Check out AT&T's FREE camera phones
The AVR-3805 is the first receiver we've tested that offers a choice of switching between the two sets of surround speakers (the side back channels and the rear back channels) when in 5.1 mode. It's yet another customization option that audiophiles with refined tastes will appreciate (see the Performance page for more details).
And finally, we were happy to see that Denon included a group delay of up to 200 milliseconds so that you can reestablish lip sync with video displays that lag behind audio signals.
The surround-sound capabilities of this receiver are truly awe inspiring, but we started our auditions in stereo. Roseanne Cash's 10 Song Demo CD sounded pristine, with Ms. Cash's vocals and acoustic guitar holding center stage between our Dynaudio Contour speakers. The Denon AVR-3805's lush sound mimics high-end separate components.To test the AVR-3805's surround stamina, we played Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon SACD. We felt the album's opening heartbeats before we heard them. On "Time," the clocks' ticks 'n' tocks, and various chimes and gongs filled every corner of our home theater--even the screaming lunatic's rantings were clarified by the AVR-3805's revelatory sonics.
Switching between the A side surround speakers to the B rear surrounds demonstrated the wisdom of Denon's versatility. Fact is, most of our multichannel music discs sounded better with the rear surround speakers turned on; DVD movies were better with the side surrounds in play. Of course, for those few DVDs encoded with 6.1/7.1-channel Dolby EX or DTS ES soundtracks, you can run both side and rear surround speakers. Assuming you have a room large enough to set up side and rear surround speakers, the AVR-3805 is uniquely capable of delivering the best from movies and multichannel music.
Our DVD pick, Wonderland, turned out to be an awful druggy movie about a Hollywood murder spree involving legendary porn star John Holmes. But the soundtrack was loaded with room-shaking, low-frequency effects and the drug-induced surround effects spun around our home theater. The film's physical brutality was conveyed with convincing power by the AVR-3805.
User reviews
- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 51 reviews
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
-
Showing 3 of 51 user reviewsSee all 51 user reviews
-
37 out of 39 people found this review helpful
-
14 out of 14 people found this review helpful
-
10 out of 11 people found this review helpful
- See all 51 user reviews Write review
%20AV%20receiver%20reviews%20-%20CNET%20Reviews&srcUrl=http://reviews.cnet.com/av-receivers/denon-avr-3805-black/4505-6466_7-30831156-2.html){kind=small}