-Resultat haut-de-gamme pour un prix millieu de gamme -conertisseur D/A de tres haute qualite -section pre-amp capable de faire rougir les appareils audio high-end. -Prix incroyable pour des resultats obtenus auparavant avec des appareils 3 fois le prix.

Le manuel du proprietaire est minimaliste.

J'ai change mon Denon avr-3802 pour le nouveau avr-3803 et laisser moi vous dire que la difference entre les deux modeles correspond a celle entre le jour et la nuit. Le convertisseur D/A de 16 X Burr-Brown 192kHz 24bits du avr-3803 comparativement au "Dual" 2 X 96kHz 24bits du avr-3802 fait toute la difference, on ce retrouve avec un appareil de la classe et de la sonorite haut-de-gamme du modele avr-5803, car le 3803 possede a quelques details pres le meme convertisseur D/A et la meme section pre-amp que le 5803, il n'y a que la section power amp qui distingue vraiment le 5803 du 3803. Conclusion; cette appareil est actuellement le meilleur achat dans sa categorie et pour quelqu'un qui possede deja une chaine audio haut-de-gamme Ex: Krell, Classe, Aragon, etc. pas besoin de faire de follie avec des appareils comme le Denon avr-5803 a 6800$can. le Denon avr-3803 a 2250$can. + un power amp high-end donne le meme resultat pour un meilleur prix.

Similar Products Used:

Denon avr-3802

1. Very clean, dynamic, and powerful amps. 2. Very dynamic surround processing. 3. Very good DACs 4. Adjustable crossover settings. 5. Large number of inputs.

1. No direct selection of input source on the main unit (although there is on the remote). 2. Can not change the video input on the TV from the remote (unless I am missing something). 3. Remote is very heavy at one end and I have found it easy to drop because of the balance of it. 4. The buttons on the remote are all one color and I miss the multi color buttons from the 3200 remote. These segregated the various functions on the remote such as controls for CD and number pad. 5. The speaker terminals do not accept dual bananna plugs. I had to change the connectors for my surround channels.

The old adage that as time goes on you get more for your money for consumer electronics holds true. I have just upgraded my receiver from a Denon 3200 to a Denon 3803. For the same list price of $1200 for the two receivers, I have added the following features: 1. Power increased from 85 watts per channel to 110. 2. Increase from 5 channels to 7 channels. 3. DTS and Pro Logic 2 decoding as well as 7.1 processing. 4. More analog and digital inputs (more than you will ever need on the 3803). 5. Video conversion from composite to S video and from composite and S video to component video so that only one connection is needed to the monitor. 6. Only one crossover setting for the subwoofer in the 3200 vs five crossover settings in the 3803 which is very important for the blending the subwoofer to the satellites or other speakers. Other technical improvements include: 1. 44.1/16 DACS in the 3200 vs 192/24 DACS in the 3803 with 2 per channel in multichannel mode and 4 per channel in two channel mode. 2. Fixed point surround processing in the 3200 vs floating point processing via a new Analog Devices Hammerhead processor in the 3803. 3. Denon Alpha 24 processing in two channel mode. 4. Conversion to 192/24 for analog to digital in the 3803. I am sure that these do not cover all of the upgrades, but should cover most of the important ones. 3200 sound vs 3803 sound: 1. From the analog inputs for CD and SACD, the 3803 amplifiers sound much cleaner and clearer than the 3200. I am hearing details that I have not heard before. However, this is at some expense of losing some warmness although the 3803 is not a harsh amp. If the upstream CD player is harsh, then the sound will be harsh. 2. If the upstream CD player is harsh, then use a digital connection to use the DAC's in the 3803 which are excellent. These DAC's are smooth and detailed especially compared to the 3200 and older CD players. The DACs in the 3803 sound much warmer than the DACs in my Sony 900 DVD/SACD player (although SACD blows away any CD). Also, I have a MSB digital to analog convertor with upsampling that still sounds warmer than the 3803 DACs, but just as detailed. However, I could be very happy with just the 3803 DACs. 3. The surround processing in the 3803 is much more dynamic than with the 3200. Maybe, there is something to the marketing hype of fixed point vs floating point processing and with the Hammerhead processors. I am using very large Klipsch speakers as the fronts and surrounds, so my system is very dynamic. 4. Since I have large front and rear speakers, I can now set the crossover at a lower setting. In the 3200, I was locked in to a 80 hz crossover, but I now have the crossover at 60 hz using the 3803. This almost eliminates the boominess of my subwoofer and lets me use more of the big woofers in the Klipsch speakers which have very tight and controlled bass. I need to experiment with the 40 hz crossover, but I am happy with the 60 hz crossover. This is a very big feature in my estimation. Unfortunately, I am not taking advantage of all of the features of the receiver, but hope to do so in the future. I am not using the back surrounds, so I can not comment on the 7.1 processing. Also, my TV has a S video connection as the best connection and I am using it from the DVD player directly. Therefore, I am not using the video conversion and am only using the composite connection from the receiver to the TV for the on screen menus and for my VCR. In summary, I now have much more receiver for the money both in terms of features and performance. The 3803 is a great receiver and surround processor. In fact, you would have problems finding a separate non THX surround processor/preamp for twice as much money since the DACs and surround processing is so good in the 3803.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3200 Sherwood 5090

