Extremely clean power band all the way through the volume spectrum, real RMS power from Denon, Alluminum front panel and built like a tank.

no light on vol knob, but not that big of a deal.

Very good 2 channel performer, plenty of clean high current power from Denon, no bells and whistles just clean simple power, will run 4 ohm spkrs. no problem.. sleek clean design and very clear, natural sound. Needless to say this is a very strong performer in the 2 channel market and Audiphile sound and build quality.

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OK build quality for the value.

Flat, weak and hollow midrange. Bass was flat and sluggish. Poor overall sound. Soundstage was non-existant.

I purchased this product to replace my 25 year old Pioneer 1050 receiver. The 1050 was an oputstanding reciever with incredible sound. The capacitors were the size of a Pepsi can. It was tired so I purchased the Denon 685. I read all the reviews posted here and decided to give it a try. It sounded pretty decent in the store but in the home was a whole different story. I gave the reciever a good 100 hours of break in time and decided to test it out. I was very dissapointed to say the least. All vocals, male or female sounded extremely hollow as though they were singing through a tube. The midrange was flat and bass response was very sluggish and flat. The highs were ok, but the midrange was so badly noticeable I could not stand to listen anymore. Yes, the poser outout was ok, but it is not a true 100 watts per channel. I returned it and purchased a Rotel RA-1070 integrated amp. Wallah, my system sound great again. Yeas the Rotel costs $1200 retail, but the smaller 40 and 60 watt models have more power than the Denon 685 for $100 to $300 more. The sound difference is staggering. I guess you get what you pay for. There are many used components and slightly pricier products, but you will greatly notice the sound difference.

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Good power, Decent sound.

Terrible remote, Very bright receiver, Bass has little control sensitivity, gets very hot in my stereo rack( with good venting)

I got this receiver to replace an old technics, musically this receiver is acceptable, The market really seems to have abandoned 2 channel audio forcing everyone to A/V systems. This receiver has plenty of power but it is very bright with my polks and paradigms. Had to set the treble way down to get an acceptable sound quality. Bass makes little effect between 9 and 3.

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Vintage Technics, Pioneer, Sansui, Onkyo

Clean sound, Good amount of hook-ups,

Didnt hold up very well, Wasnt very neutral of a sound (too warm), B channel speaker output sketchy, Aux connect dying.

Sound quality was good although not as neutral as I would like. This receiver functioned fairly well for a year and a half, however this is when the problems started. First the B channel speakers became very muddy sounding before progressing to full on static. The left output on the b channel finally died and then shortly after that the Aux. output cut out. This unit also seemed to get very hot on my audio rack which gives good room to breath (22x11) per opening.

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Power and clear sound. Denon reputation. Not to expensive for this quality. Aluminium face instead of cheap plastic.

No SUB out (dont understand why there is no subwoofer pre-out !!) No light on the volume knob.

Recently acquired a Denon AVR-1804. I am pleased with it in Home theater but for stereo music listening that was not the sound i want. I have Athena AS-F2 front speaker and the 1804 was not giving enough power to drive these speakers. Lack of bass, no punch, was missing something. Bought a few day ago a Denon DRA-685, and the first 30 seconde the difference blow me away. PUNCH, POWER, and beautiful clear sound. I crank the volume around 9 o clock and damn i like the power of this baby. 1804 is very fine in HT but was not the answer for stereo music for me. I will use it, during a couple of week and will come back for new information. I give 5 star for the money range of the DRA, i know there is a lot of many better receiver, but more expensive also !! But for the price it's a great overall deal! OH yes, also, i said i pay 750$ but it's candian $ not US. Here in Quebec, the dra-685 is listed a 899$ can

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Thecnics, Denon AVR-1804, Old yamaha amp, Pionner (i didnt like it but it's my opinion)

Great CLEAN! sound! Has 2 outlets in the back for CD players, Tape decks etc.

Not any that I can think of. Perhaps the remote, but I don't mind it!

I bought this receiver to replace my 1985 NAD 7130. I could not beleive the sound I get from this receiver going through my Klispch RF 35 Speakers! Nice clean sound with more than enough power for anything I would use it for. I rarely set the volume above the 8:00 position. Has connections for my CD player, DVD player and plenty more. FM sounds great, even though I am in a marginal area. Build quality seems to be great. It looks great too sitting in my rack. The remotes are a bit confusing. I don't mind the remote. I use it for my Denon CD player as well.

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Don't know where to start

None

I have been using this receiver for a little over a month now. All I can say is wow! Many of the descriptions of audio equipment sound a little snobish to me and only tend to be a venue for someone to brag about what gear they have. So be it. All I have to say is this receiver took away my desire to have separates. I don't have the need to crank the volume above 9 o'clock. Low volume sound is excellent. It truly uses my Klipsch speakers to make the sound real. Sounds like the music is live. Extra sounds never before heard. I have had hi fi audio equipment in college, overseas in the military so I am used to hearing good sound. But this receiver takes it to the next level for a reasonable cash outlay

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SOUND!!

remote...argh

To start off, this reciever has got the power to drive any speaker out there. Right now i've got my Monitor Audio Gold Reference 60's. I've also tested the reciever with the Monitor Audio s60's. The sound is perfect. If you only want a stereo set up, this is your best pick. But, there is one single problem...the damn remote. I really wonder who came up with that design...i dont' know. Anyway, If you were looking to get this product, look no further

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Plethora of inputs & outputs to satisfy my needs. I have reel to reel tape deck, cassette deck, turntable,Equalizer(need it for recording from tape), and my PC connected to it. No ditortion, Powerful sound. Runs Cool, too. good FM Section, even though radio in So. Cal. is bad, bad.

Yeah, the remote,but..Listen to the Music.

Purchased the AVR1803 with BA 950 Spkrs(see my review on the BA's)Sound was very good, but 1803 lacked tape monitor,loudness,and a-b speaker switching. Since I have a HT setup in living room, I only wanted REAL 2 chn. stereo in my listening room. 1803 wasn't the ticket.I do a lot of transferring of reel to reel & LP's to my PC for CDr's & MP3 so I need the versatility of tape monitor, and record outputs. The 685 is a wonder! Just the sonic difference at low volume was incredible, not to mention cranked!! I haven't had the guts to go past 2 o'clock on the volume control.Phono preamp is totally silent, output is pure. All sources are clean. Have not even used the tone controls!! Flat is the way to play music on this receiver. Go to your Denon dealer, and buy one. NOW!!

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plenty of power .

had to run cassette through aux. input instead of tape moniter to get cdr to record even though it says i didnt need to

got this unit as a factory refurb. im am very satisfied. its simple , powerful, and the sound is exelent.as everyone seems to be moving to av systems this unit stands out as a great audio reciever.

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