Denon AVR-886 does anyone know anything about it? (1 Viewer)

[PetersenJ]

I was just looking at getting a Denon reciever and wondered if this was a good choice or not.

 

[Tom Donaghue]

Hi Jason;
It may depend on the price, size of the room you plan to use it in and what speakers you plan to power with it. Having said that, I have an 886 (same as the 2106) in my secondary HT setup and couldn't be happier. I purchased it as a refurb from uBid for ~$325 about 4-5 months ago. If I didn't already know it was a refurb, I would've never been able to tell. I've purchased a few from uBid and had exellent results with all of my purchases there.

The room I'm running the 886 in is a bit 'live' as it has a built-in bookshelf wall unit along the full length of the back of the room and paneling on the other three sides w/two openings. The Audyssey MultEqxt Room EQ feature really helps tame the highs and has some very useful functionality in addition to this.

As with all other Denons I've owned, the internal amp section on this is quite powerful for this price point. Compared to other receivers also at this price/feature point, the 886/2106 stacks up quite well.

If you could give us some additional info on how you plan to use it (listening preferences, rooom size, speakers, etc.), we may be able to provide some further guidance on this... -Tom

 

[PetersenJ]

Thanks for the reply I will be running 2 Infinity Primus 150's for my front's and for the Center I will be using a Infinity Primus C25, and the rears I have 3 in ceiling RBH speakers. as for a sub I have not purchesed one yet.(so if you have any advice let me know) I found the reciever at a local dealer for $300.00 and I paid an extra $80.00 for a three year warranty. It is brand new I have not got to test it yet but I am excited. The room I will be using it is about 20 X 25ft some where close to there. If you have any advice I am more than happy to listen and learn because I am a little new at this.

 

[Tom Donaghue]

That's a nice price for a new 886, sounds like a pretty decent setup, Jason. I'm not sure of the ohm rating for the RBHs, but I imagine they're close to, if not, 8 ohm rated. You should have no problem driving the Infinity's w/the 886.

As for a sub, it's really would depend on your budget and what you're looking for. In that room, you'd need a sizable sub to get room shaking bass, but if you're willing to settle for very solid bass that doesn't peel the paint, I'd suggest an SVS PB-10 NSD to start. While you may find the $429 price a bit high, that is a fairly large room and most subs smaller than that will get lost or will have very little impact in it. If you can increase the budget, the SVS PCi cylinders offer a really good bang (or boom in this case ) for the buck.

Depending upon your preferences, the 886 should do just fine for average to moderate level listening. As I mentioned, that's a fairly large room, so if you find the 886 isn't quite giving you the power output you're looking for, you can alway run a 2 channel amp to the pre-amp outputs on the Denon to power the mains that would give you a bit more solid, clean power and it would take a load of the receiver to allow it to power the other speakers a bit more efficiently. This is my no means a necessity, just an option in the event you feel its not quite enough power. Even more amplification can be used, but I'd start w/a 2 or 3 if you feel it necessary as a greater portion of sounddtracks are carried in front soundstage.

Once you get everything set up, make sure you run the roomEQ, give it a good workout with a few movies and CDs you're familiar with and enjoy! -TD

 

[PetersenJ]

Thanks for your help I was wondering I have set it up at can not seem to get the sub to work. Is there something special that I need to do? I went and boutght a RBH MT 8.1 and I just can't figure it out.