More than you need, more than I need, but causes incurable fits of "The Grins"
Written: Aug 06 '02
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Pros: Incredibly powerful, all the connections you need, and no fluff
Cons: Probably a bit of overkill for most homes (mine included)
The Bottom Line: Solid as a gold ingot, just as heavy, with all the sound quality, processing, and power the rational person could ever need. Just don't drop it on your foot!
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| drdiaboloco's Full Review: Denon AVR-3802 7.1 Channels Receiver |
I truly am my own worst enemy.
I now have a Denon 3802 receiver occupying the same space that an already stellar 2802 once occupied, and the only reason I traded up was the nagging feeling that "good enough" wasn't "good enough." This unit has made no noticeable improvement in my home theater experience as compared to the 2802 except when driven to insane volumes, and even then, it's a very slight improvement indeed.
So why did I do it? "Gottahaveit-itis" took hold and I returned a perfectly servicable 2802 for this unit. The extra two hundred dollars was well spent primarily because I won't have to stare suspiciously at the older unit anymore, thinking that I was missing out. My existing review of the 2802 on Epinions still stands, and bears review when reading THIS review. The 2802 is still a superlative unit and is a most worthwhile piece of Hi Fi equipment... I just HAD to have THIS one. :)
So what was I "missing out" on? Well for your extra two hundred smackers you get an additional amplifier channel, 20 watts per channel extra on each amplifier (for a total of 110 watts each), and a better remote... Not to mention a dramatic weight gain (more to follow).
The basic details are the same as what you get on the 2802, which are as follows:
-Dolby ProLogic II. A noticeable and worthwhile upgrade over "standard" ProLogic. DO NOT buy a home theater receiver that doesn't have this feature, even if it's not a Denon receiver.
-Dolby Digital. Both the garden-variety 5.1 version and the matrixed "EX" variety that adds a rear center channel, if of course you have a speaker hooked up.
-DTS and DTS-ES. The ES type of DTS adds a full-bandwidth rear center channel, not matrixed. If you have DTS DVD's you will never want to hear anything else...
So the upgrades to the 3802 must be worth SOMETHING, right?
Right.
-More power. More power is always better. Unless you have truly inefficient speakers, you will be able to drive them to neighbor-angering levels with no effort whatsoever. Even the most inefficient of speakers will play loud and clean with this receiver... Really, isn't 110 watts/channel enough?? However, the extra power reserve offered by more power is a worthwhile addition. More dynamic headroom, more power reserves, etc.
-More channels. My current system doesn't have seven speakers, but this reciever will certainly support it. Seven channels means that you can run TWO rear center channels, which would be mono in any case... But if you have the speakers, the room, and the desire, you can have a truly enveloping surround experience. The system setup menu allows you to deactivate the seventh channel, as is the case in my system, running only one channel for the rear center.
-More remote. Less, actually. The remote for this unit is totally different from the disastrous remote included with the 2802. It is much smaller, has an LCD display (showing the currently-selected unit and various functions for the learning function), backlighting for the major controls, and is much, MUCH easier to understand. A drastic improvement over the ridiculous unit supplied with the 2802.
-More weight. A LOT more weight. In a chassis that is identical in every dimension to the 2802, this receiver has a FIFTY PERCENT WEIGHT GAIN. That means the already heavy 2802, at 26 pounds or so, balloons out to FORTY POUNDS. The reason for this is not easily explained away by the extra amplifier section... Basically, the power supply is much more stout and the amplifiers and other electronics are of a higher capacity and quality. Think about it... That's more than a dozen extra pounds of electronics in the same sized box... Denon calls it "DDSC", which basically means that every imaginable function of the receiver is separated and isolated from the other, which improves sound quality. I can say from my back-to-back experience that the residual noise that makes it to the speakers is noticeably less than with the lower-priced unit (though you only hear this noise with your speaker's tweeters practically in your ear canal).
A word about ergonomics and features... Some reviewers will dis this unit because it looks "old-fashioned" or because it doesn't have a million effects modes. It's all in the eye of the beholder, but I find the clean and uncluttered design to be a welcome respite from the video-game design of some other equivalently-priced receivers (can you say "Yamaha"? Can you say "Kenwood"?) Similarly, a thousand-dollar receiver from those brands and others, like Sony for instance, will have more effects modes... And this is a liability in my book. You've never heard an aural travesty quite like my friend's Yamaha cranked up in its' "70mm Spectacle" mode... Good thing that murdering an otherwise good soundtrack isn't a federal crime, otherwise he and the Yamaha product designers would be in Leavenworth. Fewer effects modes means fewer inept users can destroy the sound of their systems. :)
As for inept users, this probably isn't the ideal unit for the novice user. Then again, what receiver with the capabilities this unit offers IS? The setup is involved but shouldn't take more than ten minutes once you have everything hooked up. The hookup process, in my case, took under half an hour to hook up six speakers, a subwoofer, a TV, and five other components... Figure on an hour all-in and you will have a few minutes left over to grab a well-deserved beverage of your choice!
I am going to stick with 4 stars for ease of use, with the assumption that a total neophyte isn't going to bother with something as advanced as this unit... Four stars is for a user with average skills in system setup. If you've never seen the backside of a receiver before, you are in for a real handful, but if you know the difference between an "in" jack and an "out" jack, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Figure three stars if you've never fiddled with audio equipment before.
As something more than aside, I strongly recommend buying from an authorized dealer. You can pay less, MUCH less online, but do you think that unauthorized dealer (which is ALL of them if you buy online) is going to accept a return or accept your phone calls if you have a problem setting up your system? Not to mention what will happen if you are extremely unlucky and your receiver is busted... One online retailer says, if your receiver is non-functional, to inquire with the manufacturer as they won't accept returns... Too bad, as Denon won't recognize your purchase if it wasn't from an authorized retailer. Now you're out six or seven hundred dollars and it will cost you at least three hundred more to get it fixed. Caveat Emptor. Besides, do you want to give your money to a local reseller who supports your local economy, or some fly-by-night outfit a thousand miles from home? YOU decide.
As a repeat buyer of Denon products, I can vouch for their long-term reliability. You won't likely find this or any Denon product needing service... Reliable as electronics get.
All in all, I can recommend this unit without hesitation. All the features you need (and then some). All the power you need (and then some). All the quality you need (and then some). Top-notch. Buy it. You won't be sorry. :)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 890
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Epinions.com ID:
drdiaboloco
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Location: Fort Wayne, IN, USA
Reviews written: 37
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Where did all this corn come from?
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