The most perfect amplifier I´ve ever seen! It has everything you want for you home cinema!
Denon has never dissapoint me.

Can´t find any yet!

I use this amplifier with my old Cerwin Vega AT-80 and with this amp I notices a new nice sound from my speakers. When I had the Denon AVR-950 that only had 3x65w the speakers didn´t rock that good. But know with 105w it´s suprising, gosh what 40w can do. Buy it!! It won´t dissapoint you!

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-950 (only Pro-logic)

decent amp

check out the competition

check out the review of a good competitor previosly mentioned by a reviewer.The Arcam Avr100 on etown.com( use the search for reviews). I have heard this receiver against the denon. DO you want sound quality or features?That's what distinguishes these produts, Arcams lack of features is certainly made up in great audiophile sound!JUst giving you more options to consider!

av, actually i liked the remote too

2 channel stereo

Ive been a denon fan for years and looked to upgrade my kit which is now 10 yrs old. Originally i put an order in for the 3300 but it was cancelled when the 3801 replaced it. Now 2 be honest im no 2 channel freak but this thing just did not do it for me at all. My old denon reciever (375) is much much better in stereo. The midrange was hollow and bright and gave me a headache after a few minutes. I listem to all sorts from jazz through to R&b and indie and the reciever was not happy with twangy guitars or the subtlties of a great vocal by Gill Scott. I very much felt that i had downgraded not upgraded. Dont get me wrong i am sure that this machime is a great av performer givern the right set up- it just did nt work for me.

May be ive been a victim of poor speaker matching and people have said that i shouldnt match my Tannoy R3s to a denon. Does any one out there have any suggestions? I want a system that puts music first and think i will have to start with the tannoys and build new system from there. The 3801 is going back!!

Similar Products Used:

no other av equipment, tested sonys, and 3300

Everything!

None.

This is one awesome receiver. For those interested looks great. IMO the refined simplistic look w/o any roll-down panels on the front is great. I was about to get the 3300 when I came across this sight. Read the reviews about the heat problem, and figured I would wait for the new model. It was worth the wait. After 5 1/2 hours of movies(at loud volume levels) is was only warm(IMO to be expectted).

Setup was about as easy as one could ask for. Took all of about 10 minutes to get the receiver connected to 5 speakers, CD, Tape, DVD, VHS, and to the TV.

Currently my speakers stink. Will be upgrading to Klipsch KLF20 towers, C7 center, and RS3 surround. If anyone has suggestions on back chanel speakers let me know. My first thought was to get another set of the RS3, but then again I could get another C7 and only run 1 back spearker.

Watched the Matrix DTS, and I must say WOW. Everyone that has talked about the loby scene is absolutly right. After the first few shots, you find yourself ducking bullets.

Great job Denon.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Sony

Build quality, looks, DTS, 7 channels, remote unit

Lack of digital inputs

I have used this amp for exactly 1 month and the first thing I would like to say is that it has not run hot and hasn't missed a beat. My mate had the 3300 model and I was impressed with its sound and looks. When I the 3801 came out I decided to take the plunge. The biggest improvement is the remote, still haven't setup my macros but the learning fucntion seems to work very well and it is well layed out. But then again anything is better than the 3300 remote.

I have this amp coupled with B&W Series 2 speakers and the sound is warm and clear with plenty of bass, maybe the other reviewer does not have a good match with this amp and speakers. At this point I see no real need to add a sub woofer to my room, which is quite small. A larger room would obviously benefit, but I don't need it.

I have no hesitation in reccomending this product I am very happy with it and would buy it again. I don't have alot of experience with other amps but I did listen to a few and I liked what I heard with the Denon. The cd soundtrack which featured guitar solos came alive and rich in detail compared to the Yamahas and Sonys. I could hear the musicians fingers on the strings and this is what sold me. I think it is important to trial the amp with the speakers you are going to use to be happy with the overall sound.

If you want an AV receiver I wouldn't buy anything else, if you want just music there is probably better amps for the price minus all the DTS and frills.

Setup

Denon 3801 AV Receiver
B&W S2 Speakers
Pioneer 717 DVD
Sony 32FX60 TV

7 channel stereo, DTS ES, 2 channel stereo

Not really anything, new remote is better but still a little akward.

Killer unit. I can't believe the difference in sound quality from my 3300 to the 3801. Much better 2 channel performance too. I would have to say for the 2 weeks that I have owned it I am really happy with the purchase. I only have one DVD with DTS ES but the rear speakers seem to add a little more to the movie experience. It is also really cool that a total of 10 speakers can be hooked up at the same time.

