Excellent in both home theatre and source direct modes (using the excellent DA converters)

None

Current System : Denon AVR-2803 av amp purchased from Frank Harvey, Warwick in December 2003 for £500. KEF 105/3 front reference speakers. KEF Q9C centre speaker. Wharfedale Powercube 12A subwoofer. Definitive Technology UIW BP/A bipolar in-ceiling surround speakers (either side of the listening position, firing forward and backwards). Pioneer DV444 DVD player Denon DRM-650S cassette deck. Sony SLV-SE700 Nicam video recorder. Philips 6515 28” Nicam TV. Sony 228ESD CD player (used as a transport only). Denon PRA-1200 pre amp (used only as a step up amp for AT-F5). Pair of Denon POA-4400A power amps for KEF 105/3 front speakers. Logic DM101 electronic turntable. Logic Datum arm. Stilton body Audio Technica AT-F5 moving coil cartridge. Pioneer DBF100GB Digital Terrestrial TV set top box. Ben Duncan’s “Super Spur” mains distribution spur. Bespoke furniture in Utily Mahogany (very heavy) – each item isolated on a glass shelf, supported by 3 brass cones. Front and centre speakers bi-wired using Maplin’s Shark oxygen free multi strand cable. Surround speakers single wired using Maplin’s Shark oxygen free multi strand cable. Interconnects and Scart cables are from QED, Profigold & Ixos. Review :- Note – I’ve reviewed some of my other equipment above under 'Definitive Technology BP 1X' I recently purchased a Denon AVR 2803 av amp, a KEF Q9C centre speaker and a Pioneer DBR-TF100GB DTT set top box. I just need to get a centre rear in-ceiling speaker and then I will have completed my system. The Denon POA 4400A monoblocks are connected to the AVR 2803 front power amp RCA out connections and I use the 12V switching on the 2803 to switch on the 4400’s (very convenient, as each power amp is next to a front speaker). Front and centre speakers are bi-wired. The whole system now sounds fantastic in both surround sound (PL11, DTS, DD) and music DIRECT. The UIW BP/A’s don’t draw attention to themselves being bi-polar and the Q9C is very open and dynamic with very natural sounding human voices. Both the surround and front speaker integrate well tonally with the KEF 105/3’s. I’m having great fun revisiting all my old CD’s, DVD’s and LP’s. For music I prefer to switch the Wharfedale Powercube 12A subwoofer off, as the bass is slightly overpowering on some material when combined with the 105’s. Dolby PLII sounds very natural in both the cinema & music mode, just adding a small amount of rear ambience to the recordings in PL II M mode and performing almost as well as Dolby Digital in PLII C mode. The DA converters on the 2803 are far superior (smoother and more detailed) to those on my old Sony 228 CD player. I’m now just using the Sony as a CD transport. My favourite DVD is Queen Video Hits Volume 2 in DTS 96/24. I don’t have a Super Audio or DVDA player to make any comparison with DTS 96/24, but this DVD sounds brilliant (just ignore the visuals as they are old video transfers). Lets hope that DTS entertainment bring out some more titles. As soon as I get the centre rear I’ll post another review on how the system performs in the Denon WIDE SCREEN mode.

Power, performance, Denon quality.

Dealer/warranty issues (see above).

Typical Denon quality throughout. Controls feel "right", and the finish is perfect. It isn't a light-weight! The power is more than adequate and very clean. Highs are crisp, and the lows are tight, not boomy. The different sound parameters are nice, with the synthesized suround coming from stereo quite believable. Music in the "7 channel stereo" mode is MUCH better than "normal" stereo. The Dolby modes are fantastic (at least with my Ascend Acoustics/HSU speakers). This thing is confusing to hook up, though probably no more than any other AV/reciever. I'll NEVER get the hang of the remote! If you can understand how to use it, you just won't need another one on the coffee table. It will do it all. One BIG drawback to getting a good deal on a Denon, is that you have to be confident enough that it'll survive for years to come since there's NO warranty from most of the dealers selling these units. Denon only honors the warranty if it comes from an "authorized dealer", then it'll cost quite a bit more. I've had Denon products (as had other family members), and I'm not worried about a failure anytime soon.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, JVC, other Denons.

Power. Clear, uncolored musicality. Denon build quality.

Remote control isn't very intuitive - for $800 I would have liked to have seen a remote with an LCD screen on it.

I purchased the 2803 to replace an ailing Yamaha rx-v 595a. After listening to the Denon, it makes me realize how tired the Yamaha was. Plenty of power and uncolored music is what you'll get with this receiver. I have a 5.1 channel system and this receiver will allow me to upgrade to 7.1 in the future. The onscreen display is helpful when tweaking your settings for HT. I got mine for 800 at a local HT store, but you can find them for much less online now.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha rx-v 595a

*Great sound quality on music and movies *Great Denon build quality *Plenty of power and features

*None at this time

I have always been impressed with Denon electronics, and the Denon 2803 is no exception. This is a fantastic receiver for both music and movies. The sound is very rich and full, and has plenty of power for even the most demanding rooms. The receiver has a huge array of features and inputs, not to mention decoding for every surround format in existence(with the exception of THX Surround EX). I am a previous owner of the Denon 3803, and I must say that the 2803 is almost as impressive. Don't get me wrong, the 3803 is an impressive receiver, and does have it's advantages over the 2803, but for $400 less than the 3803, this receiver can hold it's own. The 3803 does have a better remote than the 2803, which is pretty basic. However, the 2803's remote does have learning capability, and is pretty easy to use. I can't really comment much on the manual, because I am a custom home theater installer, and I do not rely on the manuals a whole lot. Plus, I have quite a bit of experience with Denon products. Overall, this is a FANTASTIC receiver, and I feel is the best in it's price range(it retails for $800).

Similar Products Used:

Denon 2802,3802,3803 Marantz 7200 Sony and Pioneer receivers.