I WAS INTERESTED IN UPGRADING MY SYSTEM FROM PRO-LOGIC VINTAGE 1993 TO 5.1. AS I BEGAN LOOKING, YAMAHA SEEMED UBIQUITOUS, THIS RAISED SUSPICIONS. THANKFULLY, I WENT TO A LOCAL AUDIOPHILE STORE AND FOUND THE DENON 3300. I AM IMPRESSED TO SAY THE LEAST WITH THE SURROUND AS WELL AS BASIC STEREO. I AM ABLE TO RUN ALL OF MY COMPONENTS THROUGH THE DENON VIA THE REMOTE - GREAT ON SCREEN MENUS!MY SPEAKERS HAVE FOUND NEW LIFE WITH THIS RECEIVER! OH YES, THE DVD TWISTER WAS QUITE VIVID. ONLY COMPLAINT, NO A/B SWITCH FOR FRONT CHANNEL, I HAD TO PURCHASE A SPEAKER SWITCH. WOULD I DO IT AGAIN, YOU BET!!

I have been reviewing all receivers under $2,000 for about two months. I finally was able to try out the features and sound quality of this new Denon model. After listening to this unit through a variety of high end speakers (Paradigm Studio 100's v.2 and B&W 802's), I was hooked. I purchased the unit and have had it for almost two weeks now. I am very impressed with the imaging, soundstage and tonal quality of this unit. I find it hard to believe this unit can be found for under $1000! I am glad I waited for this model to arrive.

I had cheaped out and bought a JVC unit but that nameplate finally got to me.I went to the local store and checked out Yamaha Vs Denon.I love !! the 5ch stereo and this thing lays my JVC low.I love punchy mid-bass for jazz and fusion(being a drummer)and this thing delivers.My NHT's are bright so this is a perfect match.

OK OK I just cannot get the smile off my face...this is what its all about. Loads of power, easy to use(I have no problem with the remote) it sounds great with Movies or 5.1 music videos( Monsteratt, Eagles etc) Movies effects are truly unbelievable rear effects occor where I have no speakers it is damn erie my mom thought it was raining outside watching Tin Cup (trailer scene). I love te 5 channel stereo and when I feel like being an ausiophile and switching to two channel stereo....the smile on my face should say it all..Kudos to Denon for building a product that has the performance, features and is affordable eneough to own. 5 stars.

Time for my follow up...
Since everybody else has done such a great job of expoundng upon how great this unit sounds, I won't go there. They are right. However, in the interest of fair play, I will add a couple more negative points.

1) The tuner's lack of direct access to channels. You have to scroll through them to get to the one you want. And if you can't even fool it by using macros to reset to a "base" channel, since whenever you switch to the tuner it remembers the last one you were at.

2) Though the on-screen display is very clear, one thing it doesn't display is your volume setting. The only way you can see that is by looking at the Receiver display, or, of course, by listening.

3) I've since added a $100.00 Yamaha RF Demodulator to make up for the lack of RF-in, so my price has risen a bit. But with LD's starting to slow down (Columbia House LD club has been closed for business, I believe) I can probably pick a bunch up cheap. Of course, this only leaves me with one digital in left (DVD, LD, and CD) Could be a problem someday.

4) Two sets of surround speakers? A nice idea, but who really has the space? I'd probably be happier with an A/B speaker switch.

I'm going up to 5 stars on this one because my last review got posted twice at 4 stars :-) It really is a 4.5.