The Denon's subwoofer delay made a much better blend without having over bearing low bass or thin upper bass. The sound is much fuller with the Denon from this "ONE SETTING". I've never heard a thin sound or a bright sound with my 2095 while using no subwoofer or a subwoofer next to the main speakers. I wonder if others who sight a bright sound, are experiencing an improper subwoofer sound delay? BTW, the RX-V2300 still does not have a subwoofer delay!! All other makes I found do, except Yamaha. I think a redesign should be in the immediate future on all Yamaha receiver to compensate for this. Another thing, while in stereo the Yamaha RX-V2300 sounded excellent, displaying a similar if not cloned sound of the RX-V2095. Impressive since the 2300 is $600 less MSRP! However, even with the 2300's internal processor fan, it still was very hot to the touch, unlike my previous Yamaha RX-V995 or my RX-V2095. The Denon AVR-3803 runs very cool, just as did my RX-V2095. The sound of the Denon is awesome and find myself harder to pull away from it, than I did with the Yamaha. I think because of the fuller sound due to the Subwoofer delay implemented in the 3803. A small note of the AV Zone 2 feature, you can activate this while keeping most of the circuits off for Main Zone 1. With my Yamaha's you had to turn the whole receiver on, powering up the main zone and filling it with sound. I got my Denon for a cheaper $900. This is mainly because I do a lot of business with them.

One weird item I don't like is the function of the digital volume control. It's designed this way to maintain a 1/10 db balance between all channels at any volume setting and to keep a higher than normal S/N ratio. There is a limited gain that's shared by the preamp and the processor circuits. Normal range is -80 to +18. However if any channel is calibrated above 0, that level then will be subtracted off of the main volume range, so that there is no more gain other than the original. Also, DSP using DPL have a max range up to +15 and DTS Neo is up to +12. Stereo and DD is +18(found using a very low level broadcast in 2.0.) DD 5.1 and DTS are to loud to find, because you must be using the soundtrack then max out the volume. I was concerned that I was losing gain because I need all the gain with my turntable and DirecTV's very low signal level. Denon confirmed that the gain is not being lost, just directed differently. Since DTS NEO and DPL never reach +18, Denon stated that the gain was added in the processor stage and was subtracted off the master volume range. Basically, the gain never changes according to setting because the volume control changes control range to reflect actual gain. The only problem with this design is that you can LOSE OVER ALL VOLUME if you set the subwoofer level higher than 0. Make sure that the sub's own volume level is high enough so the preamp's level doesn't need to go above 0. Also pay attention to the "NEW" 7.1 subwoofer level setup feat

