Clean design, Dolby Pro 2 and nice sound

The Remote, weak binding posts

I have been doing a lot of research on the perfect receiver to buy and after a LOT of research decided to pick up the 1802 for al the strenghts listed above. The unit cost me a lot though as the local dealer here seems to be REALLY expensive.

The unit was a brand new box and I set it up as soon as i got home. First impression was that the unit was not as heavy as the Yamaha that I had auditioned at home before I got the Denon. The next was that the binding posts were really flimsy - they feel really delicate.

Connecting them was a breeze. I had them hooked up to a 4 RTL2's that i got for a song and switched the unit on....

Nice but not the kind of difference that i expected... from all the reviews. Then i spent the next one hour tweaking and going through that horrible remote... and ....

They were nice. The volume levels are not what i would call all-powerful. Laid-back would be my view. On movies you have to really go high to get the whump out of it (up to even +5 or +10) it goes upto a +15.... hmmm??? But then i have no sub either... so...

Its great on music and really nice on movies... after my initial hmm... i feel that it was a better buy than the Yamaha for the PL2 and the other features AND the nice sounding music.

I would give the 1802 a 4.5 on quality and a 3 on value (as the Bas**** dealer decides to fleece everyone who wants to but a Denon in the UAE).... But the as***** who killed the rating with that stupid score needs to be balanced..

so.....

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 495, 595a, HK

clean power, crisp sound

limp in base without sub as another reviewer has said

It has been awhile since I went out to get new system in the market. When I first got this unit, I bought it with the "BOSE" AM15. Sounds like a good combination to a lot of folks out there ha? I thought it was the receiver. Well, As it turns it was the BOSE speakers that did not have enough the good quality sounfs. After replacing the BOSE with Klipsch Front, Center and Subwoofer with 2 rear energy surround, it sounds great.

This is not a perfect system but I will give it a 90% value and 95% performance

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer, Yamaha

Ultra-clean sound. Dolby Pro Logic II.

No pre-outs for back channels, but no big deal.

I paid retail for this with an extended 5 year warranty because I bought the 1801 from an unauthorized Internet dealer and it came back to bite me in the ass. I really love this receiver. The sound is very clean and more than loud enough. My 1801 was 70 watts/channel and that was plenty loud enough. This receiver dishes out 80 watts x 5 channels. I am not an audiophile, but I am a professional musician with studio recording experience, so I know what sounds good and what doesn't. I have Boston Acoustics CR8's for the front channels, Boston CR7's for the surrounds, a JBL N-Center, and a Polk Audio PSW350 for the sub. Music sound AWESOME whether it be from a digital source or an analog source. Movies sound great as well, whether it be from DVD's or VHS. I played the opening scene from Saving Private Ryan on VHS, it successfully separated the back channels, similar to the one on DVD. My video tapes have a new lease on life, thanks to the technology of Dolby Pro Logic II.

Overall, this is an excellent receiver for the price. If 80 watts a channel is not loud enough, or you require more digital inputs and pre-outs for the surrounds, then you might want to step up to the 2802, 3802, 4802, or the 5800. The thickness of your wallet will determine what's right for you.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-1801

Excellent sound, adjustable PL2 music mode, low price

Limited digital inputs, basic remote, no EX capability

This is an excellent piece with a musical sound, very good decoding capability, and wide bandwidth. LFE comes out in all its glory through my dual HSU TN1220HO subs. Build quality is excellent for the price, and the tuner pulls in stations as well as most. The remote isn't the greatest (getting to the surround parameters takes some getting used to) but for the money this is an excellent buy.

To Jason: Get yourself a Radio Shack sound pressure meter, calibrate the 1802 at 75db for all the speakers using the internal test tones. You won't have to put it at reference level to get good sound. Reference level will blast you out of the room on the loud passages. If this doesn't work, I recommend a hearing test as your hearing may be going :).

Similar Products Used:

Lexicon DC-2, Marantz SR7200

Nice look, good sound, DTS and Dolby Digital

not very powerful, remote only slightly stinks

This is a nice receiver, or so I'm told. I only watch movies and my biggest complaint is that the volume goes from -60 to +10. I watched Saving Private Ryan the other night and I had to have the volume at 00 in order to get good sound.

