Should I upgrade my Denon 1905 receiver?

[Canedog]

Just got back from Tweeter and the 'cheapest' AMP they had was over a grand... I have around $500 to spend.

I have RTi10s fronts, CSi5 center, FXi5 rear and a Velodyne/Polk PSW 10 sub combo. I'm using a Denon 1905 receiver and I am not impressed with the sound. Movies sound okay, music sounds bad.

Tweeter has an 'open box' Denon 3805 of $688. Should I sell my old Denon 1905 and upgrade to the 3805? Would I see much of an improvement in sound quality?

At this point, buying an AMP may not be an option for me.

[dragon1952]

For $500 you could get a kick-ass used amp on Audiogon or even Ebay. That's the route you should take. I don't think you'd notice as much benefit by going to the 3805. However, Tweeter should have a return policy. You could always take it home and give it a test drive. You just missed out on Russman's Conrad Johnson Sonographe for around $350 shipped. That would have worked great.

[Ferres]

There is a review of the 3805 here:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_11_2/denon-avr-3805-receiver-6-2004.html

It seems to be a better option over all. Detachable powercord too which is always a plus for me. :)

It can be a starting point of a bigger system with addition power-amps to be added later, assuming this is in the cards. :o

[mldennison]

i doubt that you are going to get all that much improvement from switching to the 3805.

i also think you can do much better than $1000 for a quality amplifier. if you dont like the idea of a used item, go with outlaw...they have thier one-channel amplifiers for like $200 each, 2 of those will still keep you under $500 and would be much better than the 3805 IMHO.

[*Seby*-Polk-]

If you don't like Denon sound...don't like the 3805 :(

Try another brand, like Harman Kardon, Yamaha RX-V2500 or Marantz. in this receivers you hear another sound, more bright in Yamaha, more bassy in marantz ... try it !!!!

:)

[*Seby*-Polk-]

ohh sorry ... for Watch movies...for me, Yamaha is the winner. Music, maybe HK :)

[Ferres]

Lol! I'm still using my Marantz sr6300 and I'm pretty happy how it's keeping up with the occassional upgrades. :)

[*Seby*-Polk-]

Yeah...your receiver is great ;)

[Toxis]

I'd definitely say the 3805 would be a great start for you! It'll dominate the 1905 in sound quality. I say get it (but offer $600 just to see if they'll take it)! Then later if you want more, then you'll have a better processor to build off of. Or see if there's a return policy and give it a try. If it's not a huge upgrade in your home, then consider finding a good amp.

There's a lot of amps out there you can find with good power for around $500. I know the marantz mm-9000 is a great amp and can be found for that range. Adcom and older Rotels are also great for the money. You also might want to save a few extra bucks and see if there's something significantly better for a little more. I found an amp that usually sells for $2500 with about 100 hours of use on it and got it for $780 shipped thanks to the bay. Deals are out there... maybe even on a 3805!

[MrNightly]

I'm walking proof that deals are there too.. Picked up the 3805 for $600 plus shipping. Hell of a deal. In my limited HT experience, this is a great start to power those big boys... I went with the RTi8's up front, and man, I think they sound awesome with the 3805. I understand the 10's are bigger and require more power, but I concur that they would be a solid stepping stone for you!

What can it hurt? Give it a shot. If you don't like the 3805, sell it on here for what you paid, and you're no worse off eh?