Good separation of directional sound

Don't have useful DSP like Yamaha when playing movies, especially when playing 2ch.

It is a good amplifier for both movies and music. However, you still need to choose between movie or music. Different speakers will give you different sound. When I bought speakers, I ask the sales to connect this amp to Mission 773E and B&W Naulitis 805. Sound is so different. You have much boomy sound from 773E but you can get natural sound from 805. I am using a B&W CDM1 which also has a natural sound. When playing music with 3300, positioning is very good. But when watching movies it is less booming then my previous JVC speakers. When I bought this amp, I have listened with Onkyo 777 side by side with 3300. 777 has a more diffusion sound which like the mini-hifi. But I will feel more comfortable with it. I finally bought 3300. You still need a speaker good for AV when you prefer movies.

When using it to watch VCDs, you may have a bit disappointing. The DSPs give no use on watching moives (Even the mono movies DSPs). You have no feeling like the theater(as many movies in Hong Kong also using monoral or stereo sound). I think Yamaha did a better jobs on this part.

DSPs is seldom used by me. Many people like the 5 Ch stereo however, I give no suprise to me. I just feel delocalized sound. I maybe better for casual listening. However, I prefer the direct sound mode.

Similar Products Used:

None

Imaging, build, low noise, D/A convertors

somewhat flat and harsh, lacks dynamics and punch

I am now faced with a hard choice - Onkyo TX-D777 or Denon AVR3300. In that price range,there is nothing else comparable. Not that either of the machines are perfect.
I bought Onkyo first, then returned it for the well-known noise and humm from the center channel. Now I am with Denon and contemplate going back to Onkyo.

Here is my breakdown:

Stereo sound: Onkyo sounds more neutral, punchy and dynamic than Denon. On the downside, Onkyo can be a little cold. I compared Denon sound with his power amps and with Arcam amp connected on its line outs. My conclusion is that Denon favors midrange a bit (both lower and upper). This gives
nice presence, imaging and immediacy to the sound, but makes highs a bit edgy and bass a bit warm. I guess that is why many people describe Dennon's sound as 'rich and lively'. Again, Onkyo's full-bodied and dynamic sound is easier to listen to in the long run. It can be a bit cold (what people describe as 'clean, clear sound'. Both amps are powerful enough for most rooms, but more body and dynamics of Onkyo makes it seem 'more powerful', even though it is not. My main problem with Denon is that its elevated midrange goes
into lower highs as well, making true high frequences
masked. Very often, I felt as though I am getting
the virtual highs instead of the real ones (similar for the
bass). That normally happens when a component favors
upper midrange that is mistakenly described as 'highs'.
Onkyo seemed smoother and less colored overall. Denon's
midrange favors strings and some chamber classical,
but makes everything seem a bit hard and flat.

Home theater: Largely benefiting from mind's distraction while watching movies, both receivers are fine for Dolby Digital.
Denon's midrange makes crashes, explosions and other
stuff sound dramatic and good imaging makes directional
queues easy to follow. Again, Onkyo has more full-bodied
sound that makes your speakers seem 'bigger'. While
watching 'Amadeus' (not the usual choice for demo DVDs),
classical soundtrack sounded more enveloping and
fuller with Onkyo (somewhat 'in your face' midrange
of the Denon made the movie less enjoyable). However, Matrix DVD was big and spectacular through Denon (didn't try Onkyo, but do not expect the experience to be less thrilling, quite the opposite).
On some movies, Onkyo's THX Cinema seemed effective on
all the movies, but not all the time. Generally, it gave
more of a 'cinema' sound than Denon's Re-EQ circuit.

Tuner: Denon has a much better sounding and quiter tuner.
Also, it lets you search and memorize all the station it
can tune automatically. Onkyo's tuner is only fair. At one
point, I got channel bleeding between the tuner and
the VCR. I didn't have time to check if I assigned inputs
properly, but that concerned me a lot.

User experience: Both receivers are heavy and well built.
Denon looks more aesthetically pleasing (Onkyo is a fairly
common black box). I don't care about component switching
because I don't beleive that receivers have broadcasting quality switchers, so I will run the component signal directly to the TV
(when I get HDTV, that is). Denon is quiter overall - Onkyo
has hiss comming from all channel, but central channel hiss
is the most problematic. I cured the hum by moving the receiver to the bottom shelf of my rack, but I hated to bend over for any adjustment on the unit.

