Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Great receiver - supports all the current audio formats. No fancy bells & whistles like video up-conversion, it just gets the job done. It has more than enough power even for largish rooms, I've never felt the need to push it to extreme levels - and I've never heard distortion from it.

The tuner reception is a bit bad for some stations up on my loft but I've never tried using a different tuner or an external antenna so I haven't put this down as a weakness (I'm not really a radio person as you can probably tell).

It supports OSD, so if you wish to hide it away you can still see what you're doing on your video monitor. I can't detect any quality degradation in video signal when the receiver is used to switch video sources.

The included microphone and auto-setup procedure is extremely easy to use - if you've never set channel delays and volume trimmings, or crossover points for a surround set up, it will get you going in no time.

Strengths:
- Excellent build quality and great looks, weighty receiver = generous heatsinks = cool running temperatures.
- Ergonomic remote. Not back-lit but all the important buttons that glow in the dark. Also the buttons are all shaped and arranged very cleverly so after a few days of use you know exactly what you're doing without looking at it.
- Smooth sound.
- Plenty of different inputs and outputs.
- External decoder input means you can connect an universal player.
- It has got Analogue Devices DAC's instead of the Burr-Brown chips used in more expensive Denon's but I've never heard a difference. With the right material, this AVR really sings.

Weaknesses:
- No HDMI audio input. Future universal or High-Def DVD players might not have analogue outputs from their decoders like the current crop of universal players.
- No learning remote - though it has been pre-programmed for many devices, you can't teach it new codes. Fortunately, my JVC TV and Pioneer DVD player are supported.

Similar Products Used:
Auditioned similarly priced offerings from Yamaha, Pioneer and Cambridge Audio before I bought the Denon. To my ears all the equipment I listened to sounded the same, though some of the really cheap Yamaha and Pioneer offerings lacked power when pushed.

Price Paid:  $799.00

Summary:
I spent ages checking out magazine reviews and dealers' showrooms before settling on the Denon AVR-2105 (over similarly-specced Yamaha, NAD and Sony units in the same price bracket). Ultimately it came down to the fact that the Denon got great reviews, included the whizzy automatic room setup microphone, and was available in black.

I also purchased new Wharfedale Diamond 9 series front, rear, centre and sub speakers, plus 14 gauge biwired cable to hook it all up.

The new system replaced a pretty good sounding NAD 2-channel receiver driving Tannoy DC200 speakers. However I was not disappointed in the Denon's stereo performance, especially in 'direct' mode, and discovered new music detail hiding in my old favourite CD's. Of course watching a DVD in 5.1 was just sensational by comparison.

But a couple of weeks later the thing just stopped. It would not boot up on power-up, just like described in a couple of user forums. However the Australian Denon distributor replaced it with a brand new unit which hasn't skipped a beat.

I have cranked it up a few times to loud party levels and it just sounds great. At high levels I tend to leave it in 5 channel stereo mode now that I've had a taste of filling the room with rock and roll. Who cares about precise L-R imaging in parties?

It has taken a while to get to know all of the features of this amplifier. Some of the surround modes (eg jazz room, rock concert etc) are interesting but perhaps a bit gimmicky. Watching movies in DTS and DD are fine, but to be honest I reckon the dialogue and sound effects in movies sounds best when processed in "matrix" mode. Having a good quality subwoofer connected helps too.

Overall, I am really happy with this purcase.

Strengths:
Easy to set-up to the room configuration.
Heaps of headroom at 90w/channel.
Switchable stereo output to A/B speakers.
Great sound in stereo and for movies, and heaps of surround sound options.
Terrific performance and value for money

Weaknesses:
Instruction manual is in tiny font, and doesn't contain enough info on exploring the unit's settings and features.
Front panel a bit hard to read (on the black version) due to small/faint lettering. Same for remote control.

Price Paid:  $650.00 from Tweeter

Summary:
I was looking for a receiver that would sound like a Sunfire without the cost. I listened to Marantz and Harmon Kardon receivers in addition to the Denon.

The sound of the Denon AVR2105 is far superior to the Outlaw 1050 it replaced. My main speakers are B&W 602S3s which sounded very good with the Outlaw, now sound great. The 90 watts per channel is more than enough power to to drive the B&Ws.

The setup with the microphone was easier than I had anticipated. The distances and DB adjustments calculated were so accurate that it detected that the mike was not perfectly centered in the sitting area and showed the distances to be 1 foot apart. I manually adjusted the distances to be the same. I was pleasantly surprised by the remote. I didn't see the issues other reviewers have noted.

I was disapointed that I could not assign one input to both CD and DVD. I second the request to be able to configure the names of the inputs - I too would like to use the name "Dish".

Strengths:
Clean sound. Many sound adjustment options.

Weaknesses:
Documentation. There are many pages describing the setup but not enough on actual usage. I would also like an english description of what each audio mode will produce.
Ability to assign multiple names to a single input.

Similar Products Used:
Outlook 1050.

Price Paid:  $600.00 from Local specialty shop

Summary:
This unit was for my Family Room. I use Rotel equip in my HT room.

I needed a unit with selectable audio and video inputs. I have two Satellite IRDs, two DVDs and a VCR in this room. Yamaha's would not allow me to select the inputs for each device. The speakers are all B&W 600 series.

The video upconversion is a convenience if you have someone who can never select the correct input on your TV.

The config with the mic is nice, but could be much simpler to navigate.

The sound on DTS/DD movies is superb. The sound on the non digital inputs is also superb. Listening to a simple CD of baroque or Queen...GREAT.

The remote could have been way better and those stupid slide switches are crap. Come on Denon...buy a decent remote like the MX500.

Overall...this is a superb value for the price. Performance is outstanding.

$730 Cdn ($600 Usd)

Strengths:
Assignable inputs
Clean sound
Good two year warranty
Solid construction

Weaknesses:
The remote (as usual) SUCKS!
The device names should be user configurable (I dislike using "VCR2" for my Dish network 3100!!!!).

Similar Products Used:
Rotel RSP1066
Yamaha 5450
Yamaha 450
Rotel RSX1065

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
My audio system is a mid-fi Adcom seperate set up. I was a little worried about a recever that has 90watts x 7.1, plus all the digital surround processing in such a small package. Not to worry I hooked my adcom amp up to the denon for a listen and found that the adcom had a little beter bass that the over all sound was 99% as good. The Denon runs cool never giving any hint of over heating I paid over twice as much for my adcom two chanel amp as the Denon recever that does so much more. When using a subwoofer the little extra bass is a non-issue. Yes I feel you need a powered-sub for home theater.

Strengths:
Great Value, Can turn off display when watching movie. Great sound. So many features I can't list them all. Comes with microphone to set up speakers.

Weaknesses:
So many features you really need to read the operation instructions to get everything working a top proformance

Similar Products Used:
My friend's ROTEL this is great but very expensive.
Listened to Yahama that sounded very nice.