Sorry, first post cutout most of review. First off, this is my first Denon. I've been into home theater for 11 years now. My favorite receivers of the past were my Yamahas. I still have my Yamaha RX-V2095. The reason for the upgrade was to gain mainly Dolby Prologic 2 and 5/7 channel stereo. The Denon is one of the finest receivers I've seen. While my Yamaha RX-V2095 listed at $1599, the cheaper Denon AVR-3803(MSRP $1200) may prove to be higher in quality. The reason is that cheaper IC switching devices are used in most electronics. They usually have a limiting bandlimit so there are sacrifices. The main being that most component video sources are switched in receivers using ICs. Not the Denon, to maintain the high bandwidth for HD TV, the component video mechanical relay switches provide up to 100Mhz of bandwidth. The same as the $4300 5803 for which this video section was primarily installed in. Denon used the same circuit in the much cheaper 3803. In fact, many of the 5803 features and performance hardware has made it to the 3803, making it's pre amp section slightly better than the older 4802. The 3803 offers the same video upconversion to 'component' video that the 5803 offers. 3803 now offers AL24, and Pure Direct mode to shut off unused digital and video circuits. The 3803 uses "16" Burr Brown 192/24 DACs, 2 per channel, and use the same 192/24 ADCs as the 5803. The 3803 also uses the same Hammerhead Sharc 32 bit DSP processor as the 5803. Since the 3803 is not THX only 1 chip is needed. 2 chips are needed for the THX 4802, 5800, and 5803. 1 chip just for THX decoding. The 4802's 2 chips are the older and lesser, standard Sharc chips, where 1 was used with the older 3802. The high points on this receiver are many. The sound is awesome. I haven't directly compared to my Yamaha RX-V2095 yet but have not noticed any spectacular difference other than a subwoofer oriented feature inducing a difference in subwoofer performance. I tried the Yamaha RX-V2300 for a week but it had a bass management defect on some DSPs along with cosmetic damage. I found many negatives on the function of the unit compared to the Denon AVR-3803. The Denon has 2 back surround channels as opposed to the Yamaha RX-V2300's "1" rear center channel. The Denon's 2 channel setup smokes the Yamaha on sound in the back. The one speaker does sound inferior. I thought it would produce a more focused sound but I was wrong. What I noticed was that when I sat directly in front of the one speaker, the sound was muffled and lost. Yet, if I was just slightly to the side of it, the sound was much more stronger, and clearer. I can only think that since our ears are shaped toward the front of our heads, that sound was being blocked since I was directly in front of it. Having the 2 surround back speakers makes a "HUGE" difference. Since I have a modest sized living room, I situated my speakers between the couch and rear wall, facing up. I later found that this is turning into a pretty standard setup for the rear back speakers and have even read a magazine review where the reviewer has his surround back speakers setup the same. One excellent feature of the Denon that's not on the Yamaha or Onkyo brands is to force the surround back channels on, even in DPL or DPL 2. The Denon puts the left surround information into the left surround back channel and the right surround information into the right surround back channel. It's called non matrix mode and can be used for none ES DTS tracks and none EX Dolby Digital tracks also. This could not be accomplished if only 1 channel was offered for the rear surround back. I can say, I don't think I'll be going back to Yamaha, I really like the Denon AVR-3803.

Similar Products Used:

The Denon sounds much better in stereo and surround while using a subwoofer than the Yamaha due to an issue of the Yamaha I never noticed until now. Yamaha only offers delay setting for the rear cente