Conclusion: both units leave something to be desired. Although they have much batter sound than budget receivers, they are far from good-sounding separates in direct stereo mode. At
the moment, I will keep the Denon until my Hi-Fi store
gets the new batch of Onkyo 777 receivers and will try
another unit to see if Onkyo fixes the humm and noise problem.
However, I decided to stop hunting stereo sound and
separate my systems. I will try to get the best
stereo sound from my audio-only system (in my small stydy - just quality, no power needed due to small space) and get the receiver that is better for video needs (probably
Onkyo, if I get the unit without center channel hiss and hum). Bottom line:
don't expect to get perfect audio and perfect video sound
in this price range from a receiver. It just cannot be done.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TX-D777

Fine unit, loaded, see other reviews

none

This a follow up review. Still love this unit. Bot on uBid, refurbed for $427. No fan noise, no problems AND a (2) year warranty. So true, many say buy from dealer to make sure, but for the hundreds that I saved, was a bet I was willing to make. No problems at all since purchase in 11/00.

Anywho, for God sake, if you are going to spend $600+ for a unit, like previous reviews, get the 3801!! Love my 3300 for the price I paid, but the 3801 is the unit of choice for the current price... Mike

The quietest, best sounding receiver I have ever heard. On top of that, great features, looks, and user friendliness.

MiniDisk not an option in digital input configuration.

I am thrilled with this receiver! I am using with a pair of Paradigm Monitor 7's and a Klipsch KSW 200 sub. Sources include a cheap CD player via analog inputs, a SVHS VCR, a Sony 550D DVD via digital inputs, and a Dish Network DVHS recorder also using digital inputs. I am stunned by how quiet this receiver is. Zero noise, zero hum. I bought this receiver for its A/V features and was expecting it to sound pretty much like my older Denon 3000. Boy was I surprised! I didn't know nor expect that a receiver could sound this good. It is also very easy to setup and use. I will probably buy another one for my downstairs system.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-3000

Clean Sound

The manual and the lack of an index. Selecting FM & AM stations. You cannot just select a station. You have to schroll through to get to the desired station.

I chose the Denon 3300 based on it's clean high powered reproduction of stereo music, and I was not disapointed. It makes Tina Turner sound like she is in my famly room and the Rippingtons are simple outstanding. I did not understand what a huge difference the Denon would make until I hooked it up. It brought new life to my speakers.

I compared the Denon 3300 to the Yamaha 2095. I felt the Yamaha was better for movies especially with the simulated surround modes, but the Denon was stronger with stereo. This is what I wanted.

I did not even consider the Onkyo 777 because of the Hiss and Hum problem they had with the earlier units.

I want to thank the people who posted reviews. They have been most helpful. One mentioned the Denon will not help a poor CD player sound better! Well unfortunetly this is true. So I am playing my CD's through my DVD player.

Also I set up my speakers using a sound meter from radio shack. Another good tip from this file.

You cannot go wrong with the Denon. It's the best system for under a thousand.

I purchased this system locally and received a 10% discount. I asked for it.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 2095

Clean Amp, Price, Build and Features.

None, except the bad reviews this receiver gets from the ignorant users and some of who I question really are users.

If I would have solely made my decision on which receiver to buy on what all the people have said in these reviews, I would have never purchased this one. Instead I read professional reviews and only paid attention to the reviews on this site in which the people seemed to have a clue. Sometimes by the way people talk about this receiver in these reviews you start to wonder if they really auditioned this receiver or did they just feel the need to pick on Denon????

Enough about that stuff....

Let me start by saying that this has to be one of the best purchases that I have ever made. There is plenty of power for both movies and music and the amp is one of the cleanest I've heard. In fact it is so clean it is kind of scary. There are ample connections and the component video one are a big plus. The remote is kind of different, but if you don't mind using the learn feature it should work well for you. It seems to be able to learn about any command you can use. And yeah I've heard this fan come a couple of times, but I don't mind it. In fact I'm glad it's there, because if it wasn't this thing would be overheating all the time.

I've had this receiver for a couple of months now and I have to say I've been thrilled with the movie performance and the Cinema EQ. Even thought its a little different I even kind of like the 5 channel stereo mode for casual listening. The on screen menus seem to be well thought out and the multi-room feature was a real nice touch.

If you don't mind spending a little more for a receiver and want a feature packed, clean sounding a/v receiver the Denon 3300 may just be for you. However, I recommend that you audition it yourself and be careful of the putting too much stock in these reviews. You are going to be the one who has to live with the decision you make, not some yahoo who likes to write hundreds of reviews on products they have yet to try.

In my opinion an easy 5 stars.....

Similar Products Used:

Newcastle R-925

Clean Amp, Price, Build and Features.

None, except the bad reviews this receiver gets from the ignorant users and some of who I question really are users.

