Stunning DD and DTS performance - 6.1 and 7.1 add a much needed addition to Surround Sound (Denon avr3801)

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This review is about the AVR 3801. I have it matched with an Outlaw 750 amp. The performance is stunning. It is much more dynamic than the Sony 9000es. The 6.1 and 7.1 Es and Ex modes make Movies more dynamic and full. I would not hesitate to recommend this receiver to anyone. The surround would be hard to beat from any processor at any price.

Similar Products Used:

Sony tae 9000es,Sony 50es
Sony tae 9000es,Sony 50es,Yamaha 2095

Stunning DD and DTS performance - 6.1 and 7.1 add a much needed addition to Surround Sound (Denon avr3801)

none

This review is about the AVR 3801. I have it matched with an Outlaw 750 amp. The performance is stunning. It is much more dynamic than the Sony 9000es. The 6.1 and 7.1 Es and Ex modes make Movies more dynamic and full. I would not hesitate to recommend this receiver to anyone. The surround would be hard to beat from any processor at any price.

Similar Products Used:

Sony tae 9000es,Sony 50es
Sony tae 9000es,Sony 50es,Yamaha 2095

Many features for the money.

Unit shuts down after 20 minutes of use. FAULTY RECEIVER!

Just my luck: The reviews regarding this unit's tendency to pre-maturely shut-down come after I ordered the unit mail-order from Let's Buy Digital...it took no less than 20 minutes at moderate volume levels for the unit to shut-down! And I could have made an omelette on its vent grill...HOT! Grrrr. So many features, at such a good price. But no time to talk...I have to pack it up and ship it back from whence it came. Maybe I'll just go to the cinema instead...

Sound, Great connectivity and functionality.

Remote, On screen feedback for setting change would be nice.

I was kind of lost when I started looking for a receiver. There so much out there and you really don't know what to choose. I've looked at Yamaha and Sony. The Denon seems to have the best value for that price range. Also, I've heard that Denon specializes on audio. This is my first AV receiver unit. After owning it for two weeks, I'm positive I made the right choice. It is powerful, pure sound, great functionality, and great connectivity. I do find the remote not very easy to use and it is bulky too. I use Polk Audio RM7500 (another supperb product !), DVD is Toshiba SD6200, TV is Toshiba 65H80.

Excellent HT/Music sounds.
5 channel (stereo) w/ 5x105W



Power!

Limited DSP Modes, which I don't really care for.

After 3 months of shopping and quality/cost comparison over the Internet and local authorized dealer, I finally purchased the AVR-3300 from a local authorized dealer. I saw numerous cyber stores underselling the local authorized dealer for a $100-$200 less, but considering the risk and hassles of running into problems I decided to buy it from an authorized local dealer for $900.00. Any problems within its warranty period they'll take care of it and for $50 more I can extend the warranty for 5 years. I bought the AVR-3300 with DefTech PT-400, DefTech PC-C2 and DefTech PM-80 for $2K, which I thought was not a bad deal at all. The sounds are crisp, detailed and sharp yet warm. HT wise, the DD sounds are amazing with Armageddon and Matrix (yet to try out the Fifth Elements, Tom Clancy's movies, and Disney movies). One of the things I like most about the 3300 is that it's hissless. The 2000 lines Phil mentioned is amazing because I'm preparing to shop for RPTV-HDTV (ready) sometimes next year, depending on how low HDTV's prices drop. AVR-3300's capability of running a separate pair of speakers to different part of the house is also a plus for home versatility. This is one purchase with no regrets. Highly recommended and the best bang for the buck.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 995
Onkyo TX-DS777
Denon AVR-5700
Yamaha DSP-A1

Very well made, clean, powerful sound, lots inputs, very nice 5.1 channel music mode for CD's.

no digital output, remote is OK but not great, to learn all its functions takes some time

I am very pleased with it. I've never owned a receiver this good. I picked it over similar receivers mainly because of its 5.1 channel music mode which I read about. I like it quite a bit. I bought it from Uncle Stereo for $799 delivered. It came on time and in good shape.

Similar Products Used:

none

Real power; warm, clear sound, even at high levels; value.

The remote.

I have just purchased this unit recently, and after much deliberation and searching for the "perfect unit," I found it.

I am upgrading my system piece by piece, and this was the cornerstone. I am running it on Infinity speakers all around, and a M&K sub. My speakers that I have had for nearly ten years have never sounded so good.

I have read a good number of reviews on this product, and it seems that the number one complaint is the lack of DSP modes. My response to that is that Yamaha has us all fooled. Who actually uses those stupid things anyway? They are simply a useless novelty. Once you buy this unit and get it set up, you will never have it out of either the 5 channel stereo mode or the Digital mode.

Power. If one word describes this unit, it's POWER. I won't bore you with the specs, because I am sure you've investigated that. However, don't be afraid to turn this monster up. I was blown away at how clean and hiss-free the sound remained the louder it got. I had a Yamaha unit prior to purchasing the 3300, and one major drawback on the Yamaha is that the louder it got, the more separated the sounds became. (Same problem existed on the RXV-995 and 2095 that I had considered purchasing.) Bass kicked in, and high range followed suit, to the point that the higher range sounds became piercing. Mid-range was non-existent. Not so with the 3300. The sound remained balanced, warm and clean.

My one complaint is the remote. It is a learning remote, but you are limited in what you can program into the remote.

Buy this unit. You won't find anything like it in the same price point.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RXV-995/2095, DSP-A1

It turns on

It doesn't even compare to my old Sony STRDE705. The SONY was 600 bucks cheaper, and sounds much better on my Wilsons. I don't know what you guys are reviewing, but this piece wasn't worth the 900 bucks that I paid for it.

It sucks, don't waste your money

Similar Products Used:

Denon, Hummer, SONY, ONKYO, Yamaha

Powerful, Great inputs for the future, great sound, well built

Difficult to set up, confusing remote, and poor documentation.

I started out with a used Denon 3200 which I was very happy with but wanted more power and DTS. This unit has it all. I am very impressed with how much better my Boston Acoustic speakers sound with this receiver. The unit is very well built but has so many features on it that it becomes confusing at times. I really like the flexibility that it has to upgrade to other components in the future. (6 and 8 inputs, etc.)

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3200

5ch stereo, 8 ch audio input, etc..

only 1 coax input

For the money this is the best receiver you can buy. It has two component video inputs and 1 comopnent video output (these will pass both NTSC video and high def signals). Several svideo inputs and outputs. The 5 channel stereo is great and the direct mode is outstanding. If you like movies, the receiver has an A/B switch to place a seperate set of dipole speakers for watching movies.

Similar Products Used:

yamaha v995, sony