Denon avr-1804

jefft1314

Anybody ever have any bad experiences with factory refurbished items? I'm looking at a Denon-avr1804 shipped at 299 from ecost.com. That's two hundred dollars off retail, and it's from an authorized dealer. I have a post (still on the front page) discussing my pioneer receiver and whether I made the right choice. I actually end up saving 60 dollars if i return my pioneer and order the denon. Just making sure this seems like the smart move to all of you. With the denon hopefully I'm gaining a better sound quality, though I'm losing a handy automatic setup feature, as well as connectivity (preouts, etc.) that I have with the Pioneer. However, if the sound quality is as good as it's supposed to be, I think it's a wise move. Any thoughts?

AsSiMiLaTeD

AlthoughI prefer Denon to Pioneer products, I'd reccomend you stick with the Pioneer for a couple reasons:

1 - You said that the Pioneer sounds awesome. You seem to like the sound of the Pioneer very well. Unless you've actually listened to the Denon on similar speakers and like it alot better, I wouldn't make the switch just yet. Denon has a unique sound, very much different than that of the Pioneer. Given your liking of the Pioneer sound, there's a possibility you may not like the Denon.

2 - While I don't believe on buying a receiver on features, you can't ignore them either. That Pioneer seems to have several things you'd be missing with the Denon, and that's somethng you'll have to consider.

In terms of future upgrades, I doubt you'll be using either receiver if you do a significant upgrade in speakers, but that's not a problem becuase you'll be to sell what you've got and invest in another one later.

Early B.

For the money, factory refurbished items are a great deal. I've had good success in purchasing them. So if you've made up your mind regarding the Denon 1804, go for it. However, I recommend that you check out used Denon models such as the 2803. That way, you get the best of both worlds -- a quality Denon product and pre-outs. Plus, you get more power and more features. Even though you may not be using the pre-outs anytime soon, you'll be glad you have them later when you consider upgrading.

For what it's worth, the auto-calibration is over-rated IMO.

cfrizz

http://dakmart.com/

They are authorized resellers of Denon products. You could probably find just what your looking for at a good price there.

bokdaddy

The prices at eCost seem to be a little bit better than Dakmart and both are authorized dealers. I'd say pick up the 1804 from eCost. I got the 1803 back in January for $219 and couldn't be happier. It was in fantastic shape when I got it and the unit has satisfied me to the core.

jefft1314

I went ahead and ordered the avr-1804. Worst thing that happens is I get it, set it up, don't like it, and return and take the 15% percent restocking fee hit. I'm pretty sure this won't happen. Oh, and the reason I went with the 1804, besides because of how well rated it is, is that it's A)a full 60 dollars cheaper than what i payed for my pioneer B)It's true that it doesn't have preouts, but by the time I upgrade to a serious system (five years is as soon as I'd be able to do that, gotta get through law school first) who knows what new formats will be out there, and while the sound processing on my pioneer is pretty decent, I know at that time i'll just want something better to go with my new speakers. C)while I'll probalby miss the easy automatic setup of the pioneer, I'm techie enough to figure how to set up everything. I mean, all it takes is a tape measurer and an SPL, shouldn't be too difficult. :-)