Great sound, Nice features, lots of input/output connections, component video switching

None yet.

I have been using the Denon 3300 for nearly three months and haven't had any problems with the fan or overheating. The receiver does run a little warmer but you can hardly hear the fan unless you put your ear close to it.

I use the Denon to power B&W CDM speakers. The sound is very clean and detailed. The 5 channel stereo is particularly great for room filling sound without any distortion. It has plenty of power that I have hardly used it beyond -16 setting.

The flap on the remote looks cheap and Denon can do better to rectify that. The macros are nice and very useful. I could pretty much get the remote to control all my other units within half an hour (the manual was useful in that regard).

I recommend this receiver to anyone interested in great sound, component video switching and other cool features.

Similar Products Used:

None

Great sound, Nice features, lots of input/output connections, component video switching

None yet.

I have been using the Denon 3300 for nearly three months and haven't had any problems with the fan or overheating. The receiver does run a little warmer but you can hardly hear the fan unless you put your ear close to it.

I use the Denon to power B&W CDM speakers. The sound is very clean and detailed. The 5 channel stereo is particularly great for room filling sound without any distortion. It has plenty of power that I have hardly used it beyond -16 setting.

The flap on the remote looks cheap and Denon can do better to rectify that. The macros are nice and very useful. I could pretty much get the remote to control all my other units within half an hour (the manual was useful in that regard).

I recommend this receiver to anyone interested in great sound, component video switching and other cool features.

Similar Products Used:

None

Sound quality ease of use plenty of flexibility

remote takes some getting used to,

I am posting my second review and want to continue my praises of the unit. I have never had an over heating problem in any mode. The fan has never come on. I would venture to guess that those people that are having overheating problems aren't allowing for enought breathing room for the unit. Denon recommends 4 inches above! Thats about 4 times as much as most people give their gear. The average audio/video rack or entertainment center gives about and inch and a half of space when filled, all the gear in and enclosed space will inturn heat each other up!! I would also like to know what kind of speakers people are using wiht these so called overheating problens and whether or not they are bi-wired which can greatly effect the operating temp. The Denon is high currant receiver if your AC electrical line that is running the unit has alot of other things on it ie. other outlets in the line, alot of other av gear especialy you tv the unit would be starved for power and will in turn over heat. Having said all this I have continued to have no problems I am running Sonus Faber speakers which in fact aren't very efficient 87bd so the unit is required to produce more power to get sufficient volume. AND NEVER A PROBLEM! I would encourage those having problems to check all these points. I have a friend that has one and runs B&W 802's and gets the fan to go on all the time and goes as far as to blow the circut in his house for drawing to much currant from the outlet and has yet to have it over heat. Great product I would recommend it 100%

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, HK, Onkyo, Pioneer Elite

Outstanding HT sound; Matrix DSP; power; clean looks

Gets hot unless properly ventilated; listing to CDs in Stereo mode is underwhelming; 1 digital coax

I have now had my AVR-3300 for about 4 months and it only got better over time. Initially, I suffered from the ubiquitous overheating problem (it sometimes shut-down after hours of play). Part of the problem is that my fan did not turn on. However, instead of dealing with returning it to my online non-authorized dealer, I took the advice of many of you (thanks :-) and solved the problem. I went to Radio Shack and purchased a 4"x4" fan and spliced it to a multi-volt 12V transformer. I glued (with silicon) the fan to the vents at the back of the receiver so that the fan blows outwards, and set the transformer at 6V so that it is completely inaudible. This has worked so well, that I stacked my carousel DVD player directly on top and the 3300 stays fairly cool.

If you are using the 3300 primarily for HT use, the sound is incredible (I have Boston Acoustics system 9000 5.1 speakers). This is true whether watching a DTS DVD or DD dTV cable movie. However, and probably in part to the small BA front satellites, the CD sound (optical digital) is a bit flat. I have found that using the Matrix DSP mode, which fills in a bit of sound in the center and rear satellites, makes a huge difference. I would not recommend the 5 stereo mode (which puts equal power to all 5 speakers) unless one has the same rear speakers as the fronts.

Overall, once I solved the overheating, I have been very happy with the 3300. The value is outstanding compared to everything in its class. Of course, had I discovered this website prior to my purchase, I likely would have antied up an extra $150 for the 3801 which seems to have better quality (built in Japan instead of Korea) and a few features for the future (e.g., DTS ES (6.1), DVD-audio, etc).

Similar Products Used:

Marantz 7000

Abundance of inputs, functionality, and ability to turn off the front display so it doesn’t distract from the movie.

