quality sound of seperates for less money

no prologic 2,remote control

I luv this receiver.It rocks my house

Similar Products Used:

yamaha garbage

Absolute Power, smooth, better than the 5700 STATE OF ART

???runs warm

This is the quality of seperates, Lexicon is the only reason
that I would ever stop using this product. It is awesome,
you get what you pay for. The 5800 is wonderful on movies
and now one of the best on music. The remote in my opinion is under rated, it is made for the 5800, need I say more. It is close to the pronto in every aspect. Do yourself a favor and dont spend the money on seperates, buy that video system you have dreaming of.

Similar Products Used:

5700, Marantz SR-14,

Build-like-a-panzer,amazing sound

At this time:NOTHING!!!

This amplifier (in Europe AVC A1 SE)is in the same way of the olders AVC A1,A1D and AVP A1 pre-amplifier,all of them references all over the world.
The heritage for the last baby is perfect!!
I begin by the 2-channels listening because you never heard your cd's like this! (mode PURE DIRECT)
The essential job of this big one is:
-take vacations for 2 weeks because you have to replay all the dvd's you own because after those tests you'll think and say: i never heard that!
The DTS and AC3;I could hardly believe my ears!
You will never regret this product.

Tested on:
SONY DVPS 7700 with MIT T3 coaxial
BOSTON SPEAKERS VR12 VR40 VR2000 CR9 with WIREWORLD ATLANTIS 2 cables,QED for the surrounds (3 CR9)

Similar Products Used:

MARANTZ SR 14

Great Home Theater A/V receiver, plenty of power, beefy unit at 65lbs

Remote sucks, but it has discrete codes if you want to program a learning remote with it. Paid too much.

As an overview, I am commenting on the Denon for home theater and not stereo audio which may explain some of the following. Before I upgraded from a Fosgate Model IV to an AC-3 decoder, I bought every DTS-DVD I could get my hands on for testing purposes. I auditioned the B&K AVR-307 and the Denon AVR-5800 in my home. I ended up keeping the Denon AVR-5800 over the B&K. The Denon's front panel was more intuative (wife factor), the unit ran much cooler, had DTE-ES support and supported more configuration options. B&K had numerous bad customer reviews in 1999 stating noise in their receivers which also added to my decision even though B&K stated fixes around 2000.

As for performance, the Denon has been great for home theater, no problems once it was set up and configured. Try playing "The Haunting" DTS-ES DVD through it. Ignore the story line and your house will be crumbling around you (I have paired the Denon with a M&K MX100 powered sub and Definitive Technology Surrounds with integrated powered subs). The spacial placements are great as well as the transient movements. You will start having to duck to miss low flying aircraft. "Saving Private Ryan" has excellent surround detail, but is a rather depressing way to demonstrate a system. I can comment on many other DVD's here, but try "The Haunting" if you want to test the amplifier sections.

I don't like the remote at all. It has a USB port for programming, but no software. Denon should have included a cheaper remote and made the Pronto an optional remote, at least its serial connector works and has pre-existing software and support.

The Denon AVR-5800 has really transformed my Dolby Pro Logic system. My only complaint is that I can not get enough DTS content to feed it.

Similar Products Used:

Lexicon, Fosgate Model IV, B&K AVR-307 decoders, Sony DVP-S7700 DVD

Audio/Video format capabilities, 7 channel internal amplification, performance

Aktis remote

I waited a long time and spent many hours auditioning equipment before deciding the Denon AVR-5800 was the correct choice.

What I was looking for was an integrated receiver that supported the latest surround modes from DTS and Dolby, delivered 120w or better from 7 channels of integrated amplification and disappeared to let me enjoy the movie or CD of my choosing. I was not interested in constant tweaking and adjusting (well, maybe just a little).

This selection criteria narrowed the players considerably, and of those few, the Denon was far and above the best sounding, the easiest to configure, happened to be the most powerful and was suprisingly, not the most expensive.

Setup OSD is easy to navigate and does not require a PhD level accuity. Setting surround levels by ear is a severe mistake and results will be poor. If your going to pay 3K+ for the receiver, go to Radio Shack and pay $40 for an SPL meter.

