Customer Reviews

Denon AVR-3806 7.1 Channel Home Theater A/V Surround Receiver-Black

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Apparently great sound and an excellent picture have a steep price. And that price is frustration.

This is the most difficult receiver to use ever built. I'm a network engineer who loves reading operating manuals and home theater is my passion. Forget about the casual user (wife, baby sitter, etc) getting the hang of this thing. How to change an option when I'm looking right at it is a challenge. The whole interface is inconsistant. It's like each section was programmed by different engineers in different countries.

Want more examples?
The Remote: To control the reciever (the most common use) you have to click some hard button on the remote to get the soft buttons to light up. Then you have to click the "amp" soft button. But you better not click it twice because then you are in a different mode and then you have to click it three more times to cycle back to the regular amp control mode. How do you know you are in a different mode? Only by subtle differences in what buttons are enabled. Try telling your wife, "you've clicked the amp button too many times and accidently entered 'system call' mode and erased all of the programmed frequencies and macros". This is a very real possibility with this remote.

I could go on and on with the speaker binding posts being way to close together (too close for even my standard banana plugs), to the labeling of the inputs on the back, to the way you change the soundfield. This thing is user hostile.

God forbid I ever have to set this thing up again.

The fact that this thing is very difficult to figure out is very true, once set up the sound quality is really amazing. If you are getting this for HDMI switching like I did do some serious research on what it's compatible with my Comcast DVR and my MacMini will are not compatible with this thing and only sound and a flat green screen come thru. The Tweeter guys assured me that this would not be a problem as there was a hardware upgrade :( Furthermore I have been trying to reach Denon for 2 weeks by phone and email no one will respond!!!! Worst customer service I have ever experienced. I have to go in using component into the receiver to get the HDMI to work... For $5k worth of toys and a $100monthly cable bill this stuff should work the way intended!

I will echo the prior review. I can be frustrating getting it setup and that is because it has So.. many options and you have to be sure that all of the settings right on each menu.
The 1st time I set it up was just to be sure it all worked and took a long time. Then we remodled the room.
2nd time it tok me about 20 min. to get all of the setting done. Also there is a settings lock feature so that you can't earase them from the remote.

Your patience WILL be rewarded!!

I bought a refurbished Denon AVR3806 from (reseller name omitted), which is a Denon authorized reseller for their B-stock products. At the time some online retailers were selling new unit at roughly the same price as the refurbished Denon on this authorized e-tailer. I chose to buy refurbished with them just for the "peace of mind" that Denon will honor 90-day warranty. The unit arrived with a totally broken front panel, 3 buttons were missing and appeared to be pushed into the unit itself. Called the e-tailer asking for an exchange because this is not exactly a "refurbished" unit. The e-tailer refused to help but gave me a number 630-741-0300 to contact Denon. They said that they just take the boxes from Denon and ship to customers. Any problem would be with the Denon "refurbishing" process. In their words even if Denon puts bricks in the cardboard boxes they would never know and are not responsible.

I then called denon and after much holding eventually got a rep. Explained my situation. Initially the rep wanted to send me those buttons so I can fix my newly purchased receiver by myself. After I explained that the buttons and the board that they attached to were pushed into the unit, and it is way beyond my ability to repair a Denon receiver, the rep eventually agreed to take the unit in for an exchange. The next day I received a FedEx EXPRESS envelope, inside there is a call tag for sending the unit to Denon's Itasca, IL service center. The receiver was shipped and FedEx tracking indicated it was delivered to Denon on June 26.

During the past month I tried numerous times to call Denon for the status. Most of the time as soon as I dial option 2 for service, I got disconnected. Once or twice I was "lucky" to get through their first tier of auto-attendant, only to be put on hold for over an hour before I hung up.

So I spent almost a thousand dollars and now I do not even know when or whether I will get my receiver back. The AVR3806 receiver itself might be good product, but Denon customer service is the worst that I have experienced. There are many equally good audio gears on the market. For my next purchase it will definitely not be a Denon.

The sound from this AVR is by far the best i've ever had, i go to many dept stores with surround sound setup and none sound as good as this. I've had several AVR and this one is the best of all. I didn't purchase this AVR for its video capabality. I'm a firm believer of NOT SPLICING the video signal.

I was looking for something with plenty fiber optic inputs, digital coax inputs, HDMI inputs, i wanted an AVR with 120wats per channel or >, w/a very low THD% (0.05%) and what i really like about this AVR is that every channel is independently driven, this badboy weighs 38lbs. Nine different settings for subwoofer crossovers. I'm bi-amping my, i have my front LT & RT channel and my "B" channel into my nfinity Beta 50 Towers. The sound is much more powerful than when you Bi-WIRE. And, im using 12g speaker wire for my rears infinity beta20. (u hav got to hear the xplosion in I AM LEGEND, from my INFINITY Beta 20's which i also bought from right here @ AMAZON, they sound like little powered subs... they made my back wall shake!! the scene where Will smith sets off the xplosions w/the hand held control)

This AVR allows you to set Variable adjustable crossovers for all channels. I performed the automatic setup it was very good , better than what i originally had setup, but, i like to think that i improved it from that point. I kept the distances and Time delay that the system had automatically configured, but i adjusted the decibals and x-over frequencies to each channel to my liking. I have to admit , I think i did a better job than the auto setup. I had the most hardest of times trying to figure out x-rover freq, WELL what should i set the xrovers for each channel at? so check this out, this is what i came up with, look at the freq. ranges (specs) of all your speakers example my infinity 360cc, ranges from 45HZ-20KHZ so i set it @ almost midpoint @ 60, i did this for all my channels and speakers, this is provided your AVR allows for variable adjustable xrovers for all channels.