If I would have solely made my decision on which receiver to buy on what all the people have said in these reviews, I would have never purchased this one. Instead I read professional reviews and only paid attention to the reviews on this site in which the people seemed to have a clue. Sometimes by the way people talk about this receiver in these reviews you start to wonder if they really auditioned this receiver or did they just feel the need to pick on Denon????

Enough about that stuff....

Let me start by saying that this has to be one of the best purchases that I have ever made. There is plenty of power for both movies and music and the amp is one of the cleanest I've heard. In fact it is so clean it is kind of scary. There are ample connections and the component video one are a big plus. The remote is kind of different, but if you don't mind using the learn feature it should work well for you. It seems to be able to learn about any command you can use. And yeah I've heard this fan come a couple of times, but I don't mind it. In fact I'm glad it's there, because if it wasn't this thing would be overheating all the time.

I've had this receiver for a couple of months now and I have to say I've been thrilled with the movie performance and the Cinema EQ. Even thought its a little different I even kind of like the 5 channel stereo mode for casual listening. The on screen menus seem to be well thought out and the multi-room feature was a real nice touch.

If you don't mind spending a little more for a receiver and want a feature packed, clean sounding a/v receiver the Denon 3300 may just be for you. However, I recommend that you audition it yourself and be careful of the putting too much stock in these reviews. You are going to be the one who has to live with the decision you make, not some yahoo who likes to write hundreds of reviews on products they have yet to try.

In my opinion an easy 5 stars.....

Similar Products Used:

Newcastle R-925

Clean Amp, Price, Build and Features.

None, except the bad reviews this receiver gets from the ignorant users and some of who I question really are users.

If I would have solely made my decision on which receiver to buy on what all the people have said in these reviews, I would have never purchased this one. Instead I read professional reviews and only paid attention to the reviews on this site in which the people seemed to have a clue. Sometimes by the way people talk about this receiver in these reviews you start to wonder if they really auditioned this receiver or did they just feel the need to pick on Denon????

Enough about that stuff....

Let me start by saying that this has to be one of the best purchases that I have ever made. There is plenty of power for both movies and music and the amp is one of the cleanest I've heard. In fact it is so clean it is kind of scary. There are ample connections and the component video one are a big plus. The remote is kind of different, but if you don't mind using the learn feature it should work well for you. It seems to be able to learn about any command you can use. And yeah I've heard this fan come a couple of times, but I don't mind it. In fact I'm glad it's there, because if it wasn't this thing would be overheating all the time.

I've had this receiver for a couple of months now and I have to say I've been thrilled with the movie performance and the Cinema EQ. Even thought its a little different I even kind of like the 5 channel stereo mode for casual listening. The on screen menus seem to be well thought out and the multi-room feature was a real nice touch.

If you don't mind spending a little more for a receiver and want a feature packed, clean sounding a/v receiver the Denon 3300 may just be for you. However, I recommend that you audition it yourself and be careful of the putting too much stock in these reviews. You are going to be the one who has to live with the decision you make, not some yahoo who likes to write hundreds of reviews on products they have yet to try.

In my opinion an easy 5 stars.....

Similar Products Used:

Newcastle R-925

To Ted Aronson: Subject: Denon 3300 Overheating

I agree your fan is probably not turning on at all which is, of course, causing your unit to overheat. I have a fairly simple solution that seems to have worked for me quite well. Go to a Radio Schack Store or a computer store and buy a boxer or a muffin fan that is approximately 2 inches by 2 inches. Most fans are 12-volt DC fans so you will also need a 9-volt or a 12-volt DC transformer easily obtained from Radio Schack. You can plug it into the switched outlet on the back of your receiver and run it to your fan which you can glue (use hot glue) to attach it to the back side of your receiver where the air vents. Make sure the fan exhausts the air and does not blow it into the unit but rather exhausts it out the back. This seems to have worked just fine for me and keeps my receiver cooler than normal which is great.

Remote is easy to teach and works with all of my components.

I guess I got a dud. I placed the receiver according to Denon's instructions-with 4 inches of room on the top and at the back so it can breathe. I don't have the fan problem which so many people have compained about. I have an overheating problem. It works great if it is placed directly in front of an airconditioner however!! I discovered the problem the day I opened it. After 2 hours of play, it shuts itself down. I purchased it from an online retailer who can't provide me with a new receiver. They were able to offer me Denon's phone number so I could send it to them for service. I warn anyone who buys online to read return policy's with a lawyer.

I guess the 3300 has had alot of problems. A technician at Tweeter's service center said they often don't set the bias right which could be causing my problem. I guess it could be that the fan isn't working at all. I am sorry I didn't heed the advice of all of you who have had problems. GOD knows I read enough negative reviews to make my eyes puke. Aside from not being able to use my receiver from day 1, I must say it is a fantastic unit.