Customer Reviews

Denon AVR-888 7.1-Channel/5.1+2-Channel Independent Zone Home Theater Receiver with HDMI I/O and Serial I/R Control (Black)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I bought the Denon AVR-888 when I realized that the Sony STR-DG820 wouldn't meet my home theater needs (the Sony does not support HDMI to DVI conversion). Compared with the Sony I have to agree with other reviewers: the operations guide and remote are unnecessarilly complex. Compared to the Sony remote the Denon is just a laugh and something they should be embarassed shipping with a product in this price range.

All that said, the sounds and picture quality from the Denon are amazing. The unit will convert most inputs to HDMI so there is one cable from the receiver to the TV. This is a great feature that simplifies the tangle of cables. The automated sound optimization for the surround speakers works great and it is worth going through the six sound station checks. Again, funky controls can make this a hassle, you really need to look at the direction of arrow buttons to get through the process. I don't know who at Denon thought that the backward arrow was a good use for "next" but it is used often in configuring the system.

The system also defaults to coax input for sound instead of HDMI so I had to go to the HDMI settings and make the proper selection.

One other drawback is that there are only 2 HDMI inputs, which was frustrating given that the Sony had 4 inputs. To connect my PS3, DVD, and TiVo I ended up buying the OPPO 3 to 1 HDMI switch. The OPPO unit works great, auto-switching between the PS3 and DVD based on port (the low number ports take priority over the high number ports). This makes it easy for the family to use.

Lastly, the remote ... it really is poor, it does not provide the ability to easily switch between all inputs; instead, for some of the inputs you have to turn the remote over, open a flip panel and select the input. To solve this issue I bought a Logitech Harmony 1000 that controls the Denon, TV, TiVo and DVD and makes using the system very easy for everyone.

Seems like this could be a kick a@@ system, but I have been having a problem since we brought this home - surround sound cuts out randomly - have tried switching from analog to Digital Coax this did not fix the problem - receiver says H/P on when it cuts out and H/P off when it goes back on....

I have called Denon cust svc 3 times with an average wait time of 1 hour and 20 minutes each time (I am currently on hold @ 56 minutes with 4 calls ahead of me.... Q started @ 14 calls ahead

This sucks

I love this receiver and give it a 5star because right now it's very cheap to get ahold of. Less than $400 is a bargain. Do the research on this and compare to others at the same price and you'll agree. Some reviews say it's difficult to setup and for an hour i agreed. After figuring out that i couldn't use an analog signal for audio with the digital video and plugging in optical rather than the white/red cables that come with component this thing sparkled. It replaced an older Kenwood that I paid about $500 for several years back and the sound difference was amazing. Everything is so clear and the darn thing is smart. After going through the auto setup the receiver knew exactly where and when to play certain noises. It's so easy too once you get the hang of it. I recommend using component to perform setup because it gives the full menu on your TV screen...other wise you have to guess on it's little display to move up or down, which isn't obvious. The menu is a little vague but people who have played with these things will catch on quick. The remote is a little wierd but works fine if you look at the directions. This previous year model doesn't come with the new hd converters but most newer hd equipment have their own. Comparing to the Onkyo versions such as the new 606, this has great video quality. Colors come out great. Plug everything in correctly, and it's labeled pretty clearly, run the auto setup, and sit back and enjoy. The easiest way is to use HDMI and then you don't run into my digital/analog problem but if you use component cables, remember to use an optical cable or coax for audio. This lets you assign any input to any device....that's great if you ask me. Doing this you don't have to worry about which port you plug into, just change it however you want. There's plenty of inputs for everything

My old Yamaha receiver finally died on me and I needed a replacement. I wanted something that I could grow into and the Denon AVR-888 seemed to fit my criteria. First of all, it is one of the only home theater receivers with a phono input (which may not matter to most people).
The setup only took about 15 minutes and the sound is incredible. The manual is pretty poor, but with a little bit of patience, it can be figured out.
My home theater consists of the following:
Denon AVR-888 Receiver
Hitachi 51G500 Rear projection TV
Mitsubishi HD1000 Projector with 106" pull-down screen
Panasonic DVD player (cheap)
Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR
Vista Media Center PC
Hauppauge HD PVR
Technics Turntable (from 1982)
Wii
Speakers: Front and center are small Yamaha speakers that came with my last receiver. Surround speakers are Proficient Audio 6" in-wall speakers.
All video signals are running through a component video switch and into the Denon (except for the pc which uses DVI direct to the tv or HDMI to the projector). The picture is crisp with no degradation.
The sound from this unit is nothing short of amazing. I can't wait until I wire up my rear surround speakers for 7.1 surround.
If you're in need of a high quality, low cost receiver, buy the Denon AVR-888. You won't be disappointed.

