[Trounce]

Hi there,

I walked into a very high-end electronics store today looking for a relatively cheap receiver to power a 5.1 system. Video components are not really important to me because this won't be used with a TV. The guy said that there was nothing good-but-cheap, but there were a few consignment receivers (meaning a third party was paying them to sell it for him) and showed me a used Denon AVR-4800 5.1 receiver. It retailed, in its day, for over $2000USD, but now is a few years old.

I was pretty much bowled over because it's a fantastic price for a great receiver, but I'm worried that because it doesn't support the new-gen DVD audio formats, like HD-DTS and DD++, or whatever they will eventually be called. I'm thinking that I should get it as an investment, as it could last me many, many years (Denon seems to have a good track record) but I could be looking for a world of hurt.

My other option would be to get the Logitech Z-5500s, which are much cheaper and are supposed to be excellent. My current speakers could not possibly unleash the potential of the Denon, but they will do just fine for now, and owning this receiver gives me plenty room to upgrade.

So what do you think? Should I wait a few years and try to get a AVR-4806 used? Or just take it and buy an external decoder when I need one?

Thanks in advance.

 

[PsychoZX]

I say go for the AVR-4800. Deals like that don't come around to often and despite the fact that it is a few years old it is still an excellent reciever.

 

[AlanY]

That's not as good a deal as you think. The last three AVR-4800s sold on eBay for $365, $510, and $550. There are two currently on eBay for $400.

AV receivers drop in value very quickly, because new ones come out every year with new bells and whistles.

 

[PsychoZX]

Lol nevermind my post then.

 

[Guss2]

This is an excellent receiver that the new ones still get compared to.I bought mine new about 4 years ago for $1500 and have used it as my headphone amp with an SCD-1 and HD650's.Denon seems to stuff more into these boxes now a days at the expense of sound quality.That being said,I'm really surprised they don't go for more money on the used market because they haven't sounded as good since IMO.If you can get one cheaper though,go for it.Gary.

 

[aseltzer144]

Pricing aside, the Denon 4800 is a fine product. I have a 2800 which is a lower powered (85 w/ch) DD5.1/DTS only receiver and it is excellent - not only for home theater but for two channel audio as well. I have A/B'ed it with my preamp/amp system on the same speakers and it holds up well in comparison. Reliability has been excellent. The 4800 came out around that same time, but was out of reach costwise and there's a limit to how much value I was going to put into home theater relative to what I would rather allocate to musically dedicated audio. Nevertheless, based on the caliber of the 2800, I suspect that the 4800, from what I have heard, is cut from the same cloth, offering significantly more of the same overall quality. If you can pick one up on the cheap, I am sure it will serve you well. Don't get hung up on loss of compatibility with newer and unproven formats. My old 2800 is still getting the job done and personally, I haven't found the need for anything beyond DD5.1 or DTS.