Nice clean sound. Very simple to hook up. Manual is not bad if you read it. No "bleed" in matrixed suround mode.

As others have said...remote. Slide switches a bit "un-tech" but generally user friendly.

I've had the 3300 for a week. No fan noise so far. Excellent sound. Much better than my previous receivers. Runs a bit warm but no warmer than my Kenwood 1090VR that cost about $1200 two years ago. I'll let you know if anything becomes deficient as time goes on.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood 1090VR, Kenwood VR-209, Pioneer VSX D608, Polk RM5400's over two years old but still sound great. Thinking about upgrading to Monitor Audio Silver Series within the month. Panasonic A310 DVD player...again no problems as expressed on DVD site and have had for two years. Lucky so far...but sometimes I think that the folks who DO have problems are the only ones who take the time to comment before a new product line is introduced.

Clarity of sound, features, inputs, appearance

reliability, tiny display

About 10 years ago, I purchased a Sony STR-D1011 Pro-Logic receiver. I thought it was a great piece for the money and it performed flawlessly, even to this day. Wanting to move up to Dolby Digital, I purchased the Sony DB930, based partially on this forum. I could not get the DB930 to sound even half as good as the older pro-logic receiver. Realizing that I was unable to hook up my equalizer to the DB930 due to lack of a tape monitor loop, I returned it and ordered the AVR-3300. After a month wait, I rushed home and hooked it up to my system. I knew I had found a great receiver immediately after making the appropriate adjustments to treble, bass, distance, etc. I had nothing but praise for the unit until today. While watching the DVD of Dances with Wolves in Dolby Digital, I noticed that there was no sound when a scene changed. I checked all of the connections and found everything in order. I noticed that the display showed Dolby Pro-Logic, when it previously showed Dolby D. (Dolby Digital will not work with the tape monitor on). I turned the tape monitor back on and the sound reappeared. The unit no longer works in Dolby Digital, but is fine in Pro-Logic mode. I have a Monster Cable digital coaxial cable connecting the Sony DVP-S500D DVD player to the Denon digital input. Seems that the Dolby Digital ouput just died. I guess it's back to the dealer for a swap.

Similar Products Used:

Sony STRD-1011 Pro-Logic receiver, Sony DB930 Dolby Digital

2-channel sound quality, 5-channel sound quality, features, build quality, value

Remote

Before I purchased this unit, I've spend a good 1-2 months researching best bank for the buck recievers with a good combination of sound quality and features. Among the units I tested (listed above), Denon 3300 proved to be superior. My second favorite was probably the TS-777. It's surprising, because before I started the search I was inclided towards the Marantz units (legendary Marantz quality). Anyhow, about the reciever. First of all, the most extensive testing I've done was with regular 2-channel stereo. Some people claim that 5-channel DD or DTS reproduction of a HT reciever is the most important factor, but I disagree. With 5 speakers + sub blasting, how can someone determine the quality of an amp?
In my 2 channel tests, Denon produced the best overall sound. It provided a warm, yet detailed sound. The Onkyo also produced the detail, but it lacked the warmth. The Pionner Elite and the Sony didn't even come close in 2 channel sound quality. Right when I switched from the Pioneer to the Denon I was able to eliminate it. The amps in the Denon are very good. They are powerful, yet very detailed. At low volumes, all the detail is there. I can drive the reciever at high volumes before having it distort. In HT, the Denon is also very good. Better then my old Sony (which is not that bad for the price). But in 2 channel its way superior. I was able to run the reciever on 2 different sets of speakers - my old CSW Ensambles (which are terrible), and the B&W CDM-7SE fronts. The quality of the Denon cannot be truly apprechiated with the CSW speakers. With the B&W, I was able to hear the true strenghts and the weakness. The only weakness I noticed (in 2 channel), was in bass. The bass definition was sort of lacking on the B&W. I though it was the B&W, but then I took them to a different amp, and the bass was there. Now, this is not the best amp out there, and if you want to get most quality of a truly beautiful set of speakers like B&W, Paradigm, or any other speakers in the $1000+ range, I would stronly suggest in getting seperates. But for general HT, and for any good value speaker, the Denon is a steal. At it's price point its superior. I'm eventually going to add eigther a Parasound, ROtel, Nad or Marantz AMP to it, to better match my 2 channel fronts. In terms of features, it includes most popular features, and even some found in more expensive models - 8 channel input, 2 rear speaker switching, component video switching, etc. The remote does suck, compared to what Denon could have done (look at Marantz units, RC2000!), and the manual is much to be desired, however this unit, for the price, is a steal. I dont think there is a better reciever for under $1K. Oh yeah, the fan thing most people are complaining about is no big deal. The unit runs hot, and the fan does turn on by itself, but its inaudiable.