When you go to the cinema, a lot of the experience is about sound and how it reaches you.

I had previously purchased a Harman Kardon AVR-146 and never cried a tear over sad music or movies.

I just recently purchased the Denon AVR-888 and I can say the difference is HUGE. All the frequencies are better controled, and while I only tried it in stereo so far, it really drives the speakers to the extreme but WILL NOT EXAGERATE THE SOUND like some other amps try to do in stereo.

It sends what information should be sent to stereo speakers, not making the whole thing indistinctable. AWESOME.

I had my first emotion listening to my Klipsch speakers tonight :p

Between, yes the remote is not the best but THE WHOLE THING WAS REALLY EASY TO SETUP WITHOUT THE MANUAL - I don't know about those who have a hard time, but if it's not your first amp it's really a charm.

Michael

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 one of our iPods through the receiver (the 2nd generation (before click wheels were used), 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 AVR 888 and its kissing cousin 2803CI, 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.

Best Receiver in terms of price verses quality available today. Outperforms all Onkyo and Yamaha Receivers I have owned and fairly easy to set up, make all connections and follow the Onscreen setup menu, get to the manual for tweeking later. Gobs of power and sound quality is superb in terms of neutrality and seperation. Amazon price is unbeatable and great customer service as well!

After several years of using older but high quality stereo separates for music, my spouse finally got tired of the lack of convenience, i.e., no remote controls for all components, and lack of integration with video sources. She was ready to buy a cheapo home theatre package from Sears, but I said no way ... we buy higher quality, do it once, do it right.

My CD source is an older Denon DCD-1290 CD player that is a great player from the early 90s. It is built like a tank and still going strong. Knowing the quality of most Denon products, I thought of Denon when researching AV receivers. The model I had originally considered was superseded by the AVR-888, with the latter being a bit cheaper anyway.

But it is not cheap construction. I tend to buy serious electronics "by the pound", i.e., the heavier the better. Weight usually means larger transformers, better shielding and better longevity. This approach has never let me down.

Like the other reviewers, the remote is not really a serious piece of kit. It is useful for turning the receiver on and off, selecting between sources, and set-up. If you are lucky, you can have minimal control of a non-Denon source component that happens to be in the code list. But even then, as has been stated, the remote's two-sided layout (obviously a design to keep the remote small and sleek,) makes it clunky to use. I have an older One-for-All unified remote, and I will be sending it off to be updated with the codes for all my components, including the AVR-888.

As for the manual, I don't find it as bad as some others. It isn't the best I have seen, but some of the reviews here make it appear to be next to useless. The key with this manual is to read CAREFULLY. I think lots of people want to rush through setup and think a manual should make up for a hurried, sloppy approach. (Think about it: you purchase such a piece of equipment partially on its flexibility and options; getting everything "right" isn't going to be simple!)

That said, I did have some difficulty getting a cable box to pass audio using DVI and digital audio, even though my Bell TV receiver connected fine on the first attempt with the same types of connections. For this I called Denon support and they were able to help me. (The AVR-888 processor had gotten a bit "confused" and needed to be re-set.)

The only major drawback with this unit is that you cannot record onto a DVD recorder unless the DVD recorder unit uses the same type of video cable that the AVR-888 uses to feed your TV/monitor. If you have an older DVD recorder that does not use, say, HDMI (or HDMI to DVI, in my case), then you have to find another way to pass signal directly to the recorder, or upgrade your recorder. For now I took the first approach, but in the future I will upgrade the DVD recorder.

So far both the video and audio performance have been outstanding, which I expected from Denon, so it's not really a surprise. I am only using two speakers, so can't comment on the surround sound modes, but surround is not that important to me. What is important is audio quality, and at this price point, the Denon is more than adequate.

