Denon 3805 or Arcam AVR300?

[sploo]

Hi all,

I posted a message on the Arcam owners forum asking for advice on the suitablity of Arcam's AVR250 or 300, or something like Denon's 3805.

To get a balanced set of responses, could any Denon 3805 owners tell me why they went for that receiver?

Did you prefer the sound, features, was it a cost issue (the Arcam stuff really isn't cheap), or was there something else you liked about it?

Many thanks,

Sploo.

[Mr Grumpy]

I went for my Denon 3805 for a variety of reasons really. I had shortlisted it and got to audition it (though not the Arcam) with the speakers I was also interested in and I was suitably impressed. It also helps that a good friend gets a good discount on the Denon kit and how could I not mention that it has IMHO by far the best remote of any comparable receiver. As I use it mainly for movies (and only the odd cd session) any slight difference over the Arcam in stereo mode really is not an issue and certainly not given the extra cost of the Arcam. The auto setup is pretty decent too from my own experience - though of course there will always be room for tweaking using a sound meter and such like.

[Timmy C]

I've not heard either but having owned both Arcam and Denon kit I can assure you the Arcam will hold it's value a LOT better than the Denon which is a bonus at upgrade time!

[sploo]

Thanks for the info.

I went to check out a couple of local retailers (for stock and listening facilities), so hopefully I'll be able to take my speakers and have a good listen to some receivers over the next couple of weeks.

Cheers,

Sploo.

[john R1]

i also went for the 3805 simply because of its value for money compared against the arcam, and as for resale values i use an arcam dv-89 which i am very happy with, but the dv-88 i sold to buy it cost £1000 struggled to get £300 for it when i sold it, it was 2 years old

[john R1]

ps forgot to say yes i also like the 3805s remote shame you cant see it in the daylight ?

[Wild Rumpus]

I actually demmed the 3805 against the AVR300. To my surprise, both myself and my wife preferred the sound of the Denon - even in stereo. While the Arcam was more detailed it sounded somewhat "constipated" in the lower frequencies and we both felt that the Denon timed better.(coming from a Naim 2-channel setup timing has always been a priority). This result may be a function of the Denon working better with my speaker setup (Linn Ninkas, AV5120 and Uniks), but I would have expected the Arcam to work better with these 4ohm loads. While the Arcam looks better it is considerably more expensive this the decision to buy the Denon was a no-brainer.

[Mr Grumpy]

I'd be willing to bet than in percentage terms there would be next to no difference in the resale value whichever make you went for - second hand stuff is rarely worth anything like what you paid for it sadly.

I also found that the 3805's remote is almost impossible to read in direct sunlight, luckily I live in Scotland so it is rarely a problem

[john R1]

wild rumpus i also used to run a naim stereo set-up, which cost about 7 times more than the 3805 and yes it was better but not that much so i feel the 3805 is realy excellant value for money and my wife says she cant notice much differance between both set-ups ?

[Wild Rumpus]

Well, I can notice the difference (and so can my wife), but I reckon that the Denon gets most of the fundamental things about music replay right. I can certainly enjoy listening to music on it. I just couldn't justify the clutter when I seem to be spending loads more time watching films than listening to CDs - I have tidied up my living room moving from 8 boxes to two and improved both the sound and the pictures on DVD.

[Cwhelan]

SPLOO,

Another factor is what DVD you are hooking upto?? I had already decided on the Denon 3910 & therefore it was a complete no brainer!

I also agree the Denon's music capability is vastly improved on earlier models. Our frst amp was a Denon AVC3020 (which I still have in one of the bedrooms) I then moved onto a HK AVI 250 (in another room) & now the AVR3805 & the difference is amazing. I have had all three setup through the same speakers & it's quite remarkable.

Just shows that technology is constantly improving.

Conor.

[shodan]

I went for the 3805 for the looks and the features on it plus I'd read lots of glowing reviews and people's opinions on these forums and everybody seemed to love it. I have not been disapointed!!! I love everything about it and can't think of a single negative point that I have come across. In fact although I've had it for about 6 months now, If I was still looking for an amp, I wouldn't mind getting one of these again. Fantastic bit of kit!

[Flimber]

Originally Posted by Timmy C

I've not heard either but having owned both Arcam and Denon kit I can assure you the Arcam will hold it's value a LOT better than the Denon which is a bonus at upgrade time!

A "LOT" better ? Are you quite sure ?

Mike.

[Roguey]

isnt the avr300 like £300 more or something? I added an poweramp (about £400 - more or less the differents between the AVR300 and 3805) to my 3805 and get the best of both worlds (good music and movie performance). No reciever ive seen as outperformed an poweramp specially in music, however this is something you could add later on if you want top music performace. If you only use for movies then the 3805 is good on its own and doesnt need/want an poweramp. To me the AVR300 was just over priced.

[john R1]

paid £780 for my 3805 so that makes the avr 300 £520 more no i dont think its worth the extra