Video Asylum

Posted by Dalton on February 01, 2001 at 00:12:57:

In Reply to: Most Musical Preamp/Reciever posted by Gandalfcrow on January 31, 2001 at 18:36:34:

A have recently purchased a Denon AVR5800 and am quite pleased with its musicality, especially the "pure audio direct" mode which disables the video circuitry and employs 4 DACs per channel to improve D/A conversion. If you end up wanting to use the power amps (as I am), it has seven channels (all equal power) and it's rated at 170 watts per channel in stereo into 8 ohms. The frequency response is 10 - 100kHz in direct analog mode, which is perfect for SACD playback. And of course, it has full the 7.1 pre-outs.

While not as good as the much more expensive Krell separates I also auditioned (Krells definitely had a less grainy high end), it smoked the competitively-priced B&K 307 (and even their separates version - forgot the model #s) I heard for overall smooth and balanced response and especially for tightness and clarity in the mid-bass region. Don't even bother with the Pioneer Elite line - to me these sound thin and flat in comparison to both the Denon and the B&K. The Elite simply did not present as clear and deep a soundstage and smeared and obscured subtle details that I could clearly hear with the others. The Denon AVR5800 is a little pricey, but can be found discounted on-line for under $2600.00. I purchased mine from a reputable local dealer for $2850.00.

Give it a try, you might like it.