IMO the"Denon sound" sucks!

I had a 2802 that I used to power a Paraidgm speaker setup. I had 2 Monitor 7's, a CC-370 Center, and 2 ADP 370's for surround. With the Denon these speakers sounded very thin and lifeless. So I went to me local dealer and listened to some better equipment such as Pioneer Elite, Sunfire, Rotel, NAD, Arcam and B & K. I ended up replacing my denon 2802 with a NAD T753. The NAD cost me $1000 retail and the sound is light years better than the Denon. The NAD actually does my Paradigm's justice.

The Denon 2802 was rated at 90 X 6 and the NAD T53 was rated at 70 x 6 but the NAD was much more powerful and the power was clean power that made my speakers sound so much better. After having owned the 2802 and a few other Denon's and then listening to the other brands I mentioned I would never by another Denon again and I'd advise others to take their power ratings with a grain of salt.

As for the other brands you mentioned.....Yamaha.. little too bright for my taste

HK............ Doesn't sound much better than denon.

Marantz.........Never listened to any.


I would definitely recommend NAD over all these brands though. NAD may not have all the bells and whistles that these Japanese brands do and it may be too plain looking for some, but the sound is far superior. NAD amps are much more powerful and clean than any of these brands. And the best thing is that some NAD units can be had for the same price as models by the brands you suggested.