Front panel is marked well and easy to decipher. Display is small, probably too small to read well from normal room distances, but the OSD displays most pertinent information.

Aktis remote is capable of most any operation desired and eliminates the need for multiple remotes. But, it is sorely lacking software for easier setup by computer. It doesn't fit easily in the hand. Manipulating the programmed buttons is unwieldy one-handed, thus requiring two hands, one to hold the remote, one to push the virtual buttons and work the joystick.

Physically, the unit is a beast. 68lbs. Make sure your cabinet can support the weight and make sure you plan ample space around the beast for cabling purposes, you don't want to have to muscle this thing around too much. The unit also runs quite warm to the touch, ensure adequate ventilation. Plenty of inputs and variety of inputs for any source material or equipment.

Sound is very natural and smooth, with little or no coloration, even when pushed hard. There is no evidence of background noise, hiss, or hum as others have experienced (other than normal "electronic" noise, but even that is at extremely high attenuation settings). After 2 weeks of continuous use, I can still hear the amplifier characteristics change, so be aware that there is a break-in period before final judgement should be levied. But, even as the character changes, it is still one of the best integrated system sounds I have ever experienced. If I change my mind, I'll make sure to let you know.

Most of the DSP modes are useless, MATRIX works out fairly well for normal television listening, taking advantage of modern technology to liven up the evening news and sitcoms. Remarkably, commercials are even audibly interesting nowadays.

And lastly, if you have not invested in a receiver capable of decoding the latest video DVDs or music CDs with DTS (multiple flavors), or Dolby EX and driving center, front, side and back surround channels discretely, you are cheating yourself out of the greatest acheivement in home theatre technologies. 5.1 is very good, but 7.1 is remarkably better, same can be said of the Denon AVR-5800.

Receiver: AVR-5800
Center: M&K Center-750THX
Front: M&K LCR-750THX
Side: M&K LCR-750THX
Back: M&K LCR-750THX
Sub: M&K MX-150THX

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Rotel, Onkyo, Denon, Carver

Can anyone help to commment the strength & weakness of AVC-5800 against YAMAHA DSP-AX1 & ONKYO TX-DS989? (in terms of movie & CD audio sound quality) Thanks.

Awsome sound, build quality - great intuitive remote

Display is difficult to read in dim light and no champagne color available.

I've used this heavy beast for about a month now and the experience of listening to music and watching movies has been dramatically changed from lifeless to total involvement.

I've also listened to friend's setups with only separates which cost many times more - and usually, the speakers and the cables are the limiting factor - those people would have been better off with the 5800 (or investing in better speakers/cables).

Definitely better cables and speaker choices allow the full use of the quality output of the Dennon 5800. I have Martin Logan FL&R, Center and B&W rears with a REL sub and very high quality bi-wired single cable speaker wires. The difference between the 3200 and the 5800 is substantial enough to justify the upgrade.

On the minus side - the front panel could stand a bit of redesign to match the quality of the insides and to make it easier to read - but this is a small price to pay for the inside abilities.

The remote is a bit slow in panning through the menus, however it can control almost anything and is very easy and intuitive to use.

Definitely recommend this system to all.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3200

THX surround EX, DT-ES and DTS Neo:6, Multi-zone control, component video switching, Dual surround speaker mode, Atkis RF touchscreen remote control, 170 watts per channel x7

loss of 5.1 channel indicators, small volume indicator

This unit with all it's glory will be the most feature laiden reciever to date!! I can not wait to get one.

Similar Products Used:

DenonAVR-5700

Sheer POWER, Clarity, Surround Performance, Stereo Performance, Bullet-Proof Construction, Remote, et al

sad to say but, this unit will make you neglect other necessities in life such as food, work, etc. You will find that the 5800 will make your neighbors hate you, and you will get to know your local police on a first name basis due to this unit not knowing any limits. As far as performance issues ABSOLUTELY NO WEAKNESSES.

