Price Paid:  $350.00 from Fred's Sound of Musi

Summary:
Denon 1404 AV Receiver is a fine unit for the audio nut that wants a good balance of price and quality. I replaced a 4 year old Yamaha 596 receiver with this unit. Right out of the box I and my wife noticed better sonic quality than our Yamaha, and a round full sound we enjoyed with some of our older equipment of the past.

Strengths:
Clean sound, not brittle.
Pro-Logic II and matrix modes really work well and sound sweet. FM and AM reception is what I expect, unlike the Yamaha's week sensitivity.

Weaknesses:
Remote is hard to use, but most are.
No 4 ohm set up (I have Magnepan MMG's) but it still works.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha 596 (1999 model)

Price Paid:  $199.00 from magnolia

Summary:
upgraded from an old sony surround receiver. the sound is by far much cleaner and crisp sounding. more enough power for my 11' X 21' family room. lots of adjustment for sound field. took a few days to get all my settings right. im very impressed with this unit at this price. music sounds great and dvd tracks are amazing. i have no problem with background sound over-riding dialog on my center speaker like some systems i hear. im using BOSE 301s up front, a klipsch center speaker, sony 12" sub., and some cheapo surrounds(for now) and this receiver really brought them to life. i thought my older sony sounded pretty good till i hooked this up. a great system for the price. compare specs with other low priced a/v receivers and take a listen, i think you will be pleased.

Strengths:
price, quality, 2 yr. mfg. warranty, versatility, sound quality, low distortion, easy hook-ups, value.

Weaknesses:
no s-vid. connectors, only 2 digtal inputs. (enough for me, one for dvd player one for sat. dish).

Price Paid:  $300.00 from Soundhounds, Victori

Summary:
This is actually a review of the newer Denon Model 1404, but in summary: "Wow... great bang for the buck! Well done, Denon!"

The 1404 differs from the 1403 in it's inclusion of S-Video switching, banana-clip speaker plugs across the board and an upgraded remote.

I have had the unit installed for only a week, but so far I can safely say that it blows away my older (but higher powered) Technics receiver, and handily defeats the much higher priced / well thought-of Harmon Kardon model AVR-225.

In making my decision to buy this sucker, I was basically after a receiver that could do justice to my budget, but very capable Paradigm speaker setup: 2x Paradigm Titans, 2x Paradigm Atoms, 1x Paradigm CC-170, 1x Acoustic Research S108PS.

The upgrade gave me stunning enhancements in cinematic clarity and great crispy sound in music. Even when feeding the receiver an analog signal from my Soundblaster-equipped computer, the 5 channel surround setting managed impressive performance. I look forward to listening to this receiver for some time!

Strengths:
This unit packs all the right technologies (Pro Logic II, Digital, DTS) and more importantly, audiophile calibre sound at a very reasonable price. The build is rock solid and the remote handles the business. Quality all the way.

Weaknesses:
The units only weakness is understandable at it's price (it only has 1 digital coaxial input and 1 digital optical input) but it's perfect for those that'll only ever use it with a DVD player and maybe a computer or a digital T.V. box.

Similar Products Used:
Technics SX303, Harmon Kardon AVR-225, Yamaha RX-496.