Customer Rating:  
Summary: Receiver could have been a great unit
Comment: (This review was written about the nearly identical AVR 888.)
Reviews on other sites lauded the build quality and quality of the power this unit puts out but warned about a shoddy manual and remote control. Those comments were right on both counts, but understated how difficult it is to program this this unit due to the manual and remote, which are both POS.
My wife, a geek who maintains our networked, 1-Mac, 2-PC household (and built one of them), built her own DVR, and programmed our Harmony remote, is stumped by this equipment, able only to grasp the basic functionality. She's spent 8 hours so far searching for information to supplement the manual, which incorrectly describes many controls on the remote, which itself seems defective.
We can watch our DVDs and listen (with Belkin dock) to our iPods through the receiver, but we can't take figure out how to take advantage of the many advanced features listed in the documentation because it's so bad.
In addition, the user interface on the front of the unit is screwy. For example, the default volume display goes from -100 dB to 0 dB, with 0 being the *maximum*. If there's an alternative way to display the volume, we haven't figured it out. For another example, to play music on the ipod, you have to flip the remote over, open the back, and press a special button to switch the surround sound mode to -- get this -- "DTS Neo:6." How much more convoluted could that get?
The 2803CI and its kissing cousin, the AVR 888, could have been outstanding units, if Denon had spent a few bucks more to get the user experience right. As it stands, though, stay away from both these units.
Customer Rating:
Summary: total frustration
Comment:
I've owned Denon equipment for years and loved them but after this I will never buy another. Other reviewers can say what they want but this was the most complicated piece of equipment to hook up I've ever seen. We finally had to hire a professional to hook the machine up and now can't seem to get our new OPPO DV-981 DVD player to sync up with it. I know I'm old fashioned but what happened to bass, mid-range and treble or loudness. When you change from "Rock" arena to jazz it quits playing for a second or two, very annoying.
The only reason I give this machine ANY stars at all is that once you finally get it working it has lots of power and clear, clean, beautiful sound. Sorry Denon but this machine is not worth the effort.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Stunning sound, difficult to program!
Comment: The sound is amazing on this unit, but oh... the SETUP!! The wiring on the back isn't the bad part, it's figuring out how to program this BEAST! There is no more "spin to the left" for left channel or right for right channel, no preset buttons for AM/FM and no push button selectors for function. It's super-digitized, everything is a pull down menu with on-screen selections. Also, setting up "Zone 2" is annoying. Right out of the box, the last set of speaker plugs (7.1) are pre-set to Zone 2. Why? You have to tell it NOT to be there, and assign it. It's frustrating, but the pay-off is worth it. Stunning, powerful sound. I'd give it 5 stars, but the remote prevents me from doing that...TOUGH ONE. Also, don't think you can go HDMI in and component video out (I have a slightly older plamsa with no HDMI) It cannot be done. BUT, all the things i have trouble with on this unit, do not take away the end result: Earthshaking power and clarity. Just be prepared to call customer service and wait in the que.
Customer Rating:
Summary: love love love it
Comment: I was apprehensive about the trouble I would have setting this up since we have an earlier Denon at my father's beach house. No one can figure out how to configure the Denon in the beach house. (sorry, I don;t know the model number).
This one.... on the other hand, was quite easy to set up. This is the least expensive Denon that uses full hdmi switching including audio. Many of the receivers in the $500 range from yahama and pioneer don';t. Don't buy them. Setting up components with HDMI out (most new equipment does this) is a breeze. Setting up the audio profile was a breeze with the auto set up. I am really pleased with the sound, the flexibility etc. My 14 year old can easily use the system without getting confused .
Customer Rating:
Summary: Master and commander: excellent performer, difficult to set up
Comment: After a major house renovation, we set up a home-theatre system with built-in Parasound speakers (5.0 surround...still need to buy that subwoofer!), the Denon AVR2308ci A/V Receiver, a Sony 52KDLXBR4 LCD TV (1080p), two TiVo DVR/DVDs, VCR and a Slingbox. We did have a professional do all the wiring, and install/hook up the Denon, and I'm very glad we did.
The receiver connects to the TV through HDMI, and the TiVos connect into the receiver through component video and digital audio for the highest-quality signal possible. I will be upgrading one of the TiVos to a TiVo HD soon, and can't wait to see how the picture looks. At some point when the DVD wars settle out, I'll buy an HD DVD player too. But for now, everything works well with regular low-definition input sources.
The receiver also has a lot of other capabilities which we are not using (e.g., audio and gaming). It has more inputs than you will probably use.
It also comes with a full-functioning remote control. But if you're going to get this product, you should also plan to buy a universal remote (say, one of the Logitech Harmony's), because the remote supplied is probably one of the worst (and most complex) I've ever used.
Setup is a bit painstaking. The manual is awful -- poorly organized and explained. But if you play around with the set up on the front panel of the device, you can figure things out for yourself and get everything set up. (That being said, we had a professional installer, but I still had to change some things after he left, so I was forced to figure it out.)
Pros: The receiver performs really well. Both the sound and video are great. The upconversion functionality works well and lets you take advantage of the TV's full capabilities. Once it's set up, it works great. I can't attest to its merits as an audio receiver, as I haven't used it in that capacity, but it certainly has all the functionality you'd need.
Cons: Set up is complex (be prepared to be a bit frustrated, or hire a professional), the manual is bad, and the remote is unworkable (you'll want to invest in a universal remote right off the bat).
All in all, I would recommend this receiver for the quality of sound and picture, and the functionality it provides and the number of inputs it supports.
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