Dead quite pre-amp, 5ch stereo

Only one coax input, no front a/b speaker selection

I've had this unit almost a year. In fact, I was told I got the first one in the shop last summer. It has performed flawlessly since the day I hooked it up. I've never had any of the fan noise or heat other users have reported. The sound is clean, soild and neutral with absolutely no pre-amp noise at all.

On the down side, the DSPs are not very good and I never use them. I listen to music in the 5ch stereo mode or, occasionally, in 2ch stereo. The dd and dts decoding is excellent and I can't think of any real complaints. The pre-amp section is better than the amplifier section and this unit would work well either as a pre-amp for a better 5ch amp or using an outboard 2ch amp for the front speakers and the interal amps for center and rear channels.

Outside of some better amplification and few extra features, I don't think the higher priced Denons sound any better than this. At $750 - $800 street price this has to be one of the best values going in the mid to high end receiver market.

Just about everything

No front A/V input, not the best binding posts

I've only had this receiver for a couple of weeks now and absolutely love it so far. I have not heard any fan noise or had any overheating problems. This unit was factory refurbished when I bought it and was in absolute mint condition. Whatever the original problem may have been, (maybe fan) was taken care of. This is the first receiver I have bought since the mid-80's as I was using a Yamaha A-1000 int. amp and an Onkyo ES-600 surround processor. What a difference in sound quality and convenience! My only complaint/improvement would be the binding posts. These are the typical cheap feeling screw on posts that grace many a component these days unfortunately. The plastic "guards" at the bottom make it impossible to use spade lugs. Hopefully Denon can improve these in future units. Great sound, looks like excellent build quality...so far I can't complain.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Onkyo

After 4 months of tolerating the turn-on squeal noise from the fan, I took the receiver in to get it fixed. They didn't even figure out how to reproduce the noise (all they had to do was get the fan going... and listen), twice. A call to the right person, and I had a new replacement the next day. No more fan squeal (I still think the fan is a bit on the noisy side, but sitting here by my real noisy computer, I'll manage; it'll probably end up in a cabinet at some point). A little more testing to make sure it's all up to snuff, and the rating sticks.

Literally a couple of days after my repair/exchange experience, this appears on usenet (any of you thinking about getting it fixed, or getting the runaround from clueless service people, this should be what they need to know):

DENON AVR-3300 Fan turn-on squeal

DENON AVR-3300 modification bulletin Tip: AVR04

Fan turn-on circuit modification.

Repair kit # SPK3300 consisting of:

ZD901 Zener diode changed from 12 volt to 9.1
Install 82 ohm 1 watt dropping resistor in B+ line to turn-on ckt.
Add .01uF cap across fan motor.

If your AVR-3300 is having this problem (rare) bring it to the Warranty
Station to install the kit.

great sound, well built, limitless switching and flexibility

the remote, but use the money you save yourself to buy a pronto

for 1000 dollars, this monster is a bargain. Near limitless flexibility, AMAZING SOUND!!!! Anything close to this beast in terms of power price anything. Save yourself time and money and buy the 3300

had a rotel rb 981 amp at 130 wpc this slab of metal demolishes it and at 600dollars per 2 channel amp, its cheaper to buy!!!!

Im using:

Sonusfaber concerto fronts
sonus faber solo center
sonus faber concertino rears


the most liquid presentation ive had in myhome


if you cant tell yet


BUY THIS RECIEVER and save what money you have for new DVD's and CD's

Similar Products Used:

kenwood vr2090
marantz sr19

Smoothness...power...clarity...

Pricey...remote...user manual

I bought the denon after listening to Sony and Yamaha. I was impressed with the translucent sound and the power. I have had no problems with it and recommend it highly.

Awesome Dolby Digital and DTS sound when playing DVD movies. Tons of inputs with 3 optical inputs as well.
Add 1 or 2 pairs of surround speakers. Too many configurations to list.

Unit has trouble overheating when turning up the volume quickly or too high. It then shuts off automatically.

The benefits of the awesome sound of this receiver heavily outweigh the little work needed to fix the overheating problem. I took the suggestion of an earlier article and added a cooling fan myself.

I went to Radioshack and got a 3"x3" DC fan. I then spliced it into an adjustable DC power supply. Total cost was about $26. I then mounted the fan on the back of the receiver with a little silicon and pointed it blowing outwardly so that it sucks hot air out of the amp. I cannot even hear the fan because I only need to run it at 4.5 volts. There's no need to crank it up to 12 volts and cause too much noise. Just plug the fan into the back of the receiver and it turns on and off with the power of the receiver.

I can now play DVD movies loudly or leave it on for extended periods of time and have no problems whatsoever.

If you're willing to do some work assembling a fan, you might be able to get a great deal. Otherwise, think twice and heed the overheating warnings.

Awesome Sound, available inputs and outputs, 7 channel speaker output, 5 channel stereo

Remote, and it sure puts off a lot of heat but I can deal with that

I have recently put together my home theatre system and I wanted the best. I went to a few stores and everyone I talked to just raved about this receiver. At a local dealer I was finally able to hear it in action. They set up the receiver with some bose speakers and put in a DVD. Within 10 minutes I was walking out the door with it. I was so amazed at the sound that was put out of it and the power. The 5 channel stereo is one of the greatest extra features about this reveiver because you can listen to all your other input components this way instead of just out of the two main front speakers.

I have the Bose acustimass 15 speakers hooked up to this receiver. Now I know there are a lot of Bose haters out there, but in my opinion you have to know how to set these speakers up just right. And some say the sub is not sufficient...Well with the tone option on this receiver I was able to adjust the bass output a bit more, I think to +8db and it makes a difference.