If minimum space requirements are not adhered to the unit will overheat which causes the fan noise. The only connection for a Sub is a pre-out (RCA). I attempted to get a hold of Denon’s customer service in San Jose but the numbers listed on Denon’s website were all disconnected…once I received the correct phone number, the wait time was unacceptable. I hung up before reaching any customer service representative.

Imagine yourself in bed in the quiet early morning. You’re in between the dream world and reality; your body tells you that the alarm is going to go off soon, so you slowly crack an eyelid to realize that you have still have a hour to rest. To your relief you quickly dive back into your dreamscape. But just before you reach full slumber the high pitched whine of water flowing through the pipes to your neighbor’s shower shakes you back to reality. You lay there turning and hoping that it will stop, but the longer it continues the more annoyed you get……and such is the case with the infamous fan noise.

I should note that I didn’t experience the fan noise until a few months after I had the unit and that I didn’t even know what the noise was until I found Audioreview.com. Once the high pitched whine did occur I thought it was my lawn sprinklers coming on, however once I began investigating the noise I found that my receiver was the culprit. (I found it by unplugging each of my HT components one-by-one.) To remedy the problem I completed two steps; they were as follows:
1) I re-read the manual (which I did not find hard to read) and found the exact minimum space requirements for the AVR-3300. After measuring the space I was short by one inch on top; I bumped the shelf above my receiver up two notches.
2) I unplugged my Pioneer DV-606 DVD player from the back of my receiver and gave it its own dedicated outlet on a Monster Cable surge protector.

After that I have not experienced any more problems.

On a side note, I’ve read that many people are dissatisfied with the remote. In my case I ONLY use the remote to select between my inputs:
# 1 DVD
# 2 Dreamcast
# 4 Cable
# 7 Nintendo 64
My main remote is a cheap universal remote that came with my digital cable box that has a “ALL ON/OFF” button that I’ve programmed.

Overall the receiver has been an extremely solid unit that I have been very happy with; I would and will purchase other Denon products.

P.S. Since I did buy it at Good Guys with a 5-year warranty, I was told (by a contact that works there) that if the fan noise happens again, that it would be possible to have the unit replaced with the AVR 3801. Provided that they are out of stock of the AVR 3300’s.

Proscan 36" TV
Pioneer DV-606D
Denon AVR-3300
Energy e:XL-C2 Center
Energy e:XL-28P Fronts (Has two 8" powered Subs)
Energy e:XL-R Surround

Similar Products Used:

None

Great for stereo listening. Even better with movies.

Only one coaxial input. Remote not easy to use.

I've been enjoying my Yamaha AVR 2092 for years but since DTS DVD's came out I felt like I was missing something. I got the Denon AVR 3300 at 50% the MSRP so that was deal I couldn't resist.

The sound quality of this receiver is quite neutral so it bad recordings will really sound bad if played through this receiver. The Yamaha has lots of DSP modes which I rarely use however. Denon's 5 channel mode is great for music listening. I thought it was one of those gimmicky DSP modes most receivers have today but I actually enjoy listening to music in the 5 channel mode.

Setup is simple with the remote or you can even do it from the receiver's front panel.

Dolby digital reproduction is clean and powerful but you'll have more fun on the DTS mode. Though there are very few movies coming out on DTS it is still interesting to hear the difference between DD and DTS.

Now I just have to figure out how to use the extra front effects speakers I have from the Yamaha 2092.....

I would highly recommend this receiver for anyone looking for the best bang for the buck.

My system consist of

Sony DVP 7000 DVD player
Paradigm Mini-monitors for front
Polk RT 2000 dipole/bibole surrounds
M&K V-125 subwoofer
Paradigm CC350 center speaker
Pioneer laser disc player

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha AVR 2092

Pure, undistorted, dynamic power amps
Top notch DTS, Dolby Digital, and Pro Logic Decoding
5 Channel Stereo is excellent for all types of music listening
Future-proof with enough inputs/outputs to build a gigantic audio/video system
Completely solid build quality
The quietist receiver I have ever heard