I expect this unit to last a long time and can highly recommend it. I knocked it one star for the issues of recording setup and the remote. The purchase experience with Amazon was perfect, including Super Saver delivery that was much quicker than I expected.

EDIT/UPDATE: Several months in, I enjoy this receiver even more. Why? Well, my speakers are old. They are Ängstrom 202 bookshelf speakers. They were made in the early 90s (or maybe before!), and the company is completely different today. I finally got around replacing the foam surrounds on the mid/woofers, as the surrounds had rotted. Now the sound is even better! Does that make the AVR-888 better? No. Did it make the sound reproduction better and give me a better appreciation of this unit's capabilities? You bet! Even though these little speakers have "only" 6-1/2 drivers for the mid/bass, they are a ported design and what bass is there is clean and accurate. The Denon doesn't do anything to mess that up.

This is one incredible sounding receiver. I have owned Onkyo and Marantz (AVR-6200), both of which I highly valued. The Marantz was used with my Mirage Omni speakers, which is still utilized on the Denon. However, nothing has the dynamics and punch that this receiver is capable of.
The overall sound quality, in my opinion, is very flat, very dynamic. It sounds great at all volumes, something that my Onkyo and Marantz receivers could not match. I rate the highs as a tiny bit bright, but very acceptable. The mids are sweet, especially with acoustic instruments and vocals. The bass is very good as well. I love the quality of movies and music equally.
The HDMI upconversion is great as well. Unfortunately, I have an older Sony Tube HD TV which squishes any HDMI signal so the image is smaller. So, I use the component video switching abilities. I would say that is the only detriment to this receiver. It is not any where near as clear as the HDMI. But it is acceptable. There is a little flicker on some of my DirecTV channels, but the colors and resolution are great.
Some people have complained about setting this receiver up. I found it very easy to use. It has a lot of menus and options, which makes this receiver very customizable. It even has a 9-band EQ for all channels on all sources, which is awesome!!! I did not use autoEQ yet, but I think that me using the manual setup did the job right!

Pros:
* Quality of sound over all frequencies. Tight bass, sweet mids and crystal clear treble.
* Great video switching. Upconverts to 1080p with ease!
* Quality build, dual power transformers, top notch electronic components.
* Looks good too!
* Runs really cool even at loud levels.

Cons:
* Remote is lackluster. No learning abilities. But the IR sensor on the unit itself is very sensitive, making placement easier.
* Slight flicker using component switching upconversion. Not an issue with HDMI.

Overall, I rate this receiver as an incredible deal. Highly recommended.
Plus, Denon is known for their quality. My Marantz, which used to be great, died in only 4 years. My previous Onkyo is still working 10 years later at my friends house. My cousin and uncles all have various Denons, from 30 years old, to the newer generation, all work, all beloved!!!

I've researched AVRs for months. Started with Onkyo, looked at Yamaha and Denon. Finally decided on the 2309/889 because of it's features and acknowledged Denon superiority in stereo sound and was waiting for reviews. Then I saw the 888 for $350 and did some more research. Discovered that the fancy new DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD wouldn't work with my PS3 as it doesn't bitstream that format. But, more importantly, it DOESN'T MATTER and it's better not to do it that way. The PS3 can decode all the current formats into LPCM which it sends to the AVR for the digital to analog conversion. It's better that way because of sound mixing on certain BD titles that can only be done by the player anyway. So these new formats are just selling points for a new amp that are essentially useless. The 888 has all channels rated at .05%THD as opposed to .08% on the 2309/889. Why it's worse in a new model I can't figure out. Cheaper components? The 888 doesn't have a 12v trigger nor RS232 so you can't hit a button and have the shades lower and light go out. But if you had those systems you've be looking at a much better amp to begin with. Both have Audyssey Mult EQ. It boiled down to is their Dynamic Volume function worth $400?? I didn't think so. I bought the 888 and am thrilled to get it at such a good price and still have the warranty as I bought it from Amazon which is an authorized Denon retailer. (see Denon's site about this.) If you need more power or pre-out I just saw the 988 on Amazon for $540. WOW!
ps- yea, the manual sucks (no explanations) and the GUI could be better. Much much better.
pps- if you want you can bi-amp your speakers if they are capable. Make sure you hook them up properly using the Front A or B + the Surround/Assignable wire posts and select it in the setup.