Attractive price for the features, Good initial sound (see weaknesses)

Serious Design/Workmanship flaws

I was very anxious to bring home the Denon AVR-3300 A/V Receiver and use it with my Klipsch Reference speakers. It took a while to hook it up as the manual is somewhat confusing and I don't hook up a receiver every day. Once I had it hooked up I fired it up. It sounded fine. The Klipsch speakers are very responsive, and the 3300 was a good audio match. I tuned up the system and sat down with the wife and kids to enjoy the new toy. Halfway through the Top Gun DVD, the center channel started crackling. Uh oh. About two minutes later we heard a click and the whole system shut down. Luckily I had known about potential thermal issues with this unit, so I immediately suspected that the unit reached thermal overload. Correct. Once the unit cooled down, everything worked again. After reviewing the reviews on this site, I convinced myself that I had made a poor choice in selecting the Denon 3300.

I could have purchased the Denon cheaper through mail order, but the reviews I had read from this site convinced me to be careful and buy this from a repuatble local dealer. Thank goodness I followed my instincts. I took the unit back and received a full refund. The very nice associate asked me if I wanted a different new Denon, and I said no. The store had another open 3300 on display where customers could look at the innards. I was shocked when I noticed the very poor soldering job on many of the manually soldered joints. The PCB solder joints looked acceptable, but my kids could solder better than what I saw on the many connectors. Can you say "cold solder joint". Based on what I have read and what I have seen, I am very glad to get rid of that ticking time bomb.

The Sales associate felt bad that I did not have a good experience and offered to give a good price on the Pioneer Elite VSX27TX (with THX Ultra). I was very hesitant, so I told him I had to read the reviews posted on this site before I would just jump in and buy it (after listening to it at their store, of course). I researched the reviews, and I felt that the Pioneer would be a good match for my Klipsch Reference Speakers. I ended up buying the Pioneer for $75 more than the Denon.

I found the Pioneer to be much easier to set up. It is much more intuitive, and the remote control is designed much better. It also has A/B slections for additional speakers that the Denon did not have. This was much appreciated. When I powered up the Pioneer, I was amazed at the sound. The sound (to me) was very close to the Denon. I think that the Pioneer has a slightly mellower sound, which matches well with my horn speakers. I like it! We tried the family thing again, this time to a Mulan DVD with THX. Awesome. This unit meets my needs perfectly. It is a very long unit, though, and barely fits on my open shelf system. And the THX Ultra can only be a plus over the Denon 3300.

I am very curious to know where the Denon is designed and manufactured. Something is seriously wrong with their worksmanship and quality control. I would stay away from the Denon and look at the Marantz SR7000 and SR800, and of course the Pioneer VSX27TX. Even if the Denon works today, the failure rate over time is not likely to be impressive. I for one tend to keep my receivers for many years.

My ratings: 4 stars for value, as you do get a lot of functionalty for the price. Overall rating 1 star, as a unit isn't any good if it does not work, or if you are always wondering when it will go down in flames (almost literally).

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer VSX27TX

Sound and build quality

Cheap binding posts

This is my second review now that I've had more time with the unit. So far I am very pleased with it. It has not overheated and the fan noise is not a distraction. You have to put your ear up against the top of the unit to hear anything. I had very little trouble hooking it up and found the manual to be adequate especially if you are already familiar with setting up a home theater. The Dolby Pro-Logic sound is head over heals better than my old Yamaha/Onkyo set-up. Dolby Digital is superb and the DTS sound is even better. I bought this unit re-furbished in mint condition for $570 delivered and am extremely pleased. The remote is not the best mainly because of the slide switches, but once you figure it out, it's easy to use. My one complaint is with the cheap plastic binding posts. Banana plugs or bare wire...14 guage maximum or you are out of luck. Other manufacturers seem to use the same cheap posts though, so Denon is not alone here. All in all, I believe I made a great purchase.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha, Onkyo

Sound, clarity, CD music from all speakers

You will read this many times - POWER SHUTS OFF DUE TO HEAT BUILD-UP

Was so excited to watch my first DVD last night. Got a new Sony 36 inch Vega TV (great picture), new Sony DVD player and the Denon AVR 3300. About 1.5 hours into the DVD - the receiver shuts down. I had read about this from this web site and chose to ignore it. BIG MISTAKE - This is a very real problem with this receiver. Went to bed quite upset about what had just happened. Turned the unit on this morning and played a CD at modest volume. It took on 45 minutes before the thing shut down again. I've had the set less than 2 days and I will be returning it today. This may be a very high rated receiver but you should not have to worry about heat issues. I have NEVER experienced this with any other (non-digital) receiver I have owned. I will miss the 5.1 sound for my CD's. I don't know what I will buy, but it will be hard for me to even select another Denon model. There have been too many complaints about their production quality with this reciever.

