Denon Receiver DRA-900H – 2-Channel Stereo

All I needed for my apartment was a 2 channel system. None of the systems put out much bass these days, and I have old Polk Audio speakers with their own passive subs. The trebble/bass aren’t that good, IMHO. I wound up buying an amplified subwoofers to go with it. I really like the remote app upthat you can download to you pr phone or tablet. I really like it on the tablet. I also like that you can control the subwoofer output when hooked up. You can easily navigate FM stereo presets-if you still listen to FM radio like me, and there is also a companion app called HEOS which is for internet radio (if you subscribe to any) that also makes it easy to surf the various internet radio stations. I also like that I can hook up phono (records/ vinyl). The remote apps are cool. But then I am converting from a 30 year old system that just quit.

El receptor me llegó antes de tiempo y muy bien protegido. Tenía algo de temor ya que es enviado desde Estados Unidos y tenía miedo de que tuviera algún defecto y que lo tuviera que devolver o que en el mes que tengo para hacerlo tuviera una falla. Hasta el momento ha funcionado bien, tengo que comentar que el uso que le voy a dar es para escuchar música desde mi reproductor de cd, de vinilo y desde mi iPad con Tidal a través de Air Play y debo de decir que es lo que esperaba, con una gran calidad de salida del audio. Me gusta escucharlo en modo de sonido Pure Direct el cual considero que es el que es más fiel a las grabaciones. Tiene un gran volumen de sonido. No me decidía entre este modelo que ya tiene algunos años y el DRA-900H que es más reciente, me ayudó a decidirme que este DRA-800H lo obtuve con un buen descuento. El DRA-900H tiene resolución 8k y una conexión más, cosas que no ocupo. Excelente compra!

Only just received this Denon DRA-800H Receiver yesterday , using primarily as a Stereo Music Receiver for my Basement Music Setup. The overall sound is terrific, great clarity playing Vinyl LPs , CDs, and even old Cassettes. But first observation : Man, its a bit complicated to setup – lots of functions and controls. I used to think as myself as pretty good with electronics and such, but at 68 years old, lately I’ve fallen off that wagon a little. For instance, I thought I could just plug in a Flashdrive which has recorded music , hit play and here we go ! Nope, you have to configure and make selections using the Remote control. I still can’t get to play the Flashdrive….. Granted I have my Denon Receiver connected to cheap Boytone Multi- Player (includes Phono, CD, Cassette , USB [player and recorder], so the source player can be upgraded for sure (doing just that now). But I can plug the Flashdrive into the Boytone, select USB, and in few seconds after reading it, it plays….. EASY …. The Denon is far too complicated so far. The same for just accessing the FM radio…….whew !!! It should be a simple matter to attach the a tenna (I did), select FM and sele t a station and play it……no not that easy. Maybe after I go through the Manual (which is on line only – another PIA in today’s world of “paperlessness” – the Car Makers do it too), I may grow to understand the many features and also use them. Unfortuantel;y, I am a Manual Reader – I like doing that and understanding my product fully. I’ll try to update my review after a few weeks of playing. By the way, I have the Deomn connected to two sets of Bookshelf Speakers and a Sub Woofer : a Pair of Fluance Signature Series speakers , a air of Elac Debut 6.2 speakers and a Momoprice 60 Watt SW. Although the speakers have different “sounds” , they seem to balance very nicely delivering great sound , and the SW is perfect for the space too. I play MY Music to accompany my “retirement Hobby – Playing Drums . Returned to that after 50 year layoff…. Really enjoying that – and I will more after the retirement is Officially completed in the upcoming months…:):)

Update to original review in 8/2020. After using the Receiver for some months now, I still keep the rating at 4 Stars. Performance is 5 stars, delivering a clear , precise and powerful sound from my Elac Speakers, but particularly since I have not connected to a TV, the setup and features are still confusing to me, it takes lots of patience to get through it. It took several calls to a Denon rep to go through some of the features to be setup. Maybe it’s me, but I am unable to simply plug in a flashdrive into the USB front port, and have it plug and play. It should be noted that I am using this Receiver solely as a 2.1 stereo unit , and hope to expand its use in the futre to connect to TV, etc. But note ,it is not a full Surround Sound Receiver.

Update of Review 8/2022. 2 years of ownership. The Denon plays very well. I learned from AV Forums that I was “overloading” it by connecting 2 pairs (channel A &B) of Elac Bookshelf speakers that are rated 4-8 Ohms, BUT are nominal at 6 Ohms. The 2 , 6 Ohm speakers create a 3 Ohm impedance on the Receiver. At 60 Volume levels (max is 95), the Denon runs pretty Hot. If i connect 8 Ohm nominal speakers, resulting in a 4 Ohm total impedance draw, it runs cooler. However, the 2 pairs of Elacs sound fantastic played simultaneously!! I just learned of a “trick” on the AV Forum of how to change (manipulate) the selection of the Ohms settings. That seems to help a little by selecting a 6 Ohms settings in the software. To date, I still have NOT used all the features of this well behaved and great sounding Receiever. The availablility of Zone 2 (adding another Amp) is great feature. I have the Zone 2 connected to a IOTA SA3 /PA3 stack that are connected to 2 other differnet pairs of bookshelf speakers, playing in the same room. When both systems are playing together – WOW – sounds like a concert hall.

I purchased this receiver for KEF bookshelf R3, before they are coming, I just hooked it up with my KEF T301 slim speakers in hand for testing. I never thought that a pair slim speakers and Denon receiver can work together so well. The receiver is very powerful and even with 60 of volume, everything works fine, very good layers and focus.

Denon is very warm, fast in bass, ( I hooked up a KEF $200 sub-woofer because slim speakers) . Easy streaming. No complain so far, because I only use the receiver as streaming DAC for my tidal account. No NAS, no Hard drive, no computer linked to the network at all. Heos app got lots of criticisms, I am ok with it, the app even shows USB jump drive songs and folders on smartphone screen. I am going to use my re-tired iPad air 4th gen as a remote and Heos touchscreen panel.

I hope this Denon 800H can handle my new KEF R3 speakers well.

Tenia el DENON DRA800 e hice el upgrade hacia este por las entradas de HDMI que ya soportan hasta 8K60Hz por mis consolas, en cuestión de audio no escucho diferencia honestamente entre este y el 800, sin embargo NO DEJA DE SER UN EXCELENTE EQUIPO.