Recently a Denon DRA 395 came my way via the trade in route. Customer moving into separates.
All things considered this is one of the finest modern contemporary receivers on the market today. With that being said construction,build quality and overall sonics, the Denon DRA 395 falls far short of the receivers built from 1975 to 1985, during the so-called stereo wars of that era.
A few days later did a side by side evaluation with the Denon DRA 395 to one of audios great receivers the NAD 7080, and was later evaluated with a Rotel RX 803 receiver.
Although these vintage units are 28 to 24 years in service now. The differences were astounding. These vintage receivers are all descrete topolgy, no opamps or chips were used in the construction of the vintage units. Sonically that is where the vintage units have a clear edge over the DRA 395. The phono section of the DRA 395, was no match for the vintage units.
I totally agree with Ed on his initial observations on the Denon DRA 395 and this follow up is not to disparage his evaluation.
It is heartwarming to see a decent new 2 channel receiver, such as the Denon DRA 395 today. And at its price point is a serious contender in the 2 channel receiver category and should be on anyones short list,looking for a new receiver.It is hard to fault the Denon with its caveats taken into consideration.
Price wise may not have been a fair comparison as the NAD 7080 sold for $649.00 in 1978 and the Rotel RX 803 sold for $550.00 in 1982. So when adjusted for inflation the price differential is substantial over the DRA 395.
However after the shoot out here, the Denon DRA 395 cannot contend with the vintage units in overall sonic siganture,build,construction and parts used. For as far as we have come since the vintage units were new, it seems that current 2 channel receivers are not on par the golden oldies. Part of the reason is that the competition in the 2 channel category is not as intense today as it was during the stereo wars.
Several fellow audiophiles that came over during this evaluation all commented on the sonic excellence of the NAD 7080 and Rotel RX 803, plus the fit, finish, and construction. In all honesty was expecting a better performance from the DRA 395. As I am a fan of Denon products, in fact using their DMD 1300 Mini Disc Deck, now which I am more than impressed with.
No doubt the DRA 395 will more than fit the need of budding audiophiles or those looking for a cost efficient second system where space is of prime importance.
I agree with Ed on the DRA 395, however when compared to the vintage units in the market place, it does fall short of expectations.
All things considered this is one of the finest modern contemporary receivers on the market today. With that being said construction,build quality and overall sonics, the Denon DRA 395 falls far short of the receivers built from 1975 to 1985, during the so-called stereo wars of that era.
A few days later did a side by side evaluation with the Denon DRA 395 to one of audios great receivers the NAD 7080, and was later evaluated with a Rotel RX 803 receiver.
Although these vintage units are 28 to 24 years in service now. The differences were astounding. These vintage receivers are all descrete topolgy, no opamps or chips were used in the construction of the vintage units. Sonically that is where the vintage units have a clear edge over the DRA 395. The phono section of the DRA 395, was no match for the vintage units.
I totally agree with Ed on his initial observations on the Denon DRA 395 and this follow up is not to disparage his evaluation.
It is heartwarming to see a decent new 2 channel receiver, such as the Denon DRA 395 today. And at its price point is a serious contender in the 2 channel receiver category and should be on anyones short list,looking for a new receiver.It is hard to fault the Denon with its caveats taken into consideration.
Price wise may not have been a fair comparison as the NAD 7080 sold for $649.00 in 1978 and the Rotel RX 803 sold for $550.00 in 1982. So when adjusted for inflation the price differential is substantial over the DRA 395.
However after the shoot out here, the Denon DRA 395 cannot contend with the vintage units in overall sonic siganture,build,construction and parts used. For as far as we have come since the vintage units were new, it seems that current 2 channel receivers are not on par the golden oldies. Part of the reason is that the competition in the 2 channel category is not as intense today as it was during the stereo wars.
Several fellow audiophiles that came over during this evaluation all commented on the sonic excellence of the NAD 7080 and Rotel RX 803, plus the fit, finish, and construction. In all honesty was expecting a better performance from the DRA 395. As I am a fan of Denon products, in fact using their DMD 1300 Mini Disc Deck, now which I am more than impressed with.
No doubt the DRA 395 will more than fit the need of budding audiophiles or those looking for a cost efficient second system where space is of prime importance.
I agree with Ed on the DRA 395, however when compared to the vintage units in the market place, it does fall short of expectations.