I've owned the 3300 for about 2 months and love it.
Once I got a DVD player I knew I had to get a Dolby Digital receiver. This really sucked because I bought a Dolby Pro Logic receiver only 2 years earlier!
This time I decided to get a mid-end? receiver that was future upgradeable, not a $300 Sony at Wal-Mart.

I consumed for a couple weeks and decided on the Harman Kardon AVR-65. Then I came across this site, read the HK and Yamaha reviews and quickly changed to the Yamaha 995. Then, I went to a local dealer who explained the features on Denon models and I changed to the Denon 3200. I liked it a lot but wasn't sure if DTS would be a big deal (3200 doesn't have it). Finally, I saw the specs for the 3300 at the Denon web site and knew that was it if the price was under $1000. I got it and never looked back.

The 3 features I like the most are that it remembers your settings between inputs; tuner, DVD, etc., the on-screen menus, and that the digital inputs are assignable.

The 2 features I miss are not having a 'B' set of speaker outputs and not having a digital out. I found ways around these and the other features more than make up for it.

You really can't go wrong with this receiver. If you mostly listened to music, I would recommend the Nakamichi AV-10 but, if you listen to HT and music, or mostly HT, the Denon 3300 is the way to go.

This is a follow-up to my 7/30/99 "first impressions" review (see below).
I've been living with the receiver for nearly a month now. In the intervening time, no unpleasant surprises have turned up and I am still happy with my purchase. Most of my experience continues to be with listening in the "direct stereo" mode, and I will focus my comments on this area.

As I mentioned in the previous post, one of the big questions I had about this receiver was whether or not it would drive the Magnepan 1.6QR speakers. These planar speakers are rated at (an optimistic) 86db sensitivity and present a 4 ohm load. Therefore, they are an "obstacle course" if not an all out "torture test" for any amplifier. In other words, if the receiver will drive these speakers, it should drive almost anything.

Unfortunately, Denon's rather skimpy manual contained contradictory information on this subject. The manual says that the receiver is recommended for loads of 6 to 8 ohms. Then, elsewhere, it says that driving a load "lower than 4 ohms" at high volume levels for prolonged periods might cause the protection circuitry to shut the amp down. Also, the manual claims that you can connect 2 pairs of speakers to the rear channels and drive them at the same time. If you did this, you would present a 4 ohm load to those amplifiers. I took all of this to mean that the receiver could probably drive a 4 ohm load OK, but Denon wasn't promising anything.

Well, my speakers finnally arrived yesterday, and I hooked them up to the Denon AVR 3300. I wasn't really expecting too much. In my mind, I had already resigned myself to buying an expensive 2 channel amp to drive the speakers. So, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the speakers could drive the speakers to high volume levels without "loosing control" of the low end. I didn't hear any sloppiness, mushiness, hardness, or strain at my reference volume level of 90 db SPL at the listening position (with a volume setting of 0 db on the Denon). I can't say that the sound wouldn't be better with a powerful and expensive 2-channel amp in the chain. However, there is nothing in the sound that calls out to me to make the experiment at this point.

Maggies are known to be extremely revealing and perhaps somewhat unkind to audio components of inferior quality. The fact that the AVR3300 can cope with these speakers not only from a power standpoint, but from the standpoint of presenting pinpoint imaging and a large soundstage with no obvious deficiencies has led me to increase my already high opinion of this receiver. The sound wasn't merely good, it was fantastic and I was thrilled. While I give the Maggies a lot of credit for this, it wouldn't have been possible without a clean preamp stage and adequate amplification.

For more information on the speakers, room size, measured volume levels, etc. see my Magnepan review dated 8-25-99.

There are a few areas that the AVR3300 are weak. Fortunately, most of these weaknesses are in areas that just don't matter much to me. First is the lack of a lot of DSP soundfields. To me, this is no weakness at all since, although I have occasionally enjoyed the novelty of a DSP effect, I always find myself returning to pure stereo for any serious listening. Second is the remote control. It is adequate but not outstanding. I have had good luck teaching it commands for my other components and the user interface works even though it is not elegant. The best news about the remote is that Denon obviously didn't spend a lot of money on it so you are not paying a lot for a so-so remote (which is the case with numerous other A/V receivers that I have checked out). This leaves more $$$ in your pocket to go spend on a truly powerful remote like the Phillips Pronto. Third, the manual is rather weak. It pretty much explains how to do everything, but I think they could have spent a few more pages on describing what the receiver's features are and how to get maximum benefit from them. For example, there is no explanation whatever of what the wonderful "direct" mode does (it is my understanding that this mode allows analog sources to bypass the digital processing stages completely for the most pure sound). Fourth, and most seriously from my standpoint, the AVR 3300 lacks a digital output. This is not a big deal to me since I don't have a DAT deck or mini-disk recorder yet, but it would have been nice to have. I do think that it is the single largest "feature weakness" of the entire design and, if the receiver were $500 more expensive, I would penalize it for this lack. However, at this price point, I still think the AVR 3300 is the most feature-rich and future-proof design available.