I also bought the Sony C650D DVD player 5 disc changer. Once I got the optical connection hooked up and the surround settings on the receiver set I was absolutely blown away by the theatre experience I now have in my home.

I thought this system sounded good in the store, but it sounds even better at home. And the sheer power of this receiver is unbelievable. I don't even have to turn the volume up very high to get the sounds I want.

I read the other reviews on this page before I shopped around, and I was a little skeptical of the people who said it was a great value for $999, but now I believe every one of them. It does seem like a steep price at first, but it is worth every penny.

Similar Products Used:

none

Awsome sound from DVD's, 5 channel stereo

None that concern me

I bought this receiver from a local store. After I had placed my order, the store announced that they were having financial problems. My sales person assured me that my receiver would arrive shortly. Shortly turned out to be more that two months. It was worth the wait. I have never had such an experience with sound from a home system. I bought a sound meter and set the receiver up per the instructions in the manual. I have to admit that the manual takes some study time to get the most from it. But I believe that the manual would need to be twice as thick to completely cover the features on this receiver.

I have Bose accustamas 10 and a 50 watt sub, and I am pleased with the results.

My previous receiver was a 120 watt Kenwood pro logic. I was happy with it because I could crank up the volume on movies and experience (what I thought was) all of a sound track. The Denon produces more sounds from a movie at half the volume.

I have not experienced any of the negative quirks mentioned in this forum. Everyone who has listened to my system is impressed. I am totally happy with this receiver.

I believe that this is an excellent product for anyone wanting more than a bargain store 100 watt per channel reciever.

Similar Products Used:

I compared this with Marrantz, Sony and Onkyo in the same price range

Solid features, future proof, sounds great, one of the best overall receivers out there...BUT;

LISTEN UP!!!! If the fan hasn't gotten to you yet just give it time and it will. The remote is cumbersome; somehow it doesn't match what is overall a very advanced receiver. Runs hot enough to cook your dinner. Lack of A/B switching and no digital outputs. Never did read a manual liked this one included. (manuals? we don't need no stinking manuals…until you need to program the remote and at that point you're on your own).

I am very disappointed with the AVR3300 (2nd unit now) as I really like the sound and features of this unit (other than the remote) and I did spend a lot of time researching but the AVR3300 was pretty new at the time so no fan issues to be found here until I bought it. I am not going to go on and on about this but some things need to be said.

First, I spent $1,400 CAD on this unit and for that much money I am not about to live with it. (maybe if I don't use it as much the freaking fan won't start whining....I DON'T THINK SO) Also there does not appear to be a fix for this from Dennon and this problem did not just start last month.

Second, the dealer in Calgary, A&B Sound in Sunridge, is stellar. When I first complained about the noise a month and a half after using the unit they said bring it in and we'll replace it no fuss no muss. My hat is off to Scott MacGillivary and the management. They seem to understand that when your buying equipment of this caliber you’re likely to come back if your treated right.

Prologue, jeez another pitch for A&B, after using the unit for over 4 months now they are taking it back and yes folks I am going to spend a few more bucks and check out the Marantz SR8000. No restocking charge and the best deal on the new unit. EVERYONE who is looking for this level of receiver should look at the SR8000 reviews. The equipment comparisons are of pretty well high-end units including the Dennons, Yamahas etc. Most of these guys were shopping at the right audio stores and it wasn't the S--- store.

I'll post a review of the Marantz in a couple of months.
BTW I did go on just a little but hey i don't buy this stuff every year and don't plan to.

I am neutral on the rating as I think Dennon has a great product here they just need to fix it before they sell it.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Rotel, Sansui

Great reproduction, flexible configuration, 5-channel stereo mode

Lousy remote (so use a Uni), quality control.

I researched long-and-hard before buying a Denon AVR-3300. I performed side-by-sides with JVCs, Sonys, Yamahas, and the nearest competitor, the Onkyo 777. The sound of the Denon, plus the quantity of inputs, blew them all away. So I bought this unit 4.5 months ago.

The sound is incredible. Properly set up, it's amazing. The speakers are Def.Techs, with bipolar rears and a 100-series sub. The match is amazing. Additionally, the wife has fallen in love with the 5-channel stereo mode, especially for stadium-sound bands like Meatloaf, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and Savatage.

There are a few problems: One, the first unit sounded muffled for one day and then died completely. Fortunately, I bought from a reputable local dealer. Do NOT buy this unit mail-order. The second unit has been flawless for the 145 or so days I've had it.

Second, the remote control is amazingly complex and counter-intuitive, AND can't be programmed into older universal remotes due to the frequencies it uses. However, the OFA URC-9800 can handle it and talks through walls; that's my primary remote for this system, and would have been even if the included remote were better.

Third, the binding posts for the speaker wires are plastic and rather tightly spaced. I had to switch to banana plugs (which are about $5 per end at most stores!) to make them usable. While the resulting $25 addition isn't much compared to the $900 or so of the AVR-3300, it IS annoying, especially since I had to run out to get them.

Fourth, the set-up of channel delays is annoying in that the unit REQUIRES certain types of spacing between the listener and the front vs. rear channels. Unfortunately, this is not always practical; it certainly isn't in our living room. Changing one limit-constant in their source code would solve this annoyance.

Lastly, I have never heard the much-feared fan (and I would if it made any noise.) This may because my system is on an open rack rather than in an enclosed cabinet, and therefore stays cooler, or it may be that they fixed those problems before my batch.

The bottom line is that this receiver has incredible sound and is flexible, with a few minor annoyances.