Excellent quality construction and circuitry

none

I bought this receiver back in November and love it. My old pioneer served me well for 20 some years but the Denon blows it away performance wise. I used to be a big rock and roll fan but as I get older I like the new age music now,
mostly instrumental guitar and piano. It's so clean sounding on my system that I actually enjoy sitting and listening to the music. Before I was too restless to actually sit and listen. I had to be up and doing something. It's because of the vast improvement in sound quality.

Some of the letters mentioned the lack of controls such as bass and treble but I like the simple, uncluttered panel on the Denon. It's a piece of cake to use once you get use to the system, accessing the functions is easy and quick.
I think some of the receivers, with lots of buttons and knobs are confusing to use and look junky.

The home theater performance is great with my VCR. Eventually I plan to get a DVD player but am waiting for them to include DVD audio in the players. When I listen to CD's I like matrix mode best over 5 channel stereo. The instruments sound more defined and less muddied than 5 channel and the sound is more spread out than in 2 channel mode. I would recommend this receiver to anyone.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer receiver

Value

DSP, Remote

I use this strictly for HT. I have other systems for use to listen to music. My setup includes the following:

Pioneer DVD 05
Monitor audio Silver speakers front, center and sub
Radio Shack PROLX5 rear channel
Lovan Speaker Stands
Nordost cables - for front, center and sub
Audioquest cables - for rear
Sony XBR TV

It took me about two months of trial and error to achieve the sound that I was happy with using this set-up. The only thing that I'm thinking of replacing is the furniture in this room. For the money invested, I'm very happy with this set-up. All the equipment was purchased from various local merchants.

The reason for selecting these various components is because of how well the cost vs performance is balanced.

Similar Products Used:

Sony ES, Pioneer Elite, Yamaha

price, good power, funcionality

a little more power would be nice, remote

Very good receiver. Functional, easy to use. Good and quick detection of Dolby Digital/DTS signal from DVD player (unlike some others where there's a 2-3 second pause, followed by a loud *click* telling you it went into digital).

Remote could use a makeover; looks like it's something out of the 70's. But it works well enough.

Similar Products Used:

sony stereo receiver

5 Channel Stereo, clean distortion-free sound, remote control

Owner's manual

Terrific Receiver. It has all the inputs/outputs that are needed. I love the 5 channel stereo sound; my car has it and I truly enjoy it more than traditional stereo. It is a heavy unit and feels well made. It doesn't overheat the way the Sony models tend to do. The remote control is fine. Those that complain are comparing it to a $400 Philips Pronto which is the audiophile's dream unit. I find the remote perfectly satisfactory.

I was going to buy the 3300 because of the incredible reviews, but discovered that there is no "B" switch on that model. I have 2 satellite speakers in my adjoining kitchen.

My local guy is an authorized Denon dealer and doesn't carry Marantz Products. I paid a bit more for it <$680> but my warranty is covered by doing so. He did discount the unit to me, but it wasn't as cheap as the internet. Beware of buying this or other models on the internet. many of those "stores" are not authorized dealers. You may be getting a demo model or a used model and not know it. My guy set-up my whole surround sound system and to save $50-$75 and risk having the unit die prematurely isn't a wise decision.

I'm not an audiophile and for those few of you out there I'm sure you think you hear a difference using very expensive cables. For the 99% of the rest of us, save your money and spend more on better components such as this one.


Be practical, if the thing looks and feels solid and the company has a good reputation, and it sounds good, don't feel that you're missing out on something because your not buying the $3000 latest and greatest receiver out there. I can afford more, but it makes no sense. They are now selling receivers capable of "6.1" surround sound.

Rest of system: Panasonic 32sf36 flatscreen tv, Sony 650 DVD/cd changer, JVC 7600 VCR, Paradigm Speakers (Mini Monitors- to make my wife happy, cc-170 center channel, PS-1000 sub-woofer- to make me happy, AMS-100 for rears and kitchen.

I appreciate this website. It was very helpful to me when doing research. Other helpful websites: etown.com, hometheatermag.com. Purchase Stereo Review's Sound & Vision Buyers Guide. It lists all available products. It comes out twice a year I believe.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Marantz, Nakamichi

Ease of use, appearance, neutral sound (amp 85w/ch)

Power (in driving low impedance speakers)

I am very satisfied with this amp, although I paid a little extra for the DTS which I now really don't anticipate using or needing.

Good Sound quality, 5 channel stereo for any source (this should be a norm). Good value if purchased these days because it's a discontinued model (the 2801 is out)

Muffled at high volumes. In Dsp Rock arena mode, hissing noice occurs but goes away when I switch back to stereo mode (???).

I purchased a refurbished unit and it works well. Like I said, the hissing sound in Rock arena Dsp mode and the muffled sound at high volumes are the biggest drawbacks. It is powerfull enough for medium sized rooms.

Question, does this unit support bi-wiring for the front speakers???

