soundfields & surround modes...

music

you did not ask, but, fyi, i just returned the db840. the set up was great, worked perfectly. my ONLY problem with it was unsatisfactory 2 channel performance. bright to a fault. also, classical music with multiple instruments sounded muddled, even in analog direct mode. other complex passages muddled, as if the compression modes were being employed. the brightness: i was able to assist a little with equlization.

never-the-less, if my priority weren't 2 channel stereo, i woulda kept it. i almost did any way for the theater modes, etc. and, sorry, i don't know anything about crazyeddie....last time that i saw him he was sleeping in his car after performing almost nightly at the FloriBama Club in, u guessed it: florida and alabama.

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denon 2801, mitsubishi avr 800, kenwood 1080

WOW, this receiver is awesom, for this prize it is the best.
great sound, very nice looking, vell built, gives a very good impression. many settingt and many in/outputs

i have not found any

Well what is there more to say.
This receiver is the best in its prizeclass if you ask me. it has everything you could ever need, it sounds extremly good, the control is nice, the blue light rockzz.
It is very powerfull, 5*100w, many in outputs.
It is very big and when you see it you know that this is a beast.

Sound, built, ease of use

Only 1 coaxial input for 3 optical

Although I can't compare this product with other similar priced receiver I can tell you that it's a winner.
It has a nice look and heavy weight.
The setup is very easy and user friendly.
It has lots of parameters and connections (even pre-outs).
The european remote is ok.
I am very difficult to please on audio and I immediately loved this one.

I disagree with some reviewers: it is very good with hi-fi ! the only flaw is a lack of depth but for the price it does the job. Listen to classical and you won't be disappointed.
It was my first good surprise when i hooked it with my Nad 520 CD and Tannoy Mx speakers.

Then the multichannel (Toshiba 2109 DVD): amazing ! I didn't expect it to be so good and enjoyable.
In DD or DTS it will show you the excellents and bads recordings, as the sound is spectacular but nice, precise with no harshness at reasonable volume.
Yes it has multichannel hiss at 50% volume but you must close your ear to the speaker ; to be disturbing you
must set it to 75%. But who listen it at 75% with no sound passing through ? I listen it usually at 35-40% i.e 10 o'clock position.
In analog direct it is very quiet.
The DSP are numerous but the specific "cinema studio" fx (3 kinds) are the most enjoyable: it opens the sound stage, especially the surrounds at the cost of increasing the volume and adding medium but don't forget the 3 band parametric equalizer.

I am sure there are better receivers around but for much more money spent.
What are the flaws : plastic volume button as the front panel is aluminium, too bad. Only 1 coaxial input
They rate it at 5x100 W DIN at 8 ohms wich seems exagerated. But don't worry it is powerful
enough.
Try it, you'll love it.

sound is very strong for a reciever in this price range. Very clean surround and stereo.

the instructions

For a step up to the digital domain I feel I got my monies worth out of this product, The build quality and sound are far better than the consumer grade stuff, Don't take my word for it though, go out and listen to it and see for your self. I think you will be suprised at what you can get for this amount of money>

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sony str d 965

Build, remote, sound, power,, dsp's, looks, i/o's...etc

manual

perfect, a deadly a/v for 399 irish, Its so feckin loud on 2 speakers the volume at 3 or 4 will kill old weak people and animals. DSPs provide hours of entertainment, Radio is OK, Remote has a lot to learn but is very powerful. Sound quality is brilliant, There is some hum at 6+ volume, but its not bad, and there is no way you can ghear it unless you hae nothig playing.
There is also a thing where the volume at very low ~(0.2) is higher in the right speaker thanthe left.

All in all, for that cash, it is a miracle. Denon av3300 can eat POOP and die.

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everything,

I have an aluminium volume knob, no plastic at all.?
Mabey the aericans get a cheaper version?

I know they get crappy P/S's.

Anyway, what does the "UNLOCK" message mean?

Great sound,sound feilds,options

none until now

I,ve had this baby for about a month now and I,m completely satisfied with it. The sound is very clear and the strenght is awesome. I,ve used it on self made speakers and the speakers came to life after the power button was pressed. I,m planning to buy a set of SONY MF515 floor standing speakers and I hope that this baby will make my day. I think I made a very good buy. By the way there is absolutely no hiss in my unit and the volume knob is made from aluminum.

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exccept from the remote, none.

Not a review, only a remark. I read the review from Bjorn where he complained about the hiss.
I tested it again at high volumes in DSP mode (stadium, arena, etc) and cinema modes (a,b,c) with extra treble.
I only hear little hiss at (very) high volumes. I use high-end speakers and cables.
Is it possible there are differect versions of this receiver available with different DSP's and/or different firmware?
Again, i'm very pleased with this unit and don't have any complaints about hiss.

Solid build, a lot of features for the money, great for home theater

Remotre is a litte complicated

Originally bought a Sony 545 -- returned it within days because of terrible speaker hiss. Was a little skeptical about trying another Sony (heavily considered Denon).

I have been pleasently surprised by this unit. The step up in quality over the 545 I auditioned is remarkable. There is an old saying: "You get what you Pay for". For Sony receivers at least, I can vouch that there is utter truth to those words. And, while I am sure that when you pay even more, you get even more, the DB840 fit perfectly within my spending range.

I only use the unit for Home Theater and cannot speak for it's musical ability. I, for one, am a fan of the Blue Digital signal light, but I can see where others would not be. The remote is a little complicated, but it is also one of the nicest I've seen for a rpoduct in this price range. I use a Universal/Learning remote anyway so this was not really an issue for me.

I would highly recommend this unit for the enthusiast getting started in Home Theater. If you consider yourself a true audiophile, you probably already know what your looking for -- and it's proably out of my price range.

- just my two cents.

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Pioneer, Sony DE-545

Very easy to use and set up. Good sounding in all modes (2 channel stero and DD/DTS)

A lot of quirky soundfields that i never use. SOme may not like the remote but in dont mind

I was loaned the denon 2801 from a local dealer and tried out that and the 840 and the 333ES all at once at home and there was very little difference sound wise, but the denon fell behind in usability both for the unit/remote and the manual (if you can call it that). I did fine hooking up the denon, but I am somewhat of an AV nerd, however my grandma could have set up the sony (well most of it, except for tweaking the various EQ settings on different channels).
I honestly did a blind a/b test between the 840 and the denon and could not really tell any difference in a variety of different sources (terminator 2 and gladiator in dts, matrix in DD, and a variety of music in 2 ch ranging from heavy metal, to vocal to classical). Bottom line is i love the 840 and given the fact that the denon was over 150 more i thought if it was even a little better it did not justify the extra money, which was exactly what i spent on my sony SA WM40 sub.

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Denon 2801, Sony 333ES