Denon DRA-397 Stereo Receiver

1. Posted: Mar 28 2008

   First of all, I don't know why anyone would say this product is confusing. I'm no tech wiz, and I didn't need to consult the manual for basic operation. Programming in stations wasn't hard either. But even so, this is a fairly picayune matter considering that a receiver is a device for listening to music (and other audio sources) and should be evaluated as such. What matters most is sound quality, and this receiver sounds excellent. No, it's not an audiophile product, but it's probably the best sounding receiver you'll find in production for this price range. I've had mine for a few months and I'm very satisfied. I have it driving a pair of JBL HLS-610's which I consider to be about the same grade of product -- mass-market mid-fi producing great sound at an affordable price. Overall the sound is very pleasing; the bass is palpable and detailed, the highs are clear and smooth. The detail at low volumes is impressive, which in my opinion is what distinguishes a truly good amplifier from one that's just loud. About the best thing one can say about a stereo component is that it allows them to hear things in their music they hadn't noticed before. This receiver has delivered that consistently. The phono stage is particularly nice; my records have never sounded better. In contrast to commercial audio companies which deliver "big sound" by manipulating the frequency spectrum like crazy (cough Bose cough), the engineers at Denon have gone to the trouble of designing a stereo that adds very little coloration to your music. In fact, my favorite feature is the "pure direct" function -- basically a tone defeat on steroids -- which allows you to circumvent all the unnecessary circuitry to deliver a signal that's true to the original recording. If I have any complaint about the product, it's that it's a bit bulky. I understand this is an artifact of the design. Still, it takes up a lot of room on the shelf. I'll repeat that this stereo is not in league with truly high-end integrated amps or separates. You have to be prepared to spend a lot more money to get that level of performance (not to mention the cost of an audiophile tuner, inputs and loudspeakers). But if you're on a budget, or just don't want to pay at least twice as much find incremental improvements in sound, don't overlook this stereo. It might be the best value going.

2. Posted: Mar 28 2008

   First of all, I don't know why anyone would say this product is confusing. I'm no tech wiz, and I didn't need to consult the manual for basic operation. Programming in stations wasn't hard either. But even so, this is a fairly picayune matter considering that a receiver is a device for listening to music (and other audio sources) and should be evaluated as such. What matters most is sound quality, and this receiver sounds excellent. No, it's not an audiophile product, but it's probably the best sounding receiver you'll find in production for this price range. I've had mine for a few months and I'm very satisfied. I have it driving a pair of JBL HLS-610's which I consider to be about the same grade of product -- mass-market mid-fi producing great sound at an affordable price. Overall the sound is very pleasing; the bass is palpable and detailed, the highs are clear and smooth. The detail at low volumes is impressive, which in my opinion is what distinguishes a good amplifier from one that's just loud. About the best thing one can say about a stereo component is that it allows them to hear things in their music they hadn't noticed before. This receiver has delivered that consistently. The phono stage is particularly nice; my records have never sounded better. In contrast to commercial audio companies which deliver "big sound" by manipulating frequency response like crazy, the engineers at Denon have gone to the trouble of designing a stereo that adds very little coloration to your music. In fact, my favorite feature is the "pure direct" function -- basically a tone defeat on steroids -- which allows you to circumvent all the unnecessary circuitry to deliver a signal that's true to the original recording. If I have any complaint about the product, it's that it's a bit bulky. I understand this is an artifact of the design. Still, it takes up a lot of room on the shelf. Also, the volume knob feels clunky. I'll repeat that this stereo is not in league with truly high-end integrated amps or separates. You have to be prepared to spend a lot more money to get that level of performance (not to mention the cost of an audiophile inputs and loudspeakers). But if you're on a budget, or just don't want to pay at least twice as much for incremental improvements in sound, don't overlook this stereo. It might be the best value going.

3. ( 3 of 3 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jan 29 2008

   I concur with the previous reviewer that this is a difficult to use product. Nothing either in its design or in the confusing and unhelpful manual that accompanies it is at all user friendly. I had the thought that this product was designed by someone of sadistic bent for someone he/she didn't like. I still (3 months later) struggle to figure out how to perform basic functions. Also, regularly I have had to 're-initialize' the device simply because it stopped working correctly. The manual assures me that this is 'normal'. Stay away from this product!

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