My 4300$ (tx inc) system:

Tv: 36 Inch Sony Wega KV-36FS12
A/V Receiver: Denon Avr-2800
Front Speakers: Mission 773e
Rear Speakers: Mission 77Ds
Central Speaker: Mission 77C1
Subwoofer: Mission 70ASA
Dvd Player: Sony DVP-S7000
VHS: Sony SLV-N60
Cables: Monster Cables & Acoustic Research

Similar Products Used:

none

Excellent power and crisp natural sound.
It has the functions that you need and want, the layout is very neat and tiddy.

none

This unit has many things going for it; I love the power and the excellent sound. I have listened to many many different amps and receivers over the years and I believe that dollar for dollar Denon has some of the best sound! After having a Sony STRAV-910 for many years I was shocked to find that Denon is so strong.
I particularly like the different sound modes, i.e. 5-channel, 5.1 and the DTS function. Every time I turn this unit on I’m glad my good friend Scott and I took the time to compare Sony, Denon and many others. It didn't take long to determine that Denon stood heads and shoulders above for quality and sound. One things that i have noticed is that Denon is built like a rock. Compared to other makes Denon really is built well. The look and style of this unit is great as well. I find that many receivers today are cluttered with too many bells and whistles. This unit is very clean and appealing to look at as well as great to listen to.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STRAV-910,

hello denon I've used your product for almost 3 years,avr-1700 and have been completely satisfied however upon my reccomendation 2 of my co-workers purchased your avr-2800 and both have had the same major problem crackling in channels one had unit replaced only to discover same problem could someone@ denon reply? thank you tom

see above

see above

Similar Products Used:

see above

Excellent DD 5.1 & DTS, 5 Channel Stereo, Plenty o' power

No video passthrough when unit is off

I bought this unit as a closeout from 6th Ave in NJ. It was displayed right next to the AVR-2801 and the two looked like identical twins. The 2801 was selling for $799 and after some research the only difference was the 2801 had about 5 watts/channel more power, two additional pre-outs and one or two other insignificant features.

I upgraded from an Onkyo Prologic unit which gave me years of satisfaction. One feature I loved on the Onkyo was that
you could use video sources plugged into the receiver without having to turn it on. Not so on then Denon 2800. But this is not a real big deal.

The 2800 is very powerful and feature-rich. Setup was very easy. **TIP** Connect a cable from Monitor Out to any Vdeo In on your TV for On Screen Display. This makes setup "friendlier" and easier. The DSP modes are average with the exception of "5 Channel Stereo". 5 Channel Stereo is such a great feature. Listening to CD's, FM radio, or Cable/Satellite simply fills the room with music. I can't believe it's not offered in more mid-level receivers.

Overall I'm very pleased with this unit especially for the price I paid. I would have paid $100 more if I had to and still felt as though I got a bargain.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TX-906 (Prologic circa 1992)

Sound clarity, esthetics(this a nice looking unit), ease of use and remote is functional at almost any angle to unit.

I paid more than I wanted to for this fine piece of equipment.

After purchasing all of my HT products I was somewhat disappointed with the Sony Strde-835 A/V reciever I bought to power my Paradigm speakers. The reciever worked well in Dolby Digital and Pro-logic but sucked big time for normal music listening. Since I listen to a lot of Music I was disappointed with this component. I knew that Denon was a natural for Paradigm speakers, so after much begging and pleading, along with many other manouvers with my woman to justify my wishes, I was able to convince her to let me spend the extra cash on the Denon AVR2800. Well Lo and Behold, out of the box and hooked up, I fired a CD on and was absolutely taken by what I heard. The 5 channel stereo is awesome. I couldn't be bothered with 2 channel stereo anymore. Dolby Digital, DTS, and Dolby Pro-logic have never sounded better. The sound is warm and clean, and not ear-splitting bright as I had experienced with the Sony. I think that the Denon is is a fantasic addition to my set up. It has all the basics for home theater and music. Why have anything else, when in my opinion the additional soundfields offered by many manufacturers are a waste of money that could be spent on improving the overall sound quality of their products. Some of the competitors products should be sold at "Toy's-R-Us" and not in electronics stores. As far as the negative comments that I have read in some of the other reviews about the remote, it works great. It took a while to figure it out. But after some reading and a couple of trips to my dealer, I have been able to program everything on this one remote. This makes my old lady happy as she was chronically pissed at me for having half a dozen remotes on my coffee table. Why women are like that I'll never know. As far as hook-ups, this reviever has everything for my needs. I can see that it would come up short for more elaborate home theater set ups but it works fine for my DVD, VCR, CD changer, Cassette deck, TV and digtal box applications and there is still room for more additions. Hats off to Denon for making available a reciever that performs as well as this one and at a price that wont send us to the poor house.

Similar Products Used:

Compared Harmon Kardon AVR500
" " Marantz 7000
" " Yamaha (same price but hard on my ears)