The first 2 reviews were pretty spot on.
PROS:
Ample power in a 22x15 room, using a seperately powered sub. The manual is not well organized

Low Cost
Great Sound
A wealth of features
Bass Management
Auto Speaker Calibration
Lots of inputs and outputs

The manual, as many others today, is written by someone who obviously does not have a command of the English language.

I purchased this receiver for its dolby digital features and its relatively low cost. I am using the Devon AVR 688 for the master bedroom. It is a smaller room than my Home Theater and it is driving some VERY efficient speakers. I have it in a 3.1 configuration with (2) Altec Valencias, (1)Klipsch RC7, and an Infinity SW12 subwoofer. All the cables are from Blue Jeans. The receiver provides ample power for 96dB speakers. The noise floor is incredibly low for such an inexpensive receiver and has all the features I needed for this application. As the other reviewer stated, it has all the surround modes and signal processing one could possibly use except for Dolby HD and HDDTS. I am very happy with its performance so far and its bass management and automatic calibration features are truly amazing at this price point. 5 years ago, these features would have been unheard of at this price point. It even has features my Denon 3805 does not. I never use a receiver for video switching so pass through was not an issue for me. It has all the inputs and outputs I could use in this smaller system and works great with the Panasonic 42" plasma and Denon 910 DVD player it is mated too. Denon makes great products and I am very happy with my purchase and its performance. Great bang for the buck.

Similar Products Used:

Devon 3805, Technics GSX910, Harman Kardon

very good stereo sound/tone/sound staging. very good surround sound (excellent center channel). attractive style seems very solidly built, good price to performance ratio.

very complicated set-up, and the HDMI is only a pass thru(no sound thru receiver)may not be enough power for bigger room and/or power hungry speakers.

I purchased this receiver the other day after my Onkyo I had been using for about a year went on the fritz. I was going to buy another new Onkyo at Circuit City, when I saw this Denon open-box for only $209.00. I have heard good things about Denon for quit a long time , but I had never purchased one due to the price. I still like Onkyo and for bang-for-you're-buck deals, I feel Onkyo is some of the best mid-fi stuff around.I think the receiver I had was a fluke and I would still recommend Onkyo to any body who wants good sound and functionality, without draining the bank account. The Denon AVR-688 normally retails for $449.99(give or take $50, depending where you buy) so for $209.99, I feel I have gotten a bargain. The 3 year extended warranty was only $19.99. I usually don't bother with warranties, but for twenty bucks, I thought "why not". Before I talk about the sound I have to warn any body who does not like long complicated set-ups might want to look else where, because this thing is a monster to get set up right. I am not some tech wiz, but I used to sell and install this kind of equipment , and over the years I have kept up with the changing technology(some what) and I rarely have to consult the manual, but with this thing I was pulling out my hair before I finally gave in and checked the damn thing. So reading the manual is a must . Now that that is out of the way let me say the sound on this receiver is absolutely beautiful. Tonal quality with this receiver is very rich and very warm ,but still retaining detail and clarity.The AVR-688 is not on the level of you're Mark Levinson or Rotel or Mcintosh , of course, but now that I have gotten a listen I think this is a bang-for-you're-buck amp, even at retail.What most impressed me with the stereo sound was the absolute focus in the imaging and sound stage, even during the most dynamic passages of a song.So to summarize,the Denon is very capable of delivering a rich musical experience. Now for what this amp really shines at; home theater. First off let me say this amp finally did what most don't, when you watch a movie this amp 's center channel is absolutely , positively radiant. I can't tell you how many times I watch a movie (especially action) and I have to turn up the volume to hear dialog , then get blasted out of my seat when an action scene kicks in. I don't know how they achieved this center channel wizardry , but I'm just thankful. The power rating is 75w per channel @8ohm ,so this should be plenty for a medium sized room pushing medium to large speakers, as long as they are relatively efficient. My Infinity Primus362's are 96dbl efficent ,and they seem to do fine ,but then again 96dbl is on the high side so make sure you take that into consideration , so you don't end up wasting money and time. Feature wise this receiver is definitely not leaving you feeling skimped.It has the easy set-up feature with the little microphone so the receiver can calibrate and customize the sound relative to you're rooms acoustics and listening positions.It also has about every DSP mode and surround preprocessing out there , which is a little gimmicky to me (except Dolby Pro-Logic2, which is awesome for tv) , but still nice to have I guess.The only thing feature wise that I can call a bit disappointing, is that the HDMI connection is only a pass-thru on this system. That means that it will send the audio and video to you're tv,but it will not decode the sound and put it thru the receiver it's self to you're speakers. For me thats not a huge deal ,but for some it could be a deal breaker.Beyond sound and functionality this unit is very attractive, and seems to be built pretty solid.I haven't had it very long so perhaps my opinions may change due to longevity issues or what not, but if they do I will post accordingly, and until then I think if you can deal with a pain in the rear set-up , you will be rewarded with a more than capable music/surround receiver.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo and Sony receivers Harmon Kardon lots of mid-fi