Otherwise a nice receiver.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STRDE560

Sound quality
Dolby Pro Logic II

Difficult setting up

I am not a stero enthusiast but I wanted to find a reputable receiver to use for theater sound. I have no regrets with this unit. It works great for both music and movies. I previously used a Pioneer VSX - 4950S receiver, vintage 8 years, with only Dolby Pro Logic. This unit worked fine for me but I wanted to take a chance and try the new stuff. The Dolby Digital Pro Logic is incredible and using DTS was even better. I couldn't believe it but you can tell the difference by comparison. The Dolby Digital and DTS bring a different dimension to watching movies at home. This unit has more listen modes and selections than what I can possibly use. Setting this unit up was not the easiest particularly with the owners manual. The instructions are not well detailed. However, I kept going over them several times and eventually figured it out. Obviously, the digital cable is a must (not supplied) but I decided to get the optical cable instead. It is a little bit more money but it speeds up time the signal reaches the speakers. Setting this unit up in the automatic mode (digital) is convenient. The unit will detect DTS or Dolby digital signal. The only thing you have to do is select either mode on the menu of your DVD. The previous reviewer's comments about the remote are right on but I didn't realize it until he said it. I use the DVD remote for most adjustments. I have a Sony DVD C670D. The only adjustments I make with the remote is for playing music. In spite of the negative comments I would highly recommend this unit. Most units in this price range do not have Dolby Digital II.

Good clear sound, easy setup, quality

REMOTE YICH, really really bad. No live matrix for sports. Music just okay.

This is a nice unit and Pro Logic II is great.
It is a nice looking unit and works great for movies.

The remote is horrible. I have the exact same problem with the remote where I point it in the wrong direction. It doesn't fit properly in your hand the buttons are small and you need a bright light to see the controls properly, which is a problem since I use a projector in a theatre room. The remote is also not intuitive in terms of button placement. For someone getting their first A/V receiver this may seem nominal but once you have one you'll understand how often you want to make changes or switch things around and remote ease of use can make a big difference.

There is no live matrix for sports and most of the surround options are bad. The Pro-Logic II and the Dolby Digital work great. I haven't been able to get DTS to work yet but I haven't delved into it enough. Sometimes nothing comes out of the sub in LFE mode but I'm not sure if it's because of the receiver or the sub itself with auto off that is the culprit.

I have also noticed the great variance between the softest and loudest sounds. I too have to turn it up to hear some of the softer more subtle sounds and then get blasted when music or some effect kicks in. I think I could probably set the system up better. I also haven't tried the compression mode that is supposed to significantly reduce this differential, made especially for night viewing(neighbors). It's in the manual and if anyone else has tried it I'd be interested in your opinion.

The Music is alright but it doesn't come close to my music system.
I have a
Hafler DH220 power amp
Audionics Pre-AMP
Denon 5 Disc Changer
My soundsytem sounds so much clearer and crisp than the Denon does for stereo music, but it's an unfair comparison as the Hafler was about $1000 amp new as was the pre-amp.

The Denon blows away the old technics pro-logic receiver I had, not even worth the details it's night and day.

I am using the following for my home theatre.
Denon 1802
Toshiba SD2300 DVD Player
Toshiba HI-FI VCR
BIC surrounds
Technics front speakers(horrible, replacing with Mission 773e when it comes in)
Klipsch Center Channel
Merak 15" SUB (got from UBID for $125 great for the price)
Front Projector that projects to 8' screen
Sharp 20" TV used as a monitor
12 Gauge Copper wire
Monster Cable Digital Coax
S-VIDEO to all Video connections

Don't get me wrong this receiver is awesome for movies in pro-logic or Dolby Digital. But as a lot of reviews on here seem like they are from the manufacturer or a sales guy I wanted to give an honest and detailed review of this unit.
PAID $375 including shipping

Similar Products Used:

Technics Pro-Logic Surround