as the avr 2800, and even the avr 3300, wich is a fantastic look. So i really recomend that you'll check this reciever out if you are looking for a budget reciever.