Similar Products Used:

none - this is my first digital receiver. Replaced a Yamaha pro logic.

sounds very clean within it's limits

can hear it clip when pushed, only in center channel(movies)

I have not found any problem areas with my 3300
Mostly used for theater, wish it had a little
more power when in the DD mode
Sound great for music in all modes

Similar Products Used:

none lately

Sound, Inputs and Outputs, Component Switching, Excellent Manual,5 channel stereo

Reliability and Durability

I listen to this receiver at a friends house and was impressed by it's 5 channel stereo capability and how good it mated with my Energy speakers. So I purchased one, but shortly started hearing cracks, I took it back to good guys and they said sometimes there is a clunker out of the bunch but no need to worry and quickly replaced it. I brought a new one home to find out my subwoofer had trouble turning on when I powered up. I guess my friend got lucky cause he only had to purchase one unit. I was so frustrated that I returned it. If you get a good one your lucky, but I am quite disappointed. This is a great product but Denon needs to make sure everything is perfect in their production plants or build a new one. I feel this receiver deserves a 4 because of what it is capable of, but it should have been better on production.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz SR-7000, Nak AV10, Onkyo TXDS 777, Yamaha 995

DTS/DD Sound, 5 channel stereo mode, all the inputs/outputs, auto switching

none so far

Great sound! Whether listening to music or DVD's, the sound is awesome. 5 channel stereo mode has to be the best dsp I have ever heard. Does run a tad warm, but I have NEVER heard my fan, and I have this thing running all the time, especially since my wife figured out how to run it during the day when I'm at work :). Owners manual states several times you have to give it 4 inches of clearance on the top and the sides, and not to shut it in a cabinet without fresh air. Read and heed! I also don't have any problems with the remote, as it now controls my entire theater.

Highly recommended, this is the center of my home theater and my pride and joy!

Similar Products Used:

na

Great compatibility, multiple inputs, etc, etc.

The remote. I got lost trying to figure it out, spent too much time with it. Needs revising.

I really like this receiever. Basically I got a great deal on my cables and receiver from someone leaving The Good Guys and so he blew out product to me.

I've hooked the 3300 up to some Atlantic Technology 450 TXH surrounds and center channel. I'm adding PSB Stratus Goldi's and still debating on what sub to use. With what I've got right now, all coming to a head through a 65" Mitsubishi Diamond Vision HDTV is awesome! I'm also running a Marantz $300 dollar cheapy for speakers in the dining room and master bathroom. The Denon performance has been flawless. I did hear the fan once but it was sooooo quieet it made me wonder what all the fuss is about concerning it. Just thought I'd add my 2 cents to the whole review thing, I love this site!!!

Similar Products Used:

