Denon 3808/Yamaha 1800/Marantz 7200/Pio 92 TXH (1 Viewer)

[dany]

I'm upgrading from my Denon 2805. It's down to these but i keep going from one to the other. I'd like this to last awhile as far as doing everything for HT. I use DVD-A and SACD and will be getting a Blu-Ray player, Direct HD and a 42" Plasma and keep my SVS and B&W's. Not sure i'll be adding 2 more speakers for 7.1 but one never knows about the WAF. I'm leaning towards the 3808, should i?

 

[RAF]

What are you currently using to play your SACD and DVD-A discs? (I also have a significant number of these.) If you are using a Denon player (I'm using a Denon 2930ci) then the fact that you can use DenonLink with the 3808ci is a very important consideration. You get a completely digital path from the player to the receiver and don't use up any "regular" jacks on the receiver as well. I no longer use the analog inputs for reproduction of SACD or DVD-A. Not only does that eliminate a lot of extra wires but it also eliminates D/A and A/D conversion steps which is a sonic consideration.

Also, do the other receivers contain something equivalent to Audyssey MultEQ? That's a MAJOR addition to the world of receivers and fine tuning one's listening environment, in my opinion.

 

[dany]

Thinking og getting the Yamaha C961 that does SACD from the HDMI, i like a changer otherwise i'd go with a denon for the link.

 

[Dustyak]

I have B&W 604s, lcr600, and 602s theater with SVS cylinder sub. i have a Marantz receiver (sr4001) with Rotel amp. I also need to upgrade, and as much as I LOVE my marantz, the Denon 3808 is just too good to pass up. the Marantz x001's are amazing in every way shape and form. and the x002s are better. but the new Denon's are just simply better. I hope to get either 3808 or 4308 this summer

 

[Zembonez]

From a purely sonic point of view, I believe you will be quite happy with the Denon. I also have a fondness for Marantz, but the Denon won out... I currently have a 3806 that I am more than pleased with. (but I do have that wandering upgrade eye!)

 

[Smitty4ut]

I just got the Denon last week. So far I am very pleased. I had a Yamaha RX-V1000 that I replaced. The Yamaha is going to my bedroom. I wasn't sure how I would like the Denon. I knew from experience that I liked the sound of my 1000 and was afraid to change. I finally found a store where I could listen to both on the same set of speakers in the same room. At First I thought the Yamaha sounded better, then I realized that the Denon had no subwoofer connected. Once the store corrected that issue, they were very close. I do believe it is true that the Denon has a warmer sound. Some of the reasons I went with the Denon. I did think the Denon sounded better. The fact you can do firmware updates via the network connection. You can't even do the updates on the Onkyo, you have to take it in to a dealer. That is what I read on another forum. Also this does not sound like a big deal, but the Yamaha does not put the menu bar up on the screen if you are using HDMI to the TV with a HDMI source. My eyes are not what they used to be, and I like being able to see the volume on my TV. I even called Yamaha, The Z11 does not even do this, per the rep I spoke with. Also you can adjust all the features on the Denon via your internet browser. The Yamaha from what I was told, you can adjust some things, but not everything. Also I have found that you can go to radiodenon on the internet, put your mac address in, and preview and add favorite internet radio sites. Then they appear in the favorites on the receiver. I don't know about the Marantz. I did listen to the Pioneer 94, and I liked the Yamaha better than it. They were both in the same room at another store. For me the Denon sounded better, and had all the features, that I was really looking for. One thing I did notice is that the Yamaha got louder faster than the Denon, but once you really cranked them the Denon was just as loud, but seem to be clean. I actually heard the Yamaha start to clip. Hopes this helps. I agonized over this decision

 

[dany]

Nice write up, thanks and i also listened to the 94 and was surprised how much better everything else sounded.