3200 is great im only using it for processing cause im using external amplifiers but it does agreat job for my needs so i give it a5 star rating!

This is a pre review if you will. Just got the 3200 2 days ago. It replaces a 4 year old Onkyo TX-515 DPL receiver. I use it mainly for HT and the Tuner part in my other music only set-up. First impressions, the tuner is awsome, dead quiet, with lots of separation, in a class with the best separates. HT looks promising and I haven't really set it up but TV listening is a lot less fatiguing, the EQ really helps here. I only do DPL so far but as soon as everything is set up right will be back with final comments. One word on the bass, I have 2 subs driven by Bryston power amp, the bass is not shy, on the contrary, is is not over emphasized, just really natural. See you and happy listening. Really recommended 4 speakers so far.

Heavy = good
85W per channel
distance control for speakers.
volume control on each speaker.
6 input option

only 1 co-ax digital input.
no need for AC-3 input. waste.
LCD display is older style. comapre it to the avr2700

This has nice sound. Like the unit. Have it attached to Denon DVD1500 via co-ax digital. Set the room up to handle the different distances the speakers are from the view and their volume. Great! This unit has nice power. I was thought it was my old system that needed to be replaced. Nope, its the Sherwood amp. I have avr-2700 and avr-3200 next to each other, and they sound very similar. Yes the avr-2700 has an extra DD input.

DD is great. Its caught me out several times. I thought I heard strange noises in another room. IT took me a few minutes to realise it was the surround rear speakers making the detailed sound from the movie.

The one thing I have noticed is that the DD light indicates only when DD sound is being pushed. When it sits there with video only its off. The avr2700 didnt do this.

Who cares if you have to change the settings on the screen. I'd rather be doing that from my seat and hear the effects, then trying to see it on the small display miles away from me.

Remote seems to be able to reach the unit from a long distance! OK, its big, and older styule, but hey, its harder to loose!! Some buttons on it glow too.

Plugged in a subwoofer from Bose I had lying around, and wow what sound. The plates were shaking in the kitchen!

I bought this new from a store in Singapore. Cost $440SG, which is about $250US. Not bad! I'm happy.

Got AVR3200 used about a week ago. Here are my first impressions. The build quality is outstanding. Good ergonomics. The initial setup is more complicated than I thought it would be. The on screen menus are nice. There is a plethora of inputs and outputs. I like that. It runs cool, which is surprising, considering the location I put it in.
The sound is very "warm" even with my Klipsch speakers. I traded my 2 chanel amp for this receiver and there is a huge difference in sound. I have lost some detail, but the sound is more pleasing. I think for movies and dialog this setup is exceptional. I have not made up my mind about the music. I think this receiver has more than enough bass for my taste, but I do have a subwoofer.

I wish I had speaker control (a,b,c etc) from the head unit. This comes in handy when I am listing to the headphones. I also wish it did some auto switching for the components. The remote control is awful, but I have a Sony Universal so it does not matter much. Manual does not explain many of the features. Tuner presets should have programmable buttons.


Since this is my first receiver, I always had separates, I do not have much to compare it to. The Yamahas are nice units with many more features and inputs, but the build quality is not as good. I also prefer AVR3200 warmer balance.

Good value for the money.

I’ve had my AVR-3200 for six weeks and am very happy with my choice over the Yamaha RXV-992.
Denon has designed this $900 Dolby Digital receiver with a very reasonable set of performance attributes and features for my particular "threshold of pain" price point. The unit replaces a six-year-old Yamaha DSP-1000 processor which was a nice unit for its day. I have high regard for Yamaha in general, but like many other posters, I too was not enthusiastic about paying again for more of the gimmicky soundfields that Yamaha is so keen on providing.

The AVR-3200 exhibits no audible strain driving my five piece Atlantic Technology 350THX system (I didn’t buy their subs) to fully-satisfying volume levels. These speakers aren’t designed to reproduce below 80 Hz, so they nicely match the crossover points invoked by the Denon’s "small" speaker setting for each of its five 85 watt amps.

Both the Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic decoding modes provide really outstanding performance from the DVDs and Laserdiscs I’ve watched. While those uses provide the most impressive application of the receiver, I have been knocked over with musical joy listening to contemporary jazz in Denon’s 5 Channel Stereo mode. This "no coloration" use of the five equal power amps, in conjunction with it’s independently memorized per-channel level setting is simply wonderful.

Here’s some other great attributes…

Flexible assignment of the digital inputs to source selection

Video output and record output selection independant of source selection (if desired)

Memory of settings on a per source basis

Excellent build quality

Six channel input for DTS expansion


As much as I like the piece, I feel compelled to mention a few things that I consider to be design shortcomings. So, in no particular order…

Front panel power switch button operation-
Two positions, off & standby; if in standby, must be pressed twice to power unit from front panel

Lack of direct AM/FM tuning from either the front panel or remote-
In fact, the numerical keypad (which doubles as the source selection array) doesn’t seem to have application

Rear speaker "size" settings-
There aren’t any - the on screen display implies "small" always

Lack of preamp outputs for the rear channels

User manual-
A terrible translation from Japanese; great potential for confusion if some of the concepts are not well understood

Remote lacks direct surround mode selection-
You must cycle through modes from the remote; modes are available directly from the front panel

In conclusion, I would not hesitate to recommend this receiver. It’s been one of my more satisfying AV purchases. Enjoy!

