Denon AVR-4800, any good?

[1984_C10]

A guy is selling a Denon AVR-4800 on a local audio forum for the correct price.
The receiver itself checks all the boxes, it was revised by a specialist, all the inputs work as they should, the case is not broken or scratched.
I heard that this is a very nice receiver, i know it has a toroidal transformer inside, but i'd like to know your opinions on it.
If i get it, i'll be using it as a standard stereo amp for my speakers (which i'm thinking about upgrading to Yamaha towers) and casual headphone amp .
So, is it good? Should i get it?

 

[superdog]

A guy is selling a Denon AVR-4800 on a local audio forum for the correct price.
The receiver itself checks all the boxes, it was revised by a specialist, all the inputs work as they should, the case is not broken or scratched.
I heard that this is a very nice receiver, i know it has a toroidal transformer inside, but i'd like to know your opinions on it.
If i get it, i'll be using it as a standard stereo amp for my speakers (which i'm thinking about upgrading to Yamaha towers) and casual headphone amp .
So, is it good? Should i get it?

Most Denons higher up the ladder are pretty good.Make sure it has the remote as Denons more so than other makes need the remote to control some of the functions.

 

[1984_C10]

Most Denons higher up the ladder are pretty good.Make sure it has the remote as Denons more so than other makes need the remote to control some of the functions.

It does have the remote, yes!
Is it good then?

 

[superdog]

It does have the remote, yes!
Is it good then?

Depends on the price.But yeah if the price is right I think you'll be very happy with it.Vintage silver gear is hot right now but I think these upper end HT units are just as good if not better for a fraction of the cost.

 

[howardtheduc]

I had one and thought its performance on music was just OK but then my speakers barely hit OK so that could easily be it. As for movies, I thought it easily sounded better than the one step up 5803 I had. I ended up donating both to a local thrift store.

 

[1984_C10]

I was going to say exactly as superdog said above. If you're not in need of the HDMI these older HT are pretty nice kit. You might want to also compare - perhaps seek out - one of the Denon AVR-5800 (their flag ship of the same era) as they are now going for a lot less than one would expect and provide gobs of power especially for those wanting a very high end HT system on a budget... I had the full Denon flag ship system back in the intro of HT... Denon is a very well regarded name - especially regarding their higher end gear..(made in Japan. Apparently, like the rest of the Japanese manufacturers, have moved their lower end to be mass produced in China, Korea and God knows where else....)
My opinions.

I've seen only one AVR-5800 so far, and it was costing almost 5x more than this AVR-4800 is costing, its also quite rare around here, so it wouldn't really be an option.
But you've mentioned HT setup, like 5.1, 7.1? I was actually thinking about using it in stereo mode in my setup.
And indeed, this is a "made in Japan" unit, my current AVR-1602 is a made in China unit, and it isn't special at all, it feels a bit weak and doesn't show much signature on the sound.

 

[1984_C10]

Depends on the price.But yeah if the price is right I think you'll be very happy with it.Vintage silver gear is hot right now but I think these upper end HT units are just as good if not better for a fraction of the cost.

Weirdly i'm not being abble to find decent vintage gear for good prices lately, only low end devices or very expensive monstrous Sansuis like the AU-10000 and the "Decade" line.

 

[1984_C10]

I had one and thought its performance on music was just OK but then my speakers barely hit OK so that could easily be it. As for movies, I thought it easily sounded better than the one step up 5803 I had. I ended up donating both to a local thrift store.

Oh, it kind of weighted on me when you said you donated both receivers, those demand quite a premium where i live due to scarce options in the audio department, kind of wish i was there to pick up both lol

 

[howardtheduc]

It was last summer and they vanished quite quickly! I never sell stuff I get used unless it's a totally known quantity with no possibility of surprises for the new owner. Anything less and it goes to the thrift!

 

[1984_C10]

Personally, I've not found one of these HT receivers that shines in two channel listening. Sure they all sound decent to spectacular within the HT realm they've been designed for. Personally, if you want nice two channel listening, you might seek a nice vintage Marantz, Sansui or even the vintage Denon integrated... My opinions solely... Heck you might wish to find a nice preamp and vintage power amp?

I actually found a nice Rotel pre-amp (for the same price of the receiver) and some really nice Sony power amps, but the Sonys are waaaay out of my budget.
But there's one power amp that intrigues me, the AAT PM-1, it's quite cheap and has some really nice components inside, but this is a national product made by João Yazbek, so i still have to seek some advice with fellow citizens.
I actually heard somebody say its "better than some entry level Cambridge amps", they may be right...

 

[whoaru99]

... it feels a bit weak and doesn't show much signature on the sound.

