I'm finally about to upgrade my receiver to a "real" surround sound receiver. I've pretty much narrowed my search down to the Denon 2802 or 3802.

My question is should I pay the extra $$$ to purchase from an Authorized retailer. I can save about $300 by purchasing from a non-authorized retailer such as buydig.com or etronics. The downside is that Denon will not honor the warranty if I purchase from a non-authorized source.

What do you think? Is the warranty worth $300 or should I trust in the quality of the Denon and go without a warranty?

Thanks for your advice!

The AVR3802 was $699 plus shipping (about $25) from 6ave, an authorized dealer. It was a phone in deal near the end of July. It might still be available. How much cheaper is buydig or etronics?

On a side note, many people claim to still have been able to use Denon service centers for warranty work eventhough they bought from unauthorized places. YMMV, though.

I just took another look at 6ave.com and it looks like they have the 3801 for $695 http://www.6ave.com/product.jsp?x=AVR3801 and the 3802 for $998 http://www.6ave.com/product.jsp?x=AVR3802 Is this what you are thinking of?

Does anyone know the difference between the two models? Looking at the Denon site it appears the 3801 has 5 watts less/channel, and does not have Pro Logic II decoding. Is there something else that I'm missing here?

Give them a call, 6ave.com..

3802 price = $699
2802 price = $525

Great price for denon receiver from authorized dealer.....
+ shipping!

Not online. Phone in deal.

I could be wrong but one of the biggest differences between the two is that the 3802 (current year model vs. last year's 3801) has Dolby Prologic II.

I just got off of the phone with 6ave.com and verified the prices that gotapex stated. They are $695 for the 3802, and $525 for the 2802. These are good "while supplies last"

Thanks for the heads up Gotapex!

Now I just need to decide if the 3802 is worth the extra $180 or if I should spend that money on better speakers.

Any opinions?

Working specifically in the service dept. of our store, I can verify that Denon WILL NOT honor anything withought a reciept from an authorized dealer. I highly suggest that you do pay the extra money, as it could save you big in the long run. Expect a minimum of $175-$200 each and every time it breaks out of warranty.

On a side note, pretty much every receiever we sold in the '01' series (AVR-1601, AVR-1801) etc has come back dead. The power supplies or something blow on them. Out of warranty, the receiver is basically junk. Just another reason why I hate Denon products, aside from everyone and their mother selling below cost online, they have loads of problems. Just my 2 cents.

I have a 2800 and I couldn't be happier. I have never had a problem with it.

My advise is buy what you can afford. 3802 @ $699 =