5-Channel Stereo, Good Power, DD/DTS

Remote, Setup wasn't the easiest, thanks to the instruction manual, No binding posts in rear speaker jacks

I originally purchased a Technics DA-10 receiver, however when I got it home, I realized that I only have coaxial digital outputs on my DVD, and the Technics only had optical inputs. Nonetheless, I am glad I returned it and took the Denon. I shopped for quite awhile, and I had looked at everything but Denon. The store only sold Technics, Denon and Yamaha, so I didn't really have a choice, since they didn't take refunds, only exchange.

I am very happy with the 1801. The sound is clean and clear and works very well with my Paradigm speakers. The bass is very good, even though I don't have a subwoofer yet. Everyone that has listened to my system and watched movies at my place is blown away. I know there are alot of more expensive systems out there, but for the money I spent, I don't think you can beat the value. I think music and movies sound fine, and I am more than an avid listener; however I admit that I'm far from an audiophile.

As for the weaknesses, the remote did quite suck, so I asked for a Home Theater Master SL-9000 for X-Mas. This had made my life a whole lot easier. You can't do much about the binding posts, but use good quality wire. I upgraded all my wire to AudioQuest F-14, which makes a huge difference.

All I can say is that this is my first experience with Denon, and I'm sure I'll be very happy with this receiver for a long time.

System:
AVR-1801
DVD player: Toshiba 2150
CD-player: Technics carousel (about 10 years old)
Paradigm 3se mains
Paradigm CC-350 centre channel
Paradigm Atom surrounds

Quality/Value of the product.

Remote

Here's a summary of what I thought about the other receivers in this price range compared to the Denon AVR1801.

Harman Kardon AVR110= Looks better/A little cheaper
online/Similar sound quality/Not enough power
Technics DX940 = Looks ok/A little cheaper/Much lower
sound quality/More power
Onkyo TX-DS575x = Looks bad/Similar Price/Similar sound
quality/similar power
Yamaha ? = Looks ok/Similar Price/Lower sound
quality/similar power
Sony ? = Looks ok/Similar Price/Lower sound
quality/similar power
Denon AVR1601 = Looks ok/Cheaper online/Similar sound
quality/Not quite enough power.

I actually bought and returned the receivers twice until I settled on this Denon AVR1801. And now, I am pretty sure that this is the one I will keep.
For the price (under $400) and what it provides, I couldn't find any better receiver better than this. This receiver has the looks, sound, enough input/output, and value.
If I was on a tighter budget, I would settle for he AVR1601.

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Technics DX940, Denon AVR1601

good value

small buttons on remote remote sucks

good bang for buck if you want good intro to home theatre this is one of the receivers to buy highly recommend

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denon 1700

good value

small buttons on remote remote sucks

good bang for buck if you want good intro to home theatre this is one of the receivers to buy highly recommend

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denon 1700

good value

small buttons on remote remote sucks

good bang for buck if you want good intro to home theatre this is one of the receivers to buy highly recommend

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denon 1700

well defined, sweet sound. 5 channel stereo, well made, price point.

Remote feels cheap

Got this baby hooked up in about a 1/2 hour. Set up the different soundfields (independent speaker level adjustment for each sound field). I believe the advertisments to be MISLEADING about the power output of the 1801/881 for many. It stated 105 watts per channel (yeah at 6 ohms). They neglect to give you the power rating at 8 ohms. This receiver is 70 watts per channel in surround field modes. But it is 90 watts per channel at 8 ohms in stereo. I figured I would audition it and if it seemed underpowered I would trade up. This receiver really shines in my 10 x 16 room.It has more then enough power to drive my speakers loud and clear. Very nice sound. I had to listen to my CD collection all over again because on many CD's, I was hearing subtle sounds for the first time. This receiver has turned into a keeper.

Denon 881
Klipsch KSB 2.1 (fronts)
Klipsch SC-1 (center)
BIC V1210R 12" (sub)
Klipsch satellites (rear)
Phillips 32" monitor (S-video connection)
Toshiba 2300 (DVD)
Hughes Satellite receiver (S-video out)
2/14 heavy gauge speaker wire wire

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Sherwood, Sony, Fisher

Design, Quality, features.

power

I researched for quite a while before I bought this receiver. I am very happy with all the features, as well as the performance with music. However a little more power would really make this receiver perfect.

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onkyo

good looks

probably everything else!!

well, my problem with this unit is exactly the same as a review left by jess w. the problem is, out-of-the box, it worked for about 10 minutes, then all-of-the sudden, a spark came from inside the receiver, follow by smoke with a burnt smell. my natural instinct tells me i've probably shorted the receiver out by some lose wires touching the chasis or speaker wire touching each other. i double checked all connections and found nothing. everything was in place!! from this point on, front panel would not light up although there is indication of power present. no sounds, nothing!! i could not have overload it because i was i stereo mode with 100w front speakers at normal volume level. now i'm wondering if that causes any damage to my DVD player and possibly the speakers. guessed i'll have to find out with another receiver.

Similar Products Used:

onkyo, H/K, denon

Sound,looks, value

Volume knob is a little cheesy and the remote not the greatest

Got this receiver as a close out item. This is my first A/V receiver and overall I am very happy with it. I did a side by side comparison with my Carver stereo receiver (also rated at 70 watts continuous)and thought the Denon was warmer sounding and produced plenty of volume. The surround settings allow for many different types of sounds although I probably wouldn't use most of them except for the Dolby 5.1 and 5 channel stereo. Although the build quality can't compare to the Carver, which is much beefier, for the money I am very satisfied with the Denon and think it is a good entry level receiver if you don't need a lot of bells and whistles. The rest of my system (which I am also happy with)consists of:
Polk RT55i fronts
Polk CS400i center
Polk f/x300i surrounds
SVS 25-31pc subwoofer
Panasonic RP-56 DVD

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Carver, Kenwood

Great equal power to all channels. Not to many bells and whistles.

Remote is to small. Tiny buttons. Nothing a touch screen remote won't fix.

I decided to buy this reciever once I figured out that a lot of recievers are rated at their peak power not continous power per channel. This Dennon model has a continous power of 70 watts per/channel. That is plenty to power my JAMO APOLLO SATELLITE SPEAKER SYSTEM.I have'nt found any problems with this reciever and consider it to be better than average as far as recievers are concerned. It has Dolby Digital, DTS, and a great five channel stereo mode for listening to tv sound through your system. Great buy, can't go wrong for $500.00. *NOTE* If you decide to use large speakers with this reciever, you might want to purchase an external amplifier to get the most from your speakers. Enjoy!

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Sony middle of the line products.