Best receiver for the money.

No analog REC out with digital in.

I upgraded from 3300 to 3801 to get DD-EX and DTS-ES to future proof as much as possible. There is no other receiver in this price range that has all the features of 3801 and seven ammps. Everything was great until I tried to copy a movie from DVD to video tape. Piture was fine but no audio. I read the fine print in the manual and in the corner there is a note "Digital signals are not output from the REC SOURCE or audio output jacks". This was not the case with 3300. I am really disappointed. I thought I was upgrading not downgrading my receiver. Other than that the remote is better but can be improved.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300

Denon
Denon

Denon

For the money, the Onkyo TX/DS787 smokes this reciever.
Stronger amp section (all channels driven power spec, not one channel as is the Denon). It's THX certified, which other than marketing, does assure a stricter engineering standard for processing and power. It can also be purchased for hundreds of dollars less.

I do home theaters for a living, trust me on this one, buy the Onkyo.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo, Yamaha

DTS ES discrete,6.1 matrix (surround ex without thx certification)

remote.thats all

The denon 3801 sounds just as good as the 5800 with a little less power and no thx certification.If you have more sensative speakers the power isnt missed.I am a home theater installer and this is simply the BEST receiver I have ever listened to!My system consists of the following:
denon 3801
a sony 53" rear projector
polk RT1000p mains
polk PSW1200 sub
polk CS400i center
polk fx500i (2 pairs)
sony dvp-s550d dvd player
sony sat A55 dss

The denon brings this system more to life than any other receiver I have ever used.If you want one of the best for less than $1000 this is the receiver for you!

Similar Products Used:

rotel 985,sony 777es,onkyo(many models),denon(many other models)pioneer(many models)

Advanced DTS-ES & Dolby Digital decoders, awesome power can drive 10 speakers rated 180watts/speaker, features are future proof

only 4 optical digital input, denon should make it at least 8 input

*********THIS IS ONLY MY OWN OPINION !!!********************
This is my first time to use a Denon AVR, at first I bought the Denon 2801, well, it's indeed a good receiver at all cost. After one week of listening to 2801, I think I need a little bit power to drive my powerful hometheater speakers so I changed to Denon AVR 3801, well, it's enermous power are awesome! this receiver can drive 10 speakers @ 180watts/channel. this overpower the Yamaha DSP-A1 in terms of performance and clarity. You can hear the sound in every detail. I am using B&W speakers as well as JBL S-series. In terms of sound performance, I think the Denon edged the Yamaha. Great home theater receiver! 100% made in Japan.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha DSP-A1, Yamaha DSP-A1092 and Denon AVR 2801

price, 6.1 , 7.1 discrete, matrix, neo , sound is cristal clear and most of all, price

can't use monitor during setup if using component video input

after a year of searching for an upgrade for my reciever, I finally decided to take this baby home. almost bought the dspa1 ($1500) 7 months ago but thank God for the internet and home theatre magazine, I read about the 6.1 is coming.

first I having second thought of taking it home (already ordered and paid) cause i don't have any basis for comparison. there not yet on display and the store don't have it on stock.
so what i did is auditioned all the reciever mentioned above
using the same speakers (604 s2) i got and this is my own opinion,

Yam rxv1, 3000
great sound and decoding, watch the Ter 2 ultimate and was incredible specially that early portion when the old john c was walking through the tunnel, men, I can hear the footsteps almost took this home
but rxv1 can't decode that 6.1 discrete good power but yam are well known to be a little bright on the mids and you might interprete this as very clear but compared to den, they are definetely bright and they do hiss

Yam 1000
moderate, needed additional amp to run the 6.1
hissing sound

sony v555 es
they do sound as yam 1000 but hiss is louder

pioneer elite 37tx
sound the same as v555es and yam 1000 except very quite no hissing sound when your not playing anything.
this is better tha yam1000 and v555es

den 3300
good on direct mode but a little dull on movies and music

den 4800
better than all of the above but needed additional amp for the 6.1 and don't have that 6.1 discrete

so well for the price, this is unbeatable and it has cinema EQ w/o the thx logo compared to the onkyo 787 w/c is thx certified
I only have to get an additional speakers (ds6 and another cc6 w/c is additional expense)
i experimented all the combination surround speakers and they are imppressive
it don't get hot just warm compared to the 3300
mine is made in japan w/c i hope would be a better quality

my setup
hitachi ultravision 60'
den avr 3801
dvd (still audditioning)
b&w 604 s2 front
b&w 603 s2 rear surround
b&w cc6 center
b&w ds6 side surround

Similar Products Used:

replacement for yam 2090+ddp 1. auditioned yam Rxv1, 3000, 1000, sony V555es, pioneer tx37, denon 4800, 3300, 2801

7 channel stereo, DTS ES, ease of use.

could have more digital inputs 3 tos and 1 coax.

