I just ordered a reconditioned denon avr 1083 from ecost. I'm a little nervous about ordering a reconditioned product. Could this have been a bad idea?

Most of us who have gone the refurb route haven't had any problems at all. There are exceptions. The consensus is that you are no more likely to get a lemon than if you bought new. Perhaps even less likely, because any problems the unit may have had have (theoretically) been addressed and corrected. It IS a gamble, but the odds are pretty much in your favor.

Good for you Bruce! To echo Jack's comments, the experience with ecost has been good overall and I've seen the same in other forums. Also, the units are refurb because a problem manifested itself and was fixed, hence the "possibly better than new" comment, since the unit should now have all of the bugs worked out.

Once in a while you read about something missing from the box. My neighbor just got a refurb 884/1804 that came without a remote or manual. An email to Denon fixed that issue. The prices associated with these things offset the occasional annoyance. You will love the thing once you get it all hooked up.

A hint for you. The unit uses an on screen display (OSD) that puts the setup menu on your TV so you can access your settings. You will need to attach it to the TV using an S-Video cable to allow you to see the OSD.

Finally, the unit comes from ecost with a 90 day Denon warranty. You might consider calling ecost and getting an extended warranty for a year or two. Not very expensive.

Let us know how you make out. If you run into problems setting up, I'd be glad to help. Also - do you have the MX-700 remote? If so, there are some neat things you can do with it.

Thanks, Ray. Your one righteous dude!

[EgoInflationON] He really IS one righteous dude, isn't he? [/EgoInflationOFF]

you wanna know about a bad typo?

Here in Taipei these people got married and ordered pictures with English writing on them (as many people here do). The one on display said:

"I well always love you forever"

great to have a typo on your main wedding pic, huh?

Ah, pshaw!! Now I'm embarrassed. It's really not my doing - I've got Jack's entire video series on "Forum Stuff" and study it intensely.

As an aside, what ARE you smoking out there ravi?

Well, I woke up from my nap today, and sitting by the tree is slightly battered box which is labeled Denon AVR-1083. I wonder if this could be the second receiver I ordered from ecost.LOL My first question is should I open the box? OK, I'll open it--here goes. I had to turn the light on first, so I could see better, with my trifocals and all. I never know which lense I'm looking through sometimes. Ok, I have the light on and I will now proceed. I have found the remote, model #RC 921. It's kind of large for a receiver's remote. It has lots of buttons. I have it out of the box and it is definitely more solidly built than my Yammie. I would characterize it as being hefty vs the Yammie as being a glad bag. The receiver itself looks brand new. I can tell the box was resealed, it had some cracked styrofoam. I have plugged it and powered it up just to see it stays on. So far, so good. I will report back when all is set up.

Guys and gals,

I think my search is finally over. The 1083 is a rock solid receiver. With a little help from Ray, and some extensive manual decipherment along with some tweeking I have found what I have been looking for. This definitely is an upgrade over my Yamaha 5280, although I think the Yammie was a fine receiver in its day, but she is a little long in the tooth. I hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas. I know I did.

I've had the 1083 for a couple of months now, and I have only one complaint about it. For lack of a better phrase, I'll call it volume limiting. When the wife is away, and I am alone I like to crank it a bit, but, I have found that there is a limit to this activity and it kind of irritates me. I emailed Denon about this and was informed that it keeps one from damaging one's speakers. Who's brainy idea was this? What if I want to damage my speakers, if that is even possible? I've never damaged a speaker in my life and I have been listening to recorded music for quite some time. Maybe Ray or Ajax know of a way to disable this function??

Not me, I got an Onkyo.

Excuzem waaa.

Sorry Bruce - you apparently like to listen well beyond my tolerance level. I've never cranked it to the point where I needed more, therefore I've never looked into trying to get more out of it.

Maybe someone can offer an opinion on how to get more out of it, possible separate amps

Ray

It's not really a problem, Ray. It just irks me a little. Sometimes, when no one is around I would just like to up it a little more. Call it a flashback from my youth, when the sky was the limit. I know many manufacturers are doing this now, I just think it's a bad idea. That's the only real issue I have with the receiver. It is a fine machine.

Bruce, the response you got from Denon is a little puzzling. There doesn't appear to be a volume limiting circuit or control on the 3803/1083. The only thing that seems to be even remotely close is the Dynamic Range Compression control to hold down loud moments on movies(some term it a "midnight" mode), if it's unintentionally turned on.

Bruce,
I don't know anything about Denon recievers, but it seems to me that for a reciever in that class there would be independent volume trim levels for the various inputs. (this one is going to get tossed right back to Ray, right?)
Have you checked those to see if whatever input you are using has somehow had it's trim level set lower than others?
Just a thought.

I might be missing something here, but when I get to around -5 on my 3803, small blood vessels in my eyes begin to explode. I'm not even sure what the thing goes to in the upper range (+10 or so?)

Every receiver has a top stop. That point where you just can't turn it up any higher. If that is the issue, then there really isn't much than can be done.

If the issue is that you can get to +10 and the unit is only mildly loud, then I agree with JohnK, there is a setting issue you might want to look at. I'd suggest you get into the manual in some detail and see what it might tell you.

I'm pretty sure this is a dumb question, but it wouldn't be the first time I asked one. I will preface the question by stating that my wonderful spousal unit purchased me a new audio rack for my birthday, and yes, today is my birthday. After I got this bruiser together, I thought to myself that if I disconnect the Denon from the power source to move it to its new home I'm going to lose all the speaker settings and I'll have to set it up all over again or will it remember it recent settings.

i think they will remember the settings. i mean, that would be the same as having a power outage, and i have had several of those with fall thunder storms, and my onkyo settings are still dead on. i would think the denon would do the same?

anyone....bueller?

bigjohn

If you do it quickly...don't let it sit for a couple of days...as it may drain whatever reserve it is using to keep that data intact...

A couple of hours shouldn't have you losing it...

Move it from its old home to its new home and rehook it back up and then plug it back in...Or if you are not going to be able to hook it back up immediately (GADS, the thought ), at least plug the receiver back into the wall until you can.

WhatFurrer

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLEB!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

*ahem*

Bren R.

What a voice! What a voice! Pavarotti, your days are numbered!

Have a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Bruce.

Thanks, Bren.

Happy B-Day Bruce! Not as exciting a message as Bren's, but heartfelt nonetheless. I don't think your issue will be the settings, it will likely be trying to remember where to "replug" stuff.

Might be worthwhile to take a picture of the back of the thing before denuding it.

Thanks, Ray. I'm all done with the transfer. The masking tape came in handy for labeling.

Happy birthday, Bruce!

i'm a little late to the party, but the sentiment is still the same....happy birthday Bruce! Hope you had a great one!

Thank you all. You guys made my day.