Denon 3802 In Da House--well, sort of (1 Viewer)

[Michael Lee]

I received 3 Denon AVR-3802s from the men in brown in today. It is not for my house though...it is for my store. Of course I will be demoing it in my house tonight anyway. I am not even sure what is so different about it yet-but I'll know in a few hours. I will post my findings later this evening.
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[Kevin Peak]

Excellent, i can't wait to hear what you think.
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Thanks,
kevp

 

[GregoriusM]

From reading the latest Japanese web-page, something about it is similar to the 5800. It seems that they have "improved" the sound of the 3802, over the 3801, and brought it closer to the 5800. The DDSC circuit is upgraded, the power supply is larger, it talks about capacitors that are improved over the 3801, etc.
So, (I'm hoping), that is sounds more like the 5800 than the like the 3801, which I thought was brighter than the normal Denon sound!
I'm really interested to know if you could tell us your overall evaluation of the sound qualities compared to the 3801, 4800 and 5800.
Thanks!
... Greg
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.... "just me up on my pony on my boat".

 

[Trevor Schell]

We will wait patiently.

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Trevor
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[Trevor H]

Damn, i've only had my 3801 for 7 months, looks like another upgrade in the near future
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Trevor Harder
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[Michael Lee]

I have not been able to spend as much time with it as I thought I would. Okay, so far:
In another thread, someone asked where it was made. It plainly says it was made in Japan on the back.
I would love to compare it to a 3801, which would be the fairest comparison, but I have never had one in my setup. I have recently moved so my temporary setup had my Denon 4800 with my Atlantic Technology 270 THX System. I had this in my bedroom setup in my bedroom setup and the sound was awesome.
I have only tried a few scenes from a couple of movies so far. I popped in Double Take for a few minutes and found the DD to be very good...but a tad thinner than my 4800. From the installations that I have done with the 3801 in other homes, I think that the 3802 is a fuller, warmer sound than what I remember the 3801 sounding.
Later I popped in Rocky II. This is probably not the best movie to try out, but I was curious to try out a Dolby Surround and non-anamorphic DVD in my recently acquired Panny RP-91K. Dolby ProLogic II in this was quite good..not as impressive as I remember it from the CES demo.
This morning, I tried Titanic. It occurred to me in bed last night that I should be switching back and forth between the 5.1 track and the Dolby 2 channel to hear the DPLII difference. This was an impressive demo indeed. As I listened to the helicopters in the earlier part of the movie I could hear a lot of separation in the rears panning around and to the front. Of course the DD5.1 was better, ut the DPLII was no slouch at all. A noticeable difference is in the lower register. The LFE makes a big difference in 5.1.
More to come--I am having Andrew V come over and have a listen at my place tonight. I would like to do a lot more listening before giving more impressions. Overall, it is very favorable so far.
If anyone is in the area and like to listen in, let me know. Also, if anyone has any ideas of good DVDs to try it out with, my collection is a pretty good one--I need suggestions!
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[Trevor Schell]

One question Michael,
How does the DPL2 compare to the DTS Neo 6.
What are the differences.?
Assuming you still have your Denon 5800.
Thanks.
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Trevor
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[GregoriusM]

Micheal: Thanks for the update!
I'm glad to hear your recollections are that the 3802 has a fuller, warmer sound than the 3801. I'm not surprised that the sound is a bit thinner than the 4800.
Glad to hear that the DPL2 is what I would have hoped it would be.
Please let us know your take on music played on the 3802 versus the 3801 (recollection) and the 4800!
Thanks a lot!
... Greg
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.... "just me up on my pony on my boat".

 

[GregoriusM]

Trevor: The 3802 has both DTS Neo and DPL2, so he can do a very good A/B comparison.
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.... "just me up on my pony on my boat".

