First Time here

[saxbyandrew]

Hi all
This is my first time here, so Im hope that this is the correct place to post a question.

I have seen quiet a few negative comments re Denon and its servicing when things go wrong. Any comments ? I've been looking at some denon kit, but Im put off by the comments ?

Thanks

[topspeed]

Welcome to the board!

I've only had to send one thing into Denon in the 20+ years I've been using their gear. It was a 6 disc changer and was fixed and returned in the same business week! Now granted, that was over 10 years ago and I've heard they aren't quite as diligent (these days, who is?), but that should also say something about the quality of their equipment. Hopefully, if you buy Denon you won't have to worry about repairs in the first place.

Hope this helps

[midfiguy]

I've owned quite a few Denon products and have to say that I've never had to send anything in yet. While that doesn't say anything about their customer service, it does say alot about their product quality (and this includes a new entry level reciever (AVR485S) that a cousin of mine bought for dirt cheap and works flawlessly.

[kexodusc]

Keep in mind all the negative press you'll read about Denon is from the people that have had problems...You rarely hear from the thousands that don't...
I've heard Denon has some servicing issues too, but most people I know who buy Denon never need to find out, and for the ones that do have problems, I'm sure the vast majority of cases are resolved quickly without issue.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Denon.

[saxbyandrew]

Thanks for that feedback i guess the old saying that no news is good news in the end

AS

[StanleyMuso]

Collectively, my family has owned Denon stereo receiver, bottom of the range AV receiver, two CD players and a DVD player. Only one CD player has died on me, but that was after almost 10 years of hard use. The other components are still going strong although most of them are getting a bit old.

[Woochifer]

Denon's generally a very reliable brand, but they have occasional hiccups. The Denon DVD player that I own had a major audio sync flaw that required a firmware upgrade, and other models have had more serious issues. Another thing to be aware of is that they went through two ownership changes a couple of years ago, and are now owned by a holding company that also acquired Marantz, McIntosh, and Rio, among others. They have supposedly shifted their production around to different outsource manufacturers in the meantime. No idea if that had any negatives on product quality.

The main gripes that I've read with them lately have had more to do with customer service than product quality. I will agree there that Denon's customer service has really gone in the tank lately. Simple e-mail inquiries have gone unanswered, and issues that I've flagged with my player don't get solved until repeated messages. But, in general I think consumer electronics companies in general have let their customer support go downhill fast. Even Yamaha, whom I've always regarded as having very good customer support, seems to have outsourced some of it, and the quality of response is not as good as before (but, at least they answered my e-mail, unlike the unanswered inquiries I've made with Denon and Sony).

[RGA]

Amplifiers have few moving parts and should last years - receivers should last as well. They don;t typically get hot -- especially if you have them well ventilated. One dealer said if it goes it will be in the first month or about 7-10 years later --- the warranty generally covers the period when things rarely fail.

Receiver makers could move, if they have not already, to what computers are doing --- basically getting parts all over the globe to fit the bottom line. Hewlett Packard sells a particular computer but the CD drive may be different unbeknownst to the buyer. Receiver makers buy a given chip from Sanyo another from Burr Borwn a transformer from XYZ and you'll see the same parts cross-polinate from brand to brand. Interestingly, Yamaha in Canada had the exact same receivers in different boxes and number coding depending which store you got it from as a way to protect A&B sound from Future Shop. Well that didn;t last long as A&B Sound went into chapter 11. Future Shop AKA Best Buy brags now that they have taken out the competition. But now that Future Shop is now the only real presence in Canada they will be able to force the companies they carry to lower prices more and more. The high end dealers who carried a receiver line generally carry Denon. I think Yamaha perhaps made a bit of a mistake by going into FS. Is Yamaha big enough to ignore the demands of the giant...If FS drops them will the high end dealers pick them up after they screwed over A&B sound --- I think not. Of COurse Canada may be a chicken feed outfit in the big scheme of things. It's also going to be interesting for Totem --- They left high end dealers for A&B Sound --- so now where do they go -- Future Shop --- Model One's for $1899.00 --- not bloody likely.

It's sad because such stores are not helping the actual quality of goods --- or the footprint those products leave on global affairs. Lou Dobbs will have a stroke

[kexodusc]

Receiver makers could move, if they have not already, to what computers are doing --- basically getting parts all over the globe to fit the bottom line.
Yeah, pretty sure even high end stuff is made piece-meal now from certain manufactures from all over the place...Even some of AN's stuff isn't made in house and comes from abroad...this isn't necessarily bad if the goal is quality....if the goal is cheap, well, that's something else...



Yamah Canada had the exact same receivers in different boxes and number coding depending which store you got it from as a way to protect A&B sound from Future Shop. This is typical of most manufacturers, H/K, Denon, Yamaha, Marantz, worldwide...same product, different distribution channels...a few cosmetic/functional differences, but nothing major. I think this has more to do with protecting dealer/vendor relations.


Well that didn;t last long as A&B Sound went into chapter 11. Chapter 11? What country are YOU living in? :D I think it's Chapter B-3 up here...When did this happen, are they not in business anymore?


The high end dealers who carried a receiver line generally carry Denon. I think Yamaha perhaps made a bit of a mistake by going into FS. Is Yamaha big enough to ignore the demands of the giant...If FS drops them will the high end dealers pick them up after they screwed over A&B sound --- I think not.

Hmmm, I think you should leave BC for a bit...I spend a ton of time at my job visiting Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax clients. The high-end stores I've seen carry both.
Out east, Denon is carried in a lot of small one-stop electronics chains...so is NAD. Yamaha has two parallel lines, one for big box chains (HTR line) one for "hi-end" retailers (RX-V). Denon has the same thing...I think the high end model numbers have an extra digit, but that's it. What's disgusting is when I hear the high-end shops tell me that the receivers Best Buy/Futureshop carry are "a step down" or "lower quality" receivers than the RX-V line and therefore a bit less money. Yeah right...they're f'n identical units...it's printed on most manufacturers websites in the FAQ's. Service manuals list both models....crooks.



Of COurse Canada may be a chicken feed outfit in the big scheme of things. It's also going to be interesting for Totem --- They left high end dealers for A&B Sound --- so now where do they go -- Future Shop --- Model One's for $1899.00 --- not bloody likely.

Despite what happend in the small market of B.C., you have the wrong impression about Totem...what, is Vancouver becoming Toronto v.2? Totem is still very much carried and distributed in high-end in the rest of the country/world. If what you've told me about A&B going under is right, that leads me to believe it was more of a desparate move on part of A&B than Totem. Not that it matters. I don't equate distribution channels with quality. There have been case studies comparing the quality of Timex watches to Rolex...guess who won?