After you get this thing set up, it's actually very enjoyable to listen to. But since you come across them first, I'll list the negatives before the positives:
1. Setup is not easy. I'm fairly familiar with stereo equipment and have swapped out and upgraded many times in recent years. My 5-year-old Sony prologic receiver with on-screen programming was MUCH easier to use, and the remote was worlds better than the Denon's. The manual is not comprehensive enough and does not go into detail where you need it, such as how to get dolby digital signals to play. Nothing is intuitive on this unit.

2. Bass management has a major flaw: You have to select "large" or "small" as a speaker setting. Many of us still use larger speakers for the mains and smaller ones for surrounds; I think that's a common enough setup that Denon should allow for it. The manual says that it has to do with bass reproduction rather than physical size, but most of us would have to say that bigger speakers have more bass. That said, I selected "large" and I get great bass without cranking it too high. (However, I used a separate amp for the mains, which did show a marked improvement.)

3. Did I mention the remote stinks? I know the pros have really panned this thing (Stereo Review in particular), but it's really bad. Great features but poor ergonomics and execution.

4. No front panel a/v inputs or A/B speaker switching.

Now for the positives:

1. Sounds great in stereo. Yes, I added a separate power amp for the main speakers (small 60-wpc Sonance), mainly because of the lack of A/B switching. But the preamp section is very clean, and I can barely tell the difference between the Denon and my NAD stereo preamp. Not as good as true high-end stuff, but damn good for any receiver.

2. 5-channel stereo: It's as good as everyone says it is, and nobody else has it (as far as I can tell).

3. Fantastic dolby digital and prologic decoding. I thought prologic decoders were pretty much alike, but this thing really brings new life to those non-5.1 movies. Dialogue is perfect, transitions are seamless, even in mismatched speaker systems like mine. Watch chapter 2 of The Shadow for some incredible sound. I was ducking bullets.

4. Lots of analog and digital inputs; S-video switching; optical, coax, the whole nine yards, PLUS inputs for an external 6-channel decoder for DTS, DVD audio, or whatever the hell comes along next. No more selling $1100 receivers for $150 after a couple years!

Overall, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I've heard Denon's newer remotes are a big improvement, and if you're not getting enough bass just switch your speaker setting or get yourself a better sub. If not for the remote I'd give this thing 5 bananas, but it's well worth 4 and a half.

I bought this unit because it had come down in price from $1200 to $900 at a New York retailer.I felt it would be a good match for my Mission speakers (734i,731i,73c,and AS2 subwoofer) as there are now matched Denon/Missionhome theatre systems which have gotten good reviews.One of the first things
I liked were the biwiring posts the 3200 offered for my 734i front channel.Out
of the box the 3200 was good with movie soundtracks and special effects.On music
I liked the 5 channel stereo setting best.While offering great soundstaging
and separation of instuments,I was a little disappointed by the lower octaves of bass extension.After running in continuously for a week,the bass is now excellent.I did make one major tweak that has transformed this receiver from simply an excellent midpriced unit into the best sounding amp/receiver I have heard under $5000.I connected a TDS-II harmonic enhancer to a Musical Fidelity X10-D(both from Audio Advisor) into the tape loop.In 5 channel stereo the palpable presence of the musicians in my living room is incredible.Same with movies in pro-logic.I highly reccomend anyone with this unit to try this tweak.
The results have put me in audio heaven.

I live the avr-3200 for 1 month now, know it enough to give some comment:

It is a good sounding DD receiver, like all Denon product. It doesn't
have any weakness or visible quirks that make its owner unhappy.
I use B&W 602 speakers, the amp sounds wonderful, rich tone, clear
treble, and decent bass performance.

One of the best sounding amplifier here for $1000.00. Yes, it has
6 DTS input, so you don't need to throw it away to get DD and DTS
together.

