dolby pl 2, 5.1 channels, dts, a/b speaker switch, sound clarity

the remote. It''s confusing and it''s too small.

this is my 2nd receiver (had an old 1980s JVC before). I have to say that the sound generated from this receiver is very good. Distortions are low, and the sound is very clear. I haven''t fully tested this system to the max volume , but I have taken it 75% full. Unlike most other receivers that shuts off when you crank it up too high, this one doesn''t. Another feature I like is the A/B speakers, so that you can connect extra speakers to be played in another room. I would recommend this receiver to anyone who wants a good receiver without paying $1000s for one.

smooth laid back sound, PLII, decent power for my small listening room. Interesting price/performance ratio. Direct source selection.

The remote is usefull (I lost my dvd remote) but not ergonomic in the least! The binding post are too close for my taste (I got big fingers and don''t believe in banana plugs). Doesn''t have component video inputs (I don''t need them, but...)

Great product! Sure, the onkyo 595 had a little more punch, but it''s almost twice as expensive. It''s probably one of the best buy with the most feature, dollar for dollar. I also tried the kenwood 509, but musically it wasn''t there. In the end, it was between the 1602 and the Tehnics sa-dx 950, wich you can find up here in Canada for less than 350$. But for me, it was the PLII that got me to buy the Denon. The sound is very smooth, made me think of english audio equipment: it''s pretty laid back. But I like that. Don''t give me that in your face bass sound. And using a 96kHz/24-bit signal from my dvd, my cd collection sound a bit better than it use to: very smooth with less noise.

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old Sharp PL compact system, marantz stereo. Tried kenwood 507-510, Onkyo 494-595 and Technics sa-dx 750-950

Easy to use and excellent functionality - hasnt got any anoying quirks. Very good surround sound separation and decent stereo performance. Lots of good features for the price.

Sound quality lacks some impact in the bass meaning a sub is needed for movie sound. Crap remote - get a replacement.

Overall this is a very good reciever for the price. It has all the features required and I can easily live witout most of the features it lacks. The only reason the spend more is to get 6-7 speaker surround (maybe)or to get some better amplification, which is the main weakness of this unit. Compared to the more powerful old Yamaha reciever I used to have, the denon outperforms it in every department except for a lack of bass/mid impact. The bass is deep enough but lacks guts that is important for movies. For the price though, I doubt if you would do much better, especially if you have a sub.

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Yamaha RXV870, Technics

Lots of features - they all work. Dolby PL2 is excellent, ample clean power,sound quality, surround processing, price.

Maybe a touch hard sounding in stereo (but it is very clean)

I had spent many hours pouring over manuals, web pages and review sites before I actually bought this receiver.I had carefully studied all the specs for all budget Dolby Digital and DTS amps.I was looking for excellence in surround processing and good if not excellent stereo reproduction (for the money I think I''ve got it).Some particular points I wanted answers to were:1 How much better is Dolby Dgital than Pro Logic?2How do they compare to Dolby Pro Logic 2?3What was the real power of this and other budget receivers? Now I own it I can tell you.If Dolby PL is say rated at 100 then Dolby Digital is 500 and Dolby PL2 is 375.The seperation and directional qualities are excellent - you really can have the cinema sound at home!The power of the amp is genuine and remains clean at least until 0db (about 75% of max)and for almost everyone would be more than you or your neighbors could stand.All the features work well and make a perceivable difference.One point to note is a sub really does enhance both music and movie reproduction as I if I had to make a critsism of the sound I would say it was a little "steely" or hard but a powered sub will give you extra headroom and a fatter sound.From what I have seen and heard this amp will give you 95% of the sound and features available at any price - you need only ask yourself how much extra do you want to pay for those little extras.The competition for this amp were the Yamahas but the noise issue noted by reviewers scared me off.

