[Travis*N]

Has anyone here done an upgrade from a denon 3802 to the 3803? Reason I ask is because of the new feature on the '03, the "pure direct" button. How much difference does this make on the sound. I haven't personally had the chance to make a comparison, but if its alot better, I would consider the upgrade. The other extra's like video up-conversion and stuff don't really matter. I also want to get a 3channel amplifier to add to it later. maybe an anthem or rotel

[Jamey F]

As a 3803 owner, I would suggest buy an amp to add to the 3802 instead of the 3803. If you had a much older AVR, I would say upgrade for the sound formats and features, but you have most of them already, and the others don't appeal to you. I'm sure there will be another receiver out in the next year or so (3804?) that will have even more features. If you purchase the amp first, you'll still have the great amp with the possiblity to move to a dedicated pre/pro if you see one you like. I would say go the other way only if the features of the 3803 are appealing. I haven't had the 3802, so I can't comment on the sound difference, but I doubt it's so much better that you should get it instead of an amp.

Consider a 5 channel amp to leave more options open.

[kevitra]

I have a 3803 on loan for an in-home demo and I don't hear any difference between direct and pure direct.

But, the 3803 might still be an improvement over the 3802 as a preamp. You would have to do an A/B comparison to find out.

[Chuck Kent]

I use a 3803 as a pre-amp/processor with a 5 channel amp. I went to the 3803 from a 3802 in the same setup. I don't hear any differences between Direct and Pure Direct that I could always tell one from the other.

My main reason for upgrading was the additional features the 3803 has. The 3803 certainly has better technology too. Here's a good link for a feature comparison: http://www.usa.denon.com/catalog/pdf...%204_19_03.pdf