System:
NHT 1.5's
NHT HDP-1 Surrounds
NHT 1.1C Center
Klipsch SW-8 Sub (How'd that get in there?)
NAD 515 CD changer
Pioneer DVL-700 Combo player
and a couple of VCRs and a TV that nobody cares about.

so its IN!! .. I hooked it up and had to spend the better part of an hour configuring it for my room ... no, hit-power-and-select-the-source business here ... very frustrating ... the sound definitely needs tweaking which is most easily accomplished via on-screen displays ... I wish mucj of this could be accomplished with knobs and dials on the receiver itself, but the spartan nature of the face plate does look nice ... I'm going to deduct one speaker for the difficulty of setup ... it sounds good, better than my Luxman/Mission setup from before, but not great yet ... I'll post more once I have it fully tweaked

PURELY AWESOME!!! Denon is one of the most note-worthy electronics company in the world. They have proved themseleves in the electronics world as LEADERS in sound, design, quality, stability, and performance.
I just bought the AVR-3300 about 2 weeks ago. Under careful scrutiny between the Nakamichi AV-10, Pioneer Elite VSX-27tx, Yamaha 995, and the Denon AVR-3300. I had to pick the Denon due to SOUND quality, SONIC impact, and PERFORMANCE. I have owned 4 receivers in the last year and just havent been satisfied. I decided to go with a quality Receiver/Amp FINALLY! I AM SATISFIED NOW!!!

Here are the Good Points-----
1---DD, DTS, ProLogic OnBoard
2---4 Digital Inputs
3---Component Video Ins/Out
4---SVideo Ins/Outs
5---DSP Soundfields WORTH USING!!!
6---SOUND QUALITY
7---8 Channel External Inputs/Outputs
8---5 Channel Stereo Mode is EXTREMELY Awesome

For the Price point on this unit you can not go wrong. The sound in HT and Music is Smooth, Accurate, Sonic, Warm, Powerful. You will not find any product better!!!

Here is a couple of things I would of liked to seen done by Denon on this unit-----
1---There is no Digital Output
2---NO Bi-Wiring like its Sister Components
3---NO Rf-Demodulator for LD's

Even though it does not have the things mentioned above I would never give this Denon Back. COMPLETELY AWESOME UNIT!!

Believe ME Please dont waste your money on Sony, Pioneer, Kenwood, Yamaha, JVC, Onkyo.

The Nak AV-10 ran a close 2nd, only they do not have enough inputs/outputs!!!

My Sound Equipment-----
Denon AVR-3300 $1000.00
JBL Professional Series SVA1800 Studio Monitors $2400.00
JBL Professional Series SVACenter $900.00
JBL Professional Series SVA1500 Monitors (Surr) $1400.00

Roughly one week update ... it sounds good ... no make that great ... awesome Stereo Fidelity ... I have my old system hooked up simultaneously so I have a jungle of wires snaking out the back of my rack ... place looks like a total diasaster, but I wanted to compare the sounds fairly ... So on to the review:
Luxman/Missions - baseline old standby, great transparency, clear imaging, uninspiring but tight bass

Luxman/Infinity 60's - stunning!, all of the above and bass to boot!! ... maybe I should've stay with this?

Dennon/Missions - make my old Luxman sound like a paperweight ... what was I thinking? ... bass still tight and tinny but much less so ... I want to "feel" the bass in my Gap Band CD ;-)

Dennon/Inifinty 60's - Direct Stereo Mode - I must've been deluded before ... sounds like I've been listening from under a pillow until NOW! ... great speakers and the power to drive them ... makes a HUGE difference

Dennon/Inifinty 60's/40's/Center - 5Ch Stereo Mode - this is THE ONLY WAY to listen to my CD's from here on out ... my kness totally melted ... Ella Fitgerald never was so close, I can hear the swallowing she does between breaths in Porgy and Bess as if she was right in front of me ... the music "comes alive" and surrounds you with non-cheesy surround sound (I've heard too much of that)... I dunno how they did it but I like! ... Don't particularly care for the other DSP effects at all (Mono Movie/Rock Arena/Jazz Club/Video Game/Matrix <- all interesting but VERY quickly tiring) ... still playing with the effect setting's and speaker placement, but I live alone and can afford to piddle around with this to my heart's content ... no wife and kids to bother with, and after this who needs them? ;-) ... okokokok so maybe you do but this is a Stereo BBS basically right ;-) ... so roughly $1,400 into this (Dennon and Infinity's) I realize that I have to upgrade my CD player and interconnects (I'm using generic cheapo RCA cable and Low-End Monster Speaker Cable) ... think I'm going to go for a Dennon 2500S but I given the past price history (I haggle like a Bedouin) I have to search around exhaustively for price (please e-mail if you now of a good deal on this unit) ... BTW, you can get the 3300 for $715 from Uncles Stereo (NYC) ... I paid $775 and when I called them back about the deal they gave one of you (which you told me about - Thanks!!), they offered to discount my next purchase ... Hats off to Uncles!!