none

You will not find a better receiver than the Denon 3300, for under $2,000. This is a follow-up review, now that I've had my Denon AVR 3300 for two months now. This receiver does everything right, with such accuracy, grace, warmth, and raw power, that it's as close to perfect as any receiver I have ever owned or heard.
First off, let me set to rest any reservations people may have about buying the 3300, because it is made in Korea. I have owned four different components in the past year from a very high end audio company (I won't slander them by repeating their name here.) All four of the components were returned because they were defective. All were made in Japan!!!! What matters is quality control, and the quality of the components used to assemble the equipment. Denon has very high quality control standards for all of their equipment, regardless of where it's made. Rest assured, I have cranked my 3300, and pushed it to it's limits for two full months (including running the Omaha Beach sequence on my DTS of of Saving Private Ryan at full volume, multiple times), and the Denon has performed flawlessly. So get over this made in Korea crap!!!
The 3300 does a wonderful job with all genres of music from Mozart to Metallica. The 5 channel stereo mode puts you right in the middle of the music. I was very skeptical about the 5 channel stereo at first, but now I use it about 85% of the time. DTS and Dolby Digital decoding is very accurate and realistic, even with the most complex, challenging soundtracks. A case in point is the aforementioned Saving Private Ryan DTS DVD. The Eagles Hell Freezes Over DTS, and James Taylor Live at the Bacon Theater DD DVD's, sound as live as it gets. The Denon really puts you right in the audience.
This Deonon is very quite; no matter how hard I listen for backround noise, I can't even find the slightest hint of hiss. This is truly the quitest receiver I have ever heard, and I have tried every brand conceivable in the past eight months. The 3300 also has a vast array of digital, analog, and video inputs/outputs, including s-video for all video inputs/outputs, and two component video inputs, and one component video output, all in a receiver under $1,000!!!
You can crank this baby up as high as she goes, and the amps will run as clean as Italian Alps mountain streams. I cannot get any distortion out of the 3300. This receiver will play loud, even if you have a larger listening room. I can honestly recommend the Denon AVR 3300 without hesitation. You will not find a better receiver, that does so much so well for under $2,000. Any questions, e-mail me @ foleyartist@nh.freei.net.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha DSP-A1
Yamaha RX-V 995
HK AVR 45
HK AVR 65
Onkyo TX-DS 575
Onkyo TX-DS 777
Sony and Pioner Elite

Power, component switching, seven-channel capability.

DSP modes (other than five-channel stereo) could use some work.

Phil's back with another lesson. If I read one more review that does not discuss the performance of the product, I will formally request that the poster be banned- period! Also, no one under sixteen can post. For someone to post a one star rating on such a brilliant product because they bought it from Uncle Ripoff's mail screwing center is ludicrous. This is the most future-resistant product on the market at it's price point- PERIOD. Also, if you purchased the unit in the Orient, where the product is produced at a generally lower level of quality, don't even bother. It skews the ratings. 105x5 REAL power, component video switching (this unit can pass over 2000 lines of video- that's right- HDTV passable!), the ability to run seven channels at once or either/or, I could go on, but there is no need. Over 100 reviews with an average rating of over 4.50.

Similar Products Used:

Denon AVR-3200.

Upgradeability

What is to be said that has not already been done so? I will just summarize my experience.

The power ratings are for real and the sound is sharp without distortion and hum. The remote is not as bad as everyone lets on. Once you spend the time to program it and remember where you put the functions, it may be the only remote you need. I only use it now and it controls TV,Digital Cable,CD,DVD,and VCR.

The 5 Channel Stereo is a nice feature for watching stereo television that is not Pro-logic and who cares about Jazz and Hall and other useless DSPs?

The best reason and the one that seperates it from other products and cheaper Denons is the 7.1 upgradeability. I am hoping this unit will last me through the next improvement in HT.

Finally, I am a big internet shopper, (not liking Circuit City and sales taxes.) I bought from Sounddistributors.com for $825 to my door. They shipped it beautifully and it arrived without a scratch.

Build quality and overall appearance, quiet amplifer. Price/performance. Lots of inputs. Dual surround speaker inputs. Auto input signal recognition is great.

Have to get use to the remote, clicking sounds from switching between surround modes. DSP modes not the greatest but I don't really use them.

For the record, my system consists of:
Polk Audio RT35i for front and rears
Polk Audio CS400i for center
Polk Audio PSW650 for subwoofer

Denon AVR3300 Receiver
Panasonic A320 DVD Player
Technics SL-PD8 CD Changer

Bass management capabilites are very noticable in the system. The price/performance is great. Overall system setup and control is very good. On screen display is not too difficult to follow and work with. All the usually set up controls are present such as speaker configuration, time delays, bass output. Unit appearance is very clean with not too many buttons.

Sound reproduction is clean and powerful. Can't notice any distortion or hissing from high volume output. Overall output is balanced. Bass output is controllable and noticable. Highs, mids, bass and LFE effects are crisp, clean, blend together, and not overpowering.

Overall system performance and value is phenomenal. Little quirks such as the remote and DSP modes. However the remote is decipherable and usable, DSP modes don't matter because I mainly use Dolby Digital, DTS, Pro logic and the occasional stereo and 5CH stereo.

I have placed my reviews for the other products on their respective web pages.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Pioneer, Marantz, Onkyo