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Denon AVR-888 7.1-Channel/5.1+2-Channel Independent Zone Home Theater Receiver with HDMI I/O and Serial I/R Control (Black) | 
| Brand: Denon
Category: CE
List Price: $749.00
Buy New: $364.99
You Save: $384.01 (51%)
Rating:  20 reviews
Sales Rank: 708
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Batteries Included: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 33
Dimensions (in): 19.6 x 20.7 x 12.1
MPN: AVR888
Model: AVR888
UPC: 081757507875
EAN: 0081757507875
ASIN: B000UPBQOO
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | 7.1-channel 2-zone/2-source A/V home theater receiver with 100 watts per channel power output | | • | Supports Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, DTS Neo:6 Surround, and DTS-ES Extended Surround multichannel formats | | • | Audyssey MultEQ calibration process makes setup easy; Faroudja DCDi video processing | | • | 2 HDMI v1.3a digital video inputs and 1 HDMI monitor output; compatible with iPods and XM satellite radio receivers | | • | Measures 17.1 x 6.75 x 16.55 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 27.75 pounds; 2-year warranty |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
 Spectacular Sound, Great Features November 21, 2008
Andy O. Williams (Wichita, KS)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was excited about being able to switch sources and utilize the one cord interface between the projector and receiver and this receiver does a great job of switching sources and scaling of lower quality component signals to upgrade and transmit over HDMI. Setting it up is a little troublesome, compounded with the wacky menu and back arrow entry, but once you select which source (RCA, optical, coaxial for audio, and HDMI, Component, etc. for video) to use and name your sources, it's a breeze. I use a universal remote (Logitech 550) that turns everything on and allows you to select the activity (watch satellite, watch DVD, play video game, etc.) which helps a lot with a projector that "detects" it's video source. I can't even begin to explain the difference in sound quality- it's all about THD. It's nearly impossible to find a receiver with less than .08 total harmonic distortion in this price range, and with the setup microphone automatically making adjustments for your speakers and listening space, you won't find a better listening experience for your home theater.
 Great receiver..Can't find a better deal November 8, 2008
Mark Ayash (Atlanta, Ga)
I wanted a better receiver to replace my [...] Marantz to get HDMI. I can tell a difference in the surround detail that I didn't hear before. But that could be due to using HDMI for audio vs Coax on the marantz
This is the only receiver that I had to get out the manual to get it to work but it's worth the effort.
Amazon has this for a great price, shopped around a nobody could beat their price. Plus free shipping!!
JUST THE BEST FOR THE PRICE November 7, 2008
Leonardo A. Hernandez
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this receiver cause I read a lot of reviews of similar brands and this had the least problems. I've read about H & K issues with ps3 blu-ray playback and Onkyo's overheating problem, so decided to buy this unit and believe me I'm in love with it.
The sound is awesome, And the video works great so far.
Note: I haven't tried the upscaling function, since I play everything through my PC (which handles the upscaling).
The only real issue as a lot of reviewers have said,is the unfriendly remote control and user manual. Any way, if you spend some time (more than with other brands) you end up understanding the manual. since I can't give it 4.5 stars I'll go with 5. This receiver is too good at this price to take out 1 hole star just because of issues that aren't related to the quality of the product (build, audio and video are just amazing).
If I had a little more budget, I would buy the 889 that has dynamic EQ and dynamic volume (very interesting and useful features)and decodes the newest dolby and dts audio formats, but since it can play 7.1 PCM (uncompresed) audio, I consider it future proof.
If you are low on budget and care more for quality than friendliness, don't hesitate to buy this baby, it won't disappoint.
Awesome value!!! November 6, 2008
S. Rider (Denver, Coloradee)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is one incredible sounding receiver. I have owned Onkyo and Marantz (AVR-6200), both of which I highly valued. The Marantz was used with my Mirage Omni speakers, which is still utilized on the Denon. However, nothing has the dynamics and punch that this receiver is capable of.
