Home theater supreme.
Written: Apr 22 '01 (Updated Jan 01 '03)
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Pros: Sound quality, flexibility, upgradeability.
Cons: 50 lbs of A/V receiver can wreck your back.
The Bottom Line: Excellent 5-channel power and "musicality" now, with the processing power for future 7-channel surround formats.
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| paluc52's Full Review: Denon AVR-4800 5.1 Channels Receiver |
This is my third "digital receiver" in three years. It's a "keeper." And I have have kept it - the Denon 4800 ended my receiver "upgrade-itis" (update: January 2003)
I began with the Denon AVR-1700, which worked well. But I wanted "dts" processing (as well as the Dolby 5.1 offered by the 1700) and more power for my Snell speakers (Type J-IVs in front, Type M surrounds and a Snell CC-1 center). So I sold my 1700 and picked up a refurbished Denon AVR-3300 from uBid.com. Very nice sound...but my unit was afflicted with the noisy cooling fan, that a number of 3300 owners have complained of. So I returned the 3300 and eventually found a Denon AVR-4800 for an acceptable price.
The AVR-4800 has a beefier build and better parts quality than the 3300. This is big, heavy receiver (48 lbs), designed to meet Lucasfilm "THX Ultra" performance standards. It has an oversized power transformer that delivers a true 125 watts per channel with low distortion, all metal case and nice quality speaker binding posts. The cooling fan on the 4800 is silent.
I found the AVR-4800 easy to set up using an on-screen menu system that is pretty self-explanatory. HOWEVER, to get to the point where you can use that system, you have to plug everything in properly. READ THE FIRST 5 PAGES OF THE MANUAL. Don't just look at the schematic. There isn't much text, so it won't take long. It is worth the time to get your interconnections right on the first try. Not only will you be able to set up the receiver properly, thereafter, but you won't have to pull the monster out of your home theater center, at the risk of life and spine, to redo it later.
I am sold on the dual SHARC floating-point processing chips that Denon has used in its high-end AVR receivers in recent years (the 5700, the 5800 and now the 3801, as well as the 4800). Add the very fine amplifier section on this model and you get superior channel separation, excellent detail and a wide dynamic range. There are fun processing modes to play with (5 and 7 channel stereo, for example), very helpful features for fine-tuning your sound to fit your room and speaker placement, and 6.1 and "7.1" processing for DVDs with the new THX-EX back channel surround system.
I tried THX-EX with a Marantz mono amp and third Snell M as my rear center channel. The "Chicken Run" DVD has this encoding. Recall the scene where the Mel Gibson chicken and Scarlet are caught in the pie-making machine and the oven flames encircle them. The 360 degree surround effect is a treat!
Look, if you can afford a Bryston 9B ST for $3,500, and a separate pre-amp processor, go for it. But for high-end, all-in-one home theater value for the rest of us, the Denon AVR-4800 can't be beat!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $1,000
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Epinions.com ID:
paluc52
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Location: Milwaukee, WI, USA
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Soviet Studies was first career; now a lawyer. Trailing-edge boomer, married with 2 kids.
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