value for money, all power channels for 7.1 onboard, sounds good in movie or music modes

None really thats why I bought It

I have had this receiver 5 months now and I must say that I had no problems in setting up the unit, once I had optimised the sound WOW... I previously have always bought Yamaha and never wanted to change but I am glad I did. The sound stage projected is big. It completely fills the room which I never had from the YAM`s. The bass is much tighter...even more controlled than the Yamaha`s...I have noticed more sound details on old DVD `s I had previously watch and that suprised me the most...the 5/7CH Stereo modes work great but the DTS NEO...ummm takes a lot from the centre channel and spreads more across the main speakers also it boosts the rear output a bit more. The unit does not run HOT either, which I have seen noted here.At the end of the day I chose the unit for its onboard 7.1 power handling(no offboard power amps-less boxes for the wife to see) and its ease of use but above all because it sounds great in Music and Movies role. It was perfect for "ME and my room". Get a demo and make your own mind up. Paid 630 pounds for the unit and you wont find a better unit for the price. See Mega test in this months Home Entertainment magazine or home cinema choice review...all state "5 star"recommended.

Similar Products Used:

YAM795,995,AX-2,A-2 Etc,

SOUND

NONE

GREAR RECEIVER.SOUND QUALITY IS VERY GOOD AND THE DISCRETE CHANNEL DOES HELP.IF YOU WANT NON LOCALIZED SOUNDFIELD BUY DIPOLES.

Similar Products Used:

GREAT RECEIVER.PETER DON'T BEND OVER THE DISCRETE CHANNEL WILL DRIVE YOU HOME.

Wow is dis weally neato

It not made in Detroit

I weally wuv dis ting. I been in LA foe's my's whole life and me's know' what's I's likes to listen two. WOW this is fantasstick. I edumecated in LA and like two listen too musik on my neato Denon. Butt my Aiwa goes to 11 on the volume buttton and the Denon goes to all kinds of nummbers.Ha ha. WOW. Like I so lost in my Kalifornication ego dat i don't even member what I just sed.

Similar Products Used:

Aiwa,Panasonic,JVC

Every thing

none so far

To John M
This site is for people who actually own the product (in this case 3801). People want to share their experience with others, who may be potential buyers of the product. Different people have different taste, just like you like the Onkyo better. Please don't use this site to insult other people. According to the Review Guidelines, if you don't own the product review here, please shut the F**ck up because you don't know what you are talking about.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo 787, Marantz 7000, Denon 4800, Pioneer Elite

Sound quality, features, etc.

minor

I had a hard time deciding between buying the Denon AVR-3801 or the Integra DTR 7.1. I was fortunate enough to be able to take them both home and audition them side by side over a period of time. After comparing both units, for the same price, I decided to go with the 3801 due to personal preferences.

My decision was primarily based on listening to music, secondarily watching movies. The 3801 produces a fuller sound while the Integra has a crisper sound. The Integra’s highs seemed to be less detailed, almost hollow and smeared. The highs on the Denon seem fuller and very detailed. The bass on the Integra seems a little tighter but not quite as deep as the Denon’s. Both receivers can be pushed to very loud levels and produce virtually identical results on the SPL meter when set to “reference” levels in 5 channel stereo modes. The five or seven channel stereo modes on the Denon sounded better than the Integra’s All Channel stereo mode. In two-channel stereo and direct modes, the Denon pulled away from the Integra by several db’s. The Denon did get warmer than the Integra after pushing the amps hard, but never hot.

The 3801 is not THX certified but neither is the rest of my equipment. The Integra does not have DTS-ES Discrete and has one less amp on board than the Denon (Integra = 6 vs. Denon = 7). For home theater, the Denon seemed to do surround effects (DD, DTS, etc.) better than the Integra, but the dialog was easier to hear on the Integra. The Integra also has more DSP modes, but I don’t use them much anyway.

I think the manuals for both receivers are comparably written and there is room for improvement in both.

Both receiver’s remotes have many features and require close reading to take full advantage of all of the available features. The remote for the Denon is preprogrammed for a vast number of different brands of equipment and it has learning capabilities for ones that are not preprogrammed. The Integra is pre-programmed to operate other Integra/Onkyo products only and also has learning capabilities.

Overall, I preferred the Denon’s OSD and remote layout over the Integra’s, basically because it seemed more intuitive for me to use after getting used to it.

FOR THE REVIEWER A FEW REVIEWS EARLIER: I am not an electrical whiz, but the Integra’s/Onkyo’s power max consumption is rated at 5.5 amps versus Denon’s 7. Based on my limited knowledge and the voltage of your source (110 to 120), the Denon would consume between 770 to 840 watts while the Integra would be 605 to 660 watts. From the reviews of the Integra’s/Onkyo’s, the reviewers agree with the manufacturer’s power ratings. The Denon is pushing 7 amps while the Integra pushes 6 and as the amount of channels driven decreases (from 7 or 6 down to 2), the amount of available power per channel increases. So, which has less available power per channel?

I compared both units with a variety of music and movies and preferred the Denon’s overall sound, features, and convenience slightly over the Integra’s. Both are excellent receivers and each have their strong and weak points. Sound is so subjective that the only way to find what you like is to listen for yourself. I am quite pleased with the 3801's overall performance.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 2800, Integra DTR 7.1

Features

Performance

I don't need to go into much detail on this site as there seems to be so much so called expertise posted here already.