The overall sound quality, in my opinion, is very flat, very dynamic. It sounds great at all volumes, something that my Onkyo and Marantz receivers could not match. I rate the highs as a tiny bit bright, but very acceptable. The mids are sweet, especially with acoustic instruments and vocals. The bass is very good as well. I love the quality of movies and music equally.
The HDMI upconversion is great as well. Unfortunately, I have an older Sony Tube HD TV which squishes any HDMI signal so the image is smaller. So, I use the component video switching abilities. I would say that is the only detriment to this receiver. It is not any where near as clear as the HDMI. But it is acceptable. There is a little flicker on some of my DirecTV channels, but the colors and resolution are great.
Some people have complained about setting this receiver up. I found it very easy to use. It has a lot of menus and options, which makes this receiver very customizable. It even has a 9-band EQ for all channels on all sources, which is awesome!!! I did not use autoEQ yet, but I think that me using the manual setup did the job right!
Pros:
* Quality of sound over all frequencies. Tight bass, sweet mids and crystal clear treble.
* Great video switching. Upconverts to 1080p with ease!
* Quality build, dual power transformers, top notch electronic components.
* Looks good too!
* Runs really cool even at loud levels.
Cons:
* Remote is lackluster. No learning abilities. But the IR sensor on the unit itself is very sensitive, making placement easier.
* Slight flicker using component switching upconversion. Not an issue with HDMI.
Overall, I rate this receiver as an incredible deal. Highly recommended.
Plus, Denon is known for their quality. My Marantz, which used to be great, died in only 4 years. My previous Onkyo is still working 10 years later at my friends house. My cousin and uncles all have various Denons, from 30 years old, to the newer generation, all work, all beloved!!!
Fantastic HT Receiver at this Price November 4, 2008
C. Lowe (grand rapids, mi)
I just received my Denon AVR-888 last week and have been very impressed with the sound quality and features. Overall, this unit is a significant increase in sound quality, volume, surround processing formats, and video input/output over my older home theater unit. Given Amazon's over 50% price break, I believe it would currently be impossible to find a comparable receiver anywhere at this price, and, indeed, this receiver would be a good buy at $100 more.
This is an upgrade for me from an 8 year old Harmon Kardon AVR 35, and I have the AVR-888 connected to
B&W 601's (front)
B&W CC3 (center)
B&W LM1's (rear)
NHT sub
Denon 1920 DVD
Logitech Squeezebox
Samsung 30" CRT HD TV Monitor with 1080i
Out of the box, it did take me a few hours of experimentation, reading through the manual, and trying different settings, but that is to be expected given the wide range of features. The Audyssey MultEQ did a good job of automatically configuring speaker output volumes and crossover settings, a nice feature for those who don't want to do this manually by listening to speaker tones and figuring out how to setup their sub. As far as the complexity of setup and difficulty of the manual, yes, if this is your first major home theater receiver and you are the kind of person who would have difficulty programming the VCR back in the day, then this might not be the receiver for you. But if you have had a home theater receiver, I found this to be about the same difficulty as when I had to learn to setup my Harmon Kardon AVR 35 8 years ago.
Once it was up and running, one of the delights of this unit was the ability to bi-amp my 601's. What a difference that made in clarity (I tried it without bi-amping, too). With my Logitech Squeezebox, the DTS NEO:6 Music surround setting is the first time I've found surround processing for 2 channel into 5.1 sound that I really like. Moreover, the Restorer HQ setting for improving compressed audio quality did improve the playback of high bit rate MP3's played from the Squeezebox. I also really like having the single HDMI input with upconverting going to the TV. It's nice not to have to switch a receiver source and a TV source to go from cable to DVD playback.
Final thoughts: For those that complain about the remote, yes it could benefit from better usability design. However, the hidden back panel buttons are only a minor annoyance once you've gotten the unit configured the way that you want it (you do use it to access the configuration menus). Even though you do have to open the back remote panel to switch audio/video source, who's going to be constantly switching the source?
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