I just got it today and opened up the package. I haven't had a chance to set it up yet, but just by looking at the receiver, it looks like a product that's designed to effectively do what it's supposed to do without extra bells & whistles. Where they may have cut corners on is fancy design, gold-plating, chrome moldings, etc.
I give it 5 stars to 'somewhat' offset the 3 and 4 star reviews.

I have not yet posted a detail review as of yet. I prviously made some comments based on auditioning the 3300 in the store. However, I did finally receive it 3 weeks ago and have had it long enough now to share my experiences on it. I have a room that is 18 x 24 with 8 foot ceilings. I am pushing NHT 2.5s in the front, with an Infinity center and 2 (old) AR2ax in the rear for surrounds, plus a Mirage 100 watt subwoofer. I can't go beyond the "0" setting without causing the plaster to crack and the floors to ripple; the sound pressure level is enormous and when the THX intro plays, it wakes the whole neighborhood to calling the police for noise disturbance coming out of our 3,000 square home. At "0" is a very loud setting, which I estimate would represent an analogue dial setting to be at 2 o'clock position which is usually enough to push any type of amp or receiver into some severe clipping (and at that level you will get some barely audible system hiss due to the ambient current through the speaker wire circuitry, and the peripheral, ie., CD, VCR or DVD player on line). At this setting and even as high as at "9" (out of a top end of 17, or almost 90% to headroom), I have not been able to push this remarkable receiver into clipping (I only end up frying my eardrums). What is even more remarkable is that the sound field does not compress like so many systems would do being pushed to this level. The sound detail remains stable, clear and natural and the chassis remain comfortably warm, so that little fan must be doing it's job. And what remarkable sound detail it produces, the likes I have not heard before from any system anywhere close to this price point. I replaced a HK AVR-25 with an ADCOM GFA-555 for power (200 watts RMS <.005 THD 5-22,000 HZ)on the fronts. The 3300 is smooth, clean with virtually no coloration. I attend and listen to many live concerts, from jazz groups, symphonic orchestras, to choirs, marching bands (consistently within 15 feet of the Marching Illini) and live grand piano concerts. This receiver does a remarkeable job of recreating these performances without adding any coloration, brightness or warmth, which is what they should do....let the voices and instruments speak for themselves. Any system that can be described as bright or warm is not good. A good systems is neutral and should add nothing except recreate naturally the sound field, instruments, voices, and depth of placement. The Denon AVR-3300 does that beautifully. This is one heck of a receiver, and I recommend it highly.

Just one word, wonderful, amazing, fantastic... OK, it's more than just one word! I was looking for a DTS/DD receiver to replace my kenwood 9090. I had to choose between the Denon AVR3300, onkyo 676 et onkyo 777. Discussing with a lot of "audiophile" guys, the choice was only between the 3300 and the 777... Onkyo and Denon? Honestly, i love both. But, here, in France, receivers are not as cheap as in other country and the difference between the 3300 and 777 is big (more than 300$). So, after some listenings, I choose the denon.
And, what a choice! The sound is warm and clear, a lot of functionalities, 7.1 extension, 5Ch Stereo, component video inputs/output....
I use it with JM Lab Profil 77, Solis and Scenic surround speaker, and it works very fine.

Contrary to some people, i like this remote... it's not the funniest but when you're used to it... it does what you want!

I just miss an numerical output! But as others said, nothing is perfect. So I gave 4.9 stars ( -0.1 for the output)

Audio quality, value

Binding posts, instruction manual

All receivers are compromises.
In the Denon 3300 there may have been adjustments to meet the price point, but there are few that are noticeable.
The speaker binding posts are not the best -awkward without gold plating. The instruction manual is very weak.
But ound is where the rubber meet the road and this is where the 3300 excels. The quality of sound is much more than could be expected from a $1k receiver. It is smooth, detailed,and not lacking at any end of the sound spectrum. The digital audio converter is high quality which makes dolby digital modes sound field processing a joy.
Due to the poor manual it took me a couple of weeks to take advantage of most of the features of this receiver. It turned out to be time well spent and I highly recommend this fine product.

This is a very good sounding receiver. I compared this with the Sony DTR-DA555ES side by side hooked up to the same speakers with the same source music. The Sony sounded flat compared to the Denon. I got mine for $700 from JDS Productions. The most impressive feature to me is the 5 channel stereo mode. I would reccomend to anyone looking for a sub $1600 receiver. My heart was set on the AVR-5700, but that will have to wait. I will give it five stars for its price category.

