Denon 5803... Anyone got their's yet ? (1 Viewer)

[Chip E]

I'm curious.. I have one on order slated for April 11th delivery. I did read on another forum of two different people who got their 5803's already. So, if anyone has the 5803, let us know!

 

[Michael Lee]

I will be picking mine up tomorrow. I will report ASAP.

 

[Michael Lee]

Ok-This puppy is a killer. It is as heavy and bulky as the 5800. As a matter of fact, it is the exact same size..as it fits in the Middle Atlantic custom face plate of the Denon 5800.
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Hookup was fairly easy-but I must warn there are a million connections to make back there. I have a few more things to work out back there but that will happen over time. I pulled out the RF demodulator that I was using for my LD player. I can now disconnect my beloved Outlaw ICBM because of the bass management in the external ins of the 5803.
Initial impressions are extremely impressive. I am in awe of the sound so far. I am not using the 5 of the internal amps because of the Cinenova Grande 300Wx5 amp I already have. This may seem to be a waste, but I really like the Denon sound and will continue to use their processing until they do release a pre/pro.
I will report more later as I play more.

 

[RajeeK]

Michael,

Are you using the Denon to power the Back Surrounds since the Cinenova is a 5 channel amp.

 

[Michael Lee]

RajeeK,

Good call on the amp assignment! I really like the Cinenova amp, but the cost of adding comparable amps for the less important rear surrounds just didn't cut it for me. I believe taking the primary 5 channel responsibilities off the Denon frees up the power to give quality amping to the rears anyway.

 

[RajeeK]

Michael,

I just did the same thing with my 49TX. I just added an Acurus A200x5 to the fronts this past weekend. I'm going to bring a friend over later and do some blind tests on the sound with and w/o the amp. I'm anxious to see if we can tell the difference or not with true blind tests. I'm afraid of the uproar I may cause here if we don't notice a change. My friend is really into music so I'm hoping his "trained" ears will be my guide. Still have yet to update my HT site with it's newest addition.

 

[Elbert Lee]

Congrats, Michael. Please let us know how the 5803's sound compares to the 5800. I don't expect it to sound much BETTER, but I bet that, with different processors, it does have a slightly different sound.

General Questoin - If one has a five channel amp already, would you recommend using the 5803 to power both rears and both surround backs, and just use the five channel amp to power the front 3? OR would you just use the Denon to power the 2 surround backs?

Elbert

 

[Michael Lee]

Thanks Elbert.

I have a fuzzy memory when it comes to my 5800. It has not been hooked up in any of my systems since last September. When I purchased my 4802(and heard DPLII), I switched over so I could enjoy it on the 2-channel sources that I had, like cable and broadcast. What I can tell you is that the 5803 is demonstrably better than the 4802...and that is saying a lot. As smooth as the 4802 sounded, the 5803 is that much better where people noticed immediately there was a difference in sound-and I didn't even tell them I switched anything. Now granted, given my history, my friends are used to me constantly upgrading. In retrospect, adding external amps to my 4802 also improved the sound in my HT along the same lines.

When I got my external amp, it made sense for me to use all 5 channels in it. I had a great opportunity to get a 300Wx3 channel amp, so I could have used it to just power the front soundstage. If a great deal comes along again, perhaps I might externally amp the rears also.

 

[Michael Lee]

I am really liking this receiver! I had the opportunity to watch a full movie, Tombstone, this evening. This was an audio treat (and a video nightmare)! I switched the THX Ultra2 Processing on and off...and the panning of the sounds around the room was absolutely seamless. It provided a smooth expansive sound that was breathtaking. I also popped in Tomb Raider earlier (I guess I was in a tomb state of mind). The scene where Angelina Jolie was on the bungee cord, starting with classical music and then explodes into a frenetic battle, was unbelievable! You could hear all the subtle nuances being recreated delicately in the music...then it switch gears into an HT frenzy, explosions and gunfire everywhere. I feel this is a very tough scene to pull off accurately, and the 5803 handled it aplomb.

I tried out the Dolby headphone a bit also with my Grados and it was might impressive also. I had the chance to play with this at CES at the Dolby booth and the Clark Transducers booth. The experience does not disappoint.

I will try more movies tomorrow and play with DVD-A also. This allows you to boost the bass in the analog domain or have tons of control if you allow it to go in to the digital realm again. Now that I have two external ins, I can hook up my SACD player into that system also..if I can clear some rack space!

 

[Elbert Lee]

Sounds like you're really happy with your new toy. My 5800 is waiting to be relegated to the next room. But, I am impressed with its seamless panning and excellent imaging. I'm keeping my expectations of the 5803 more realistic. I don't expect a huge improvement, if any at all. I am, however, looking forward to the new features.

Elbert