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Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $125.00 from eBay

Summary:
I bought this receiver for stereo music and as a tuner to listen to music to power up my Kinima Hi-G2 (*non famous Canadian made speakers, great price but company went bankrupt couple years ago). For the price I got it at, there isn't much to say. The sound is pretty good as for Denon and the price I got it at. Better cooling would be better tho as this product gets fairly hot due to the low end transformer that Denon used for this receiver. If you are planning to use for HT now a days, I wouldn't suggest it as it has no DTS. But if you are like me and just use it for stereo/2ch stuff, its great for it.

Strengths:
Great sound for stereo music. 3 digital input, bi-wireable.

Weaknesses:
No DTS, transformer becomes pretty warm infact hot after 2-3 hours of playing. Low end transformer used. Much hotter then my AVR-3300. Weaker transformer as for lower end Denon. Panal LCD lights should be a litter brighter or can be adjust. No S-Video.

Similar Products Used:
Denon AVR-3300, JVC RX-770, Philips 900 series

Summary:
The AVR-85 doesn't come with tons of bells and whistles, in fact it is very simple to use. I went through the entire manual in about 20 minutes. It has all the basics, everything you need for good sound. You can control the sound level for all five speakers and the sub, which is good if the sensitivities don't match up. You can control the surround effects, and set the distance of the speakers from the listening area for optimal performance. The reciver has very few buttons, which also adds to the ease of use. The volume knob is large and controls the volume digitally depending on the speed you spin the knob (can throw you off sometimes), and the bass and treble controls are underneath (some other units don't have them).
The tuner has a nice feature that blocks out static, so you either get a station or you don't (the tuner was the first think I used and I thought the receiver was broker until I found a station it would pick). I guess the sensitivity of the tuner could be better, but you could always run to an exterior antenna with the included attachment. I thought 40 presets was a bit much when I could only pick 15 stations.
Now to the digital part of the receiver. First of all digital is better. I hooked my Sony Cd player to both the analog and the digital coax, and the digital connection was a hundred times clearer and more vibrant. Luckily, the Denon has two coax connections so I could leave my CD player and my DVD hooked up. There is also one optical jack.
DVD is awesome when it is in 5.1 surround. I watched Terminator 2 and it rocked! The Denon did a great job of separating the channels, and no matter how loud I got it never distorted, although the Denon is a little underpowered for big room. I would suggest using the preouts, if you are looking for concert sized sound.
It automatically detects if the signal is 5.1 or Surround, and lights up the appropriate icon on the display. Regular surround, while not amazing is also impressive. While it doesn't do DTS, it has 5.1 inputs, so you can upgrade it if you want.
The sound is excellent. I have a pair of Klpisch KSB 3.1's in the front and Pioneer HPM-100's in the back. The Klipsch's match extremely well with this receiver, producing sound the manages to blast the highs and hit the bass hard, and the sound is very easy on the ears. I don't have a sub yet, but a little bit of bass can go a long way with just my fronts.
The only complaint I have is the rather stupid remote. I has tons of useless buttons, a door for common functions, and no back light (the glowing thing isn't too great). It is however very easy to program to control your TV, VCR, etc.
Overall, you get some great sound, enough power, and every feature that you really need, for a price at YourInsider.com that can't be beat. Plus, no one can match Denon's 5 channel stereo.

Strengths:
: Sound, preouts, 5.1 inputs, 5 channel surround.....list continues forever

Weaknesses:
remote lacks any intuition

Price Paid:  $250.00

Summary:
This receiver is absolutely great. For the price I paid for this receiver I think, this is the best receiver. It is awesome. No matters you are listenning to the music or watching movies, this receiver will take you to the another world of sound. Even though it is no DTS for this receiver, it still has the magnificent sound. I could spend more than a day just by telling how great this receiver is, but I think, it might be better if you can get one and try it for yourself. Then, you will understand what I and others who has had this receiver are talking about. Denon is always number 1 in my heart. Onkyo is the second.

Strengths:
Needless to say

Weaknesses:
Have no SVHS input, and no DTS

Summary:
I see lots of people have ordered this unit from online sources for more than $300. I picked one up through redtagoutlet.com for $299 + tax, no shipping. total cost was $311 delivered to my door. Although it is a factory refurb, it has zero signs of wear and tear. It looks brand new. I don't know their web address off-hand, but I would recommend searching for their site if you are interested in one of these receivers.

I will post a review on this unit later on. I am going to compare it to some other equip before I do. Not too pleased with the musicality so far, but I will compare to other equipment first.

To post this, I am only giving 4 stars. Until I compare, I can't say that it's "best in it's class". But then again, for $300, maybe it is! OK, 5...

Summary:
Denon - the name has always had a special place in my mind.

My very first piece of audio equipment was a small Denon bookshelf stereo that served me well throughout elementary and high school.

JBL is another special name for me, from my DJ'ing days in college. Recently I found a great deal on a pair of S-38's, and thus enter the home audio component market.

I was confident about this receiver from reading the prior reviews here. There is also a good Epinion.com review on this. I bought this receiver from buy.com for $350, incl. S/H. I ordered it at 3am on Mon and got it at 11am on Wed.

At $350 the AVR-85 is a dream come true. It is worth each and every extra dollar over the $250 Kenwood VR-406, which I first bought and returned. And the VR-406 was no piece of $h!t either. From reading other reviews, I think I got better stuff than the people who bought low end Harman Kardon receivers. I do notice slightly better transients in going from Kenwood's KAM-1 circuitry to Denon's discrete amp circuits.

The AVR-85's 85W/ch plays louder than the VR-406's 100W/ch, and with noticeably less distortion when compared in the respective top third of their volume ranges. It also seems to be able to reproduce lower bass.

I know that I have yet to hit the fullest potential of this receiver as it is only hooked up to my computer. I am sure when I buy a CD player with a coax dig. out it would sound even better.

Strengths:
Elegant front panel design, with treble and bass knobs.
Clean sound, no matter at what volume.

Weaknesses:
Runs quite hot.
Remote looks like it was designed in the mid 80's.

Similar Products Used:
Kenwood VR-406