Denon 3802 or Sony DA4ES ??? (1 Viewer)

[Antonio_B]

Hi everyone,i would like to know which receiver between thoes 2 is better in terms of sound quality,options,etc.

Thanks a lot in advance!!!
Later.

 

[Antonio_B]

An answer would be really appreciated guys, cause it will help me decide which one to buy.

Later.

 

[Wayne Ernst]

Antonio,

I've been a big fan of Denon, but I've never used their 3802. I currently own a Sony STR-DA4ES and was in the process of purchasing a Denon 3802 for use in another area of my house, but I became unemployed and couldn't complete the purchase - so, that ended my ability to be able to compare the two.

However, I've been running a Sony STR-DA4ES for a few months now. Compared to the Denon AVR-1802, AVR-1803 receivers, I really love the Sony. The Denon receivers were fine receivers, but paying another $300 towards the Sony bought a lot of options. Plus, the headroom on the Sony is much greater (110 watts per channel vs. 80 watts per channel.)

Prior to purchasing the Sony, I did have a chance to demo the AVR-3802 against the STR-DA4ES at a local electronics retailer. While in their showroom, I thought the Denon sounded better - initially. It turned out that the Sony had been "adjusted" a bit so their settings were way off. After some adjusting, the sound came around a bit. I still thought the Denon sounded slightly better. However, in my personal listening envrionment, the Sony sounds fantastic. I have no desire to replace this receiver.

 

[terence]

Hi Antonio,

I had a chance to demo the AVR-3802 against the STR-DA4ES at a local electronics retailer. The Denon sounded better doing the 1st demo, but when i check the settings on the Sony they were way off. Since i own Sony receiver i was familar with the settings, so i set the Sony's settings identical to the settings on the Denon. The sound improved instantly after a series of swicthing back and forth the sales manager said the sony sounded better and he really like the crisp dialog that it produced in the center channel compared to the Denon.

He also said that dialog on the Denon sounded muffled, he could not hear the dialog as well as he could on the Sony, and he very impressed with the 4ES's performance with music and movies. I found the Denon sound a little to warm for my taste, the 4ES sound was a little foward but not overly bright. In the end i bought the Sony not because it sounded great, but the flexibilty the 4ES had was just what i was looking for. In short i love this receiver!

 

[Yogi]

I haven't compared the 4ES to the 3802 but have listened to the 555ES (I think, about a year back) side by side with the 3802. This was by no means a level matched comparison (only ear matched) so I cant make any definitive statement as to which sounded better, but from my impressions I remember the Denon sounding slightly laidback and rolled off compared to the brighter Sony. The speakers were Boston Acoustics (forget the model number). In the end I liked the 3802's warmer presentation and somewhat better two channel sound. I could listen to the 3802 much more longer than I could listen to the 555. That is not to say someone might feel the exact opposite. I think you should audition both before making your decision. The 3802 must be available at bargain prices so now would be the best time to buy in case you decide to go with the 3802.

Best of luck.

 

[NickSP]

I will take the 4ES over the Denon for all the reasons mentioned by Wayne and Terence. I had a 4802 and the dialogues did seemed muffled when compared to the Sony 4ES. I have used both Denons and Sony ES line and I would choose the ES over the Denon.