Since I have only had the 5800 for a couple days, a more in-depth review will follow in the weeks to come. For now though, I must sound like a cliche to some of the other reviews posted here. First off, you WILL hear things that were undetected when listening through other receivers. I replaced the Denon 4800 with this receiver, and to answer a previous reviewer's question, YES YOU WILL NOTICE AN IMMEDIATE DIFFERENCE. I thought that the 4800 was the end all in receiver performance thus far, and I was correct... Until the 5800 came along. The 5800 is nothing short of phenomenal. Especially the newer DTS-ES and THX EX modes. Listening to DVD's in these modes will literally knock you on your ass. The 5800 goes from dead silence, even at very high volume levels, to extreme explosions in micro-seconds. Don't think for a minute either, that just because a DVD wasn't recorded in the DTS-ES or THX EX format, that it means that you can't listen to it that way. Since you can count on one hand, the number of DVD's recorded in DTS-ES that are out now, I decided to listen to several selections in that mode just for fun. The results were astounding. You will discover new things on movies that you never knew existed. I am going to spend the next several weeks going through my DVD collection to see what i've been missing.
Anyway, posting this review is taking away precious time that I could be listening to this wonderful marvel of technology, so selfishly I will cut this short and return later in full.

P.S. The remote is amazing also and will operate anything that you can imagine. It's like a palm-pilot on steroids with a nice little indiglo backlight.

My system:
Denon AVR 5800 (of course)
M&K 750 THX System w/ an extra pair of 550 THX Surrounds
M&K 350 THX Sub
Toshiba SD-5109 Progressive Scan DVD
Toshiba TW65x81 65" Widescreen

If you buy this unit, beware, you will require plastic surgery to remove the smile from your face...ENJOY!!

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR 4800

Build,Features,Future Proof, Remote

Cost,Size, volume readout is way too small!

I have to say that I really loved my AVR-5600. That is until my house was robbed. They took my whole system. I had outboard Marantz Ma-700's, NHT 2.9's, Def Tech sub,etc. I really had no intentions of upgrading for a while but sometimes a bit of misfortune can leed to a silver lining. You can imagine the look on my face when the replacement company told me that that my 5600 would be replaced by the most recent model, the 5800. They also gave me the option to take cash payouts on some of the other equipment instead of replacing them and this helped me purchase my NHT 3.3's and an Earthquake Cinenova Grand. Well, three agonizing months later after everything was settled and paid out, I have my system back.
The 5800 is superb! It has every feature that you need for the up to date (and future) state of the art home theater. I don't believe in using many DSP modes so I just listen to movies in the Dolby THX mode. This is a huge step up in sound compared to the 5600's sound. I know this seems to be said for evry Pre-amp/receiver, but the detail is amazing. Not just the litle nuances but the seperation of music and sound effects. It has precision rear to front, front to back timing if setup correctly and the background noise is Black. I do use the seperate Cinevova amp for all the front channels (biamping the 3.3's)but the rears come from the Denon's power amps and the sound is just as good as the outboard amp! Pure Direct stereo is the way to listen to music. I used to have the MSB LINK DAC III but the 5800 makes this a useless peice of equipment. Again it is a detailed, precise stereo sound. The soundstage and depth are enormous combined with the 3.3's. I don't have any DTS DVD's as of yet but the DTS NEO option for music is also great. The remote control is a another great added feature.
The build on this thing is awesome and it is laid out real well. It really makes you feal proud of owning a high end piece.
There really is not too many negative things I can say about this unit but there are a few. First off, if it was not given to me from insurance, I'm not sure I would have bought it. The price of this receiver is way up there. I temporarily had an Onkyo 676 hooked up to the rest of my system until the Denon arrived and i have to say It did a good job. I know the Denon is in another league but I'm just trying to prove that you don't have to pay big bucks to get good sound. Also, the componant video switching will not allow you to input composite or S-video and convert to componant. The volume reading is also ridiculous. My rack is about 10 ft away and I can't see it at all.
All in all the negatives are puny compared to the joy this unit brings. I have a real world class home theater with this unit at the helm. My months of suffering without my pride and joy have led to a rebirth of home theater bliss. I do recomend this unit to anyone who can afford it, but then again, we only live once and a few grand spent on life's pleasures are prudent investments indeed.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR 5600, 5700