Performance: 4*
Easy to use 5*
Convenience 5*
Value: 4* (with introduction of Kenwood DD reciever for $500)
Movie sound 5*


Duc

I purchased the 3200 and returned it promptly. It was aweful. First of all, it DOES lack basss. It was like someone turned the bass control all the way down. I know about the small/large settings, etc. and tried EVERY combination. I was convinced the unit was defective. The place I purchased it checked it out and said it was fine. I auditioned another one at the Wiz. Same thing. Without mentioned anything to the salesman, he made the identical observation! I purchased the Yamaha 992. The Denon requires the use of an on screen display. The Yamaha does not. The denon will not allow you to specifically set the delay times on the surround mode. The manual tuning is only possible with the remote. There isn't even a balance control on the thing. There are no pre-outs for the surrond channels. The power was lacking also. My 20 year old 50WPC amp had more power. During movies, I had the Denon at full volume. The Yamaha I keep at the 10 O'Clock position and it cranks. Even the specifications in the manual are lacking. No mention of channel separation, FM sensitivity, +-??db for bass/treble controls, etc. etc. The Yamaha tells more than you'd ever want to know. With the Denon, the user interface stinks, the sound/bass stinks, and the power output was aweful. If you think it DOES have bass, audition something else and you'll be surprised.The one thing the Denon has that NOBODY else has is the 5 channel stereo.

Can Elton and Peterlsc or any one in Singapore advise me on where to get the Denon AVR3200 at S$800?
I have auditioned the Denon's AVR3200 and like its sound as well as its future proof features compared to Pioneer and Marantz. However I could not get it at the above price.

What about the speakers? Which speakers best match the Denon? I have heard a few including Energy's Take5 and ES-8 subwoofer, which I like. Anyone had this matching to share?

Thanks and you can reach me at cwbenz@mbox4.singnet.com.sg

I purchased the Denon AVR 3200 after weeks of research and listening to other products, namely Yamaha, HK, and Pioneer Elite. In the end I had a tough choice between the Denon and the Pioneer Elite (07THX). All the models were good to excellent in this price range ($1200 to $2000 CDN, I wouldn't give any of these less than 4 stars). The HK was slightly overpriced I thought at $2,000 CDN, the Yamaha 2092 was the least expensive at $1200 CDN, while the Denon was $1,400 CDN, and the Pioneer Elite was $1,600 CDN. I had heard a comparison head to head between the Denon AVR 2700 and the Pioneer Elite 07THX. It was no comparison, the Pioneer ate the 2700 up alive (more bass, better clarity, just sounded way better). Part of the reason is that the AVR 2700 is not a high current machine like the Pioneer is. So as I was just about to purchase the Pioneer, the sales person suggested that I also listen to the 3200. I was immediately impressed. It sounded much more livelier than the 2700. If you pick up a 3200 and a Elite 07, you will notice that they both weigh approx 31 lbs. For a midrange AV receiver, this weight is pretty impressive, the weight comes heavy duty power supplies and transformers to create high currency. Anyways I have had the 3200 for a month now and am very satisfied with the purchase, the only reason I picked this over the Elite was because of the 6 channel input for DTS and the 5 channel stereo mode which is just fantastic parties.
For those of you who feel that the 3200 is lacking in bass, don't forget that the 3200 has a default speaker setting of "small" for the fronts and center channel, therefore any sound frequency under 80hz will go directly into the sub preouts. If you set this setting to "large" speakers, frequencies below 80hz will go to the front speakers. My system includes Energy XL-16 speakers (another great product) all around and I get plenty of smooth tight bass from these.

Overall, if I were to do this again, I would not hesitate to choose the Pioneer Elite or the Denon 3200.

I’ve had the 3200 for 2 months and in my opinion this is one fine receiver. I bought the receiver as a first step towards upgrading my 20 year old system (except for the CD player). I shopped on and off for about 6 weeks including research with numerous magazine articles, and internet sites. I narrowed down my choices to the Denon AVR-3200 or the Yamaha V992. These receivers were closely matched in quality, power, price, and reputation.
I was fortunate to be able to have a good side by side A/B comparison with a cooperative dealer. (Matched volume levels, same speaker system, various CD music and DVD movie source material.) While there was a slight difference in sound between the two receivers, I couldn’t honestly say one was "better" than the other. (That goes for bass response as well. I really don’t know why others have complained about lack of bass on the Denon; I did/do not hear any deficiencies.) I really don’t think that anyone would go wrong with either unit.

So why did I pick the Denon? After the comparison, the choice basically came down to which features appealed more to me. I preferred the Denon’s feature mix more than the Yamaha’s. I find the Denon’s ability to retain the previous mode and channel settings to be a real convenience. The settings are very flexible. Although I don’t care for most DSP modes with music, the Matrix mode is very good, and I find myself using it quite a bit. Denon’s 5 channel stereo mode is a plus, and I’m surprised that it hasn’t been copied yet by other brands. For movies, the Cinema EQ setting works very well, taking the edge off shrill high pitched sound effects. I have also found that the Mono Movie mode works very well for - you guessed it - mono movies.