Similar Products Used:

Owned: H/K AVR-20MKII, Sony DE925, tested: Pioneer Elite 26TX, Yamaha 995, Sony ES555, Marantz SR-8000, Onkyo TS777

surround modes more natural than most; clean and clear sound

owner's manual hard to understand.

This unit is replacing my 25 year old Tandberg 2075 Reciever
and so far I have been very pleased with the Denon. The surround modes sound great after I cut the delay time in half. The matrix mode especially sounds great with alot of the stereo CDs I have. Be prepared to spend alot of time reading through the manual to get the most from this product. I don't have a dvd player yet so I can't evauate the dolby digital performance. I have my 10 year old Yamaha CDX-920 CD player connected through the coaxial digital input an it has never sounded better. I bought the unit from Bjorn's in San Antonio. I would not hesitate to recommend this unit to anybody looking for a great sounding reciever at a reasonable price.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha and Pioneer Elite

7.1-Channel Input, Component Video Switching, A/B Surround Speaker

Remote is subpar for a unit in this price range, no front A/V inputs

After auditioning the other units previously noted, it was a very easy decision to go with the Denon. This unit has very clean, warm sound. I especially enjoy the 5-channel mode for music listening. Additionally, I like the A/B surround speaker option. DVDs such as The Matrix and Saving Private Ryan really come to life with this unit.

I could be happier with the remote since it is to wide to comfortably fit in my hand. Also, it is the second one that I had to obtain as the original remote did not work properly. However, the second remote is works fine and is fully compatible with my other A/V equipment.

In conclusion, this unit simply outperformed the Yamaha, and did not have any center channel hiss that I experienced with the Onkyo unit. The Marantz SR-8000 is also a very nice unit, but I just preferred the sound of the Denon and I was able to get it for about $250 less from a local dealer than what the Marantz would have cost. The best advice I can give is to buy from a local dealer, especially if you experience any problems with the remote as I did.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TX-DS 777
Yamaha RX-V995
Marantz SR-8000

Great Sound!

Fan noise

This is a follow up to my review dated 03/19/01.

It appears to me that some units make fan noise, and some don't. Mine does. I have taken it to a local repair center for a new fan. Same noise. I sent it into Denon for a fan replacement, no difference.

Finally, I hooked up two large auxiliary fans that sit on top of the unit. I hooked them up to an adjustable rheostate type fan switch and plugged it into an A/C outlet in the back of the unit. I run them on low speed and they are barely audible. So far, the internal fan does not kick on with the fans running as the unit never gets hot enough. And, since they are hooked directly to the power of the unit itself, I never have to turn them on/off. It works well, but I still feel I shouldn't have had to spend the $40 for the setup and shouldn't have had to waste my time and money to send it back to Denon and take it to a local service center. For the amount invested, I am still happy. I probably will not buy another Denon with an internal fan, however - too much of a hassle.

Regarding those who do not experience fan noise, perhaps they are lucky, or perhaps my totally open metal shelf system accentuates the noise. Whatever the reason, once my ear was attuned to the sound, I could not block it out. I could hear it wind up, run, and wind down during quiet passages of movies and music.

If anyone wishes to get more specifics on how to build the cooling fan setup I have, feel free to e-mail me. I also received an e-mail from someone who sells a pre-made unit for about $45 that uses one fan that velcros to the back of the unit: altmanenterprises@houston.rr.com

In conclusion, I still like this unit and recommend it. If you are buying a refurbished unit, I recommend planning on getting an auxiliary fan if you hear the noise. Don't bother sending it back or bringing it in for service - it isn't worth the time as it won't make a difference. Just hook up an extra fan and enjoy the amazing sound in both stereo and surround!

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR515

GREAT receiver.

None, except the remote is just so so for a product of this caliber.

Is the rating the guy gave below a rating for the product or for uBid? Sounds like Ubid to me. I bought mine from a local authorized retailer and have had absolutely no problems. Granted, it cost me a little more than buying on the internet, but look at the percentage of people on the sight that have had problems buying over the internet. With a little research, you people who keep blindly buying this product from unauthorized dealers (on the internet especially), could save yourself a lot of trouble. USE YOUR BRAINS PEOPLE!!! DO NOT BUY OFF THE INTERNET FROM UNAUTHORIZED DEALERS!!! It's that freakin simple. It's really funny how little trouble people have had with this product who have bought locally. Coincidence??? Then you rate the product very low because of your problems with Ubid etc. I can see your point on that you should be able to buy a product from whomever you want and still get the same quality, well this is one of those instances where you can't, so deal with it and take your frustrations elsewhere. Like I said, do your homework!!!! No sympathy to the ignorant.

