I agree with Lee about the Denon AVR-3600. I got an open box from Tweeter Etc.,in mint condition for $999, what a steal!! The quality of this amp is outstanding. A+ Denon!!!!!!

Build quality, excellent sound, great power

clicking sound when switching DSP modes (AC-3, Dolby Pro-Logic, Stereo, etc...)

I've had the Denon 3600 for about three years now, and never had a problem with it. It's powered a set of paradigm reference studio 80's and cc-450 center channel speaker with ease. I primarily watched movies on this box and can say that more than often it was better than than the theater. The bass is awesome and the highs are very good. I did look at comparable Yamaha receivers, but found that they didn't have the guts that the 3600 did. I only wish that I could have gotten the version with DTS.

Similar Products Used:

Denon and Sony Pro-Logic Receivers

Excellent power and flexibility.

No 6 channel input for future upgrade

Excellent for the money. It has everything I would want in an integrated amplifier. Plenty of power to handle almot any speaker. Very flexible design.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 2092/2095

This is the best box that I have never heard. It made me laugh, it made me weep. Please don't hate me because I'm better than you.

The Denon 3600 is a very capable centerpiece in a mid to upper range home theatre system. Build quality is excellent. After owning this unit for over a year, I can state that the break in period will enable this unit's audio features to smooth out over a period of time. The upper end will sound bright out of the box. Pairing this unit with a warm speaker will really improve things. Dolby pro-logic and digital decoding are damn near to upper end seperates. The power supplies and heat sinks are massive. This reciever will take you for a ride on the long haul. On music the sound is improved in the direct mode, giving a more open and detailed sound. The 5 channel mode is an interesting feature. I have no use for the other DSP modes. The only complaint is the lack of a input for DTS and perhaps some more digital inputs.MSB technology can add a 5:1 input or DTS decoder. They also offer a digital director to add more digital inputs if one so desires. The main reason to own this unit is for digital decoding for your home theatre and in this account it does a wonderful job. I rate this unit a solid four .

Good mix of power and finesse at a most reasonable price.

Runs hot. No DTS. Annoying clicking sounds when switching between sources and modes.

Sounds complete.

Anything else that sounds close costs about 40% more that what i have paid for this master.

Watched a few DVDS on it, please switch to Vol 00 and see if the sound has got you filled like you are in the movie.
It has that effect.
It can also remind you of the cinema which you heard the movie.

I am currently using: B&W 603s2 / B&W 602s2 / CC6s2 / Tag Maglaren interconnects and Audio Quest cables. No sub. I have heard other " hi-end" receivers, it sounds better but the peaks are near absent. If you have the opportunity, try watching " The Last of the Mohicans" the battle of the fort scenes. Denon lets you hear the distance, the details and the strength of the intended sound effects. Not many other receivers at this price does that.

And with the rarity of DTS titles, you won't miss DTS that much yet.

PLease do not compare this reasonable item with seperates, the most modest seperate will put this down, but not by any great margin, which makes this a decent product, old but decent.

Value and performance doesn't come much closer than this.
If i have to part with this product; it will be seperates.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha pro logic models.

Power, second hand value

manual, remote

I use this in my family room as a second system. The 3600 performs well with my vandersteen model 1C speakers. Decent 2 channel sound, too many useless sound field options. Lets remmember this IS a reciever and in my opinion sounds better than the Yamaha and Onkyo recievers in its price range. Much better value used than new, like any reciever. I still think no reciever should be rated as an audiophile system. Separates rule!!

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Yamaha

PHENOMINAL RABGE IN SOUND, ENDLESS POWER.

SOMETIES TO SOFT IN IT'S FREQUENCY RESPONSE.

I RECENTLY PURCHASED THE HARMAN KARDON CDR 30 TO PLAY ON MY DENON AVR 3600 AND IT SOUNDS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. IT NOT ONLY HAS A CRISP RESPONSE TO THE HIGH END FREQ. IT IS ALSO SOMEHOW IS ABLE TO GIVE A WARM FEELING TO THE MUSIC PLAYED.
I MOSTLY PLAY CLASSICAL AND JAZZ MUSIC. THE FREQUENCY RESPONSE AND DYNAMIC RANGE ARE UNSURPASSED.
I STROGLY RECOMMEND THIS UNIT TO ANYONE WHO CAN GET THEIR HANDS ON IT.

HERE IS A SUMMARY OF MY SYSTEM:

DENON AVR 3600 RECIEVER.
HARMAN KARDON CDR 30 CD PLAYER/RECORDER.
CARVER 5.2 Five Speaker Home Theater System
This includes two towers with a 5.5" driver, a 1" tweeter and a 2.5" rear driver, and a 10" long throw subwoofer per tower, dipole satelite speakers, and a center channel with 2 5.5" drivers and a 1" tweeter, as well as a 300 watt Amp. located within the center channel enclosure to drive the 2 10" subwoofers.
MESSINA SATELITE SPEAKERS ( 4 SATELITE SPEAKERS RUN IN PARALLEL WITH THE CARVER SPEAKERS) FOR A TOTAL OF 11 SPEAKRS.

