denon 4802 (1 Viewer)

[MatthewJ S]

I WOULD caution anyone against worrying about the format-du-jour /the surround format of the week / the geek feature of the day....you are the manufacturers dream come true. these units are built as durable goods, and if you are worried about what stupid little dsp mode they are waving around this month then you should have made your second(if not first)choice a receiver with an upgrade path (of course , some of you are not happy when the "upgrades" aren't available the day after we hear about the technology).My point is that the avr3300,3301,3801,3802,4800,etc. are ALL great sounding receivers and while of course they will,at some point,not have every feature of the newest units most of us would not trade in our Porsche Boxster 6 months after we bought it to get the improved air conditioner!It is after all about the sound, and if you have been following the threads here on the Onkyo 595(6?)then you should understand that to some it seems that as they give us more features, they take away from build/sound quality....the quality of the amps in a receiver can't be upgraded(nor can the number for that matter)and if your going to interject the idea of using a reciever as a pre/pro then I will tell you that the mnfctrs of receivers don't put didley into the quality of their pre-out sections,so back to the futile weekly upgrade dilemma .I should be happy because receiver sales are 18.5% of my sales, but it's sad really this equipment should play great for a very long time (I still see my avr2500 at my friends house and he plays it hours and hours every day[sat & cd mostly]), so please, don't let the mnfgrs lead you around by the nose, but if you do,please come see me ,I'll sell you a new receiver and weep for you....
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Matt says "if you have received good service from a salesman,if he has educated you as to what you should buy, buy from him! not from the internet!"

 

[Alan Wild]

I'm certainly not suggesting that a 5800 owner should upgrade to a 4802.
However, when I bought my 3801 I really wanted a 4xxx series receiver. I decided that the 5800 was too far outside my budget. I wasn't (at all) satisfied with the number of inputs on the 3801. I really wish I had DPLII. I was my receiver had THX certification.
Bare in mind that I had already concluded that DTS:ES Discrete was a MUST in my purchase.
I really wanted a compromise between the 3801 and the 5800 and at the time it didn't exist and I needed a receiver in March.
Now that the next generation is starting to appear I think the 4802 may very well be what I wanted. I'm hoping my vendor will let me trade up (given that we are only talking about a 9 month window or so here).
The additional x-over points sounds like a tremendous improvement. I really wanted to set my Studio 100's at below 80Hz cross-over point, but running large isn't really an option.
Upgraditis is an awful thing but it is part of the reason this hobby is fun.
-Alan

 

[Jack F]

I personally don't understand all of the whining for lower crossover points.
I'm pretty sure Tom V. himself is running the very large, dual 12" Woofered Klipsch KLF-30's and he runs them set at the small setting. I'm sure he has the Woofage to fill in from 80hz. on down.

He benefits by letting the KLF-30's really sing from 80hz. on up.
Just because your speakers say they can go down to 35 hz., doesn't mean they sound good down there. If they are allowed to go that low, you are most likely sacrificing sound quality in the upper frequencies. If you find you prefer the sound when your speakers are set to large, you most definitely need some Woofage. Subwoofers are designed to work down low. Use them.
Get a good Sub and get on with life.
Keith is right on the money. I bought my 5800 because it sounded awesome. It still does. I was actually looking for a Pre-Pro to use with my Adcom Amplifier. I couldn't touch anything that had the features of the 5800 or sounded better for the amount the 5800 set me back. I look at the 7 Amplifiers as freebies. I think their pretty darn good for the price too.

I've never been disappointed with the sound or performance from my 5800.
I would like to see Denon offer some upgrades for it. I'm pretty sure they are going too. If they don't, I might feel a little let down and look at other brands when I'm ready for the next level. If the 5900 is the king at that time, I'll probably buy it. DPL-2 isn't going to make me feel the need to upgrade.
Sorry if this post offends anyone, but they are my opinions. If you are offended by this post, you need a bigger SubWoofer. LOL
Jack

 

[Chuck C]

Can anyone enlighten me and the rest of HTF about the new DTS 96 processing? Is there any software yet?
thanks!
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Chuck
Chuckster's HT Equipment List

 

[Arthur Legardo]

I just noticed that the the 4802 doesn't include the recharging base for the Aktis remote control...hmmm.

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My DVD Collection

 

[Kelly Scott Rickards]

What is the MSRP vs the street price of the 4802?
I downloaded the pdf and I didn't see any mention of DTS 24/96...is that true??

 

[Lewis Besze]

I didn't see it either.And no there is no software for it,nor being planned right now[movies].

