Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Denon AVR3802 in stereo mode

Hi,

I am in a process of upgrading my system from the stereo to 5.1 surround.
M60Ti front speakers are the cornerstone of the setup and I was very happy with them driven by Denon DRA-685 2x100W stereo receiver.
Now, I bought AVR1082 (same as 3802).
They claim 7x110W with 0.05% THD (same as DRA-685).
The only thing I can tell after listening music for a couple of days is that it is much brighter at low volumes and becomes harsher and even distorted as the volume goes up (comparing DRA-685 which delivered clean sound regardless the volume).
I am so dissappointed that I want to keep my old DRA-685 just for the music or even permanently drive my front through them.
Have anyone experienced same setbacks while "upgrading" from stereo to surround?

Regards,
VR

I auditioned the 3802, and was really disappointed with its performance on music...so much so that I couldn't justify buying it even though it rocks in surround sound.

Any reputable dealer will let you return the Denon for a refund, with at most a 10% restocking fee.

For the same money (or less), I would check out receivers by Outlaw or Arcam...they'll far outshine the 3802 with music.

Try out the Rotel recievers. Or find a cheaper surround processor like Outlaws and pair em up with Outlaw monoblocks or IRD monoblocks.

VR, assuming that you've double-checked your connections and settings for an error, the only reasonable possibility is that the unit you got is defective. The 3802 is an excellent receiver and wouldn't display the harshness and distortion which you've described(nor would any competently engineered receiver at those listening levels). Again, assuming that you've double-checked your setup, return your 3802 for another sample. There's no technical reason why it shouldn't perform at least as well as your 685.

Hi,

I set up several experiments last night in order to determine performance differences between the DRA-685 and the AVR1082 in stereo music reproduction.
The bottom line is if it was not me switching the cables I would have hard time noticing a difference.
There were two main causes for confusion.
First, I used to listen to DRA-685 upstairs in the large living room with very high ceiling and numerous openings to other areas.
And secondly, the loudness function gave DRA-685 some wormth and better ablance that was lacking in the AVR1082.
My home theater room in the basement is much smaller and the ceiling is only 8', so on high volumes the sound becomes somewhat boomy and distorted.
I have tried DRA-685 fed by the CD player directly, then connected the AVR1082 preouts to the DRA-685 main inputs (bypassing its own volume and tone controls, as well as input multiplexers), and finally the AVR1082 fed directly by the digital output of the CD.
As I mentioned earlier in the blind test I would not tell the difference.
I think it is still still better practice to drive the fronts through the DRA-685 for two other reasons.
This would offload the AVR-1082 and certainly provide better separation between the channels in the multiroom configuration.

Thanks for the replies.
VR

Ah... Yet another testimonial for the importance of the room, a forgotten component!

Cheers!