Sound, high performance design, flexibility, # of inputs,

Weird volume control design

First off, this is my first Denon. I've been into home theater for 11 years now. My favorite receivers of the past were my Yamahas. I still have my Yamaha RX-V2095. The reason for the upgrade was to gain mainly Dolby Prologic 2 and 5/7 channel stereo. The Denon is one of the finest receivers I've seen. While my Yamaha RX-V2095 listed at $1599, the cheaper Denon AVR-3803(MSRP $1200) may prove to be higher in quality. The reason is that cheaper IC switching devices are used in most electronics. They usually have a limiting bandlimit so there are sacrifices. The main being that most component video sources are switched in receivers using ICs. Not the Denon, to maintain the high bandwidth for HD TV, the component video mechanical relay switches provide up to 100Mhz of bandwidth. The same as the $4300 5803 for which this video section was primarily installed in. Denon used the same circuit in the much cheaper 3803. In fact, many of the 5803 features and performance hardware has made it to the 3803, making it's pre amp section slightly better than the older 4802. The 3803 offers the same video upconversion to 'component' video that the 5803 offers. 3803 now offers AL24, and Pure Direct mode to shut off unused digital and video circuits. The 3803 uses "16" Burr Brown 192/24 DACs, 2 per channel, and use the same 192/24 ADCs as the 5803. The 3803 also uses the same Hammerhead Sharc 32 bit DSP processor as the 5803. Since the 3803 is not THX only 1 chip is needed. 2 chips are needed for the THX 4802, 5800, and 5803. 1 chip just for THX decoding. The 4802's 2 chips are the older and lesser, standard Sharc chips, where 1 was used with the older 3802. The high points on this receiver are many. The sound is awesome. I haven't directly compared to my Yamaha RX-V2095 yet but have not noticed any spectacular difference other than a subwoofer oriented feature inducing a difference in subwoofer performance. I tried the Yamaha RX-V2300 for a week but it had a bass management defect on some DSPs along with cosmetic damage. I found many negatives on the function of the unit compared to the Denon AVR-3803. The Denon has 2 back surround channels as opposed to the Yamaha RX-V2300's "1" rear center channel. The Denon's 2 channel setup smokes the Yamaha on sound in the back. The one speaker does sound inferior. I thought it would produce a more focused sound but I was wrong. What I noticed was that when I sat directly in front of the one speaker, the sound was muffled and lost. Yet, if I was just slightly to the side of it, the sound was much more stronger, and clearer. I can only think that since our ears are shaped toward the front of our heads, that sound was being blocked since I was directly in front of it. Having the 2 surround back speakers makes a "HUGE" difference. Since I have a modest sized living room, I situated my speakers between the couch and rear wall, facing up. I later found that this is turning into a pretty standard setup for the rear back speakers and have even read a magazine review where the reviewer has his surround back speakers setup the same. One excellent feature of the Denon that's not on the Yamaha or Onkyo brands is to force the surround back channels on, even in DPL or DPL 2. The Denon puts the left surround information into the left surround back channel and the right surround information into the right surround back channel. It's called non matrix mode and can be used for none ES DTS tracks and none EX Dolby Digital tracks also. This could not be accomplished if only 1 channel was offered for the rear surround back. The Denon sounds much better in stereo and surround while using a subwoofer than the Yamaha due to an issue of the Yamaha I never noticed until now. Yamaha only offers delay setting for the rear center, center, and surround channels, that's it. Denon and Onkyo add a subwoofer delay to that. With the Yamaha, if the subwoofer is placed next to the main speakers, you won't have a problem. In my new setup, I have the subwoofer on the back wall, next to the surround speakers and the Yamaha never did sound quite right with this setup. What I've found is that I don't notice any delay differences between the subwoofer and the main speakers that is noticable (must be a very small difference), but the subwoofer and the speakers need to be in time alignment for the subwoofer's crossover to work correctly. At frequencies near the crossover point, the level is lowered since the combined output of the speakers and subwoofer will combine to put the level back to it's normal flat level. For that combination to occur, the output from the sub and speakers must happen at the same time to add. Since there is a delay, the upper bass frequencies(~90Hz on Yamaha), are not combining to increase the level. I was getting a dip in the upper bass frequencies. To get a good blend to the sub and speakers, I had to raise the sub volume but then the low bass was over bearing. Setting the sub level

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V2300, Yamaha RX-V2095

Sounds great Nice remote Fairly easy to setup

I cannot think of any that stand out. I agree with the previous reviewer that they should provide a place to store the optical input plugs that you take out. I bought at a store. I wish Technics would honor the warranty for online purchases.

Awesome. I replaced a 5 year old Technics receiver. Needless to say, I was amazed with the significant upgrade. I heard intruments that I hadn't heard before on CDs I've listened to for years. For a DVD test, I put in the Matrix and was blown away with how crisp the sounds was. I was equally pleased with the DVD audio via the 6 analog inputs. I have been watching TV with Pro Logic II setting on and am very pleased. The remote is good. It's a little big but it controls everything fairly easily. I programmed the two call buttons with macros to a) turn on all my components and b) turn off all my components. So I can now turn on/off my digital cable, DVD, TV, and receiver and set the correct settings with the press of one button. As for inputs/outputs, there are more than anyone could ever use. I am not using the component switching yet so I can't comment on that. I used an SVideo out to connect the unit to my TV for OnScreen programming with no problems. The manual was nothing special but it was pretty easy to follow. I am very pleased with my purchase. I began shopping around a couple of months ago. I heard all of the complaints about the remote on the 3802 so decided to wait for the 3803. The video up-switching and upgraded processors is a nice plus over the 3802.

Similar Products Used:

Technics

Build and Sound quality for the price Makes even old/cr*ppy speakers sound good Sweet spot for price/features/quality/durability/etc...

