Quote Originally Posted by Klipschnut
My question is this: Out of the 3 main contenders, those being Denon, Yamaha, and Pioneer, which, in your opinion, would serve as the best pre/pro? In other words, which has the highest quality signal decoding and sound processing?
The only thing the 3903 doesn't have is DLP2x and auto-eq. I think the Yammie and Pioneer actually have auto-eq, but don't quote me. Highest quality dsp's? The Denon uses excellent Burr-Brown DAC's, Yammie designs their own, and I have know idea what Pioneer uses. As for DSP modes, I can't stand the things so I have no opinion on which works best.

I'll throw one more question out there, just for good measure. The auto EQ features that Pioneer, Yamaha, and now Denon, with their new 3805, are offering sound like great features, but is it possible to manually adjust all the settings on the 3803 to compensate, or does the 3805's auto EQ feature tweak settings that are unavailable on the 3803?
You can absolutely calibrate the 3803 manually. You simply need a SPL meter from Radio Shack and a calibration disc such as the AVIA or S&V offerings. You can use the pink noise from the 3803 but the calibration discs will do a more thorough job.