But seriously, an adjustable crossover is a far cry from making a flagship receiver obsolete. The crossover point has been pre-determined to be the "optimal" setting. There are reasons for small vs. large settings. Look into them

Agreed!
Too many people go by phisycal size and manufacturer specs to determine the small/large setting, a mistake.Having said that adjustable crossovers are desirable,and should be more common at all price ranges.
Anyway this could have been a killer receiver if Denon resisted the urge to put the THX badge on it's frontplace,and all that comes with it.
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"You Hungarians always disagree"

 

[TomH]

Henry,
The products you mentioned are obviously in a class way above Denon but not everyone can afford them. For the price of a Lexicon you can buy a new Denon every year for 3-5 years. Also, many times the "upgrade" path for high end components is so expensive you may as well replace the unit.
Tom

 

[TomH]

The 5800 is one of the finest receivers around and I can understand why you hate to admit it is showing its age. It has just reached the point in its life cycle that very few people would actually purchase a new one unless it is heavily discounted. Remember, upgrade promises from a company who claims to deny warranty service for half of their sales must be taken with a grain of salt. I will believe it when I see it.

 

[MatthewJ S]

alan ;
why the need for dplII (cable doesn't deliver usable stereo,do you have an extensive vhs library/ satelitte)?
dts es discrete? for what software ,how big is your room?
jack;
you're half right, almost every speaker will benifit from limiting it's range...but so will the sub,; I garauntee that your Klipsch's would sound just as good playing down to @ 55hz whereas your sub would be much happier not playing any higher than that which is why many yearn for a 60hz crossover (also that there is a lot of "loaded stage impact at @70-75hz that better comes from your mains)

 

[Alan Wild]

I actually good pretty good stereo from my cable provider. However, the main reason I want dplII is for the large number of 2.0 (DPL) soundtracks I have on DVD. The entire Stargate Season 1 boxset (from what I can tell) is in 2.0. I think watching these with dplII is a definate.
As far as ES Discrete goes. Ever since I read a technical paper on how DTS came up with the format I was impressed with it. I bought the 3801 principally because of the ES Discrete processing. I have all 4 ES Discrete titles and will be buying more this fall when Anchor Bay releases them.
I'll admit "The Beastmaster" certainly isn't my choise for great soundtracks, but it is one of my favorite "B" movies of all time.
I think my point is that the 4802 is filling a nice niche between the IMHO slightly lacking 3801 (speaking as an owner) and the quite expensive 5800.
I'm a gadget guy. I know it. I bought the 3801 knowing full well that it wouldn't stay in my rack for even 3 years. I would inevitably want to replace it. Admittadly I'm somewhat surprised that an alternative has already presented itself in the 4802.
However, I definately don't have the cash to drop 3K a year on a 5800 class receiver. I would rather buy something a little more modestly priced so when I replace it I don't feel too bad.
-Alan

 

[Albert Li]

The DTS 24/96 was mentioned on the Denon web site. I think it's true.
http://www.denon.com/catalog/products.asp?l=1&c=2

 

[Henry Carmona]

{quote]Component Video Switching-50mhz[/quote]
Does anyone remember if this was determined to be an adequate bandwidth??
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"Charlie don't surf."

 

[Todd Hochard]

Since most HD component signals don't extend beyond 30Mhz, 50Mhz should be more than enough.
I've seen (I think Gary M. and others at TPV) say that the bandwidth should be 3x the max signal freq. WHY??? No one demands that their audio section go to 60Khz, so as to reproduce 20Khz accurately.

As long as the circuit is only down 1-2db at 30Mhz, you'll never see the difference.
Bass management on the Denons also allows full range signal to the mains AND signal redirection to the sub, for those who wish to have that. With the exception of eliminating the lowest freqs from the mains, this does everything an adjustable crossover would do.
As for those of you who think the 5800 is obsolete, I'll be glad to take that "obsolete" product off your hands, for a drastically reduced price.

I bought the 3801 principally because of the ES Discrete processing. I have all 4 ES Discrete titles...

People won't buy into SACD because of too few titles, but DTS-ES...go for it! I don't get it.
Todd
[Edited last by Todd Hochard on August 01, 2001 at 05:53 AM]

 

[MatthewJ S]

How often should we drop between $1,000 & $2,000 on a new receiver? if you have a dealer who treats you well vis-a-vie trade ins, then o.k. I guess, but I'm curious if anyone would volunteer up how much receiver/pre-pro upgrades have cost them over the last few years (minus what you've received from thew sale of your used equip). I'm not naive , most of us here are hobbyists,but for some of us who keep trying to buy mid-line receivers, aren't we spending the same money a little too often?I don't know , I'm just looking for feedback...........

 

[Jorossy]

Regarding the adjustable crossover, can each speaker be adjusted or is it just overall?