Denon AVR-97 A/V Receivers

Denon AVR-97 A/V Receivers 

DESCRIPTION

Dolby Digital & DTS A/V Receiver • DTS decoding • Cinema EQ function • 4 pre-outs (L,C,R,Sub) • 100 watts X 5 channels power amplifier • 24 bit, 96 kHz Digital Interface Receiver • 4 digital inputs, 1 coaxial, 3 optical • 24 bit, 96 kHz D/A converters on all channels • DDSC-Digital Dual DSP Surround Processor • "S" and Composite video switching

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-8 of 8  
[May 28, 2010]
avwreckless
Casual Listener

i need a remote control 4 my avr97 denon . i cant control nothing with out it if any one no where i can get one 4 a good price please let me no.or if u no of any other remote that might work

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Mar 05, 2000]
Mike W
Audiophile

Strength:

Excellent price, supberb audio architecture, super clean sound, 5 channel stereo, learning remote with macros, 3 assignable digital ins

Weakness:

Weak remote layout with many buttons, panel layout not great and some things require the remote

I'm a musician and was blown away with how terrific sounding this receiver is. Yes, it is an AVR-2800 and the sound is so crisp that you can hear these shrill flutes that sound like a telephone ringing in Santana's "Smooth" -- something you wouldn't catch if you were listening on a lesser receiver. I've had a Yamaha which is, IMHO, a step below, but definitely above the JVC, Sherwood, Kenwood, and Onkyo makes.

This receiver is incredibly versatile with excellent power, supberb for music and terrific for movies. If you aren't happy it is because your speakers suck so do yourself a favor and spend the money you saved not trading up for more power or component inputs and get good speakers, especially a good subwoofer. 5 Channel stereo is great. I've never enjoyed listening to music as much as I do now.

On the weak, remote, which learning and will control much, is difficult to use, doesn't do everything you would like it to do, and the user interface is, shall we say, challenging. Once you get the hang of it you won't worry because you won't move once the music plays.

Similar Products Used:

HK AVR 20 MKII, Yamaha

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 30, 2001]
Gary
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

build quality, sound and features

Weakness:

remote control

I shipped my Yamaha back to Malaysia and than change my mind wanted to stay in US. So, I decided to bought a new stereo set again. I just have this unit about a week ago. It sound very good and have a lot of power. Although my Yamaha is slightly better in sound, but I paid US1600 for it. This Denon including shipping only US315 and worth it. Also it has 6 channel discrete inputs and DTS which my Yamaha doesn't have. I still very like Yamaha remote control! Denon remote control had really need to redesign. I never expect with this I can get this kind of quality with this price!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha AVR2092

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Apr 18, 2000]
Gaven
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

AC-3/DTS, S-Video Inputs/Outputs, Power Output, Clean Sound

Weakness:

Sub Woofer Output is not amplified so you need a powered woofer, S-Video and Composite Jacks are seperate circuits so you can't mix between the two

