I am thinking about replacing my Sony GX-800ES Dolby Pro-Logic receiver with a Digital one... I know I should, but I am cheap and lazy. These Denons are on ebay for the following prices, which is a better value:

3200 for $260.00
3300 for $400.00
1801 for $270.00

All buy it nows and add $30.00 for shipping. Wht do you think?

First of all, the 3200 doesn't NOT support DTS, you may not want a reciever not supporting DTS nowadays..

18xx and 28xx reciever are consider to be entry level recievers in Denon products, and 3xxx and 4xxx are mid-end, 5xxx and above are highend(I guess)

the 3300 is better than 1801 in many ways, the price is close because 3300 is discontinued product and it doesn't support EX and ES which is 6.1 and 7.1 channels out)...

I would get the 3300 without a doubt, but one thing that many 3300 owners complain is the 3300 has overheat problem, I am currently own one, I did notice it gets very hot, so if you plan to place the reciever in cabinet/closed area, the reciever will very likely overheat and shut down in 30 mins, I place it in audio rack and has above 3 inchs space above the reciever and I never have overheat problem, h0pe this help


Fuzz

I agree on the 3300. I've had mine for close to 2 years now, and even though it does run warm, it's never caused a problem. Having it in an open audio rack does help, I'm sure. I've wracked up countless hours on it. Every time the TV is on, the receiver is on too, and still no trouble. Also, it has 6 channel analog inputs if you're thinking of adding a DVD-Audio player. It has outputs too, in case you ever wanted to use it as a preamp. $400 seems like a pretty good deal on it.

A lot of online merchants that are unauthorized dealers offer denon and onkyo products for substantially lower prices than authorized dealers. How wary should I be about buying these products, and if they are new in box products, should I have any problem when trying to use my warrantee with the manufacturers??? What has been your experience with buying from companies like etronics or buydig?

Any lawyers here? I have a problem with companies trying to force the consumer to be policeman about the company's self-inflicted policies. If I buy a Denon product in a Denon box with the proof of purchase label and the warranty card in the US, then I do not believe that I need to question whether or not Denon America will service it. If Denon can't take appropriate acts to insure that it's products are delivered to their intended distributers, it's not my problem. I bought Denon and Denon needs to fullfill their part of their agreement. I wonder what would happen if someone took them to court over a warranty work issue. If I end up with a Denon unit in a Japanese box with a japanese warranty card, then I can understand Denon USA not wanting to help me and direct me to Denon Japan, or if I get a box with the warranty card removed, etc, I'd go after the distributor.

I'd go with the 3200 for the money. It's a fantastic receiver even without DTS. And besides I'm from Newtown Square too.

T

Its used on ebay.. all risks are taken by me. I have yet to have a problem with any purchase from ebay... besides the seller has 15,000 plus feedback. Warrenties? there is none implied and none asssumed. I am just looking for bang for the buck and a cheap way to upgrade.

Like I said you won't go wrong with the 3200. I've had mine for three years, not one problem. Denon did it right with this series of receivers. Not to say that their gear overall is excellent.

T

I wouldn't go for the 3200, it is way too outdated. A DTS-less receiver is kinda worthless these days.

You could get a new Denon 1602 receiver that has Dolby Digital, DTS and Dolby Pro-Logic 2 for about $300 shipped!

If you are going to buy any of them go for the 3300, but then again if you have $400 to spend, why not buy a new 1802, or save a bit more and get the 6.1 channel DTS-ES compatible 2802

For what he's looking to do and at that cost the 3200 is great deal. It's far from obsolete. If he's been using Pro-Logic this long he's not gonna miss DTS.

T

Of course, if he's been using Pro-Logic this long, that probably is an indication that he keeps gear for a long time. In that case, I'd recommend that he get the most up-to-date and upgradable receiver he can afford.

I do keep my stuff for a long time, current set-up:

Receiver:Sony GX800ES
DVD: PAnasonic A-110
VHS: Mitsu U-70 S-VHS
LD: Pioneer 105
Beta: Sony SL-HF 300
Game: PS2
TV: Sony 43T70

Speakers:
Front: PAradigm 9's
Center Polk
Rear Parasound
Sub: Advent

The receiver is my weekest link. Not to sound simple, but what is DTS, gonna do for me?

The only bad thing is that the 2802, and especially the 1602, are sadly lacking in power output compared to the 3200 and 3300. I guess it comes down to how sensitive your speakers are, the size of your room, how important you feel an extra surround channel is, etc.

What's DTS going to do for you? Well - if nothing else, keep you from wondering why you didn't buy a receiver that supports DTS when you update that Panny A-110 of yours someday.

BTW - the above is the situation I find myself in - picked up a Yamaha 992 receiver about ten minutes before Yamaha started suppporting DTS in their entire line. My DVD player didn't support it either - so why would I have "needed" it? - Well now I've got two DVD players that support DTS, and no way to take advantage until I update the Yamaha.

I haven't been in here for a few days so I feel like I missed the conversation here. I currently have a Denon AVR3200 and love it.

I have listened to my friends 3802 in both Dolby Digital and DTS and the sound difference seemed pretty subtle to me. I will not be upgrading simply to get DTS.

Also - you could utilize DTS on that 3200 if your DVD player upgrade was one of the handful of players out there with built in DTS decoding. The 3200 does have 6 channel inputs on the back.

All that being said, if I were going to buy a receiver today, it would be the 3300, 3801, or 3802. Buying whichever I could afford. That way I would be covered for the future for as much as I could afford to spend.