You'll see several reviews going around online about this AVR sounding thin, WELL this is the kicker here , when you perform the auto setup it will automatically increase something called the "EFFECT LEVEL" if im not mistaken i think it ranges from zero to 15, set this @ zero and max out your BASS and half your TREBLE. I guarantee it will no longer sound thin. It sounds extremely full.

Some people complained about the manual, the difficult setup, bla, bla, bla... I dont work for a PC company or anything like that, when you start the setup.. its a menu, there is a directory and that directory has its sub-directory, so you scroll, select left or right and press enter on what ever it is that you want to set.

Best thing to do is to hook-up an S video cable from this AVR S-video output to one of your TV's S video input. Simple right, and then just read the book, oh yeah another thing, a couple weeks before i bought this AVR i downloaded the manual (pdf) file and it gave me a heads up and so I wasn't overwhelmed when the day came. The manual applies very well to the reciever (but if you use the s-video cable you get a better idea) one step at a time or one section at a time. My only regret is not waiting a little longer when the Denon AVR 3808CI came out, NOW THATS THE JAM DUDES!! This reciever is shear RAW POWER, with my combination of Infinity Beta50 , 360cc, beta20's in the rears 3 of them im runing a 6.1, infinity SW12, this AVR is really expensive, well if u get it from amazon you wont pay for all of that overhead, this AVR rocks, and the setup has a lock so no one changes your setup, of all my prev AVR none had this feature. DENON builds a very strong product, it has alot of bells and whistles to play with, and i like to play with my HT, till my bonus room blows up!!

I am sold on DENON from here the only place to go is up for a better DENON!!

The Denon brand name does not have a good reputation for nothing. This unit has excellent sound. HOWEVER, I have spent the entire last week reading through the manual trying to figure out how to "setup" this receiver. The manual is EXTREMELY poorly written. The person writing the manual took it for granted that the reader is high-tech, and consequently does not give good explanation in many areas of setup. Secondly, the remote control is the absolute worst that I have ever experienced, and I have owned lots of remote controls. In short, although this unit can possibly give you good sound if you are willing to spend the next six months trying to figure out how it works, you are much better off buying another brand that is easier and simple to setup. In fact, I am seriously thinking of selling my 3806 on Ebay and replacing it with an Onkyo receiver, probably the 805.

Some of the reviews of this product are from customers who purchased it refurbished from an "e-tailer". Let's give common sense a chance folks, if you buy anything refurbished, you take your chances. There's a reason why those units were sent back. Secondly, it should be understood merchandise can be obtained for lower prices from e-tailers at the sacrafice of service. I paid a little more for mine from Tweeter, but I was able to have my questions answered because I am a steady customer. The service IS worth something. There's a reason why manufacturers distribute through retailers--for customer service! Many of these problems would either not occur or be addressed by the retailer. Perhaps they should have purchased it from Amazon, as they are one of the few web-based dealers out there that will support their products. They cannot provide the level of support that a store front can. It's just not possible based on logistics.
Granted, this receiver is complex, and the remote is a pain, but it is a trade-off for the vast number of features. There will come a day when these devices will come with a PDA-type device for configuring, but it's not here yet. When it does, you'll be able to see everything on a monitor. For now, we have to live with the 2-line display. The only issue that bothers me about the remote is the battery life, but that ultimately can be corrected. This receiver puts out a full, warm sound uncommon with many other brands. It provides a great deal of flexibility for setting crossover preferences, re-directing sound frequency and multiple surround options which actually are applicable! It also has a very strong center channel, with a great deal of range, even into the lower frequencies. If you can endure the difficulty of the interface, you will find it is worth the time invested.

Despite reading many negative reviews, I purchased this receiver for the sound quality. I had no problem setting up the unit to work with my TV, HD DVD player, PlayStation 3, or any other device. The sound quality is unbeatable, and I am thoroughly satisfied! Make no mistake, this unit is not meant for the beginner, but if you have a good working knowledge of electronics, you should have no problem setting it up and once you configure the unit, you will enjoy many years of pleasure from this high end receiver.

I`ve changed my Yamaha RXV 650 for the Denon 3806, one of the rewards after the setting up was to see my wife surprised for the crystal sound comin` out from the jbl 7.1 speakers.
Some fellows have experienced some troubles in setting up the receiver but if you have played with this kind of toys U won`t have bad times. believe me it?s superior level of extasis

These Denons are unmatched. Built in Japan and cool running without the need for noisy fans. May not be for home theater novices who seem to be complaining but Denon tech support is actually great. I called twice got knowledgeable American people and was very happy to deal with them.