Denon AVR 3805 7.1 channel 770 Watt Receiver

I am not one to update my equipment frequently and have been very pleased with the quality, features, and longevity of my Technics SA GX910 that I retired to the master bedroom. At the time, it was cutting edge with Dolby Surround Pro Logic and 4 channel surround.

But, to get true 5.1 performance, it was time to upgrade to the Denon 3805. I had recently purchased a Denon 910 DVD player and was very impressed with its performance and cost using Faroudja DCDi technology.

This receiver makes watching movies an enveloping experience that draws you in with its excellent sound that compliments the HD picture from the front projector without overpowering the viewing experience. I like that. I grew up listening to Altec Valencia speakers and appreciate speakers that are extremely efficient. I do not know how well this receiver would work with less efficient speakers but with the Klipsch system, there is more than enough power to make the entire home shake.

For the price, the Denon has ample inputs for audio and video although I sure would have liked an additional HDMI input and output.

Configuration and setup of the receiver for all the inputs and outputs was a snap with the OSD and the pure direct feature is great for two channel stereo and tv sound (it took me a while to get all the speakers).

Needless to say, my wife and I do not go to the movies any more. Any why should we? Concession prices are skyrocketing, inconsiderate patrons, no pause or rewind, and the picture and sound quality is considerably better, especially in HD.

I considered Rotel and others but Denon came through as the best value and fit for my family.

Strengths:
AV switching\up-down video conversion
Excellent Price
Great sound with plenty of power
OSD setup
Numerous inputs

Weaknesses:
The remote sucks, can't be read during daylight hours.
No HDMI support.
Speaker termination could have been more accomodating for large diameter speaker wire.
No microphone for auto setup and EQ.
Lack of hard buttons for common functions on receiver.

I've had this receiver for about a year and the sound on this thing cannot be beat. It has smoot sound which is crisp. Perfect for watching movies. Works perfect with denon Link 3 for use with the DVD 3910.

These units are an incredible deal at there current prices. Looks and performs solid. Pioneer, Onyko, Marantz has nothing on this this unit.

I reserched this reciever online, found it on ebay in a flash and bought it at 25% of the in store price! Easy as pie just verify the sellers integraty by looking at their track record, happy customers equals great deals!

I have owned roughly a half dozen AV Receivers and I have enjoyed the Denon 3805 by far the most. It is built like a tank and has a wonderful crisp, clear, yet powerful presense to it. Highly recommended.

The receiver is a very solid and long lasting name brand for the price....The only items it did not come were was the manual and the remote control. I was able to download the manual from the Denon website, but I was fortunate enough to get the remote for a little over 100 dollars used. It was not expected to cost so much but it is over 200 dollars new. So far the unit is doing well. I have to spend more time with it to fully understand all the features. I am rating the sale as good for the lack of all components and the fact that it was shipped in a different Denon receiver box than what was purchased. It was an average sale with a fair price in comparison.I decided to purchase this one because of being outbidded on another of the same model.

Receiver has proven to have more hi-end features than I was aware of. Specifically, the "setup' feature makes configuring receiver to speaker capabilities a snap.

I've read a lot of great reviews about this receiver. Now, I know why everyone loves this receiver. It is awesome!!!

Paired this with a denon 3910 dvd player for dvd-a, sacd, and movies. The 3805 seems capable of keeping up with the 3910 as far as letting the excellent converters of the 3910 be heard. If I use the Denon link digital tansfer and listen to the converters on the 3805 there is a reduction in the audiophile purity that I get through the analogue inputs. i.e the converters sound better on the 3910. Still, the 3805 converters are nice; you need a well recorded hi- res source to bring out the difference.
Do not like the remote. If you can find a deal on the 3806 you will get a better remote and hdmi inputs and outputs. Your tv will have all the hdmi inputs you need but you need one on your receiver if you want to get the new hi-res audio off of blueray players that do not offer 5.1 analogue outputs.

I am writing this review to let you know that I received the Denon ARV 3805 and I am very upset and disappointed. Because the product was poorly packaged and shipped, there were several damages. There are many dents such as the top right corner as well as the back. Since the back is extremely dented, numerous knobs are now broken such as the entire “Surr. Black/ Multi Zone”. The whole system overall is actually not functioning.