AS for the receiver, its too bad it is a mixed bag. I'm one of the lucky/smart people and the receiver has worked flawlessly. I enjoy it every time I fire up a DVD. Definitely the best receiver at this price. Has near unlimited expansion capabilities. I'll be keeping this thing for a LONG time, even if I get separates down the road, this will make a wonderful center for a bedroom sound system.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Yamaha, Sony.

Adequate Power, 5Channel Stereo, Component Video (2)In/Out, On Screen Set-Up, Assignable Surrond Speaker,s A/B (or both) Pre-Outs for Dolby *7.1*, DD/DTS, 3Optical, 1 Coaxle assignable Digital in's, Exellent Sound Reproduction!, Comprehensive (programmable/learning) Universial Remote

No Digital Out

Greetings,

Well I have not experienced any of the Heat, or fan issues. Additionally I push the Receiver quite often enough that if the issue were to arise it would have done so by now. Perhaps that has all been resolved by Denon.

My front speakers are bi-wired Klipsh RF-3's, center = Klipsh RC-3, Surronds = Klipsh RS-3's (for Movies), and Klipsh RB-5's (for 5 Channel Stereo), Sub = Klipsh KSW-12. Also You can operate both sets of REAR/Surrond Speakers simultaneously. (Out-put to rear's will Max at 52 Watts when all 4 are driven). Anyway it's kinda cool but I seem to enjoy the above config the best.

Also DVD out-put is unbelievable, amazing. DVD Player = Technics DVD-A10 (DVD-Audio Player) (See Sound&Visions November product review)

Well to save time, and avoid too much tecno jargon I sincerely reccomend the Denon AVR-3300 to anyone who is in the market for an exellent mid-range A/V Receiver

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Pioneer Systems

Overall a great product.
5 channel stereo is awesome!!!

No sleep mode.

I took back an H/K avr 65 and purchased the Denon avr-3300. What a great move this was! I submitted a review on the H/K and if you read it you'll see why I took it back. Without going into a lot of detail, I'll simply say that the Denon is a fantastic receiver for anyone's home theater system. Movies on dvd are squeaky clean with the optical inputs. Cd's are just as great. Especially when listening to it in the 5 channal stereo. This feature is absolutely great and deserves special attention. My mini-complaint in the "weakness" section is only because I always go to sleep while listening to relaxing music. The lack of this feature is slightly surprising because so many other comparable receivers have this feature. This, however, is my own little habit and thus, does not warrant any "point deduction" in value or quality of this unit. Unclestereo.com has fantastic prices which makes the value unbelievable. An easy review of 5 stars!!!

Similar Products Used:

Harmon/kardon avr 65

detailed sound,upgradeable,great amp section.

Dont own it yet, so cant say.

I first listened to the Yamaha RX-995 with music and it sounded great on my speakers. Then I put in my favorite DVD Fifth Element chapters 26 and 27. I found that when the Fith Element was fighting the bad guys the swishing hitting sounds she made with her fist were almost not there. I repeated this on the Yamaha RX-2095, again same thing. Then I tried the Yamaha DSP-A1. On the DSP-A1 it was a little better but not enough to make me pay $2000.00. My Sony 925 is low current and has a thin sound stage, but it is very detailed! So I went in to listen to the Denon AVR-3300. I first put in Alison crouse. She has a very high pitch voice. well it performed wonderfully. I then turned the volume up past the 12 0-lock postion. This reciever remained very clean and smooth not boosting treble or bass. Then I moved on to the Fifth Element with the same chapters. Wow, it perfomed wonderfully! Every detail was heard, with a huge deep sound stage. I spent about an hour and a half playing with it. I love it. I have three powerd subs in my system and I noticed that the 3300 only had one sub pre-out so I asked the sales men about it. He told me that the bass managment system lets you send LFE to my power towers via speaker wire as well as out of the sub pre-out. I dont know if this is true. I would love to hear from you owners on this, so feel free to e-mail me back please. I did not play with the remote long enough to decide if I liked it or not. Also has any one tried the A,B surround mode to see if they liked bipole/diploes vs Monoploes for movies? E-mail me on that to. So all in all I love this reciever, and if I dont like the remote I'll buy a better one. I will buy this in January I will have saved up enough $ buy then.

My system now includes
Sony DE-925 reciever
Sony CD-345 5 disk
Sony 945 vcr
Sony DVP-S530
Definitive Technology Power Tower 400s
Definitive Technology Pro Center C-2
Definitive Technology Pro Monitor 200s
Energy EXL-S8 sub
With all Monster Cables
Terk Pi AM/FM antenna

Happy Listening Gary Bitters

Similar Products Used:

Sony DE-925 (own it), Yamaha RX-995,2095, and Yamaha DSP-A1.