Terrific receiver with plenty of HDMI inputs and GUI

Note: I did not include receiver specs here as there is too much to cover and such material can be referenced through the Denon website.


When I first made the decision to throw myself head first into the two new high definition video formats I realized that the consequences involved in upgrading my equipment would be substantial. In addition to having to purchase a HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players, I realized I would also need a display capable of taking full advantage of the 1080p images these formats were capable of producing.

Once I purchased a new display and began hooking my two HD players and cable box to it, I suddenly realized that I had a brand new dilemma in that I didn’t have enough HDMI inputs to accommodate all this equipment. Though I purchased a cheap $100 HDMI switcher, I soon found it more of an obstacle than benefit in shifting between the various inputs.

Another problem I had was that running coaxial or optic output through my older pre amp, the Outlaw 950, resulted in not being able to take full advantage of the lossless audio that these new high definition players offer.

It was absolutely inevitable that after putting such effort and expense over the past year to upgrade my home theater, that the job wasn’t quite done. If I really wanted to bring my system up-to-date I would need to invest in a new receiver as well.

My decision to purchase the Denon 3808CI wasn’t a very difficult one. Denon has a superb reputation in the world of audio/video receivers, and since many of our own HTF staff members had such receivers of their own, this particular model came highly recommended. The 3808 is the entry level receiver (followed by the 4308 and 5308) to feature Denon’s graphical user interface that provides a visual guide directly through your display to aid not only in proper setup but as a remarkable integration tool for media playback. I’ll talk a little more about that in a few moments.

Two remotes are included. The main remote control unit features hard buttons with a small visual display of the device being operated and selected mode. A secondary sub remote control unit allows multi-zoning so you can operate the Denon receiver from up to three different rooms. For instance, while someone is watching a movie in one room, you can watch a different video source in another room while an additional person listens to music in a third room.

To really appreciate how simple it was to set up this Denon receiver out of the box, you need to know two things....

First, though I have a very generalized knowledge of installing home theater gear, I don’t consider myself to be the most tech-savy individual when it comes to getting these things hooked up right the first time. It took me under 10 minutes to unhook my Outlaw 950 pre-amp and rewire everything into the Denon 3808. The best thing about hooking this receiver up was throwing away all the previous video component and coax/fiber audio cables. A single HDMI cable now handles both audio and video signal. It’s astounding to see how much less wiring is being done with this receiver compared to those that most people still own.



What you also need to know is that somehow I managed to misplace the Denon’s main remote control right out of the box. Instead of spending valuable time looking for the remote, I opted to attempt to set up all my inputs and settings by using the menu and cursor buttons located inside the flip panel located on the front of the receiver. Although setting up the receiver in this manner is a bit more primitive than using the remote, it proved to work wonderfully thanks to the accompaniment of the GUI interface on my display.

Within a very short period of time I was easily able to scroll through the GUI assigning my components specific HDMI inputs. When attaching a CD or LASERDISC player that was hooked to the receiver through RCA or S-VIDEO connections, the on-screen GUI made it possible to easily assigned those specific inputs. The last step in the setup process was to RENAME the various preselected source titles. Again, using the menu and cursor buttons I was able to make my own input source categories such as HD-DVD, BLU-RAY and LASERDISC. These are the titles that are displayed in the front of the receiver each time I select their corresponding input.

Without even opening the instruction manual, I was able to go from hookup to setup in under 30 minutes.

One of the best tools included with this receiver is the Audyssey microphone that through a very simple setup process automatically sets up the proper listening environment according to room measurement and location of furniture. The Audyssey process even figures out what materials absorb and reflect sound.

The one thing I had always hated most about setting up a new receiver was pulling out the Radio Shack sound meter and adjusting each speaker to equal levels. The Audyssey system takes the chore out of perfectly adjusting your listening environment. I simply plugged the microphone into the front of the Denon receiver, let it know I was working within a 5.1 setup, and then placed the microphone on a tripod in the exact location and height of where I sit on my couch. Once you start the auto setup process, the Denon sends out “chirps” to each speaker. The microphone determines the location and proper levels according to its placement. It is recommended that this process is repeated several times over within different areas of the room. Once you have completed the setup, the calibration is stored into memory.

Within an hour of pulling this receiver out of its packaging, I was now completely hooked up with my audio calibrated through the included Audyssey system.

The first thing I did was to demo two of my favorite HD-DVD titles, The Phantom of the Opera and Batman Begins. Having calibrated my previous Outlaw 950, I had a general idea of just how each speaker should perform. One thing that was sharply different about the new calibration on the Denon was that I had to turn the volume up much higher than I had with my previous receiver. I figured out the reason was that the Audysssey properly recognized I was viewing in a very small room and adjusted the sound level accordingly. By the time I got the volume up to an acceptable level, I was pleasantly pleased with how well balanced the audio was across the 5.1 spectrum. Not one single speaker seemed to overpower the other. It was the most perfect calibration I had ever experienced. With the capability to now be able to listen to lossless audio (thanks to the HDMI connection) I was hearing nuances that I never previously experienced.

I am very happy overall in the manner which this receiver processes my video. I don’t notice any sort of video degradation. This gives me a great deal of confidence that this receiver will provide me with the best possible picture.

What really surprised me most about the manner in the way this receiver processes video was that it took a single RCA output signal from my old Laserdisc player and upconverted the signal to anamorphic without any noticeable image skewing.

One function that I may find myself investing a lot of time listening to is the included Internet Radio. Setting it up couldn’t be more easy than plugging in an ethernet cable and turning on the receiver. From there, you simply access Internet Radio where there are a few dozen already installed radio stations and podcasts. You can easily browse through these selections and add them to your FAVORITES folder for quick access. There seems to be a genre for just about every taste. Just be aware that the audio quality of these stations are at low bitrates and may require a bit of bass and treble tinkering to get them to sound halfway decent.

The Denon 3808CI is also an XM-Ready receiver. One would think that Denon would have been able to build the XM tuner directly into its receiver. I was greatly disappointed to find that an additional $60 CNP2000 Mini-Tuner is required to receive the XM signal. Though I have not opted to purchase the Mini-Tuner package (I already own the Polk XM receiver), I can tell you that the artist name, track name, category and reception level can be accessed through the GUI.

Additionally, with the purchase of the $80 ASD-1R dock, you can plug your iPod into the receiver and control it using the buttons on the main unit or remote control unit while watching the GUI menus. Photo data on the iPod can be viewed on the monitor if your iPod is equipped with slideshow or video functions.

If that wasn’t enough, the Music Server function lets you play music files and playlists (msu, wpl) stored on a computer (music server) connected top the 3808CI via a network. Looking through the instructions, you need Windows XP (or I imagine Vista) and Windows Media Player software. It does not look to be Mac compatible.

Finally, music files stored on a USB device can be connected to the receiver’s USB port to play music files directly from it.

Having owned this receiver for only a few days now, I can only give you a brief overview of this grand receiver. Obviously, there seems to be quite a few functions I have yet to explore.

The main point I want to make in this review is that for someone like myself who at the moment has only the basic needs of wanting a receiver like this to watch the new high definition formats, I could not be happier. I am extremely impressed with the fact that within an hour I had this receiver set up, calibrated, and sounding better than anything I had previously. The GUI interface makes this receiver an absolute ease to navigate through, and for that reason, feel very comfortable with the price I paid to get such a feature.

Speaking of price, the AVR-3808CI lists for $1599. I was able to walk into a local electronics chain and talk them down to $1350.


This receiver comes highly recommended!