Absolutely great unit to use. DTS ES is really fun to listen to. I simply cannot believe how much louder the unit is vs. my old 3300. While matching the channel volume with a db meter, I had to significantly set each channel level down further than the 3300. The speakers all are set in the range of -6db to -8db depending on the position. I am not sure if there was something wrong with the 3300, but I would recommend spending the extra cash to get the new 3801.

Similar Products Used:

avr 3300

Versatility, customizability, great DSP's, Denon support & info avail, switch rear surrounds sets, near THX EX + more

Manual difficult, remote nice after steep learning curve, partially lit remote, bright sound, 1 coax in

Your reviews were so helpful I will contribute as well. After much research, listening, and trying to stay under $1100 I narrowed the choices down to: Integra DTR 7.1, Denon 3801, and Pioneer Elite 36 TX. THX was not a requirement for me but other features and reasons placed me in the $800-1100 price range.

Sadly I couldn't ever find an Integra DTR 7.1. Product literature and the website was almost non-existent as well. I heard good things about the mysterious DTR 7.1.

Higher end Onkyos are pretty nice. I was looking as the 777 was being replaced by the 787. Only saw product data on the 787. 777 is reputed to have performance problems.

The Pioneer Elite 36TX is a very nice unit. Sounds great in stereo & surround modes, has THX Ultra Certification and EX, a lit remote, etc. I may post more comments there.

Now the Denon 3801...First I considered a 2801 and 3300. The 2801 seems like a fine unit but I wanted the features of the 3300 or 3801. Negative info here about the 3300 and my wanting features of the 3801 focused me on the 3801. The 3801 is a fine unit with certain strengths and weaknesses which if understood could help the purchaser make the right choice.

3801 strengths:
1. Versatility and customization is fantastic. Tons of formats supported. Almost THX EX with the right tweaking.
2. OSD presentation and adjustment is very wonderful.
3. Denon appears to put out clear, pretty accurate product info and have good support of owners with properly purchased products.
4. Denon reputation is generally good. Unit made in Japan.
5. Unit never ran 'hot' but I couldn't push it hard with volume and I ran 6-8 ohm speaker loads.
6. Dcomp has 3 settings available. Can set your own cinEQ.
7. DSP modes are pretty good. The widescreen mode is exceptional, can't say enough good about it.
8. The different settings and modes give you lots of good choices that do sound different.
9. Amplification of all needed future channels included.
10. Ability to switch between dipole and direct firing surrounds for great music or great movie performance.
11. Ability to customize/memorize each mode setting for your tastes w/o disturbing the master setting is great.
12. Ability to customize speaker set up - large, small, mix and match, etc.

3801 weaknesses:
1. Somewhat difficult setup and use. Manual could be better, newbies will struggle. Remote has a bigger learning curve but is wonderfully flexible after familiarization.
2. Remote is not lit well enough.
3. Only one coax digital input.
4. Can't get the bright sound out of CD mode. (Can only reEQ widescreen and dolby digital modes).
5. Unit appears to prefer 8 ohm speakers over 6 ohm. I would call Denon if I planned to use 4 ohm speakers.
6. Can only set crossover @ 80 Hz.
7. Those unfamiliar with it can easily mess up your customization when using it. I can think of one oops that will potentially cause ruin (run A&B surrounds at same time).
8. Visitors, less technically focused roommates/partners, etc may struggle with operating the remote because of the learning curve.
9. Sound is bright enough that matching the right speakers is important to avoid fatigue. Using cinEQ with Widescreen or dolby digital will help but CDs will remain bright.
10. Display writing is small to read from a distance thankfully the OSD is excellent.

Some of you were right - it sounded unbelievable dreadful on startup. In fact w/o your comments it would have gone right back in the box to the store. I let it warm up through the night and next day on golden oldies at low volume. The initial sound was agonizing and I worried it would hurt my new speakers. Later it sounded much better.

I really loved the 3801 flexibility and customization. I liked a lot about the unit but I had already bought some speakers I loved (Acoustic Energy Aegis One FR/FL/Ctr and Polk Audio 300i surrounds - they work seamless together). Unfortunately the Denon sound is very bright and my speakers didn't hide that. I could tweak the brightness out of Widescreen and dolby digital with cinEQ but not out of CD music. The sound hurt my ears and negatively impacted CD playback quality. Analog recordings sounded fine.

With great sadness I took the 3801 back to the store due to the mismatch between my speakers and the 3801. I already owned the speakers and they are wonderful speakers. I love music of almost all types but couldn't handle the fatigue I experienced.