This was a little bit on the expenssive side at $650 brand new but it was worth it. I have never heard a reciever make music sound this good before. No matter how loud you have it, this will always produce the clearest music you have ever heard. To give you an example, if you turn the volume up to max and have no audio signals sent to the reciever, there is no hum. Try that with the reciever you have now and chances are you will hear a hum.
I haven't had a chance yet to try out the on board DTS decoder because my DVD player is on back order. I noticed that others didn't like the remote control that comes with this unit. Perhaps they have different remote control models then I do but I really like the one I got. It's the RC-865. It controls every component of your home theater system and also has the ability to "learn" codes from other remotes if it doesn't have built in support for what you have. If would be nice if the thing was back lighted but I have become so familiar with it that it's not a problem. The play, stop, pause, seek, skip, mute, and volume buttons glow in the dark. Depending on how bright and how long the remote is exposed will dictate how long they glow for. Mine stays well illuminated for a couple hours after being exposed to a pretty bright light for a while. It went throught he stock batterys pretty quickly but the enigerizers have in there now have held up a lot longer. One thing that I don't like about the remote is that you can only use the number pad for the TV and not the VCR. That makes channel surfing a bit slower through the VCR.
As far as the reciever itself goes my complaints are weak and few, but here they are:
1) Listening to a tape/MD requires turning on the Tape/MD monitor - I thing it sould be a regular function just like CD or Phono. Why does listening to a tape require a seperate button?
2) The Sub Woofer line out if not amplified - meaning your woofer needs to be amplified. This bugs me because then the volume of the sub doesn't adjust with the volume control of the reciever. If you turn the reciever way down the sub will continue to thump loudly or if you have it really loud it will get drowned out by the speakers. I dont like having to adjust the volume with two seperate controls.
3) The S-Video and Composite video jacks are on seperate circuitry. For every video option (TV/DBS, DVD, VDP, VCR1, & VCR2/Aux) and the video outputs there is a S-Video and a composite jack. This is nice for the most part because everything has an S-Video jack. However, which jack the signal goes in (S-Video or Composite) dictates which it comes out from the record and monitor jacks. If you have a VCR that only has composite (as most do) and you have your Dish reciever hooked up with a S-Video cable, you won't be able to record. You would have to run additional wires between the deviced. For the most part this isn't a problem because anything that has an S-Video output has a Composite output that functions at the same time, I just would prefer that the signal would go out the S-Video and composite jacks regardless of which it went in.
4) There is a lack of buttons on the front of the reciever. Don't even bother trying to change the radio station on the front of the reciever, just grab the remote. Also, I wish there was a way to directly tune radio stations (meaning punch in the frequency instead of seeking/scanning to it) but that's a feature I haven't seen in a recieve made past the tail end of the 90's.

Overall, of I had it to do over again, I would still buy this reciever.

Similar Products Used:

This is my first A/V reciever

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 05, 2000]
Michael Mo
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Phenomenal, clean sound. Excellent Choice of inputs - THREE assignable digital inputs, DTS, Dolby Digital.

Weakness:

Few and minimumal - difficult remote control, no composite

This is an AVR-2800 but uses the 97 to market as high end in department stores like Sears. I have not heard music until I listed to the 97 and it is impossible to tell the difference with the 3300, and does not have the composite inputs. However, I don't care because I will be hooking up any composites I have directly to the TV, not to my receiver.I'd spend my money on this and blow a load when things change with the advent of HDTV in a few years. Until then, this is the best high end low to midrange *sounding* receiver I've heard.

But let us talk about the most important factor of a receiver, the *sound*. I think the separation of the instruments is what separates this baby from all the others, including the Yamaha. I heard them both side by side (yamaha's high end 795 and 995) and the Denon was noticeably cleaner. This is not to say the Yamaha was bad, but to say that the Denon was that much cleaner. The instruments come alive.

Do yourself a BIG favor. If money is an issue, do not go for the 3300 and go for the 2800/97 and spend the extra $250 on the speakers and you will be thrilled. I had decent speakers and the 97 made them jump (and also realize how much I wanted a subwoofer and *great* sounding speakers).

The weakness - very difficult remote to learn. Manual is terrible. You will be spending some time learning how the remote works, but remember, you can always buy a new remote but the unit sounds great. You also will have a problem adjusting certain items with the remote and you will need your TV to use onscreen programming, but this is minor since it remembers all your settings and don't need to make adjustments once done. Additionally, I can only see how to change the radio from the remote. These are minor. Once you hear the unit you will be sorry you didn't buy one sooner.

For the value (I got it for $570) it is unbeatable. Far better sounding and value than any other even at $200 more. I'd give this a slightly lower rating for the human interface which is not great, but the sound is so good that I feel compelled to give it a five. You'll be thrilled.

Similar Products Used:

Harmon Kardon, yamaha, and other Denon

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 19, 2000]
Mike
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

EXCELLENT sound-lots of inputs-FOUR digital (three optical and one coaxial-Dolby 5.1-DTS-and 5 channel STEREO!!! Life does not get better than this......

Weakness:

Remote takes some getting used to....

