6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Excellent unit, go get one!
Date of Review: Jun 19, 2005
The Bottom Line: Go get one! I do believe that in this price class Denon has the better sound.
I have been the proud owner of 3805 for almost a year. This is one heck of a receiver. The sound quality is very good, delivering rich and real sounds. I generally do not like to fudze with the controls and crank up the base or jack up the treble. However, with most receivers you need to do this to make the output sound better. Not with this receiver; it is just about as good as it can be. This receiver sounds GOOD, take my word for it.
Feature wise, it got just about all you need (check out the Denon web site and look at the back panel pictures). I love the connection to the DVD3905 using the Denon-link; the 3805 receiver automatically selects its program to match the media you've inserted into the DVD player. This receiver can up convert from a low grade video input (such as a composite video) to a high grade output (e.g. component video). Too bad it does not have an HDMI terminal (which seems to be on its way to become the dominant standard video interface).
The unit can automatically change its parameters to match the acoustics of your specific setting. To do so, a small microphone is needed which you can get from Denon for 65 bucks. I thought it rather silly that this microphone isn't included in the package, afterall you only use it once or twice - why spend 65 bucks on it? However, the configurability of the 3805 to match your room's acoustics is great; once you're done with setting it up, pop in your favorite dvd/cd and enjoy the realistic sounds!
With a receiver this capable, a some setup time cannot be avoided I think. Though I wouldn't describe the setup as complex, I would say that the manual is downright confusing in some cases (don't get me wrong; it is not cryptic - but be prepared to experiment a bit here and there).
So is there anything bad to say about the 3805? Well, yes, it is the remote control. Though it certainly looks very pleasing and is kinda cool the first few times you work with it, this is really not a very good design at all. First of all, the thing eats batteries! It takes a set of 4 AAA batteries just about every month. You can control its power consumption somewhat by selecting the 'low display light' option but that leaves you sqinting at the display trying to figure out what/where to press. Since it has virtually no protruding buttons, you'll be looking at the unit all the time and often press the wrong area. This is compounded by the fact that many "buttons" are multi-functional. Also the unit is much to big, you need almost two hands to operate the darn thing. Lastly, it isn't very sturdy, after a couple of months some of the "buttons" don't work well and need extra pressure - very annoying.
So, all in all, great looking receiver, excellent sound, feature rich but silly/annoying remote.