This is the reciever to get for home theater application under $1k. It decodes AC3 material with great accuracy compared to others I've heard. Clean amplification with enough omph to handle fast transients. It's even half way decent for die hard audiophiles on music. There are better receivers for just music but ... if you're looking for the do it all component, this is it. I've been extremely impressed. Best buy$$$ Sophisticated digital processing backed by good amplication.
My system:
Denon AVR3300
B&W DM601S2 and matching B&W center.
Paradigm PS1000
Monster Zseries speaker cable and
M-series digital cable
Sony DVDS530

It is obviouse that the previous reviewer 'Darren' does not understand what a proper review is or that it requires actually listening and looking at the product BEFORE attempting to write something about it. The fact of the matter is that Denon have simply not jacked their prices up like other manufacturers.
There are a few areas that I can see where Denon have cut some corners in the speaker connectors, no digital outputs and a not so good remote. This is understandable as you can't have everything at this price. I am not too fussed about these things as the rest more than makes up for it.

I purchased the Denon - 3300 about a month ago. I had it sourced directly from Hong Kong as they were not yet available in the U.K. I did a lot of research and purchased it unseen and unheard and Denon have not let me down. The unit I have is Gold and looks and sounds absolutely awesome. The finish quality is perfect. I have had absolutely no problems with my unit and I have pushed it pretty hard.

When it arrived in the U.K. my dealer tested the unit on a Saturday and rang me to tell me how awesome and heavy it was, they'd never heard of it or seen it, and couldn't beleive they were letting me have it for such a low price. They said it was definately in the same leaque as receivers selling in the £1000 mark and they have seen and tested a wide variety. (I paid £785 including all tax and shipping they now retail in the U.K. for £798)

I was going to give it a 4 because nothing is perfect but will give it a 5 instead to balance the previouse review.

I haven't had much time to try out all the features on the AVR-3300, but one thing I must say is that this receiver plenty of in & outs and sounds great. This receiver’s amplifier section doesn't quite stack up (dynamics & F.R.) to my recording studio's amps, but it sure makes for enjoyable listening at home. I found that my test mixes translate better with this receiver than my previous Onkyo model. The decoders sound great and the Digital to Analog converters are very respectable as well. **** ALERT **** !!!DO NOT BUY THIS RECIEVER FROM ALPHA SOUND or STEREOABC (Same company)!!! **** ALERT **** They have mislead & lied to me on several occasions concerning an order I made that over time I ended up canceling. They still owe me $818.00 bucks! After 8 calls over a month period they still haven't given me my money back! My good friend had a bad experience also with this company. Folks, I've learned my lesson, check the BBB and other resources first before making any purchases over the phone or Internet... This receiver is a fine buy for anyone looking for an affordable catch all solution for home theater/music applications. It's a great unit for the money.

remote

I'm one of those that decided to take a chance on a refurb from ubid. I must say that so far the 3300 has performed superbly. Sound is clean even at loud levels. I've experienced no problems with fan noise or overheating as stated by some reviewers. The number of inputs this unit has works great for my hometheater system. I run my dvd player and satellite through it via s-video and optic cables. I have become even more lazy since I now use the video switching feature. My vcr uses the video switching also, but through rca cables. The owner's manual isn't the greatest, but if you read it closely and take your time, you will get great results in return. I have no complaints regarding the remote (although it is the only weakness I've encountered) since I use a Home Theater Master universal remote. I would recommend the 3300 to people in the market for a good mid level receiver. If you're concerened about a refurb unit however, buy it from a place that you can easily return it should you encounter any problems with it.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-85

Separation, input/output options, display.

Remote

Used the positive reviews herein to guide my purchase of this unit, noting that several of the disparaging reviews pertained to refurbished units. The cooling requirements of this receiver are not to be ignored. I initially placed the unit in a cabinet that didn't meet Denon's ventilation prerequisites (4" each side, 4" back, 4" top) and soon detected the smell of ozone. Rushed out to Tweeter the following weekend to purchase a stand that would meet/exceed ventilation specs. Have not noted the annoying fan noise that several reviewers have mentioned. Bottom line: Receiver performs as I'd expected. Sound imaging is truly impressive. Booming bass through my JBL sub makes the walls breath! Myriad inputs suit several different HT possibilities. Although my experience has been limited, I find I'm a Denon advocate. This receiver is incredible!
My system:
Denon AVR-3300
Fronts: JBL S312
Center: JBL S-Center
Sub: JBL PB-10
Surrounds: Cambridge Soundworks The Surround.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood A/V receiver