Re: Denon AVR-3802

I am seriously considering getting this to eplace my old Techniques receiver (a true upgrade if I ever deserved one)!

Doe anyone own a 3802? What other receivers did you compare to? What about the 2802... is the 3802 worth the extra money?

SHould I wait and save my money for either the 4800 or 5800? Is THX really that much of a difference (value) for home theatre budget under $5,000???

[hifichip76]

I have a 3801 if that helps. I love it. I don''t care about THX at all. The 3802 adds a couple of things, like PL2 and a nice variable crossover. I''m sure it''s great.

Ice Man,

I have the 3802 and I love the unit. If money wasn''t an issue and I wasn''t trying to upgrade several pieces I might have gone with the 4802. The differences between the 2802 and the 3802 are minor but I felt enough to justify the price difference, of course, I found a place where the difference was only $50. The units that I seriously considered were as follow:

Denon: AVR-3802 and 2802
Yamaha: RX-V1200 and 2200
Integra: DTR 6.2 and 7.2
The Rotel I wanted was out of my price range. I look at several other units but kept coming back to these units. They are all good units each with their own strengths, but in the end I preferred the Denon''s strengths and sound. If you are willing to spend upto $5K on just the receiver and no other components then you should look at the 5803 and the B&K 307, Rotel also makes a pre amp/amp set for less then $4K and I don''t think you could go wrong there. If you are looking to upgrade your speakers as well go with the 3802 and buy better speakers.

In my opinion the power unit in the 3802 was worth the extra $150 and when I found the unit for $849 from an authorized dealer the deal was done.

Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

Fred

[itai]

ice
if you got the money, go for separates. the 3802 is a very good mid range animal, but at 5k, maybe you can squeeze a higher end setup.
as for the 4802, i dont have it, but i would go separate before going 2500$ for reciever only.
say a 3802 and a rotel rmb-1075 and a set of good speakers like paradigm reference, and an svs sub, will all fit in a 5k ticket.
[IMG]biggthumpup.gif border=0[/IMG]

[Cargui]

Ice Man, DeepPurple, et al:

I am preparing to purchase the Denon 3802. I first demoed it last fall and again last Friday. Nice unit that fits my desires and budget. Going to pair it with the new DVD 1600 (very nice price point for progressive scan and MP3 decoding; used to be you had to go DVD 2800 for those features).

My dealer (Canton, Ohio) told me he might have trouble getting a 3802. He has some on order, but there is a chance he''ll never get them. He said the 3802 is also being discontinued for the 3803 (I''d guess only slight changes and price increase in this new model).

I asked my dealer if he''d sell me his demo unit (he knows his hardware and took him time with me; I''d like to buy from him). He said sure, but he needs to hold onto it in the short term in case more units do arrive so he can demo to sell.

Sounds like I will be in limbo for a month or two, which I really don''t want to do. If he can produce sometehing in the next couple of weeks, I''ll buy from him, but I''m not waiting 60 days when I can be in a system in a week or two. There is something exciting about getting approval from your wife and then the two of you drive out knowing you MIGHT come home with a full system and be listening to it that evening!

Also, this dealer carries only B&W and Boston Acoustics, and I am pretty sure I''m going with Paradigm Reference series. So I''ll probably be hitting up another dealer anyway to purchase everything from one source in an attempt to get a better deal.

Cargui

Cargui,

I talked to a one our stores here in Philly regarding the roll out of updates. The 5803 which has been announced will probably not come until summer and the 3803 is yet to be announced so very late in the year if not 2003. So you might want to either push your dealer a little for a better timeframe or look somewhere else, he says he''ll sell it to you for $900 but he doesn''t have any, well that''s not all that helpful. Something doesn''t sound right as my guy has had no trouble since 9/11 in getting equipment.

By the way I''m looking at the 1600 this weekend myself, it looks like a very nice unit, I hope that I am not disappointed. Then I can pair it with my 3802 and the new KEFs.

I almost forgot, did you get my replies to the private messages? If not let me know and I will send you my e-Mail.

Good Luck.

DeepPurple

[StartOver]

3802 is a very good piece.

[Cargui]

Thanks for the info, guys.

Sounds like the 3802 is for me as the 3803 is not imminent. I''m glad to hear that others think it is a great unit. While I haven''t owned it and don''t have any experience, all of my research and listening has proven it to be an excellent unit at a good price.

Now to decide on speakers! Tough, as there are so many nice makes. I have listened to Pardigm twice and liked what I heard (Studio 60 with full Reference surround system). Also heard B&W, but I''d only go Nautilus and that is just more than I want to spend currently (Nautilus 805 would be sweet)! Will demo Klipsch this week. I''m more focused on the high end of the spectrum than low end for rap music that shakes the basement foundation (with all due respect...patooey!), so the Klipsch Tractrix tweeter horn has me curious and hopeful.

Will let you know what my dealer says about availability of the 3802. I''m a bit skeptical now after his "lousy availability" sob story. But to his credit, the company does 90% of their business in custom home installs and new builds. It''s the first time I''ve received a biz card from a salesperson in an audio/video store that had the Home Builders Association and Building Industry Association logos on it! I know that if only 10% of my revenues were derived from walk in business, I''d either make it the red haired step child or simply shut it down. As much as I liked this guy, I might do better to work with a company that focuses on the type of customer that I am.

Cargui