Compatibility with current tv, subwoofer output placement

This is my first real receiver since getting a real job. My old aiwa bookshelf which got me through 8 years of school and then some no longer cuts it. I am quite pleased with the build quality of this beast! Basic setup was not difficult at all, and surprisingly, I found the manual to be straightforward in getting the basics down and even explaining what some of the settings were used for. Not great easy reading, but a whole lot better than motherboard manuals. Sound quality was surprisingly good running off a pair of 10(?) year old KLH floorstanders from my housemate and a Paradigm sub. Very natural and smooth. Hooked up the speakers to an old Sony Receiver(STR-DB830) and it was no comparison in both volume and clarity. Will try to comment more once I get my Studio 20's in. It has more I/O's than I'll probably ever need. It has component up-switching BUT doesn't have the ability to go from component to s-video or composite (if you ever wanted to do that). The memory setting function for each mode is convenient and logical. Those dsp's are useless just like on every other receiver, so that's not an issue. Now for more nit-picking: wish they would put the subwoofer output where it's more easily found. Secondly, when using optical wires, denon please find a hole or compartment to stick those dust caps for anal-retentives like myself. Am I supposed to tie those things to those screws next to them with fishing line? Thirdly, compatability with our panasonic hdtv projection monitor is non-existent out of the box. Tried every which way to hook up tv out for the onscreen display and dvd. Couldn't display dvd movies or OSD. It just wouldn't work, picture was completely unwatchable, although it worked perfectly on a Mitsubishi and Zenith crt. Am I missing something here? For 1K, it shouldn't have this problem. Have found a workaround for the OSD though.

great sound easy set up

i haven't found any yet....

just got my unit up and running...immediately sounds way better than the onkyo sr700 i had before. it was super easy to set up but still has a lot of tweaking options. i am using an external rotel amp for my fronts so i can't comment on two channel sound other than as a preamp....but in this mode it sounds really good. i am super happy with it so far. hopefully it will sound even better after breaking in. the dual differential dac mode for incoming digital cd audio sounds really good. i might just get a decent transport and use the dacs in this all the time. a cool feature also is that the sub output is enabled even in the direct modes which my previous receiver did not do. of course movies sound great too. the remote is acceptable but nothing great.

Similar Products Used:

onkyo sr700 <----bad acurus avr200 <---really good sounding

Sound!!! The sound is stunning, very detailed. Simple to operate, and very versatile

Video Switching problems (hard to set up, manual very confusing)

I bought the 3803 about 1 week ago to upgrade my aging Denon 3802 receiver. It was a huge upgrade. Before listening to the 3803 I did not know how much music I was missing. This system was used for 80% audio listening, 20% home theater. The sound on this unit is a little on the bright side, but very acceptable even when paired with my AR3 towers with titanium dome tweeters. The definition of the instruments, and vocals are superb. This system offers ample bass management that I suggest every owner to learn to master. I did not have this unit long enough to add a hi-rez front like SACD, or DVD-A to test the bass management under those uses. I did try some DTS Audio discs on it, and I was impressed on how those could be managed. This unit includes more input and output connections than you should ever need, including Phono. The Phono section works OK with a MM cartridge but expect to turn the volume up five to ten decibels. As long as your speakers are efficient enough you will have plenty of power to work with, otherwise a separate Phono Stage may be required. The remote is a little clumsy, but very versatile. Set up: I had the system up and running within 15 minutes but, with all of the adjustments that this unit offers I found myself tweaking the sound for a couple of days after the initial set up to get just the right sound. The onscreen menus are easy to follow and simple to adjust on the fly. My problem was with the video switching. I have been bypassing the video switching since, connecting my components directly to my plasma tv (better quality anyway). In summary, the 3803 is a solid system with sound quality equivalent to an entry level separates system. Give this system some great recordings, and enjoy. The 3803 was connected to: Fronts: AR3 towers with Monster Cable Rears: Polk Audio f/x 500i with AR 12 gauge speaker wire Center: AR2C with Monster Cable SW: SVS 2039PC+ DVD Video/Audio: Panasonic RP82 Display: Panasonic TH42PWD5UY plasma All through Monster HTS2000 Power Center (a must have for all home theater systems)

Similar Products Used:

Marantz 8200 & 9200, Yamaha 3200, Denon 3802, Denon 4802, Denon 5803