[Aralan]

Is the Denon AVR3801 terrible for 2 channel music, or do I just have a bad combination here? I'm using a cheap set of Klipsch bookshelf speakers (KSB 2.1s) I bought the 3801 a while back to replace a Kenwood KR-X1000 that died. Despite never getting the opportunity to do a side by side comparison of the two with the same set of speakers, to my ears, it seems that the upper-mid frequency range is sorely lacking with the Denon compared to the old Kenwood. The result is really muddy sounding audio that's impossible to enjoy listening to, unless I boost the hell out of everything in the 6KHz-14KHz range.


So I'm left wondering if the Denon just doesn't cut it for music, or if the Kenwood did a better job of covering up for the speakers as a result of its own quirks. I'm planning to replace the Klipsch speakers with Rocket RS250s. I'd hate to get them home only to find that they won't be useful for music until I get around to switching out my receiver :7 Can anyone that's used a 3801 for 2 channel music offer some advice?

 

[Tom_Bombadil]

Most reviews & opinions I've seen on the Denon 380x-series state that they provide a lot of detail in the mids and highs. Some people go to H-K receivers to get a warmer presentation than what Denon offers. The Denon's I've heard have been very clear through the upper-mids, in both multi- and two-channel modes.


Did you double check all of your wiring to make sure they are wired in phase? With how poorly some wires are marked, it is easy to cross a connection.


Tom B.

 

[Aralan]

I've checked the wiring a few times over, and moved a few months ago, and still had the same results after getting everything set up again. I wish I could more adequately describe what I'm hearing... The lower-mids are there, and the extreme highs could make your ears bleed, but everything in between seems muddy if not absent. FWIW I just rearranged the speakers so that the tweeters are right at ear level, and its an improvement, but still bad enough to make me run away screaming within a half hour or so.

 

[Aralan]

Just to be clear, I didn't move the speakers when switching from the Kenwood to the Denon, so IMHO there's a noticable difference between the two.

 

[Aralan]

Still listening here... Moving the speakers helped to some degree, but the deficiency is most definitely still there. Had to let my ears adjust to the new positioning a bit.

 

[Tom_Bombadil]

Don't know what is wrong in your system, but I've never heard a Denon receiver sound like what you are describing. I've had two in my home, connected to truly excellent speakers, and they sounded just fine.


Tom B.