The many Dolby Digital, EX, DTS, etc work to make my home theater much more enjoyable than going out. A lot of features for the price.

A little complicated to get all the features down -- but perhaps thats actually a strength that after a couple of months I am still playing around with it and referring to the instruction manual to learn new things

When I began shopping for a new home theater system, I made up my mind that the Denon 3802 was the best A/V Receiver under $1,000. As I hesitated, the new 3803 came out. I bought it without reading any reviews, because I was already convinced that the 3802 was the best product out there. I purchased the Denon 3803 when I was finishing my basement. My existing system was going to stay upstairs and did not have Dolby Digital or a DVD player. I got the receiver before the basement was finished and played around with it before and after hooking it up with other great gear (Def Tech 2006TL and matching center/rears) and these are the things I like best about it: 1. The five and seven channel stereo is a great way to listen to music out of all your speakers without the fakeness of the surround modes. It's also great for watching regular TV that doesn't come through in Dolby Surround. 2. More inputs and outputs than anyone could ever use. They have so many because there are various ways to hook things up -- Here is where the advice of a good sales person should not be taken lightly. 3. Automatic upconverting so that you only need to send one output (component video if you can) to the TV. Don't overlook this feature if you have a wife of kids that use the system and can't remember to keep changing the input source on the TV. I have it set so that the VCR, TV and DVD all flow through the TV's component input 2. 4. The remote has taken some criticism on these pages. However I have been able to get it to work with my TV, Cable box, VCR, and DVD within 10 minutes. It is backlit, although not all buttons are labeled easily. 5. The power is more than adequate, I never use it at full volume, although the speakers can handle it. 6. Occasionally, I like to play with the various surround modes, and they do a decent job with that. Sometimes guests are impressed so I like to use the Stadium sound field. 7. The two channel "pure direct" for music really highlights great sounding traditional front speakers.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood. Yamaha

All the latest surround formats and a terrific Dolby decoder. I was surprised at how much smoother movies sounded, with way more accurate positioning between the front and rear speakers.

Two-channel sound: the amplifier lacks sufficient power to drive more demanding speakers. Remote control: overly complex and completely unintuitive. I think I heard Denon engineers laughing off in the distance as I tried to use this thing. Weird "distortion" with on-screen display when using component video outputs (see review).

I bought a Denon AVR-3803 as the new centerpiece of my home theater. Unfortunately, after trying to live with it for a couple of weeks, I ended up returning it for a different model. My home theater setup is used for both movies and music, but my primary focus is on quality two-channel sound for stereo music. To that end, I have a pair of Thiel CS3.5's as my front L/R speakers, and much less expensive center and surrounds. My old receiver, a Pioneer VSX-99, had a surprisingly beefy amp that was able to drive those speakers pretty well. The sound wasn't as nice as I heard when I demoed separates, but for a fraction of the cost it delivered a decent soundstage and plenty of bass detail. When I upgraded my CD player later on, the amps in the Pioneer receiver let the new player shine and I enjoyed a dramatic increase in sound quality. After I hooked up the 3803 I spun up a few of my favorite CDs to enjoy the new addition. Immediately I noticed a big compression of the soundstage - everything emanated from a small space between the speakers, with essentially no depth at all. Further, the bass was a muddy mess. All the information was there, but the amplifier within the Denon simply couldn't keep up. A few days later, as another test, I compared an old Sony CD player to the new "high-end" one I purchased more recently. There was very little audible difference when listening through the Denon. I went to the trouble of hooking everything back up to my old receiver and voila! the sound was back! I ended up returning the 3803 for a less expensive model and using the price savings to buy a good used 2-channel amp to run my Thiels. Many other reviews on this site accurately describe the surround and video performance of this receiver. They were spectacular! I'll miss the amazingly smooth surround sound that the 3803 provided, and it's feature of upconverting all video signals to component is pretty slick, too. I did notice one issue when using the component video monitor output: when activating the receiver's on-screen display, there was a loud click from the receiver and the image jumped momentarily before the OSD appeared or disappeared. I don't know if this is a design issue or just a sample defect. Bottom line: if you are looking for a high-quality AV receiver to enjoy movies you'd be hard-pressed to find a better one than the 3803. If you are more interested in two-channel sound quality, or if you have speakers that can present difficult and demanding impedance loads to the amplifier, I'd recommend you seriously consider some other choices.

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite VSX-99

Power, construction, features

Not one so far

This is my first adventure into home theatre. After alot of reserching and demos I decided on the 3802. A few days after I had placed my order I noticed a 3803 was coming so the order was changed to this model. I do not have any installation experience but had no problem setting the system up in a few hours. My system includes: 3803 Receiver 3800 DVD player Denon Paradigm Studio40 Fronts Paradigm Studio center Paradigm Studio ADP surrounds Paradigm Servo 15 sub This receiver with this DVD player make for an awsome viewing and listening pleasure. Very well built equipment with plenty of power to drive the Paradigms. With proper placement, this system sounds better than when it was auditioned in the stores. Baught the 3803 because of the newer features and do not regret it in the least.

I think I covered most of them up top....

maybe the remote pain to make it learn all my stuff.No codes to just enter and done..