If feeling weak is a reference to volume control, you can't make a direct comparison to vintage receivers in this regard. HT receivers, properly set up, are calibrated to a certain level, and usually take a lot more turning of the volume knob relative to typical stereo/vintage gear. It's normal, not a sign of weakness.

And, as far as not much signature, some would opine there shouldn't be signature added to the sound.

 

[superdog]

Not turning this into a new vs vintage debate but I stand by my post 2000 totl or near totl units.I had run vintage for a number of years and one compared. Sansui 8080db against a Denon AVR280.Both at 80 wpc.I was surprised that the Denon held its own.Ever since I have been exploring these better A VRs and have not looked back.All my 70s monster units are gone.Everybody has their own agenda and preferences.These are mine.

 

[superdog]

If feeling weak is a reference to volume control, you can't make a direct comparison to vintage receivers in this regard. HT receivers, properly set up, are calibrated to a certain level, and usually take a lot more turning of the volume knob relative to typical stereo/vintage gear. It's normal, not a sign of weakness.

And, as far as not much signature, some would opine there shouldn't be signature added to the sound.

Exactly.My Yamahas have quite the long throw in the volume.More control means a better listening experience.This is one of the reasons I prefer these.

 

[1984_C10]

You know, if you have any connections you might wish to take a drive and pick up some Holimar gear. Very decent turntables, pre/power amps and both tube and solid state. I was actually toying with the idea of getting hold of a fellow AK'er here and asking them to purchase and ship to Canada.... You know, are there many used websites down there for audio gear in Brazil? If so, you might send the links to these websites to Hifishark contact for them to list. You can find some very decent kit on there: https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=Holimar

I never heard of Holimar before, good to know! Sadly i don't have any friends in Argentina, but i'll keep an eye on the ads to see if there's one of those for sale in here.
And here in Brazil we just use Mercado Libre like our argentinian "hermanos" and more sophisticated gear can be found on the classifieds on the HTForum.

 

[1984_C10]

If feeling weak is a reference to volume control, you can't make a direct comparison to vintage receivers in this regard. HT receivers, properly set up, are calibrated to a certain level, and usually take a lot more turning of the volume knob relative to typical stereo/vintage gear. It's normal, not a sign of weakness.

And, as far as not much signature, some would opine there shouldn't be signature added to the sound.

Exactly that!
Well, i'm quite a newbie in audio gear, i thought it was kind of weak, but really, with the correct source, like my Sony DVD, some songs like CCR's "Run Through the Jungle" sound nice and deep past the volume -20.
But latelly i've noticed the amp started to hiss on higher volume, very hard to notice, on the speakers it can only be noticed on the volume +5 with nothing playing, and on the headphones it can be heard on idle, what could be it?

 

[1984_C10]

I also failed to mention that my current receiver tends to flatten some detail of the songs under the volume -20, is this normal as well?

 

[Raynald]

Getting back to the original question, I picked up a 4800 to play around with and I thought it was a good sounding unit for 2 channel. Not in the league of my Bryston seperates but you would not expect that. Better than a comparable vintage NAD HT receiver which surprised me. The NAD was vey bright and thin, the Denon much warmer. Not as detailed and transparent as the Yamaha RX-V1 but it should be a nice step up from the 1602.

And yes, the remote is indeed vital on that series as is the ability to hook it up to the proper kind of monitor IIRC as the receiver display does not show what is going on and the on screen display does not output on all video outs. This is a major PITA and a deal breaker for some people who will not be able to figure out what is going on if they do not have the right monitor input.

 

[DougNM3]

It's not the 4800, but I just recently picked up a 3600DTS and I love it! Super simple, great power, and good looks! Mine didn't come with a remote, but I found one on eBay for cheap and am now able to do everything with the receiver. So far, it works better than a brand new Onkyo TX-NR757 i just picked up...

 

[rxonmymind]

Today at the request of my wife I rotated my Denon 3803 into the bedroom as all my vintage receivers are out for restore. She gave me grief as she had to listen to a cheapo bluetooth speaker while showering. Lol.

This Denon gives nothing up to the vintages and more than holds it's own to the Sony Str 7055. What was a little surprising was how one could literally hear the Denon "loosen up" from a cold start to operating temperature. I started playing for a good 30 min one song and it's amazing the bloom it developed once warmed up. What I didn't like after many back to back sessions with the same song was the direct mode. It seemed to put a thin veil on the music and muffled the bloom ever so slightly. Other than that it's an amazing receiver if a tad on the mellow side. If you want a bit more forward sound get a Yamaha or Onkyo. If I have further trouble with vintages I might go all Denon.