My wife thought that I was NUTS for buying another receiver just a year after getting the Sony STR-DB930......
Then I hooked it up....set up the speakers via the monitor and blasted off.....oh the sound....very warm and realistic...and using the straight off the disc input (no soundfields) like I had to do with the Sony to create the warmth....
We listened to the exact same cds on the exact same dvd/cd player.....oh the sound!!!!!
Was real lucky...got this on Ubid.com for what I have since learned was a killer low price at $345 (this guy retails for $899) but this one is refurbished by Denon (still had the shipping label from Denon in NJ to Ubid)and carries a 90 day warranty...this puppy looked brand new right out of the box..and the build quality is very good...I have honestly not found any faults with this receiver....runs moderately warm-not hot (cooler than the Sony)has hella power..well laid out controls....manual that (like all pacific rim companies)leaves a lot to be desired by not explaining all the features.....still trying to figure out if I can dipole my front speakers...but basically everything is there....sort of....
But the SOUND!!!! and especially the five channel stereo... that ONE feature alone would take my business away from most of the other players-especially at these price points....
Really recommend that if you are even thinking about these that you had better move fast 'cause they don't make them any more and the supply is dwindeling (but the prices are great)....and the SOUND....

Similar Products Used:

Sony STR-DB930 is being replaced by this baby!!!

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 08, 2001]
Arthur
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Flexible I/O features including DD & DTS decoding and external inputs for future decoders; excellent performance; great price

Weakness:

Complex; there's a learning curve

This is an excellent receiver, identical to the AVR2800, and I got it at a great price from ubid. It's refurbished but looks flawless -- all factory original box content and not a speck of dust nor a single fingerprint on the receiver -- and performs perfectly. I use all four preouts provided with outboard power amps, leaving only the surround speakers powered by the receiver itself. The AVR97 is extremely noise free and there are no startup thumps from the preouts (I leave my power amps on). This receiver is complex and takes a while to learn, but it remembers its settings for each input and thereafter ordinary use is simple. It has a few weaknesses already discussed in other reviews of the AVR97/2800, but the performance and value easily outweigh these.

Similar Products Used:

none really, just various analog receivers

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jun 22, 2001]
Fumihiko Rai
Casual Listener

Strength:

clear sound, more detail, and it looks gorgeous.

Weakness:

The buttons and controls on the face panel; too complicate.

This is a review for DENON AVR-981.
I got it from ubid. This unit is classified as grade B product. But it looks flawless and sounds perfectly.

The quality of sound is very impressive, just like my another DENON amplifier but with more features in it (such as tuner, DTS, and 5 Channels). It sounds very clear and warn; more detail can be heard from the same picec of music compares to my previous sony receiver.

And it is a perfect match to my little mission 700 speakers; Unlike most of receivers on the market, the sound it outputs is accurate and well balanced, not too artificial or too much bass (SONY).

It's a solid and powerful receiver, I recommend this receiver to the people who are looking for upgrading their current entry model unit to a decent, smooth and honest receiver. Really, I can tell the differences; and it takes you to another level of music =^..^=

I am really happy with this DENON receiver.

Similar Products Used:

SONY STR-DE345 (previous one)
ONKYO TX-SV373 (only tried once but I don't like its sound, herefore, it just sits in the box and collects dust)
DENON PMA-390 (my first amp, I really like it)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Dec 14, 2000]
Dirk Erickson
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Awesome sound, Great power

Weakness:

Remote is difficult to use

Just got his thing today, and it sounds great. It is a refurbished unit with a 90 day warranty (hope I never have to send it back, but never heard of any problems with Denon) Now I know what I've been missing form my little Aiwa system. Never again will I buy from them. My bookshelf system was good for about 1 year and then the CD player went bad. It sounded ok for a cheap system though. This Denon sounds so realistic its incredible. Happy day for me, got my new Audiosource SW-15 powered sub today too and it rocks. Blows my old Infinity BU-2 out of the water, and it was cheaper too.

My sytem:
Denon AVR-97

Audiosource SW-15 sub

Infinity RS 10b bookshelf speakers (modified with a Phoenix Gold Saphire series 6 1/2 woofer) These are my pride and joy. Way better than my friends Paradigm surrounds.

KLH model 23 floor speakers (also modified with 10" JBL GT carsubs) These are old school, huge, and heavy, but they get the job done.

Similar Products Used:

Little POS Aiwa system. NEVER BUY AIWA

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
Showing 1-8 of 8  

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