I have had this receiver 2 weeks now, and I absolutely love it. I got it to replace a Yamaha RXV795, which I lived with for 4 mos., but was not entirely happy with. I knew when I took the AVR 3300 out of the box that this was a keeper (and it is HEAVY). The Denon sounds smoother and richer on music, and 5-channel stereo mode sounds awesome with the Infinity Overture 1's I am using as front, center and rear surrounds. Also, the Denon has superior DAC's to Yamaha's, which was important to me since I am running a Pioneer 300 CD changer as a transport through the Toslink input.
The Yamaha was not a bad receiver, but a bit too bright in the treble, and the remote was a pain. The Denon remote is not THAT much better, but I do prefer it. My only gripe about the AVR 3300 is that setup is not intuitive; the Yamaha was much better in that respect. This is my first Denon product, but it definitely won't be my last.

I purchased the AVR-3300 after doing extensive research and listening. I have always been a Yamaha and Nakamichi fan and felt like a traitor buying the Denon product. I must say that I am glad I overcame my sense of loyalty. When I first got the amplifier home it took a little getting used to. After years of listening to my Yamaha with it's oh-so-bright highs, the warmer sound of the Denon caught me off guard. After about 45 minutes of listening to some of my most familiar CD's I noticed that there were moments within the music that I'd never heard before and sounds, which had previously been barely noticeable effects, came forward and took on a life of their own. I really enjoy the 5-channel stereo (a major selling feature for me). The base is very distinct and my Klipsch Chorus II's sound new again. The surround sound doesn't disappoint but doesn't really dazzle me either. Much of this may be improved with new rear speakers or better placement. The remote is mediocre and they should improve their manual but the most important thing is quality sound which the AVR-3300 has. Overall I feel that the Denon is almost perfectly matched to my Klipsch speakers. It reigns them in a bit and produces a very balanced and natural sound.

Powerful Dolby Digital sound. Excellent 5 channel stereo sound.

remote, tuner

I bought the 3300 back in September 1999 and after using it now for the past 7 months I can truely say this is a wonderful receiver for the money. When I put on a dvd with my Toshiba 2109 (excellent also) the 3300 thunders! Anyone who has been to my home concurs, the sound is awesome.
Another selling point is the 5 channel stereo sound. I now never listen to cds in any other way.
The receiver does run hot when pushed but most receivers do that (leave plenty of air circulation).
I have had no problems with noisy fans.
If your ready to jump up to Dolby Digital for your home theatre then please consider the DENON 3300.

Outstanding Clarity and Reproduction

None

I listened to it and knew it was great. I played it through Mirage speakers and it was awsome for the money.

Excellent DD and DTS processing, 5 channel stereo, good pro-logic, excellent on most types of music.

Remote (slider switches are a pain), manual (poorly laid out and a horrid trouble shooting section), no digital out, lacks bass at lower levels, over-rated power supply. Won't run PSB Stratus Silvers efficiently!

It's been 6 months since I purchased this unit and I only have one real complaint to make regarding the over-rated power supply on this thing. It runs beautifully and I still can't get over how much better it is on two channel than my old Yamaha (with the exception of not producing as much bass...which is cured by a sub) BUT, I bought the Denon because I thought it had a better amp section than the Yamaha and I was looking to get PSB Stratus Silver speakers for my system (4 ohm) and I needed extra amping ability. Well, when I found out that the 105 watts x 5 really equated into 83 watts x 5 (the Stratus requires a minimum of 90 watts continuous) I lost alot of my enthusiasm for this receiver. The main reason I purchased it was to drive those speakers and now I find out that it cannot. The Yamaha RX-V995, at a true 100 x 5 can drive them but I don't like the sound of it (and I love the 5 channel stereo on the Denon) so, I'm stuck with buying an extra amp to make-up for the Denon's overstated power supply (by the way, Marantz also inflates their power specs by a similar margin).

Despite this one major gripe, I must say that I'm very happy with this receiver with my current speakers (PSB 800's) and I don't think anything else in its class could beat it for the level of quality you get in both HT and 2 channel. It's smooth and detailed without being 'bright' and that was something I was really looking for in a receiver. DVDs are simply a joy to watch and the digital domain has left the pro-logic section on this unit barely used. I'd recommend this receiver to anyone not running a 4 ohm load but, if I were Denon, I'd clear-up those power spec issues before someone like me gets screwed again! I had always assumed that over-rating power was the domain of low-fi Sony, JVC or Technics...I didn't think it was practiced by a company like Denon!

It got 5 stars the first time...this time it will not.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha RX-V995; RX-V592

VERY Clean sounding amps, Ins and Outs up the wazoo, Future proof. very nice 5-chan stereo mode

no digital rec. outs.

This is my second home theatre receiver (the first being the SA-GX410 listed above) and boy-howdy, what a reciever this is. Unlike most users, I've had no problem with the remote, that is once I got used to it. My old Technics was rated at 120 watts per channel, but this Denon seems to go much louder, and much more cleanly, as well.

Similar Products Used:

only thing even remotly close that I've owned is the Technics SA-GX410

Power Supply, DD, DTS, 5ch Stereo, Clean sound

Remote (but what can you expect)

I have had the 3300 for about a month and use it everyday. It has preformed flawless for me. I bought mine for $635 w/ shipping. I have to walk up to the receiver and put my ear next to it to hear if the fan has turned on or not. I use the A/B speakers everyday for multiple rooms. The five channel stereo is cool. I never use the other DSP's. Others have mentioned that you cant change radio stations from the receiver itself. Yes you can! Well worth the money.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Pioneer

Decent sound and features at a reasonable price.