There were many other Reviews of this Receiver before July; somehow they have been deleted along with mine. It was in the Hall of Fame for this site before they lost the other posts.
I have owned this machine for over a month now and still love it! At this price point, I don't think you can do better than the Denon 3200 A/V Receiver. The sound of the 5 equal power discrete ampliers is great for both audio and HT. Inputs/Outputs are plentiful while the 6 channel inputs for another decoder offers future expansion not available in ANY of the other DD Receivers.

To respond to the previous posts, I find the 3200 to have plenty of low end punch even without the Sub. I don't understand how anyone could find otherwise, unless it's their speakers that don't have the punch. I also have NEVER found that it lacks volume and I have a 25'x16' room and play my music loud with no sign of clipping ever noted!

Especially nice are the operational characteristics. IMO, these are just as important as the other features. These little things make this a best buy in my mind:

1) The Denon remembers the level settings for each channel including subwoofer. I use to have to switch my receiver to DPL after listening to stereo or vice versa. The Denon always returns to the last DSP mode used for each source.
2) All level settings are adjustable from the remote. And display to the pnael and OSD for easy adjustment.
3) The OSD outputs to both composite and Svideo. The HK AVR85 outputs to composite only.
4) The Denon has a built in RF demodulator for input from an AC3 equipped LD. Most Yamahas require an external decoder.
5) The 6 channel input is selectable from the remote and has full level settings.
6) The Tone level settings routine includes the sub channel. The HK AVR85 does not.
7) I am not a fan of DSP modes, but the 5 Channel Stereo setting on the Denon, sends music to all 5 speakers without reverb or reflections. It really fills the room with sound.

The only other Receiver I have personal experience with is the HK AVR85. Although this a definite clean sounding receiver, some of the operational characteristics were bothersome. Besides the ones described above, if you turn off the AVR95 via remote, you must turn it on via remote; you are forced to go find the remote even if you are at the Receiver...

Admittedly, I have not had much other personal experience with the other Receivers at this price point, but cannot imagine much better performance/features than the Denon 3200. Highly recommended for an audition!




















MY SYSTEM:
Denon 3200 Receiver
B&W 602 Mains
B&W CC6 Center
B&W 601 Surrounds
Sunfire True Subwoofer Mk2
Pioneer CLD-D504 (w/AC3RF)
Pionner PD-M650 6 pak CD
Sony SLV-575UC VCR
Proscan 60690 60" RPTV

Overall a decent receiver..averagely priced. Not too bad...it is a very stable/sturdy receiver. This is great to the "typical" listener, and not for the hard rock concert listener who like alot of bass.
I like this very much....but then again I paid $1100. Hmmmm....

Cons:
- The 3200 is a very nice reciever but, it does lack in the low end. I wish it has a Bass Boost/Loudness switch (those rotary bass and treble dials just don't cut it). Also unlike my previous Sony receivers, each audio selection had digital Bass/treb adjusts.

- The Tuner definately needs direct station access. The plus/minus scroll to select your stations does not do it justice. Same for the remote.


Pro's
- However, one thing that is good and not found in other brands is the 5 channel stereo mode. You can finally utilize all your (5) speakers (in full range) when listening to two channel sound. Very nice.

- The Dolby Digital is very discrete and works quite well. As well as the Pro-logic mode.

- Lots of inputs for any user. As well the tons of little features.

You would be well advised to get this unit. I mail ordered for only $930.00 shipped. At a retail of $1,200, it's about in the middle of the price range for this quality. The latest Stereo Review magazine compared the Denon AVR-3200 with the Pioneer VSX-D606S ($970) and the Yamaha RX-V2092 ($1,599). I used to have a Yamaha, but the Cinema DSP does add some colorations to the sound field. The Denon is not rated as the most powerful unit, but it beat the other two in dynamic power output, total distortion, excess noise, linearity of frequency tracking, the lowest subwoofer crossover, etc. I am very pleased I bought this unit. It is a little on the bright side, but it is very clear and has great resolution.

Adaptability

A little tinny

I have owned this reciever for over a year now and LOVE it. I do admit it is a little tinny so I just backed the treble down a bit. I own Acoustic Energy speakers and they are known to find any flaws with the receiver. No matter. I highly recommend this receiver. If I had more $ I would recommend separates. As an all-in-one it fits my bill.

Great system setup, 5ch stereo, detailed sound

hollow midrange, no dts

I bought this unit on clearance for around $450 a couple weeks ago. It's a great buy at that price - I was looking at HK receivers costing twice as much.

I upgraded from a HK AVR25 Mk II, which I really liked in terms of sound quality and power. However, I really wanted Dolby Digital, since I've had a DVD player for over a year without ever experiencing the full digital sound. I had been looking at newer HK's since I got the DVD player, but until recently you couldn't get an HK with as good an amp as the avr25 plus dolby digital without spending a bunch of dough. I designed and built my own front and center speakers a few years ago, and they have 4-ohm low-end impedance (ranging up to 8 ohm at the tweeters), so I needed something that could put out a lot of current (like my HK avr25) and still be happy.

I've had the 3200 now for a couple weeks, and after listening to a bunch of movies and a lot of my favorite music, I have mixed feelings. The sound quality for movies is outstanding. I watched Twister, and kept looking back into my kitchen to see what was falling out of the cupboards! The elevator scene in The Matrix really comes to life. I'm not quite as happy with the music quality, however. My old HK seemed to have fuller midrange sound, but the Denon provides better detail and imaging overall. I'm happy with the purchase, but just a little disappointed in the fullness of the sound. I don't have digital output on my CD player, but playing a CD on the DVD player didn't seem to make a lot of difference. I mostly use it for movies, though, which balances things out.

Similar Products Used:

HK 85/500/25_II