Price Paid:  $1200.00 from A&B Sound

Summary:
Much auditioning led me to purchase the 2807 pretty soon after it came onto the market. I've always been a fan of the Denon sound so it beat out the slightly less bright Yamaha 1600 and the (what I found to be) uncomfortably warm Pioneer 74. I also auditioned against NAD and Rotel, but price and options held me back from that tier of equipment.

The 2807 is an absolutely solid mid-fi A/V Receiver. The sound is precise and clinical to a degree, but I've never found that it sacrifices the musicality of 2-channel music. It absolutely shines in Home Theatre bringing a stunning sound environment to any DVD or 5.1 broadcast. There's plenty of power and of course all the latest bells and whistles are supported. Where Denon really holds the edge in the home audio market is configurability. There are more options available in the Denon than any other A/V Receiver I've ever seen. You can tailor the sound to be exactly what you want without any compromise. Individual speaker crossover points, individual speaker EQing, and the room EQ features allow you to adapt the sound to fit perfectly into any space you want to set a home theatre up. For television signals, I found the wealth of PLIIx options outstanding for widening the soundfield across the front of my room. Different Room EQ settings for each input source is invaluable as I like more bass punch in home theatre compared to a flat response for stereo music. I wasn't so thrilled with how Audyssey set everything up but it's very easy to use and makes for a great starting point. If you like DSPs, Denon's got a host of them to choose from. The phono section is very nice and the input level can be boosted so that all the inputs match.

Connectivity should meet anyone's needs. The sound and power are outstanding. The 2807 deserves all the praise that it's been getting since its release. In its price-range, I would recommend it to anyone without hesitation over the competition. I use it for 60% music and 40% DVD/TV. It's a beautiful thing in both settings.

Strengths:
Sound - the first and foremost issue with any piece of audio equipment and Denon delivers the goods. Precise but still musical, well-imaged, tight, and controlled. There is nothing to complain about soncially at all.

Configurability - any configuration setting you can dream of is in the Denon somewhere.

Connectivity - I haven't seen the system with too many connections for the 2807 to handle.

Power - a rich and capable supply of it on hand.

Weaknesses:
The Manual - you might as well burn it to keep you warm while you figure things out on your own.

The Remote - it's a mixed blessing; I think the remote is great in terms of ease and useability, but there's simply no reason for it to be the size of my forearm and eating that many batteries at a time.

The Front Panel Display - nothing's missing or unclear; it's just so plain, colourless, and boring compared to pretty much everything else on the market. It's long-term complaint I've had with Denon products.

Price Paid:  $825.00 from Fidler Audio

Summary:
Amazing piece of A/V equipment, for the money. I recently upgraded my SONY HTIB, and am very pleased with this receiver as the brain of A/V system. Very clear, very responsive, and has enough options to keep even a true audiophile entertained for days. I am not an audiophile and relatively new to the home audio world, so my opinion might not be as valued by those whom have had numerous years of experience with such components. Nonetheless I offer this review to those in laymans terms in hopes that people out there will demo this piece of equipment and buy it themselves. I did my research, and would advise anyone looking to buy a new receiver to do the same. The Yamaha RXV2600 was a strong option that I also considered. I wanted a receiver to passthrough a 1080i signal and in the future a 1080p signal, the Denon does and the Yamaha does not. The picture quality is amazing as all my components are fed into composite 'ins' and sent out via one HDMI out to my monitior, the ease and simplicity of the setup in itself is something that made me want this receiver. My upconverting DVD player is supported and a 1080i resolution is displayed on the monitor showing a crispness and clarity that my neighbors and friends comment on everytime we watch a movie. Like wise with my Dish VIP622 and PS2, images lose nothing and gain that extra push for superior smoothness and clarity. As far as sound and the 2807's capabilities. The receiver features a direct mode for true 2 channel audio playback this provides my own personal concert. I demoed Dave Matthews story tellers from MHD and could not sit or leave the screen as I was thrown into the concert and made a spectator to what I felt was a live spectacle of DMB in my living room. Other sound fields include DTS, and Dolby Pro Logic II, as well as Denon's own DSP fields. DTS Discrete 6.1 is amazing, and although this receiver is not THX certified it lacks nothing when it comes to recreating HOLLYWOOD's sound fields. I Robot's fast paced action sequence left my Sony K-740p panting and pronounced clipping was noticed on bassier sequences, not with the Denon, as it seemed to beg for more. At an advertised 110 watts per channel it delivers exactly what I want. Superb performer. The Audiossey EX Setup is a bit complicated however after playing with it for an hour or two its perfect, not to mention its Auto EQ function which helps in defining your home audio setup. On Screen Display functions such as volume controls are available but it is on of the negative drawbacks, as to utilize the function only analog video sources or S-Video sources are capable of this utility so for those looking to hide the receiver away, might find thes a major drawback as you wouldnt see the actual volume level on your monitor's screen, if using a digital hookup for your components. The I-pod dock connection is also a notable feature as well the XM radio antannae input. The Ipod dock will allow you to listen and scroll through pics, tracks, and playlists via your monitor from your connected I pod. The receiver also features a dual zone feature so if your patio or kitchen is lacking that ambiance that yous so desire the 2807 has got that covered as well. The receiver has enough audio/visual outs on the back to support even the most demanding home theater setup. One HDMI out and 2 HDMI ins! WOW!, This receiver is about as future proof for the new and upcoming 1080p as one can get at present. Another drawback is the absence of 24-bit/192-kHz DACs – "Burr-Brown PCM-1791". The overall assesment is that this receiver is an amazing piece of AV equipment, at least sample what this thing can do and see if CNET, CES 2006, as well as Sound/Vision were right when they ranked this receiver as one of the best available for the money. FUTURE PROOF!!!

Strengths:
CLARITY, RESPONSIVENESS, HDMI Compatibility, DUAL Zone, 10 Sound Fields, 3 Composite outs, 7 S-Video outs, 7 optical outs, XM radio compatible, I-pod dock ready,
5/6/7 channel, price!!! And many many more.

Weaknesses:
REMOTE CONTROL is the biggest and bulkiest beast I have seen since the old ATT cell phones. Solution=Harmony 550 remote. Ease of Use, read the manual 5-6 times and then you get it!, No Burr-Brown!!! No THX. On Screen Display might not work with digital signals. Make sure Cable/Satellite receivers will handshake with the 2807, some problems reported with SA8300HD, and Comcast boxes. I have Dish's VIP622, more HD than you can handle strongly recommend this system.