N/A

Sound for the dollar

remote

I have had the 3300 for about three months. Not a single problem so far, but I bought it from a local authorized dealer who gave me a double (4 yr) warranty for $875. Before I purchased I called Denon’s repair office in California. They told me that there are only four (4) internet sites for whom they will honor the warranty. I checked the four and found the prices very high and most of the goods marked as “refurbished”. That scared me enough to buy local and no complaints so far. No fan noise at all. It does run warm, but if you give clearance it will run for hours in a closed cabinet without issue.
The 3300 is an extremely impressive unit. However, it is by no means the greatest amplifier or pre-amp ever built. But lets face it, it cost less than one-tenth the price of upper echelon amplifiers alone. Add a pre-amp and the comparison is pretty pointless. Once you compare the 3300 to its price range it is a clear stand-out. Compared to a $3000 B&K, depends on the speakers. A critical listener with difficult speakers would find short commings with the Denon. What the 3300 lacks in remote it makes up in upgrade-ability (i.e. DVD-audio) and component out-puts, what it lacks in solid banana plugs in makes up for in clean power at outrageous volumes. I have mine connected to PSB 5T’s, 8C center, and Bose 301 surrounds. I have pushed it to the point of discomfort (+6 for my home), yet the receiver is still firmly in control. I would say that in my system, at very high volumes, higher frequencies do get bright, but that is very probably due to my less than perfect listening environment. In my opinion, one of the greatest compliment this receiver can get is the type of complaint people have . . with functioning units of course. Compared to Sony, Onkyo, Kenwood, Yamaha, and the rest, this $1000 unit beats all offerings within $500 for pure sound. If you want 4 million bells and whistles (literally and figurativly) go with another unit. If, like me, you want a glimpse of truly high quality audio, you have to at least hear it.
Music in direct mode is . . . simply accurate. Vocals are dead on, image is vivid and deep and the amp section reproduces blasting horns smoothly while a old Cuban man softly sings just off center stage (Buena Vista Social Club). I have heard things on CD’s I have had for years that I never knew were there. I will leave the rest of the detailed analysis to the stereo magazine reviews. 5 channel Stereo is surprisingly good. I find that anytime you are not doing real critical listening, 5 channel is more pleasing, as it creates a less direct source and therefore seems like music is everywhere go. It is great will doing other things but listening to your CD’s.
DD and DTS are also as good as I could imagine my system sounding. Without a sub, Saving Private Ryan still shakes the walls while perfectly tracking moving vocals and screaming bullets. If I add a sub, I may have to move. DD and DTS really show the raw power of this amp. With all five barrels pumping, this amp truly re-creates a theater. Friends who are not audio-interested are always surprised that such sound can be created in your living room. This is also the time you realize that while this unit is a bargain, most people don’t spend thousands on a stereo system. But if you do, you can get what you pay for. In short, the AVR-3300 gives you every dollar you invested back in listening enjoyment. Just be careful if you buy online! Enjoy.

5 stars in its price range, 4 against the whole market.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Kenwood, demoed Marantz and B&K.

loaded features

are features everything?

Fellow audio enthusiasts,
I need some help out here. I bought this receiver so that i could move up from pro logic to dolby digital and also get some more inputs. The prev nakamichi that i had was flawless except that it did not have any digital inputs. But the sound was simply superb. I use infinity SM-115 for my fronts and SM-185 as rear with infinity video 1 as the center. I never felt the need for a sub.
But when i replaced my receiver with denon, there is absolutely no bass from my fronts. Its almost that my woofer has gone to sleep. I can feel the sound coming only from the tweeter and the mid range. I have set the bass to max and switched the sub woofer to OFF. All speakers have been set to 'large' so that sound <70Hz comes to my mains. But still bass is non-existant.
If I don't come up with a solution for this, I shall sell this one and buy the Nak AV-10 or the HK avr-500. So is anyone interested in buying a very very slightly used avr-3300?
Or is it that the receiver doesn't 'match' my speakers? I like these monitor speakers. They were amazing with my nak but now..... :-(
The stars are for the features only.

Similar Products Used:

nakamichi

Sound Reproduction/Build Quality/ Very Quiet Amping

Remote(Operation)/Pain In The Butt Binding Posts

My reciever purchase wa a very tough decision. I narrowed my choices to the 3300/Onkyo 777/Integra dtr-7 or Sony 777es
. A friend is employed at a local electronics store and I could get the 3300/Onkyo 777 for 5% over cost(630./645. respectively). The Integra was $800. from noav.com but not when it came time for me to buy. The best price found for the 777es was around $1000./+ delivery. I couldn't justify the extra $$ so I narrowed my choices to the Denon/Onkyo. In the end the Denon won out for me. The Denon sounded better musically with MOST of my music. Peter Gabriel-"So"
rocked on the 3300. The Onkyo has a much better remote but that was a secondary consideration. DD/DTS is very detailed on the 3300 compared to my 835. In two channel stereo I was not as impressed as I thought I'd be with the diff. The 835 was very good musically in 2 channel auto decode format. The Denon is more detailed but the diff is not as drastic as in the HT mode. The surround dynamics are much better on the Denon.The rear speakers really come alive. The remote does work all my equipment but the slide switches are silly and hard to see at night. The binding posts are a pain but once connected your done anyway. For $660./total from an authorized store I couldn't go wrong. The sound quality will last for years. Very happy camper with this unit.

Similar Products Used:

Sony str-de825/835