Denon AVR-3803 A/V Receivers
Denon AVR-3803 A/V Receivers
USER REVIEWS
[May 06, 2018]
philipanz2010
Strength:
Great mids, use externally powered sub This is a great receiver for your home theater system. It has amazing sound quality at 0.05 THD for 8 ohm speakers, this drops to 0.7 for 6 ohm speakers which can be used for 5.1 or 6.1 surround sound. This speaker is designed for midrange frequencies so for best use I would use an externally powered subwoofer. I don't have my subwoofer set up yet but I am still very satisfied with the sound quality I'm getting. It can play somewhat loud too without hurting the ears, always a good thing! The only negative is that there are no HDMI inputs. All inputs and outputs are RCA or s-cable. So if you want to watch your movies in HD this system is not for you. I don't have a high def television so I am very happy. Weakness:
no HDMI inputs |
[Dec 31, 2015]
Orlando
AudioPhile
the AVR 3803 is a high performance amplifier and high frequency tone, clear and crisp high frequencies. clear and strong media unlike other brands, deep bass without distocion is very important this computer settings, if you do not have your remote control will not be able to enjoy quality, bad team is not set in front, only with the remote and on screen is my second silver 3803, I have used several speakers, Infinity, Energy, Boston, Paradigm, Celestion, B & W, Mission, Klipsch. This device conforms to any speaker, now I use it with a Klipsch KG 4.2 and a subwoofer Velodyne CHT, Some say that this device is not effective, I think you do not know how to use or set, I had plenty of amplifiers, such as Yamaha, Rx v3000, Integra 4.9 and 6.2 K Harman AVR 435, and other inferior brands. The Denon AVR 3803 is better in all respects, highly recommend them. I use both music and movies. |
[Aug 18, 2015]
Dan J
Audio Enthusiast
Purchased this gently used demo out of the backroom of a local high-end audio salon for $75. It has no problem with my Dynaco A25 speakers, driving them to wall-shaking volume with ease. Sound is fine, my Harmony remote works with it, and I like the unit a lot.
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[Jan 29, 2015]
Big B
AudioPhile
Incredible find for $100! The sound of this 12 year old receiver is pretty unreal. Crystal clear highs smooth mids and pounding bass out of my Polk RTI 12's. In the age of HDMI upconversion more time and money is spent on video processing while cutting corners on good audio processing. This beast houses 16 Burr Brown DAC's. It does run a little warm but not as hot as my old school yamahas. If you just want some good clean powerful sound and aren't worried about hdmi connections this amp will treat you well, a real bargain for an audio only system. |
[Jan 08, 2015]
Ken
AudioPhile
With 110 wpc, I expected a LOT more grunt, in the lower frequencies. This receiver sounds like it has 20 watts. Almost no bass at all. At a MSRP of 1199., anyone that purchased this has been ripped totally off. I have real 20 and 30 watt amps that completely blow this receiver off the planet. This product is a slap in the face to anyone that loves stereo gear. I paid 20.00 bucks for it and I am so glad I can get that back. Will do so at earliest opportunity. What a shame and an embarrassment to Denon. One positive I will say is it is fairly clean. I ran them with a pair of Polk Audio 10b's, Admittedly, not the most bass prolific speakers, but good enough to get the job done. |
[Dec 13, 2009]
moe
Audio Enthusiast
piece of s*** plain and simple. save your money and buy something better, i bought this from a friend for 20 bucks and that was still over priced |
[Sep 08, 2009]
Chris
Audio Enthusiast
Love this unit!! Used with two DT BP2006TL's and a DT 12" sub -- it's clear, strong and soothes any ear for any type of music... especially if you have hard wood or tile floors:) |
[Apr 24, 2006]
Shahzad Beramji
AudioPhile
Strength:
Open mid-range, lots of fancy processing, Burr Brown DACS
Weakness:
No power, VERY poor bass, thin treble, piece of garbage which will cater to your tastes provided you don't push it too loud! Purchased this receiver and had to realy work out to get it home. The receiver is VERY heavy.However once you start it up and set it up you realise that this receiver is all fizz, it has no real power. I hooked it up to a pair of KEF Coda floor standers and this receiver sounds like thrash. Its as if there is virtually no drive in the lower region (bass). Mid range is pretty open and smooth while the top end gets brittle when you push it. However no mater what (played with the filters) you won't get any bass other than little bass lines. VERY DISAPPOINTED that a 3000 series Denon won't open up a floorstander. I had a Marantz integrated amp sitting around and the Marantz's power supply is actually bigger than the Denon, though the Denon is supposed to drive 7 channels! In HT mode once again, if pushed you will get a brittle sound and the bass won't hit you in the gut and scare you under your bed. Rather it is there but lacks any feel. Compared to this my older Yamaha V800 sounded like it had taken you to war when watching a movies though it couldn't sing to save its life (which is why I got the Denon, but this sucks too). Even the Harman Kardon AVR2000 which is an entry level amp had a better presentation in movies. Over all very disappointing amp from Denon. Would get my money back if I could.