Similar Products Used:

AVR 3300

loaded to the gills with features,functions,modes etc

too many useless features, runs hot, very bright, lacks real bass,cheap build quality

Here is the disclaimer: this is my opinion only!!!I am sure this avr is going to get rave reviews both here and from the press but in my opinion it is only a very average product. My criticism is focused predominantly on its lack of musical ability.It may be rated at 105wattts but sounds tame, becomes very bright when driven hard ' is very mid- -range forward and destroys vocals.The bottom end is so lacking even my wife commented on "where's the bass!".On movies it performs better but has relatively complex set up to make sure no addition dsp/sound fields aren't distorting the sound.Again very bright and can cause listener fatigue.Never got around to using 6.1 so no comment.The 3801 is heat-sinked with no fan but still ran hot but didn't cut out at any time. I found myself driving it very hard in a relatively small room with powered sub(so how real are those 105watt ratings).If you like all the dsp modes and want 6.1 and only watch movies it is acceptable. It is availble for around $900 on the net, good luck if it breaks down or you don't like it!! Buy it from a local dealer and demo it first then consider the 30day return !I ended up buying the Arcam avr 100 for $1100 , designed by arcm in uk but built in CHINA(scary but better built than the Denon!).Way better than the Dennon on on music( the difference is incredible, real detailed bass and warmer sounding than the Dennon, less fatiguing and with real rhythm).On movies alot more bass and again background music takes on a new life. Only 5.1 and dts with limited bass management but very easy to use. Again this is only my opinion, Denon is indeed a great piece of marketing,alot of bells and whistles which you soon forget how to use or never use because they never enhance the sound, average sound, average build,average reliabilty, premium price.Good luck!Not recommened for critical listeners .

Similar Products Used:

arcam avr100

EVERYTHING

NONE NO SMALL PICKY ITEMS

I HAD ORIGINALLY PURCHASED THE PIONEER VSX26TX KEPT HAVING WARM UP SHUT DOWN,AND SWITHING ITSELF OFF.TOOK IT BACK IN AND THEY GRACIOUSLY TRADED ME OUT TO THE 3801 WITHOUT ADDED MONEYS.ONE OF THE BEST AND EASIEST REMOTES TO PROGRAM. THE MANAGER DESCRIBED THE 26 AS A MUSTANG GT AND THIS AS A CORVETTE. I WOULD REALLY AGREE I AM IN AMAZMENT EVERYTIME I TURN THIS UNIT ON NO WARM UP RIGHT THERE. FAST SWITCHING. USING THE 6EQ CINEMA IS MOUTH DROPPING. THERE IS A CLARITY LIKE I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE. MUSIC IN 5 CHANNEL WELL, YOU WILL NEVER GO BACK.WITHOUT LISTING IT ALL MY SYTEM COST ME AROUND 7000.00 ALL TOTAL WITH THIS UNIT AS THE HEART I SHOULD HAVE A LONG LISTENING LIFE. I AM RUNNING 8 SPEAKERS THROUGH THIS SYSTEM AND ALL ARE EITHER HD NILES AND KLIPSH REFERENCE NO NEED FOR MORE POWER.TRY TESTING ANY SOUND SYSTEM WITH CHRYSTAL METHOD TRACK 4 IT WILL GIVE YOU MONSTER RANGES THROUGH IT ALL.

Similar Products Used:

VSX26TX

7 channels, neo 6.1, strong tuner, great power

Remote a little questionable, reliability of other Denon products.

After months of research, I am planning to buy this receiver saturday. I did everything I could to stay away from Denon because of quality concerns, but I am willing to gamble on this unit.

I previously owned Yamaha products, and they are excellent for HT. Unfortunately stereo production is weak and the tuner is horrible. I considered the 3300 until the problems started racking up. Next I thought I just had to buy the Marantz, but I was unimpressed. It sounded too dull with my speakers and I couldn't justify Marantz raising the price $100 just because Home Theater magazine made everbody rush out to get one. I also hated the remote unlike any other human I have encountered.

I then bought the Outlaw and it sounds as good as anything I have considered. Too bad I kept getting hissing problems and couldn't pick up a radio station.

My latest love was the Onkyo 787. Good remote, good tuner, good specs, too many problems. I listened to two units and both of them hissed like a snake. I even considered the upscale Integra 7.1 but my dealer says they have all been recalled. I wanted to like it, but I couldn't find one that worked properly.

All this mumbo jumbo led me to the Denon 3801 and I was simply blown away by the sound and features. It just seems to mesh with Def Techs like nothing else. I will cross my fingers on the quality for now.

As for my recommendations to others: If you can live without a tuner, get the Outlaw. It sounds great and can be had for $500 for a B unit. If you are like me and must have every feature you can find, get the Denon.

P.S. For those of you who are set on giving any receiver of this quality 1 star b/c you got a bad unit from a guy out of the back of a truck or you simply like another one better: Please take a listen at an authorized dealer after proper break in and make an educated judgement against products in this price range.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 995, Onkyo 787, Marantz 7000, Outlaw 1050

Sound is incredible

Manual

Mike,

You first MUST select the type of audio you prefer on the DVD you are playing. When you start the DVD you will be prompted to either play it or change the "audio" settings.
Select audio settings. In there you will find a selection for DD or DTS. Select DTS. Then select play. When the DVD is playing, hit the "mode" button on your remote. The mode button will "find" the audio selection you chose(DTS), and will automatically set the receiver to DTS. This is how I do it, and it works every time.

Similar Products Used:

Sony ES