 

[Scott Barnhart]

Michael,
A couple of questions if you dont mind.
1) How would you rate its sound and build quality in comparison to the Denon AVR3600 (about 4 years old)?
2) Does the 3802 have an AC-3 RF input for DD laserdisc?
Thanks,
Scott
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Scott Barnhart
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[Michael Lee]

I am at work so I cannot give definitive answers right now. I will compare dts.neo6 with the DPLII tonight. I will also sample music with the 3802 tonight. It definitely does not have an AC-3 out for laserdiscs. If I end up liking this receiver a lot, I could be in trouble. Should I keep it and sell off my THX Ultra 4800? The DPLII allure is a strong one.
Stuff like DPLII and the non-anamorphic scaling of the Panasonic RP-91K breathes new life in sub-par DVD releases...in a big way. I was really enjoying Rocky II last night.
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[Edited last by Michael Lee on July 25, 2001 at 03:56 PM]

 

[Trevor Schell]

What happened to the Denon 5800?
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Trevor
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[GregoriusM]

I think that is one reason that the 3801/3802 is/will be such a big seller - no THX fees help make for a much better price.
The 3802 is such a well-rounded receiver at its price range.
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.... "just me up on my pony on my boat".

 

[Michael Lee]

Trevor-
Rest assured, I still have my beloved 5800. It is being rack-mounted to be used in another room with my Atlantic Technology 350THX System. I am pretty excited about it because it will be my first front projector ever. I will be using the Sony 10HT on a Stewart GrayHawk 106" 16x9 screen. My biggest dilemma will be choosing between the Panasonic RP-91K or the Denon DVD-2800 for the two rooms.
I am very impressed with the DPLII that I demoed tonight. We popped in Fist Of Legend, my favorite Jet Li movie, which was cursed with a Dolby two-channel track and a non-anamorphic transfer. This was now not just watchable, but fully enjoyable and immersive. The sound was definitely enveloping. Each punch and kick was crackling with intensity swooshing around to the rears when appropriate. I think I have to break down and use the remote that came with it because I cannot figure out how to change from DTS:Neo6 to DPLII. I have been using my Pronto configuration for the 5800 successfully thus far.
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[Matt Parsons]

Michael,
I'd just like to second Trevor's request for your impressions on the DPLII v DTS: Neo 6.
Thanks
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[Greg Haynes]

Can you verify if 3802 does in fact have bass management. And if so, are the crossover's set at 80, 100, 120. Thanks. Can't wait to hear more about the 3802.
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[Trevor Schell]

Right Michael..I forgot you are the multiple receiver guru..Must be nice.
What did you do with the Tosh 9200?
How did it compare to the Panasonic and Denon DVD players?
Thanks,
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Trevor
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[James St]

Thanks Michael. I am thinking of buying a 3802 in the next few months and am looking forward to your review.

 

[Lewis Besze]

) How would you rate its sound and build quality in comparison to the Denon
AVR3600 (about 4 years old)

Scott, I think I can help you out,as I owned the 3600 for years and now I have the 3801.
To me the sound is pretty much the same,so if you liked the 3600,you will like the 3801 as well.
The affore mentioned "brightness" of the 3801 is just not happening to me,unless the 3600 is considered just as bright.Not IMO!
Denon reserves the RF input for it's flagship receivers,currently the 5800.
The fit and finish of the built qulity[never peaked inside so I wouldn't comment on that] doesn't feel as solid as the 3600,and most annoyingly the large red volume readout is gone,on the current models,and it's part of the fluorescent display,and much smaller,so good luck to read that from across the room.
Other than that the current models[and surely,the 3802] is all around more refined,and more versatile,with better remote,and cheaper.
Who,could ask for more?
You should go out and audition one for your self.
Enjoy!
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"You Hungarians always disagree"

 

[Lewis Besze]

Can you verify if 3802 does in fact have bass management. And if so, are the
crossover's set at 80, 100, 120.

It seems like that people confuse the variable crossover points with the term Bass managment.
If a receiver has a single crossover point[for the low and high pass],then it has a bass managment feature.If there are more then one Xo points,or even adjustable,that means that that receiver has a more advanced bass managment feature.