Too many to list, see below.

I am not trying to put down the 3300 here after all I am using it as pre/pro in my main system but I don’t think this one is that good in overall design and performance. After reading some of the reviews here I think some counter points may be helpful.

First the good part;

The sound in straight bypass mode (2ch or 5.1) is quite good. The resolution and details are much refined than the Sony 50ES it replaces. The noise floor is pretty low. Although others has complained about the fan noise, I am not heard it but that is probably I am not using the amp section. The 5ch stereo mode although distort the sound somewhat, many may prefer it to pure 2ch.

The components videos I/O are rare in this price range. The 96/24 DAC was a factor to buy this model although the 50ES can take the 96Hz input too (Sony did not say it, but I have tried).

The OSD makes setup a bit easier than the Sony. Being able to adjust compensates the volume level on each channel rather than using balance control is also a plus.

Now the bad part:

The amp section although pretty good it is by no means high current. It cannot drive low ohm or difficult load speakers. Its current capacity is no better than the Sony 50ES. While it is ok to play normal sound track at reasonable levels, it promptly shunt down itself when playing more difficult DTS sound track such as the Telarc’s Twister sound track and DTS version of the Haunting (awful movie but great test sound track). If you are using small monitor speakers with SW or you want to use it as pre/pro like me, this may not be an issue to you. But if you have more demanding speakers, you want to think about it first.

It has fewer DSP mode and the DSP modes are much worst than the Sony. Normally this is not such a big deal to many but some of the Sony DSP mode does enhanced the movies a bit. A more serious problem is the DSP (also the 5ch stereo mode) mode only works for analog or PCM input. It DOES NOT work for DD or DTS!! To make the matter worse, the “mono movie” is one of the DSP modes. Why should this be important? Try to watch a mono movie like the Terminator. In my case, I need to switch the Pioneer 525 DVD output to PCM in order to get things work. What a hassle!

The dynamic compression mode did not have as much effect compares to the Sony 50ES. If you watch a lot of movie in late night, check it out.

The AM/FM tuner although easier to program than the Sony, it’s sensitive is much poorer.

Instead of motorized volume control like the Sony, this one use all electronics control. It has a certain latency compares to the Sony. As result, I keep turn the volume either too high or too low. It has a numeric volume indicator but you cannot really see that well from a distance. I much prefer the Sony red LED dot on the volume knob. You can see the red light from very far and know the setting. The 3300 also display “mute” on screen. I find it bother some. There are times (like answering unimportant phone calls) I want to mute the sound but keep watching the TV without a big “mute” displayed in the middle of the screen. The Sony use a yellow light on the receiver is a much better way.

The remote is not that great either. Although nothing can the worst than the Sony 50ES’s remote, this one has its problem too. That small cover for the so call less used button is nonsense. Not only you need to use those buttons to do the dynamic compression, it is not a one-button affair either.

One may wonder if I feel so negative about it why I am keeping it. Well, if I knew about these issues before hand, I probably would not have brought it. And, I have said before, in terms of absolute sound, it is better than the Sony and music is more important to me than HT. If your priority is reverse, take a look at the Sony. If nothing else the Sony ES line has 5 years warranty vs Denon’s very dealer friendly but user unfriendly warranty.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 50ES.

Great sound and styling for the money...

User's manual...

Let's start the bad... The user's manual is quite unclear when it comes to the hookups... It's not that it's incorrect but the presentation of the information...

On the other hand, I didn't have a problem w/ the overheating nor the fan noise... In fact, I haven't even noticed the fan at all... I guess, I left enuff room above the receiver's vents for heat disipation... By paying $701 bucks including the shipping, I'm totally satisfied w/ the DENON AVR3300... I love the 5 channel stereo mode and the digital decoding is pretty superb... Compared to other receivers, I think this one has the most BANG for the buck... Read some of the professional reviews and take a test drive for yourself at the local home theater store b4 you buy online...

As for the remote, some of the people are using an unfair comparison (Marantz RC2000,I think that's the model number)... That's kinda unfair considering the marantz remote is 200 bucks by itself w/o any receiver to accompany it... Unless, you're a super anal retentive remote connoisseur, the remote will just do fine... Just maybe you have to get once in a while to touch a key on your audio/video component but the exercise won't hurt you...

Bottom line: BUY the AVR3300 and you'll most likely be pleased...

Similar Products Used:

Other DENON receivers, and H.K.'s

None

Doesn't work.

Well I took the chance and bid on the refurbished unit from UBid. Thought I had done enough research and was looking forward to hooking this monster up. It arrives and I unhook my old unit but have no time to get the Denon wired. When I do finally get to it, The damn thing isn't working. Nice little lights but nothing for sound. I play around with it for awhile and finally get a faint sound from the speakers which isn't effected by the volume knob. I called Denon, they have me call the local repair guy. He wants nothing to do with refurbished stuff.

The back of the unit seems very flimsy when pushing in the connections. The remote is huge and has this little flap on it to cover up a few buttons... what for? Okay, A couple of positive thoughts. It has plenty of inputs and the front has a clean appearance. Since I can't hear it, all I can do is comment on the cosmetics.

Now I am in the proces of trying to get UBid to take it back. I have had very good luck with them in the past as long as the order was correct (had some trouble with a set of Infinity speakers... they only sent one and it was the wrong finish).

Any suggestions on dealing with UBid or which A/V unit I SHOULD have gotten would be appreciated.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood VR309