The Stereo Advantage
AS I uncrated the Denon DRA- 800H stereo receiver and set it on my rack for review, I was struck by a powerful wave of nostalgia. Back in my early days of audiophilia, stereo—no wait, stereo and vinyl—was pretty much the game. Buying a basic receiver was a typical rite of passage for a high school or college student back then, and it was staring at rows of them at the local TV/appliance store—with their shiny brushed chrome faceplates, dials and buttons, and backlit tuning displays—that got me hooked on audio in the first place.
It didn’t take more than a few moments of assessing this new Denon model, though, to know that we have come a long way. At $500, Denon’s update of the classic stereo receiver still qualifies as the heart of an awesome starter system for dorm or apartment-dwellers—add bookshelf speakers, or even towers, and maybe a subwoofer, and you’re ready to rock, literally and figuratively. But Denon’s inclusion of network and wireless connectivity has thoroughly modernized the experience of accessing and exploring music, while the thoughtful addition of HDMI inputs guarantees powerful sound for TV and movie viewing. And if you wanna go retro, all the usual analog inputs are there for the asking, just like in the old days. Best of all, Denon has paid attention to the sound quality, too. Let’s have a look and listen.
FEATURES
Do a web search and you’ll find the DRA-800H joins other stereo) and Arcam SR250 ($2,500) stand out—but neither offers quite the same mix of modern features and ergonomics.