This is a great receiver for the right person with the right speakers. Thank you to all who wrote before me for your great help!

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer Elite 35TX/36TX, Denon 2801 & 3300 & 4700, Yamaha (various), Integra 5.1, Onkyo 777 & DS989

Capable of all new formats, upgradable with dvd-audo, SACD without any frequency loss. Also upgradable to handle THX format(7/8 speakers). This is essentially an AVR4800 without the THX logo. Why pay extra for 3 letters ?
The ability to watch and record 2 different signals.

Only 1 digital coax input, extremely heavy on the left side forcing me to use the bottom of my rack ie. re-shelving all my equipment. As all have mentioned, you must go through the manual. Small volume readout on units display. Sigh, another remote!!!!! Uncertain as to how the unit will handle 4 ohm speakers (manual could be better written).
With the unit driving so many channels/speakers, its inevitable that it will heatup requiring good airflow around the unit, especially since it does not have a built in fan but only a heatsink.

Although I just got a few days ago, I am extremely pleased at the build quality of this unit. The downside as mentioned is the weight - forget about putting it on a shelf. I have the preamps out going to my LINN preamp to drive my front speakers and allow the 3801 to drive the rest of my surround speakers. All my audophile equipment gets sent to my LINN preamp and the HT stuff sent to the 3801 - but I have allowed signals to be interchangable between the two.

I like the phono stage on the 3801 aswell, perfect to drive my Music Hall MMF5 t/table while my LINN phono stage accepts signals from my LP12 t/table. From an audiophile point of view I have not been able to comment as I am waiting to 'run' it in. But I noticed a direct switch allowing an audio cd to be played digitally into the 24/96 DAC. This should improve the sound. Try to get a burn-in cd that covers all the frequencies, that way you sure that its not burned in to just 'Metallica'.

From a HT point of view, after hooking all up I tested the 3801 with T2 special edition as well as Jaws (DTS). I was impressed with both formats even though i have only 5 speakers and not 7 or 8 as THX compliancy suggests. Then again if I want to go that route I can just add another amplifier and pair of speakers. Note that i do not have a sub (even though I did in my previous HT setup)- my front speakers are capable of reproducing below 80hz.

The manual could have been better written as well as have a better trouble-shooting guide for first timers.

As with most or all HT units if you have a dvd player with s-video connections and the video output of the 3801 is normal RCA cables you will not see anything ie. if you have one s-video cable, all other video cables must be s-video.

I have been reading a lot of manuals from different HT vendors and this unit stood out for its features and value and I have not regretted purchasing it.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel RSP 965, Denon AVR4800, Onkyo 787

Looks great on the shelf

Manual, Remote Control,Setting it up.

Bought the 3801 brought it home, Hooked it up.. Three hrs later still having problems getting all of the speakers to work.. Mult zone and all.Manual was a joke and of very little help, Denon Please pay someone to translate it. Remote is not very friendly. Pain to program.
Took it back got the Onkyo 787. Two hrs later watching a movie and loving life..
And all of the other units in my stereo working happily with the new remote
What is a drag is that I use to love Denon.. All I have ever owned was Adcom and Denon.. But I have to be honest I do not believe I would ever buy an other Denon..
The unit looks great and with time and degree from Denon in receivers it is probably a great unit .But for me it is not worth the hassle and aggravation of setting it up..

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo 787

Price, options, 7 channel power output

None

I have been doing research for a receiver for about 8 months and with the options and price this receiver has, it wins with flying colors. Almost went with the 4800 but that requires an external amp for the surround backs. This baby has plenty of power.

I was looking for a receiver that maximizes both music and theater sound in one unit, and this receiver does just that. The movie experience is absolutely awesome, especially DTS. The X-Men, Platoon, Toy Story 2, T2, etc. blow me away, I find myself dodging bullets. For the most part I am very satisfied with the music in the 7-Channel Stereo mode. Television in the Neo:6 Cinema mode makes watching regular TV more enjoyable. As a side note the unit does have a fan and I have heard it kick in a few times (it is pretty loud) when playing music at very high volume (0 dB) for long periods of time.

Over all I am extremely pleased with this receiver (and the speaker system) and would highly recommend it. It is loaded with features, the price is great, and it offers the best sound that I have heard for both music and theater.

My System:
Fronts: Polk RT1000I’s
Center: Polk CS400I
Surround: Polk F/X500I’s
Surround Back: Polk F/X 500I’s
Subwoofer: Polk PSW650
Reciever: Dennon AVR3801
TV: Sony KP-43T70 Projection
Speaker Cabeles: Acoustic Research 12 gauge with monster connectors
AV Cables: Acoustic Research
DVD: JVC XV-511BK (Going to upgrade this soon)