When it works, it rocks.

Overheats

I purchased this unit in July of 2000 and have blown it up twice in less than a year. It has a serious overheating problem (or at least my unit did). I gave it ample room and even put a multimeter to my speakers to make sure that it wasn't getting kickback. I'm not a heavy user of stereo equipment. I just wanted a unit that I could rock out w/ while I was working outside. No luck. Needless to say I'm not happy w/ the unit. It's unfortunate really. When it worked, it sounded good.

looks and sound

remote

This is a all around good product. It gets alittle warm but nothing a fan can't fix. The remote has a flip down cover that I keep breaking off. That is about the only problem I have had with this.

Similar Products Used:

onkyo

Larry, why do you drag down the average for this excellent reciever by bashing a retailer? Pleas whine somewhere else.
Great reciever, better than the 3300. Less watts, but better DACs and MADE IN JAPAN, not Korea...

I am the owner of Sound Distributors and I get very upset when I see false postings from "Larry" with no email address to verify anything. Not only do we stand behind all the products that we sell - we will even take care of our customers throughout the manufacturers full warrantee period. We are listed with AV survey with over 40 comments on file left by happy customers. We never will stick any customers with a bad unit.- we will even issue a refund if asked. Please visit our web site at www.sounddistributors.com for more information on all the product we sell and to see other real customers comments. The Denon 2800 is one of the finest receivers on the market today priced in the low $600 range. We have them in stock.

I have to agree with you Mark, I dont feel that the fact that Larry had terrible service from a mail order company the reciever should get "slammed". I have been doing a bunch of research lately on DD/DTS recievers and the AVR-2800 is right at the top of the list as one of the best bangs for the buck.I plan on purchasing one here very soon (I just need to sell my old AVR-2500 first) As soon as I get the unit I will ensure that I give it a review here.
Based on what research I have done I have to give it a rating of 5

After much debate and research, I had narrowed the field down to two candidates. The Denon AVR-2800 and the Yamaha RX-V795a. I choose the Denon due to it's smooth sound. I had been the owner of a Yamaha V590 and enjoyed it for years but often had to tone it down due to it's bright (harsh) highs. This is not the case with the Denon. The remote is easy to use and all the set-up process requires is for you to read the manual. It's that easy. This is a quality piece of equipment.

I just listened to the 2800 a few minutes ago and it sounds very nice. It sort of follows up where the 2700 left off. There's more inputs, DTS decoding, more power (85 watts by 5) etc. I don't agree with one of the other reviewers here that says "it's better than the 3300." I can understand what it means to be satisfied with a purchase but I'm not one to boast. The 3300 actually has the better SHARC DACs (found also in the 5700), switchable surround speakers inputs for two pairs of surrounds, plus it has 105 watts by 5. About the only major differences though. There is a significant leap in price, but I think the 3300 will bring you closer to the sound/performance/features of the 5700 without totally draining your wallet. All in all the 2800 could be the best receiver out other than the 3300 in bang for the buck terms. One thing I'd like to comment on before closing is the DTS decoding. Who really cares about DTS anyways? It looks cool having the logo on your equipment, but is it really worth the extra cash you have to pay for it even though they only have about 10 DVDs out and most of them are music discs? I'd rather save a little cash on the receiver and not have DTS, than pay for it and not use it. However, I'll probably end up getting the 2800 because it still has almost all the features and future proofing I'll need(the 3300 is still just a little pricey). Who knows, maybe DTS will come back. Maybe Denon has better foresight than I do. I guess we'll see. Just keep in mind what features you want and what features you need/will use before buying. Extra stuff costs money- even the stuff you'll never use.
In absolute terms I'd give the 2800 a strong 4.
In terms of value it gets a 4.5.-because of the DTS plus one other niggle. What's the deal with only offering preamp outs to the front 3 channels and the sub? (Makes it difficult to use as a preamp for home theatre if you want to add more and equal power to each channel down the road).
Overall it gets a 4.5 from me because it suits my budget, has very good sound/performance for it's price category, is easy to use, and has most of the features I want etc etc. You can't get much better or any better than this one for it's price.

You do not need to spend the extra money on the 3300. The only main difference between the 3300 and the 2800 is a few watts of power. otherwise they are pretty identical. Great juo denon!! it is about time a receiver has DD, and DTS for under $650.00. I got my unit at www.sounddistributors.com for $625.00. I highly recommend this unit!!

Stay away from sounddistributors. Bought a Denon amp from them 4 months ago. Arrived broken. Went to turn the thing on and nothing. They refused to replace it and I had to contact Denon. I am still waiting on Denon to send me the repaired unit. These guys have horrible service!!!!!!!!

Just purchased the 2800. Let me say that it is by far one of the better receivers out there for 600 dollars or even more. I had the avr-85 but wanted dts,why I don't know. The 85 sounded great for a lower line denon, but the 2800 blew it away. It also blew away the onkyo 575 which i had for 3 weeks, so I gave it a fair chance. The denon has better sound on cd's,much better on dd,and last but not least,the tuner section is about 100 times better.Seperation was also a lot better than on the onkyo.Plenty of volume,plus s-video.If you get one you won't be sorry.