Build and sound quality,more input and output connections than any mortal would ever use.....

except that it needs more than coaxial input.
The manual is absolutely terrible.

First and foremost-to those "golden eared"(audiophile term for folks with supposedly better hearing than the rest of us,i.e.,can hear a gnat at a hundred paces,and would complain that it sounds "compressed"),find a life,will ya?
I've listened to seperates from the best,and speakers that only Bill Gates can afford,nevertheless,there is a point of diminishing returns on how much you spend to reach sonic perfection.
This receiver is a replacement for my Denon AVR-3300,which was great in it's own right.My dealer let me trade in my 3300(that I purchased from him also),and for a $300 difference,upgrade to the 3801.
I am impressed with the way Denon handles the preamp stage,very quiet,and with the fact that analog signals stay that way all the way through the chain to the output.
On music,it has a very wide,deep,and enveloping soundstage,and detail that is unmatched for the price I paid.
As far as movies go,I have a greater selection of VHS tapes than DVD's and the DTS NEO:6 mode sounds fantastic! No more limited frequency response in the rear surrounds as with Dolby Pro Logic.
I use Paradigm mini monitors for front mains,and rear surrounds and two Paradigm CC-370's for the front and rear
center.(oh,yeah,to make the "golden eared" cringe,I use Radio Shack 18 gauge wire with gold plated pins that I soldered myself)

Similar Products Used:

Marantz,Denon AVR-3300

greatsound,6.1,7.1,even better hometheater sound

owners mannul unit tends to run warm

I went shopping looking basicly for a receiver for my hometheater system and at tweeters I liked the sound of the 3801 but not the price so I shopped online. I found the unit at acoustic sound design for $875 and I had them ship it out. Within 5 days I was watching Saving Private Ryan and it sounded like bullets and bombs were going off all over the place. You also have the ability to upgrade to 6.1 or 7.1; awesome sound,.

DTS ES, DD 6.1 decoding, 7 channels.
DTS ES, DD 6.1 decoding, 7 channels.

Nothing worth mentioning.

I am just posting this message because I am tired of some people writing reviews on which they express that this receiver does not compare to High End receivers, or separates. If you are looking for High End Audiophile sound you should not be looking at this price range anyway.

well built, sounds decent

I can max the volume without blowing my speakers

good receiver for the money. I would not pay more than 800 for it though. I really enjoy the build quality that Denon sticks with. The set up was very simple. I need more digital inputs though. the remote is layed out pretty well, dont expect to use it in the dark though. 6.1 is kinda cool to have mostly because it is new technology that new receivers just dont have. 7 channel stereo is an interesting idea, but unless you have 7 of the same speakers it doesn't sound right, I dont care what you say it just is not right! If you had like 7 B&W 603's then 7 channel stereo would make sense . I don't, because my room is a theater. I enjoy music more than movies though so if anyone out there would like to buy some Polk RT600i's then I have two for sale. I want some B&Ws!!

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Sherwood, Onkyo, Integra, B&M, Rotel

all around sound quality

not a very user-friendly remote

Originally bought a onkyo 787 but returned after 2 weeks.I found the sound very harsh.(It might have been just a bad mate with my klipsch speakers). Then ordered the 3801 from sounddistributors based on the reviews found on this site. It more than exceeds any expectations I had. Excellent sound in 2/5 channel stereo; better yet in surround for movies.I have no regrets in purchasing this unit. Other than the remote control which I find to be somewhat clumsy,I have no complaints. I would also recommend sounddistibutors.com for any audio purchase.I have bought four times from them over the last two years and have not been disappointed. Excellent service,product,price, and delivery. In case you would like to mock my system:Klipsch klf-20 main front;klf c-7 center;rf-3 rears.Great combination in my opinion.