Customer Service Not needed. Similar Products Used: Harman Kardon AVR2000, Yamaha RXV800, Denon 3803 |
[Dec 08, 2004]
gasman
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Clean and warm sound Great features
Weakness:
None that I can Think of I purchased the Denon 3805 after some extensive research of what power plant best suited my needs and the 3805 was the one. I finished my basment last fall and had the plan to install in-wall speakers for my surround system. I can't say enough about the incredibly clean sound that this unit puts out! The speakers that I am running are the in wall Paradigm model 300's for the front and 200's for the rear. The 3805 brings these speakers to life, litterly. I like to watch movies with volume cranked up and this machine puts out a ton of quality power and then some! My buddy purchased a similary priced amp, it is a high end Yamaha and it does not even hold a candle to the performance capability of the Denon. He has even admitted that the Denon sounds cleaner and warmer than the one he purchased. I would highly recommend this machine to anyone that is looking for a high performance power plant that is very rugged and can push some serious juice. She's a beefy 40lb unit. Similar Products Used: Pioneer elite series receiver |
[Nov 17, 2004]
20to20K
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Great AVR features Great sound in 2 channel mode Attractive, sturdy unit Reasonably priced.
Weakness:
Inablility to handle 4 ohm speakers Lame power cord(My clock radio has a thicker one!) I've had this unit for about 2 months (upgraded from the 2803 when I decided to add surround speakers)and up to last week had the same exuberent impressions of most everyone else on this site while just listening to my Polk LSi15's. Then I hooked up the rest of my surround speakers and the disappointment set in. The LSi15's are 4 ohms as well as my LSiC center speaker. However I opted for the lesser expensive FXi-3 for my surrounds which are 8 ohms. The 3803 can't handle it. After 20-30 minutes of 5 channel playback (either music or movies) the reciever shuts off into protection mode. I feel the unit, its not particularly hot so I'm thinking the current surge associated with the 4 ohmers are too much for it too handle. I've hear that the Polk LSi series are somewhat demanding speakers but the sound level wasn't particularly loud and shutting down after just 20 minutes seems pretty lame to me. The manual mentions not recommending use of impedences below 6 ohms (wish I could have read that B4 I bought it!) The Tweeter guy says he's not surprised considering the fact that I had it connected to three 4 ohm speakers and mixed it with two 8 ohmers and would give me full credit to upgrade to a more powerful AVR (B&K) but said a cheaper option would be getting an outboard amp (on Ebay) to drive the 4 ohmers. I love everything else about the 3803 and I guess theres a chance I could run into the same problem with another AVR so I've just won a bid on a vintage Denon POA-2400(200 2pc) and I'll use that to drive the 15's. Hope all goes well... The charts says to give 2 stars if you're not completely happy...which I'm not. But that seems a bit harsh for an otherwise well performing unit. Plus there may be something unique about my setup that's not likely to affect anyone else reading this review(Mixing 4 ohms and 8 ohms at the same time?). I'll be reasonable and make it 3. Similar Products Used: Denon 2803 Denon Stereo Reciever(forget the number) Vintage Marantz 2270 |