Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing sound and build quality + features=great receiver!!!, October 29, 2007
I've owned a few receivers in the past (mostly Sony ES models), but none of them compare to this one. Denon specializes in audio, and it shows! Don't get me wrong, I love and own alot of Sony's products (two TVs, PS3, Vaio computer, DVD player, etc.), but after picking up this Denon and pairing it with a Polk speaker/sub setup, I've never been happier, and the upgrade from the Sony ES it replaced is substantial in many ways.
Denon AVR-2808ci Pros:
-Sound quality is absolutely incredible! Even compressed music from iPod is great ("Restorer" feature really helps!). Highs, mids and lows are all accurately reproduced, and there are tons of custom EQ options!
-Audyssey Auto-Calibration is accurate and thorough.
-Includes decoding of all current and future sound-fields (DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD, as well as Uncompressed PCM and everything else you can imagine, all via HDMI version 1.3a)!
-Display is large and includes alot of necessary info-this thing tells you what it's doing.
-Solid build quality and nice looking!
-Connectivity options (HDMI, toslink, digital coax, component video, s-video, etc.)
-Video upconversion via HDMI using built-in Faroudja DCDi processor, or just passthrough and use as a convenient HDMI switcher (assignable inputs).
-Excellent sound processors, both for movies and music, complement a solid, beefy amplifier.
-Customizable as all heck: 4-stage dimmer, "Quick Select" feature for three sources, learning lcd remote, volume level options, mute level options, default settings per-source, massive amount of EQ/channel level/crossover settings, and more!
-Main remote works great, learns and controls just about all of your gear.
This receiver is truly great for anybody who is serious about their Home Audio/Home Theater. The only drawbacks are that it is very complex, which is fine except that Denon doesn't make it any simpler to understand in the manual. It definitely takes some time to set this thing up and learn its interface. The Sony's I've owned in the past were far more user-friendly from the initial set-up/calibration onward. However, they never delivered results that were even close to this unit, and once you learn it, it does make sense and is relatively user-friendly after setup.
Cons:
-Complex manual and interface takes time to learn.
-On Screen Menu lags a little and blacks out picture rather than a nice overlay. Also, it's not the better looking, more user friendly GUI that more expensive models have (as well as all Sony's).
-Smaller secondary remote only works for other Zones (not a big deal really, but still...)
-Main remote takes forever to program/set up for universal usage. complicated.
-Only two HDMI inputs (could've used at least one more at this price range).
-No HD radio or Sirius support (does have XM).
Overall, minor gripes aside (nothing's ever perfect), I'm incredibly pleased and excited to own this unit and have it as the central hub to my Home Theater. I have Blu-ray now (PS3) and the advantages and options both now and in the future are vast. I'm confident that the Denon AVR-2808ci will allow me to take full advantage of that and other things for years to come. Mostly, though, it just cranks out amazingly good audio from any source, and that is ultimately what receivers are for. Highly recommended!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Receiver, April 7, 2008
I love this thing.
The set up is not for the faint of heart if you are using it to it's potential.
You need a remote that is better than the one that comes with the unit if you want to use it for anything other than source switching and volume control. The remote that comes with the unit is not that freindly, the "screen" is crammed and working to hidden menus is a pain. There are 7 or eight devices on the screen. then hidden behind a device is another device. As an example; to play xm and use the Denon to conrol it you push the tuner button twice to get to the menu. At no time on the screen does it tell you that you are now controlling xm. You just have to know that the second push of the tuner button now controls xm.
Depending on your skill level and craziness (according to my wife) go with a logitech harmony (easy set up) or a Universal Remote (thats the brand)which range from user friendly to your wife screaming because you are spending so much time programming it.
I want to comment on the review about it only having two HDMI inputs.
What on earth would you need more than two for?
You need HDMI for 1080P, that means 1 Blu Ray (Side Note I have the Samsung BDP-1400, great picture but should have bought the sony), One up converting DVD player (The Denon 1940ci kicks) I have two HR-20 HD receivers from Direct TV hooked up to the component video. For those of you who don't know, broadcast TV in HD has a max resolution of 1080i which is the maximum capability of component video.
Use the correct wire for the correct component and this receiver will take care of you. Great sound, great upconverting to 1080p, multizone speaker control, Ipod dock control, whatever you want, fab.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great product but manual and setup is perplexing, January 14, 2008
This is my third Denon A/V receiver. My first was purchased in 1989 (and still works) and the one I replaced with the 2808CI was 3200AVR that I purchased in 1997. That unit always performed flawlessly and was one of the first generation 5.1 receivers. My satisfaction with Denon continues with this unit but of the three units, the manual is for the most part poorly written. I am not an expert audiophile. I get into setting up and tweaking my system but after awhile I just want to turn it on and enjoy. I did get my new system (which included a new Toshiba Hd-DVD and LCD HDTV) up and working in one night but it's been more trial and error trying to naviagate and figure out the settings on the receiver. I've come a long way in two weeks getting the system performance to where I like it and it is awesome. The next challenge will be consolidating the remotes. Need a break (I'll use three remotes for now) until I take on that challenge. This would have been a 5 star review if the manual was better executed.
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