Simple, solid receiver
Written: Dec 04 '06
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Sound: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Dependable; good sound that allows background instruments to be heard clearly.
Cons: May not deliver enough bass for some; remote's functions more limited than advertised.
The Bottom Line: The Denon DRA-275R Receiver will prove to be a dependable component of a modest home audio set-up. Audiophiles or people who demand constant loudness may be disappointed.
|
|
|
| silver63's Full Review: Denon DRA-275R |
The Denon DRA-275R has faithfully served my audio needs for five years now. It's a dependable unit with fine sound.
Full disclosure here on how I've used my DRA-275R since I acquired it in the spring of 2001.
My CD collection is primarily comprised of jazz recordings (mostly hard bop), and I don't find myself needing a booming bass. What I seek most is clarity; I want to be able to hear subtleties in accompaniment, particularly on the piano or the vibes.
I generally don't play my music even half as loud (feeding into bookshelf JBL speakers) as I could on the DRA-275R, but on the few occasions that I've taken it to about 70% of its volume capacity, I heard no distortion, even on older CDs not remastered to the highest current standard.
As for video, most of my DVDs are older titles, either television shows or movies, that don't benefit from 5.1 surround sound. The DRA-275R's two channels do very nicely. I was watching a very old sci-fi anthology from the early 1950s, not long ago, and a knock at a door genuinely sounded like it could've been someone at my own door. Odd, but true.
The interface is easy to use; many people won't have to consult the manual very closely. Sound is also good on the tuner, at least for FM stations. I taped the enclosed FM antenna, pointing straight up, on a wall behind the unit, and typically got excellent reception.
Making recordings to my mini-disc player, and later my iRiver MP3 player, was simple enough using the auxilliary output. Through easy selection of the source you're recording from, video, CD player, tape deck or record player, you can record with fine fidelity.
Now that I've moved into a house, I use the DRA-275R in a media room I've set up on the second floor, while using a newer receiver in the family room. The media room measures 10 x 10, and at merely a third of its volume level, the sound is impressive.
The remote is easy to use, with buttons clearly marking each function. I didn't find it possible to control other devices with it, such as my DVD player. I'm content to use more than one remote when I sit down to be entertained anyway, but some may find this a shortcoming.
The way to create digital presets on the tuner is straightforward, with each station assigned a letter-number combination such as A1, A2, A3, etc.
In five years, I've had absolutely no problems with the DRA-275R. I've moved twice with it, packing the unit myself, and it's emerged none the worse for wear.
I would guess that someone who demands a big bass sound, or needs to play music at the loudest level most of the time, may not find the DRA-275R a good fit. But if clarity is the primary thing you want, you could do much worse than the DRA-275R.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 210
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
silver63
|
|
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.