Does 3805 REALLY have more power than 3803?

From (measured) 50W on the 3803 to 100W (measured) on the 3805 its 3db gain, very noticable, IMHO. That 3db of headroom will play much better in any HT.

 

You could look at the rated current draw (Amps, x.xA on Denons usually on the same little sticker that says country of manufacture).

As long as Denon used the same conventions for measuring the current draw on both rcvrs, this gives you an idea of total power consumption which is pretty much directly related to total power output.

 

Personally, I doubt it. Every new model Denon receiver is always touted by their new owners as being "even better and much more powerful than the last" from the 3801 to the 3803 and now the 3805. With all of these claims, you'd think Denon would have put everyone else out of business by now. Put the 3803 next to a 3805, and w/ the exception of features, you'd be hard pressed to hear a difference, if any at all.

 

Agree in general, but if Denon uses a different type of power supply, its efficiency and power factor etc. could be different. According to the specifications, the 3803 draws 7.0A, 3805 draws 7.1A. No mentioning of whether that is under full load condition. Everything else being equal(this msy not be true), one would think that their output ratings should be roughly the same.