Denon 3803

FaxFan2002

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I am considering purchasing a denon 3803, mainly to cure the lip synch problem on the a plasma (panny 5)

Other bits of kit include: Harman Kardon DVD25, Bose double cube speakers, Polk centre speaker

Anyone got opinons on the 3803?

The best price I have found is £671.99 + £7.99 delivery from unbeatable.co.uk
 
I've been looking at this fella as well....and for the same reasons!

That's a pretty impressive price. Haven't found it cheaper anywhere else. Although I may see if av-sales can match it as they have given me pretty damn good afer sales service.
 
The 2803 doesn't have the Audio Delay feature to cure Lip-Sync. It's only on the 3803, A1SR and upgraded A1SE.
 
Thanks Jase. That's a shame. Have to be a 3803 then.

Boy you look rough :eek: :D
 
I got the 3803 couple of months ago and I love it, the sound is really good and I thought it was really easy to set up. Go for it:smashin:
 
I will order one tomorrow....
 
Oh yea. Just thought I'd mention. I checked with Discount TV. They are official Denon dealers. The kit they sell are UK sourced and you get a two year warrantee.
 
Went to discount TV - couldn't wait for mail order.

Had a demo (using my DVD) to check the lipsynch problem and it resolved the issue. Cost £675 for a gold 3803 - two year denon warranty.

With the AMP being 7.1, I had to get more speakers of course so picked up a pair of M7D5. Cost £130 with a five year mission warranty - plus £17.50 for 35M of IXOS super flat cable.

I asked why so cheap? Basically they are a shop that sell's cookers and stuff and just added AV. They make the same smallish margins on AV stuff as they do cookers and stuff.

The system looks and sounds great with full 7.1 and pal progressive. A few niggles but working on them.

Robin.
 
Cool. I've got to get my hands on one.

I'm trying to decide how to buy it. Don't want the mrs to find out :) We're saving for essential building work at the mo. But I've got a few quid tucked under the matress ;)

What are the niggles? Anything I should be worried about?

Jus.
 
The niggles are just what goes where and how etc. All the usual little bits that you want the way they've always been. Pretty much sorted I gonna try some movies and see what mode is the best - the denon "widescreen" mode is very good, it gives you 7.1 from 5.1 or 6.1 (don't ask how) and sounds superb, better than 6.1 native. I will write a review soon...
 
Sounds great. Don't think I'm going to be able to sneak two extra speakers into the lounge without her noticing :) They might have to come after the kitchen :(

Now to plot the arrive of an amp without her noticing...
 
I am considering one of these amps - looks exactly what I want and will nicely match the 2900 DVD player ;)
As for 7.1, excuse my ignorance, but what type of speakers are required and where would they go at the rear? And will I still be able to still use my current dipolar rears? See pics of my set-up in my sig.
 
Mr Bump - judging from your pics it looks as if it's going to be quite difficult to place two centre-rears for a 7.1 setup.

Denon would recommend that you place them directly behind your seating position, aiming downwards towards your listening position slightly, and that the width between the two should be less than that of your front L/R speakers.

But judging from your picture the 'node' behind your seating position may cause a few problems for this, as the speakers would be completely different distances from your ears.

For this reason I'd suggest that you only use a 6.1 setup to avoid any acoustic oddities, placing the one centre-rear to the left of the shelving unit near the doors (left when you're facing it from the sofa).

I'd also suggest that you use the same speaker as you're using for Surrounds for this.

Some people may recommend that you just purchase two stands for the centre-rears and still use them in a 7.1 setup. But both Dolby & Denon recommend that the centre-rear speakers are placed higher-up from your seating position (about 20cm higher) than the surround L/R speakers.
 
Thanks for the advice Dimmy. Yeah, I hadn't considered the alcove - that could be a real problem. Also, my current rears are dipolar, so another pair may well work in a 7.1 system, but in 6.1 a single speaker wouldn't be right, I would imagine, as they are designed to work in pairs...I think....
 
It would work just fine - I don't think DTS & Dolby have invested huge amounts of time and effort (and cash) into creating 6.1 material for it to sound wrong unless you're using two centre-rear speakers in your home set-up.

One Dipolar centre-rear should work well enough.
 
How much better than 5.1 is it? Is it worth the time, money (for new speaker(s), speaker cable) and hassle (running all the cable through etc) - bearing in mind I'll probably be getting the amplifier or one very similar to it anyway?
 
It's much better. Actually, make that a HUGE improvement. The ambience from the surround channels is hugely improved & adds much more depth to even 5.1 discs.

I've had to revert back to 5.1 for a while and the panning through the rear speakers just doesn't sound like when I had my setup to 6.1...

Roll on friday!
 
I have purchased one the amps and along with it two extra speakers.

I now have two speakers at SR, SL - quite high up (7ft) and the original rear (x2) 5.1 speakers at head height. I run the amp in "wide screen" mode which "fakes" a 7.1 sound track and it does sound a lot better than 5.1 or 6.1. The amp does ask for the distances between speakers and listening position and once filled in correctly seems to work great. I am sure the speakers can be positioned a let better...
 
You could try one of the new M&K floor standing rears. They are designed to sit just behind the sofa and fire upwards. They get good reviews and I certainly liked them when i tested them.

I am considering a single one to go as a centre rear for a Denon 3803 but cannot get a supplier to split a pair at the mo.

Dak
 

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