I DONT THINK YOU CAN GET MUCH MORE SEPARATION OF SOUND AND DISTRIBUTION TO SPEAKERS THAN I HAVE, AND STILL THIS RECIEVER OUT-PRFORMS ANYTHING ELSE ON THE MARKET.

A MUST BUY ITEM FOR ANY AUDIOPHILE

I recently purchased a used 3600 in very good condition for a very reasonable price. Before I found the 3600 I had purchased at a discount a Yamaha RX2092 which I eventually returned.
Both units are quite similar.

Both offer a bass management system, the primary difference is that the Denon routes frequencies below 80hz from the surrounds to either the L/R if defined as Large, or to the subwoofer. The Yamaha surrounds can be run full range if desired.

The Denon will calculate the delay time (from the L/C/R/RS/LS) based on distance to the listening position, where as the Yamaha requires a specific delay time to be entered. The Denon is easier to use in this regard. The delay settings make a noticeable difference when set correctly.

Similar power to all five channels. On my system the Yamaha could play slightly louder, although I thought the Denon was cleaner at high volumes. While the Denon was slightly bright the sound quality was more audiophile like e.g. more detailed and transparent sounding then the Yamaha.

I thought the Denon's bass was more taut, with better transient response. The Yamaha's bass was rounder, softer, and less lean. From my perspective it didn't sound as real, but still provided plenty of impact on movies.

Both allow individual level settings on the L/R/C/RS/LS. I found the Yamaha easier to set these on the fly then on the Denon.

Both units processed DPL well. I don't yet have a source for AC-3, so I can't comment. I liked the enhanced DPL mode on the Yamaha. I had more of a sense of being in a theater with this setting. The Denon's straight DPL setting was less exagerated, but the surround steering on the Denon seemed more accurate and seamless side to side and front to back. Overall it presents a more distant perspective to the fronts relative to the rear channels. When you first A/B the two units the first impression is that the Yamaha is much better. However, the seamless steering and clearer detail of the Denon finally suited my tastes better. The Yamaha simply dramatizes the surround effects more. Some people may prefer this.

I would give a slight nod to the ergonomics of the Yamaha, although I found the remote control clunky and a little awkward to use when it was necessary to open the remote to toggle one of the hidden functions.

Some other factors that led me to choose the Denon was the RF input for laser disc. A separate box must be purchased to use RF input with the Yamaha. This equalizes the retail cost of the two units. The overall build quality of the Denon is also superior to that of the Yamaha. The case is more ridgid, and tight fitting RCA jacks won't cause the sheet metal on the back panel to flex. This all adds more to the pride of ownership.

I don't think you could go wrong with either receiver. If I hadn't found the Denon I would be happy with the Yamaha. I prefer the Denon however, and feel that its worth 200$ more then the Yamaha.

For the context in which I use this system (primarily for home theater), and given that I purchased it at 2/3 retail price I feel the AVR-3600 rates 5 stars. I have another 'music only' system consisting of higher quality separate components.

This receiver being a real step up for me, I must say that for home theater applications, in this price range, it is impossible to beat. I compared it to the Yamaha 2092 and 2090 in addition to a Pioneer and Onkyo comparable model and the Denon clearly outperformed all in DVD and digital source material.
I will say this. For pure music, unless you have a high end DAC/Transport, use the DAC on the receiver. This amp does NOT hide poorly recorded CDs whereas the Yamaha etal do a better job of masking poor recordings with "punchier" noise (Like older hard rock recordings).

Though not THX certified, it does adhere to THX standards for crossover performance. This receiver's prime mission is digital home theater, however, it does not have 5.1 inputs, though MSB will modify it for around $400. It's got tons of options for speaker distance, Cinema EQ, D Comp modes, digital sources, etc. All in all it took me about 2 hours to get everything set up and going even though the documentation is sub-par.

Using this receiver without a subwoofer requires adjustments on music sources for good bass response. Low end is VERY smooth and clear but may not satisfy those looking for hard or punchy bass response. I've demoed the model with a Sunfire True Sub and the Velodyne FSR-15 and musically the Velodyne stole the show, but in HT applications, the Sunfire held ground.

Where this receiver really shines: High quality digital source material (Dolby Digital) and high quality digital music (like Chick Corea's tribute to Bud Powell). I believe this receiver has a 96kHz 24-bit DAC built in.

My only gripes:
No 5.1 inputs

My setup:
AVR-3600
Denon DVD-2000 DVD player
Phase Technology PC-3 for Front and Center channels
Boston Acoustics HD-9 for surround
Velodyne FSR-15 sub
Monster all around