The main point I would like to make is that for the money that was paid for this receiver it absolutely did not perform up to par with other products that are on the market right now that are in the same price range. Specifically, the Onkyo 787 and Marantz 8000 sound MUCH better in all phases than the 3801. I don't now if it is the fact that the 3801 has less current, lower quality capacitors, lower quality chip sets, tin solder, low quality wiring, a lower number of output stages, run-of-the mill circuit boards, or a combination of all. Taking the top off of the Onkyo and Marantz shows a substantially better engineering layout with better materials, more logical board placement, double sided epoxy circuit boards,higher current power supplies,better cooling, and wiring seems to be of a higher quality and gauge.

The Onkyo and Marantz simply sound better in my opinion. With the Onkyo you also get the surround EX and DTS-ES, plus onboard zone 2 capability.
On a second note. The Denon 3801 only passes a 20hz video signal using the component video outputs. You need the ability to pass approx 35hz to pass HDTV. If you are using or will be using this receiver to switch your video I suggest not using this particular product as these inputs will degrade your video quality. The only receivers that you can currently buy that will pass up to 50hz video are the Onkyo 989,787 (plus Onkyo's Integra line) and the Denon 5800.
Sorry Denon huggers, there's better products out there. Don't be so biased towards a particular manufacturer because you don't know what you are missing.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo,Yamaha,Marantz

value for the money, tonns of features, good remote compared to the competition, great sounding DS, DD, DTS

ugly, no front av inputs, power rating a mystery

There's is no question that this is a good product. Unfortunately, it is not for everyone. Two channel music, compared to a NAD, Arcam, Marantz etc. is a joke. It has a fancied up bright Japanese receiver sound. As for those people who made fun of John Henry below, the fact of the matter is that the company is hiding it's power ratings.
You all neglected to read that John correctly mentioned that "Hi Fi Choice" (not John) said that Denon receivers have a hard time driving hard load speakers. Check out January's issue of Hi Fi Choice. Most receivers that claim 100 watts times 5 channels and a little more for two channels actually usually give out over 100 watts per channel into two channels but 70-85 watts when driving 5 channels. The magazine uses professional equipment by professional testers, not hot headed amateur reviewers.
Don't get me wrong, I did own this receiver, as did John Henry (for the information of the guy who said that only people who own the product should write in) and can say that it sounds wonderful with Dolby Surround, DD, and DTS, but only average with two channel music. It lack bass weight and is a little bright and messy compared to the aforementioned products.
See, notice that I said that "I" think it sounds average with two channel music. It is only my opinion after listening to it with about four different brands of speakers. Others may love it...
Which brings me to my final point. This wonderful web site was created in order for everyone to give their opinions. Don't bash what others say. Correct people if you know what you're talking about. The guy who said that John Henry should have multiplied the 105 watt rating by 5 in order to get the wattage being drawn in from the wall needs a lesson in power ratings by a knowlegable Hi Fi store salesperson.
Also, don't post your ratings more than once. Not everything in this world is 5 star hunky dory. It seems indeed that everyone is trying to make themselves feel better by posting only positive reviews- because they want to feel that they made a good purchase.
I mean look how I just affected the average of this product by posting more than once. Oh gee darn... Get it now?

Similar Products Used:

Marantz SR-7000, NAD T761, Sony

too many to list

remote, ugly face

Hands down the best bang for the buck. I bought this unit for my bedroom along with polk rt15i's and a Paradigm pdr 12 and it works very well for my needs. Great power, unbelievable clarity, and tons of future use. I would recomend this A/V receiver for anyone wanting to spend under $1000.00.

Similar Products Used:

onkyo, yam, Mac, Carver

Clarity & detail of sound,, plenty of bass, construction, 7 channel stereo, DTS-ES splits signal between 2 rear speakers, Cinema EQ, could go on

Manual, remote, banana post are not as impressive as some on othe receivers, no gold plating

I don't want to write this with an ego investment. I want to give a fair assessment of a product I have owned since October. The reviewer who gave this product a 1 star rating may be right and his intentions may have been honorable,but what bothered me is that he made reference to the 2801 and comparisons based on the 2801 but I own the 3801 and this post is for the 3801.

I, having owned high current receivers, assumed this 3801 is high current rceiver because when I listen to Pro-Logic DD, dts or music it sounds better than the "high current" recievers that I ownwd before. The sound is wonderful.

There are, I'm sure reasons to love and to hate any reciever. Denon made a quality product here. Are they involved in a corporate wide conspiracy to defraud the public by publishing spurious ratings?

I don't know. What I do know is that I look forward to turning on that receiver and every time I turn it on it amazes me like no other receiver I have owned and I think it is a great value.

Those who read Mr.One Stars review-try to remember that people don't try to tear something down because they hate it, typically, people try to tear something down so that they can feel better about themselves.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, Yamaha, Pioneer

The cardboard box it came in.
The cardboard box it came in.

Alot

This receiver does not deliver 105 watts per channel with all channels driven. Try mid 80watts max.

Construction is a mass produced joke.

Why should I have to reassign my rear channels to use multi-source, then I can't use surround ex (what a big friggin joke!!)

The component video swithching can only pass 20hz video frequency which in turn makes this receiver unable to pass HDTV signals without degrading the signal.

The remote is a mess.

The bass is terrible.

The highs sound as screatchy as a train coming to a halt.

I hope you people who bought this are happy with this heap of cheap circuits and wiring.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha,Harman Kardon, Onkyo, Marantz