Similar Products Used:

onkyo 787

QUALITY OF SOUND,USE,OVERALL POWER,GRID LAYOUT REMOTE

NONE

TRYING TO KEEP THIS SIMPLE, MOST PEOPLE THAT CAN AFFORD A 1000.00 RECEIVER WOULD SIMPLE BE BLOWN AWAY AFTER A MONTH OF USE. THE AVERAGE RECEIVER PRICE SPENT IN THIS COUNTRY IS BETWEEN 400-700. SOME IDIOTS THINK THAT THE ES CAPACITIES COULD BE IMPORTANT---NOT . REMEMBER THERES ALWAYS SOMETHING BETTER AND MORE EXPENSIVE. BUT DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR IT IS BY FAR ONE OF THE BEST RECEIVERS EVER PUT FORTH TO THE CONSUMER , THE REMOTE REALLY IS ONE OF THE EASIEST I HAVE EVER USED AND THERE IS A SPEAKER SELECTOR BUTTON ON THE REMOTE VERY RARE I AM RUNNING 8 SPEAKERS OUT OF THIS MONSTER WITH LOTS OF ROOM TO SPARE.THE BACK GRID REAL EASY LAYOUT FOR CONNECTIONS. I AM IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY AND HAVE THE CHANCE TO SAMPLE MANY HOME THEATER SOUNDS, IN THESE CUSTOM HOMES PEOPLE CAN SPEND ANYWHERE FROM 5000-35,000. I HAD ONE FREIND ASK ME WHAT MY SYSTEM WAS AFTER 10 YEARS OF BUILDING AND HE WAS SOLD ON IT. I CAN WRITE ABOUT SPECS OR ALL THE OTHER COOL STUFF I OWN OR HOW MUCH PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE I HAVE. NONE REALLY MATTERS EXCEPT THE FACT WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THE 5 CHANNEL WITH THE RIGHT SPEAKERS. YOU WILL SAY ( I DID NOT GO WRONG) I KNOW OTHER PEOPLE THAT CHANGED TO DENON. NOW I KNOW WHY. I WAS ALWAY A YAMAHA GUY NOT ANYMORE UNLESS YOU CAN AFFORD 10K, YOU CANT GO WRONG.ALSO CHECK OUT THE PRONTO REMOTE FOR A TOTAL REMOTE REPLACEMENT VERY VERY COOL TOY!

Similar Products Used:

ONKYO 787,PIONEER 38TX ETC..

see below

see below

peter e from novi, mi.

peter, the discrete rear channel is there because it is a FULL bandwidth channel. the matrix rear channel is limited in bandwith and therefore will not produce the same frequuency range as a discrete channel. the discrete and matrix channels should NOT sound that different unless you use center rear speakers that are capable of producing a broader bandwith. you'll deffinately hear a sonic difference if you truly use full range rear center surround speakers. just a note.

Similar Products Used:

onkto, yamaha, sony ES, pioneer ELITE, acurus, b&k, lexicon.

Sound

remote

Besides the remote this receiver exceeds all my expectations.I bought it because i luv movies and in this department it excells.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood

Not a whole lot

A whole lot

Some of you on this sight try so hard to make yourself believe that you bought the right product. Your brainwashing yourself into believing that your purchased the best thing out there. Well, you simply purchased a box that says Denon on it. Is this a good product? Yes. Is there better products in the same price range? Absolutely. Just because a salesman tells you " Oh,it's a Denon, and Denon this and Denon that"
Come on already. The 3300 was a prime example of what Denon is. A warranty repair mans nightmare. Overheats, shuts down,Overheats, shuts down. Why do you think the 3801 isn't built in Korea this year?

Simply, the power plant is not as high-current as the Onkyo or Marantz,it's not an all channels driven power spec (for those of you below who stated "Just buy another amp" or " What do you expect for $1000". Well I expect it to do what the Onkyo does for the same money. And it can't. It's not THX certified (valid power spec and better processing)it degrades HDTV...badly, I don't care what you say the zone 2 thing is not a good choice, I shouldn't have to buy a different remote, I should be able to read the display from my seating position, and it should not sound like a screaming dragon when turned up (weak power supply).

To the bone-head attention deficit dissorder individual below who stated "Just boost to bass to 12" just to hear the bass? Man, you probably wax your Yugo, or use armor-all on your television, or maybee even better you probably belong to an NSYNC fan club.

Spend your money wisely people, buy the Onkyo 787 or the Marantz 8000. You'll know what you should be hearing.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo,Marantz,Yamaha

Good solid sound all round.

Look of the Amp can be better and the remote control requires some effort to learn its functions.

Good A/V receiver and worth the investments since it caters for future decoders and has the latest to offer i.e. DTS ES.