I would recommend the Denon to anyone.

Ok, I'm ready for this. After months of reading, shopping, listening, reading, shopping and listening for components I bought a used 3200 off this site for a song and also picked up a Denon 560 CD player, a Denon 2000 DVD player, some B&W Matrix 804's for my main speakers, an HTM center and a set of DS-6 surround speakers. To help with the low end I found a Paradigm PS-1000 sub. After hooking it all up with good interconnects and speaker cables, mostly AudioQuest I was ready to listen, and listen I did! Wow! What a system. I done good!!!The 3200 performs better than I could have imagined. It was easy to set up (contrary to other reviews) and I thought the manual was fairly good (I'd hate to write a manual in Japanese)and provided the right information in a fairly clear manner. I think the remote is very good (also contrary to another review). If you want to see a really poor remote you should see my old "learning" Kenwood remote with about 753 like buttons on it (It's a paperweight now). Anyway, the 3200's features are plenty and more than adequate. Like others, I really like the 5 channel stereo and the matrix modes, the others are interesting as well, but the plain stereo mode is my favorite for music only. I particularly like the bi-wire capability on the amp end, which allows you to "shotgun" two sets of cables to the front and center speakers. Who knows if it helps, but it makes me feel better! About the bass, I have the bass and treble zeroed out for most music, but if I turn up the base I can crack the foundation of any building, even without the sub. With the sub It's a totally moving experience, literally. I can hear notes I never knew were there with my old system, from the top to the bottom. Everything is clear, tight and precise. Exacting is a good word for it, I guess. I listened to many receivers, Sony ES, Onkyo, Harmon Kardon, etc, etc. and am convinced I made the right choice. I truely can't imagine improving on the sound (features and power maybe, but certainly not quality). A fantastic unit and an outstanding price (especially if you can find a good one used). I give it 8 bananas!!

These past few years I have been upgrading my Home Theater for some time now.. II have started with a pathetic Pioneer VXS433, sold it upgraded to a Yamaha RX-V990, sold it upgraded to a Kenwood V990 and sold it after a few days and finally ended up with the Denon G3200. The other commentaries mentioned are indeed valid. But one should expect changes in sound quality with regards to room dimensions and sonic characteristics made by carpets and curtains as such. Not to mention speakers interconnects, cables, and speakers used. All in fact make a difference! But judging between amplifiers I would say, the Denon G3200 would be the better choice. If you would think the Denon is underpowered. Give a listen to the Kenwood KV990! The problem with the KV990 is that it goes dead silent some times in the middle of the movie (such as Independence Day AC-3) when it looks for the digital data!! I have never encountered that problem with my Denon! After the first movie I felt like throwing the Kenwood out of the window!
The Yamaha is nice "TOY" with it's many DSP modes. But after awhile it gets really tiring and I would prefer plain vanilla stereo to make full use of my simple Tannoy M3's. Somehow you start thinking that sound may be better from your main speakers in stereo, without any colouration from the other drives. I am quite satisfied with the Denon G3200 with it's future prove inputs, optical connects for my DVD player but most importantly, for the sound in both Movies and Music. Judging from the treble and the bass as mentioned by some, more investigation should be made on the many variables that may play a part in sound generation. I have a amplified subwoofer and actually prefer it off. Ergo, the bass in fact is a matter of taste. The sound direction is excellent! If I were to grade the sound direction capabilities of all my past amplifiers. I would grade the Pionneer as Poor, Yamaha as fair, and the Kenwood as good. It took me some time (and money) to finally perfect my system. And mind you, the system is not only made up of electronic hardware but room ascoustics and stereo accesories. No, I don't think you'll go wrong with the Denon amplifier. My only gripe is, I would have saved a bundle of cash if it only came out earlier.

I've owned the Denon 3200 for about 7 months now. It took awhile to get everything figured out and properly connected but I have learned to live with this machine and actually appreciate it. I use it primarily for music and seldom watch movies. Sure, it could use more base but the sub helps out in this respect. The main reason I bought this unit is a little feature called 5 channel stereo, and it is fantastic. The Paradigm surrounds fill the room with beautiful, clear and clean music that's hard to beat for a system in this price range. It's okay for movies too. My biggest complaint is that it does not have A/B speaker select but you can''t pack everything into these things.