In summary, I believe the AVR3300 is the best value in A/V receivers, especially for those who do much music listening (provided that you don't need a receiver that can switch signals to a digital output). For the money, 5+ stars.

Equipment Used in Review
------------------------
Denon AVR 3300 Receiver
Magnepan 1.6 QR Loudspeaker
Sony CDP-CX200 CD Player
Speaker Cable - Monster 12Ga
Interconnects - Cheap Moster
Radio Shack SPL meter

Source Material
-----------------------
Beethoven (Symphony # 5)
Bob James & David Sandborn
Eagles
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Maynard Ferguson
Manhattan Transfer
Pachelbel (Cannon in D)
Phil Collins
Pink Floyd
Prokofiev (Piano Concerto # 1)
Rachmaninov (Piano Concerto #2)
Stone Temple Pilots

Stereophile Test CD #3

Well, i feel like i'm Captain Kirk and crew after being stuck on a frigate and finally getting back on the Enterprise........"I'm Home". Thats the feeling i get from switching from the Yamaha RXV995 to the Denon AVR3300. I previously owned a Denon AVR2500 and then an AVR2700, and i loved them both. I decided on the Yamaha RXV995 after hearing such great things about it and the fact that it had DTS capability and was the best receiver value out there at the time i bought it. But upon hooking up the 995, i just absolutely hated the sound of it...........at first. It got better as i lived with it and along with new speakers(NHT 2.5I's), i was finally satisfied with the sound of the 995. It has a very clean sound if not a bit brite however. One annoying thing about the Yamaha 995 however was that it had a serious channel bleeding problem, meaning the tuner bled though any channel that didnt have a source playing,and the volume didnt have to be past 10'oclock to hear it either. Not what i expected from a receiver of the 995's caliber. Then along came the Denon AVR3300, i tried talking myself out of it many times, but finally had to satisfy my curiosity on my own speakers at home. like i said earlier, "I'm Home". The AVR3300 is absolutely hands down the best sounding receiver i've owned so far. I've heard the AVR5700 also, and aside from a less power, and some features, the AVR3300 is the "MINNIE ME" of the Avr5700 in every respect. I can say with the utmost confidence that the 3300 is warmer,sweeter sounding, more transparent, and not as fatiguing as the Yamaha 995. With the 995, i realized that i wasnt "Listening" to music as much as i like to. It wasn't until i played a favorite cd on the 3300 that i figured out why..................enough said.

I've had this unit for about a month now. Before I bought it I was wanting a Yamaha 2095. Then this unit can out and changed my mine. No doubt the 2095 is a very nice piece, but for the dollar the Denon 3300 wins. I am a previous Yamaha fan and I must say that I love their products (Although the newer Yamahas (with the exception of the 2095 and DSPA1) are not as nicely built as the ones in the past. Anyways, for the next three weeks after purchasing the 3300, I found myself trying desperately hard to not like this unit, because I was trying to find a way to justify a purchase of the 2095. Man, did I try. The only thing I found that I did not like about the 3300 was the remote control (the 2095 was only slightly better (this is a subjective opinion)), the delay between DSP mode switching took way too long especially compared to the Yamahas (the DSP King), there was no On-screen Volume indicator (none for 2095 either) and the unit volume control was too small to see. None of these peeves however was enough to convince me to exchange it for the 2095. Also, I am running the Energy C-series with this amp, and, damn, this baby is LOUD, CRISP, & CLEAN. This is my third HT amp/reciever. My first was a Sony, then Yamaha, and now Denon. All within the last five years. It has put a pretty big dent into my wallet, but it was worth it. Anyways, I think I'm getting off topic here.This is a very easy and intuitive amp to use, and all adjustments can be made from the remote (very important to me). Whether it was the top-of-the-line Denon AVR-5700 or its little brother the AVR-3300, the build quality was consistent and top-notch. The turning knobs are my favorite part of the unit. They are so awesome and expensive-looking and have a solid feel to it. Although I will miss the DSPs from my old Yamaha DSP-A780, I enjoy the 5-Stereo mode on the Denon a lot. It is quite amazing what five channels of 'untampered with' sound sounds like. To think the manufacturers could have given this simple feature to us a long long time ago. Anyways, you must be getting sleepy by now! Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Oh...I give it 4 stars!!! 5 would mean perfect and nothing is perfect!!!

