sound quality of Denon AVR 5700 vs Newer receivers

Hi,
I just got a good deal on a used Denon AVR 5700 which was Denon's flagship receiver 6-7 years ago. I am very curious as to how this receiver measures against today's high-end receivers (say $1500+) in terms of sound quality. HDMI and other video features are not important to me, just sound quality for both surround sound movie and music (70/30 split). I really appreciate comments from former/present Denon owners who had a chance to compare the sound of 5700 vs. other Denon, Yamaha, Marantz high-end models.

Also, does anyone know if Denon 5700 can be connected just as an amp to another pre-amp or a receiver?

Thank you in advance.

Sonically, the Denons started sounding much better with the 05 series (ie, 3805). They reworked something, and it made a huge difference. Yamaha did similar about 7-8 years ago. They completely redesigned their front ends, and took a huge leap ahead sonically. The Yamahas went from being bright and thin to good, the Denons went from rolled off and "dead" sounding to opening up and sounding good.

The bigger ones were better. Your 5700 isn't a bad sounding piece, just not up to the current standard. However, still better than most receivers you would tend to come across, and a "tank" to boot. Just listen and enjoy. Nice piece.

Space

I completely agree, that denon is a very nice amp to have.. I am in love with my sony 925, but that denon would break the shelf that my sony sits on! lol.. peace.