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Sony str 315 Pro Logic, Yamaha RXV-420

Great clean, neutral sound, lot''s of power for only 70 watts. Plenty of features (DD, DTS, DPL II, 5 ch. stereo) and inputs for DVD Audio. It don''t find it true that the manual is bad. I thought it was very easy to read.

none, really. yeah, sometimes bass management is wierd, but this isn''t the 3802, this is the 1602. A good sub will offset this very well, and if you tweak it, it works much better. It did take me a while to set it up (about 1.5 hours), and , yes, the remote is confusing in the dark.

Being an audiophile on a very tight budget, this was the best choice for me. I paid only 550$ CAN for it, negotiated down from $770 at Audiotronic. I have a small room so 70 wpc is more than enough. i am VERY please with my purchase. it is loaded with features and is far cheaper than similar models by other companies.

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Onkyo, Pioneer, Marantz, Harman Kardon, Sony

DD and DTS is great. Dolby Pro LogicII are extremely fine.

Of course the remote and the 70W per channel is not surprising me. Weak bass management.

Finally, I bought it last 2 weeks ago. I''ve got dissapointed after first time hooked up the this unit to my existing HT set. Not as expected. Weak of bass, not enough power to shake my house furniture .Previously I use AIWA AV-D55 receiver (100W per output channel)and found that Denon cannot beat the Aiwa sound power (even with a minimal bass setting).Of course the Denon power output is only 70W per channel but some additional setting could make it boost up the power.I found DD and DTS is extremely fine sound. The surround is working prefectly. But seems like after 2 weeks playing around with some test and the system setting, I''ve found this unit is not quite bad at all. Some tips I''ve found in the website had driven me to fine tune the receiver setting and I''m satisfy with the quality even still not achieve my fullfillment.

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AIWA AV-D55

Generally it works well. But some DVD titles such as "Pearl Harbor" or "Jurassic Park 3" does not produce dolby digital sound. It doesn''t work. In case DTS, it is OK.

Pro Logic 2!!!, clean power, ample inputs/outputs, build quality

Spring clips for speakers B, display/labels hard to read from a distance

I had purchased this receiver primarily to use for HT but it would also be an anchor for my main audio/HT system. I had used Yamaha & JVC receivers in the past and wanted to step up. I was looking at a JVC 8010 which had alot of features for the money but I was skeptical of the stated 120 W/channel output as well as some of the other bugs/quality issues noted in prior reviews. The Denon has a true 70W/channel output of clean power/sound as well as Pro Logic 2 (hard to get in this price range). Sounds great in my present small listening space but will also function well in the larger listening space in my new house. Many features as well (which I''m still playing with) which further enhance the sound experience. DVD movies sound great with this receiver (coupled with my PS2, Paradigm Cinema (where are the reviews???)/PDR 10 sub/speaker set up) & music sounds great as well in 5 ch stereo mode w/ good highs (not too tinny or shrill) & lows (not too boomy). Got a good deal through local retailer (price included taxes), although not as good as US buyers may get (our crappy CDN dollar!). Remote is decent, I have not come across a perfect remote yet (they all have weaknesses)! Highly recommend this receiver as a step into the higher end audio market.

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Yamaha RX 108V, JVC 6010, JVC 8010

Price, clarity, virtual surround

none found yet

Clean sound and all the essentials makes this unit an excellent value. Sounds great with CD''s video games. Nice featur of "virtual surround" sounds great if you still only have 2 main speakers.

Good power, clarity and quality.

Lack of S-video inputs/outputs.

The AVR1602 is very good for the dollars. While 70w RMS may not seem like much this amp has heaps of grunt, even running a large set of fronts (12inch woofers)with bass set to full distortion seems an impossiblity (very impressive). Clarity is very good from this unit, and the memory function that remembers each seting for each input and etc setting for each sound mode is also very useful. For the dollars I would recommend this unit far above others (ie Pioneer which i have also heard/test). the only other consideration maybe an Onkyo DS494 which is 100 more anyways with less grunt.

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Onkyo/pioneer AV recievers