K Master

Just purchased the Denon 3300 and am quite happy. I have to completely agree with K Master, having previously owned a Yamaha. One thing that I did notice about Denon is that the sound is much smoother than the Yamaha, which tends to be bright. One draw-back (or blessing in desguise) is that my existing speakers really benefitted from the bright sound of the Yamaha, which now sound like crap. Vocals have now dropped into the background and the soundstage has dissapeared. This isn't a knock on the reciever, but my existing (and quite old) Altec Lansing speakers. So a pair of Monitor Silver 5s and a Silver Center 10 are now on order. I've heard a demo using both of these components and it sounded great.
The only dissapointments I have with the reciever are the flimsy binding posts (they sag under the weight of my Audioquest cables and do not acccept spade connectors. Single bannana plugs and bare wire only), the sole coaxial digital input (I would have preferred two of each, but that's just me), and some of the quirks with the programmable remote. You can see the corners that Denon cut to make the price, but when you are sitting back listening to your favorite album or watching a good movie, none of those really matter. 4 stars.

Just got my 3300 from Uncle's Stereo for 750 (hear netmarket has the 3300 for 709 tho') (20 dollars shipping from NY to CA, not bad...). Too bad, they never told me they were out of stock when I ordered it so I had to wait 3 weeks for it (2 to get in stock, 1 for shipping). To their credit, my friend ordered from them and got it in a week.
Anyways, I had an 3200, which I thoguht was pretty nice, but was a little on the weak side since my music sounded a little strained... but the sound was at lower levels. However, with the 3300, there's such a huge difference... I don't know if it's just due to the extra 20 watts over the 3200 or the better dacs (I was using coax out on CD player), but everything sounds so much more controlled, lively, less harsh, and detailed... There's also alot more features than I thought compared to the 3300 (the A-B rear speaker switch is pretty cool and the auto digital/analog detect) and the unit has many more settings compared to the 3200. Damn thing looks a hell of a lot better than the 3200 too.

The bad... well those binding posts no longer take dual bananna plugs... also no more biwire (if you care)... maybe not enough power (I'm pretty power hungry), can't switch svideo and composite video simulateously, but other than that, I can't think of much. Oh yeah, using the tuner is still a pain in the ass.

Would give it a 5, but it's not perfect (I still love it for the money), and still a little harsh compared to my friend's separates... I'd have to say that this unit has really sold me on Denon, even though I haven't listened to the Yamahas or Sonys.

The Denon AVR-3300 is likely the best sonic value on the market today. There are receivers that cost much more and don't have the plethora of features found in the amazingly future proof AVR-3300. Not to mention the sound quality of this remarkable little receiver. Compare as I did and you will hear music and see quality that is well above where a receiver in this price range should be.

Just bought a 3300, have it about a week and all I can say after shopping for a month is, how can you find a better deal than this unit. It has everthing you could want at an affordable price. I bought an Onkyo 575 first, which was also a very nice piece, but it turned out not to be enough receiver for me. The Denon has all of the inputs that the Onkyo was lacking and then some! My previous unit was a Yamaha 690 which I had for the last 4 years. Looked at the new Yamaha's but felt that they were not built nearly as well as my old one and definetly not as well as the Denon. Bought it for $798.00 at Brandsmart in FL because they are an authorized dealer. The only thing I am not
thrilled about is the remote, but you can't have everything!

I bought this unit in early june when it first hit the market. More or less the usual story Nak-AV10 Rotel 965 were major competitors. In the end i chose the Denon simply becuase it sounded better than the Nak and almost as good as the rotel, but cost 300 bones less. Clearly it surpasses the yamaha 995, especially when mated with brighter speakers like paradigm studios. The 3300 has a really tight sound that i seem to like. Its not really for the bass boomers.
This reciever is by far the best for what u pay. I paid 725 but its actually worth a whole lot more than that. Awesome HT, that actually blew me out of my seat. On the other hand music recordings now communicate detail that i had never heard before. The best parts though are the features. Eight channel input for future upgrade, auto select for DD and DTS, A+B channels for rear speakers to name just a few. Set up was a pretty crappy experience though. This is not one of those pieces that can be setup in ten minuetes and u read the manual while listening to it at the same time.
Buying this piece won'nt leave you wishing you had made a different choice a month later. Absolutly the best for the money and then some.

I have this Denon AVR-3300 two weeks ago and telling you the true that I am very satisfy with this unit. Believe me you won't be disappoint!!!