Went to a very nice local stereo specialty shop yesterday to audition the Denon 3300 and the Yamaha 995 after reading both reviews here and many conversations elsewhere. Have not purchased any new components in almost 20 years, other than a Sony C77ES CD player(my first) approx. 8 years ago. This was pretty interesting. The salesman leads me to his first choice in the sound room without me saying anything other than, I'm interested in a receiver and a television. I also answered his question regarding listening to music vs HT, 70/30% respectfully. He picks the Denon 3300 without hesitation, @ $999.95. Ouch! It sounded great to my untrained ear. He explained how much he loved the stereo (5.1) aspect and the overall quality. I than asked to see the Yamaha 995 which was next to it to compare, he says they don't compare, and I own the Yamaha! Enough said here.
Today, on the phone with a distributor in NC, he says, get the Denon 3300 you will be extremely happy, it's awesome but he's out of them @ $760. He also states that nothing under $1500 maybe even $2000 touches it in quality and performance. He even brought up the Denon 5700 and for the money said stay with the 3300. Says it's a hot receiver, not as many bells and whistles as the Yamaha but better made and out performs it. He also says HK, Yamaha, and a few others are not made as well as they used to be. This guy runs a repair center for the stated equipment and more.

I called the 1st salesman back to haggle price, no deal, $999, WRONG answer! Ordered our new Denon AVR-3300 from NetMarket for $709 and got a rebate for future purchases that covers the shipping. Sweet deal. It's worth more relative to what you get and what else is out there.

Hooking our new baby up to some Maggie MMG's that we ordered yesterday! Have never heard them but they are one reason we stepped up to the 3300 and over the Onkyo 676 and the others out there. You can spend more and get more but our buck stopped here.

I don't take purchases like this litely. I've spent hours listening to receivers, reading, and speaking with "knowledgeable" people to come to this point. My review will not change after owning the equipment because my ears are not as highly trained as others. My way to review is primarily research driven until I reach a point. It may not be the same answer that others would come up with but for my money I know this was the right decision. Now, onto that TV.

Denon into the Millenium, or is it Maggies for the Millenium, I forget?

Tyler

Over several months of listening and reviewing starting with the Yammy 995, the Denon 3300, the Sony 35/50ES, and more recently the 333/555ES and now the Pioneer Elite 24/26TX, I purchased the Denon 3300. I have zero regrets, and am very satisfied with the system. It is matched with a Def Tech Pro Cinema 100 set of speakers, and we probably do 50/50 music, movies and the 3300 is perfect in all aspects. We made this purchase to last us for what will probably be more than a few years and the 3300 will meet the need. Don't get me wrong the other receivers are all good, but overall in sound and features for a good mix of music and movies, the 3300 edged out the rest. I will say that the Pioneer remote seems to be more user friendly, but after a week with the 3300's, it all seems easy. The wife really loves the 5 channel stereo, and is the only mode for music, and none of the other receivers seem to have a mode to match, even after playing with the effect delays, etc. There have been some concerns from some on reliability of the 3300, and others have claimed just the opposite. Thus, I got the extended warranty for a few extra bucks and look forward to enjoying many years with the 3300. Definitely 5 stars with our family after at least two dozen visits to 8 different audio stores in the last two months to "test drive" as many different systems as possible, and be well under $1000.