Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Do I need a new receiver?

Thanks for the suggestions! Is the 55 w/channel an issue with the HK 335?

Looks like the Denon 985S fits most of the requirements for a decent price..

>http://www.vanns.com/shop/servlet/item/features/538899996

Does anyone own either of these? I also noticed the Denon 2805 is popular..

The Denon 985 and the 2805 are exactly the same unit, just tagged different. On average you can find the 985 to be $100.00 less than the 2805.
Go figure.
I own a 985 and have been mostly happy with it.
If I were buying a new AVR I would look at the HK 635.
The 55 w/channel on the HK335 in reality is more like 65-75w/channel' and shouldnt be an issue at reasonable db levels.

HK tends to underrate their specs.

Okay.. when I look at the 985S..
http://usa.denon.com/ProductDetails/473.asp

Does this mean it doesn't support DTS 5.1 surround.. or any of the other stuff?

THX Post-Processing – DPL (4.0), DPL2 Cinema, DD/DTS (5.1), ES Discrete (6.1), ES Matrix, Neo:6 Cinema –

This would be important.. wouldn't it? Do I need to wait for a deal on the Denon 3805? Or Denon 3806?

It does support DD and DTS and has all the other "stuff' you will want or need.

I noticed the Denon 3805 is on the way out and several places have it for around $700. Is it worth the extra $150? I don't know enough about how to read the Denon product sheets.

Two good suggestions by Bray. I can vouch for the HK 635. It is a very solid receiver. Great power for a receiver under $1000. You can usually find it from J&R World or Onecall (both authorized dealers) for $650-750. Even cheaper if you buy refurbished through harmanaudio.

I read the difference between the 985 and 2805 is that one is the commercial line and one is the consumer line.

Would it be worth it to buy a Denon 3805 (last years model) for about $680? (The $2805 was going for $550)

I still need to research the HK receivers. I just happened to know several Denon owners.

For those wanting to research the HK 635, I found this review quite helpful.

http://reviews.cnet.com/Harman_Kardon_AVR_635/4505-6466_7-31249751-2.html?tag=top

I had the same dilemma about 10 months ago deciding whether to go for the 2805 vs 3805. After some pms to the helpful Axiom members (bray, sirquack and MarkJohnson) I chose the 2805. I think it was Randy who mentioned the extra 20wpc only equates to 1 extra db per 7 channels. Also, I really hated the fact that the more expensive 3805 did NOT come with the Denon auto-calibration mic whereas the 2805 did. The mic costs about $60.
You don't have to get the mic but I wasn't that knowledgeable on how to calibrate speakers/eq.

For receivers in this price range you should really focus on what features you want. I found that the extra minimal features of the 3805 wasn't worth the premium plus extra $60 I had to shell out for the mic.

In hindsight, like other Denon owners, would probably now go for the HK 635 since they have extra features like crossover settings for each channel. But if you're deciding between an 2805, 3805, or HK 635 you really can't go wrong. They are all excellent receivers for their price and it should come down to what features you really want.

Have you seen the Denon spec sheet pdf comparing all their models side by side? The 3805 has 20 extra wpc, some higher end DACs, an extra zone, and a better remote. There might be other features but I think those are the major ones.

Sounds like I need to spend about $700.

I could get the Harmon Kardon 635 or the Denon 3805.

Doesn't the Denon have the ability to change the crossover frequencies as well?

Both of these got good reviews at cnet, but the denon 3805 scored higher.

Are there owners of either that would stand by their choice? Sounds like a Denon person is longing for the greener grass of the HK 635. Any HK 635 owners wishing they had a Denon?