I had the Denon 3802 but when I herd this was comming out just months after I had bought the 3802 I was confused and mad they said it was current and not being changed for a long time. Well I went to Tweeter they said I could trade in my 3802 for the 3803 and it IS worth it...I found the remote better than the 3802 hard to believe the other one was worse LOL. The video up conversion saves me from haveing tons of wires running into my TV. Theres a new chip for better audio. The on screen setup has new and improved options for TODAYS hometheater and multi room options. Beter more acurate set up incl. test zone. More inputs for coax sound and others video and such. Seems to run cooler. New options in modes. So much I think it was worth it. I did cost me a couple hundred out of pocket but maybe this time I will have a current rec. for a while. They must have known there were issues with the 3802 because the 3802 replaced the 3801 in the same year it was replaced or BEING replaced with the 3803...

Similar Products Used:

3802

Wattage, 7.1 amp channel output, learning remote, and excellent sound quality.

Remote signal is short and setup is difficult.

I have only had this just over one week. So far I love it. It definitely has the power to run my speakers and put out sound that makes you feel you are live with what ever you are listening to. As for those that say setup is difficult, it is true. Plan on spending approximately three - four days to get all set up, your remote programmed for your components, and to get the hang of how to use it. But the bottom line is that this receiver is definitely worth it. I would definitely recommend this to a good friend unless you prefer them to be envious of you.

everything

none

this is a killer receiver; if you're thinking about a model in this price range (or even a much higher price range), buy this one great sound easy to use/program video upconversion DOES do a great job (I tried s-video straight into my plasma tv, but running it through the receiver gave a *noticeable* improvement in the picture) all the right inputs; 2 component inputs are a great thing (dvd and xbox in, and then out to the plasma :-))) )

Similar Products Used:

yamaha, onkyo, panasonic

Power, sound, flexibility.

Haven't noticed any weaknesses.

The Denon 3803 is an outstanding receiver. I use it for primarily home theater. The sound is transparent, clear and more than I expected. I replaced a Denon 1800 and was not expecting much of a difference in performance, however,the 3803 is amazing--much more detailed and also much more precise bass lines. Set-up was easy with no problems. On screen menus make programming the settings very straight forward. The remote is pretty good. Markings are kind of small, as are many of the buttons. The back lighting is a nice feature. However, I will probably continue to use my Sony integrated remote. There are plenty of inputs--more than I will ever need. I also considered Harman Kardon and Yamaha, but thought the Denon offered more power, features and value. Did not go for the Denon 3802 because I wanted the latest technology and the most options for the future.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 1800.

clean sound, the adjustable crossover settings, video conversion, the DACs, bang for the buck

nothing really, although the remote( as most)could have had more thought put into it.

I purchased the AVR-3803 a few weeks ago to replace a Yamaha RX-V 800. The Denon fixed a problem I had, listening to music in my home was not satisfying and now it is. This came after replacing my speakers, while I still had the Yamaha,with Energy's new connoissur line. I'm not an audiophile, more an enthusiast and have to say the Denon has really impressed me. The sound from DVDs is just there, not overpowering unless it should be. As for music, well I've listened to more music in my home in the last few weeks than I had in the last 2 years. It took me back to the days of LPs. The set up was staight forward, the OSD worked well( does what it should). The remote is fairly well laid out, although it will take a while to get used to and it would be nice if they were easier to find. The back lighting on the remote is nice though. The abilities of this receiver have impressed me, there is a pure direct mode as well as an analog mode when used together make my CDs come to life. Bottom line, if looking for an AV receiver in this price range check out the AVR 3803 - especially if you enjoy your CD collection. And it is wonderful with DVDs. If you want all the specs I would suggest going to Denon's web site. system: AVR 3803 Energy Speakers C-9s main CC-1 center C-3s back JBL P10 sub Pioneer DV-440 DVD

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V 800, RX-V 3300

Clean Sound, Onscreen Menu and Video Conversion.

FL Display, Remote range and No tone setting for each speaker.

I have the Denon 3803 for a few days now and love it very much. The sound is clean distortion and noise free. I had a Sony DA4ES for a Month or so and was very satisfied until I saw the Denon on the crutchfield website. I liked the video conversion feature it has so I decided to return my Sony and get the Denon. I have to say even though the Sony had a few more convinient features I like the Denon better. The Sony had noticable hissing ,and with the EQ on it was even louder.

Similar Products Used:

Sony DA4ES

Sound quality.

Reliability, reliability, repair service.

I initially reviewed the 3802 to be an awesome receiver. I have since had nothing but problems with it. When it was about 3 months old, I started having a problem with it turning off right after I turned it on. I would have to power it up about 15-20 times before it would stay on. Took it back to Audiolab-they sent it to Denon for repair. It worked okay for about 2 months, and now I have almost the same problem again. I turn it on, use it for about 5 minutes, before the center channel starts producting loud static. I turn it off, and cannot get it to stay on until I push the power button at least 20-30 times. Audiolab says I need to give Denon 2 more chances to fix it before I can get a replacement. I'm not a happy camper.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 992, 995, 1000`