B&K 307 vs. Denon 5800 Debate

I lean towards the B&K (actually I have one on order at the moment) but its a tough call. Yes, Denon has nice processors (they use the 24 bit SHARC throughout), but B&K is the alpha test site for all Motorola chips--a nice advantage. So much so that they are frequently first to market with new surround technology. Additionally, regarding flexibilty, B&K are much more easily upgradeable than is the Denon (inluding a serial port right on the unit to upgrade from your PC). Lastly if you like the idea of multi-speaker stereo, B&K's stereo-7 channel is a bit more flexible in allowing you to convert your THX rear center speaker pair into a stereo pair for music( in conjunction with your side speakers, if you have them)---the Denon does not (it has spkr terminals for "rear center" and they are essentially ONLY for movies) . Best of luck!

If it must be one of these two receivers, go for the B&K 307 but do yourself a favor and try the Marantz SR-18 or if you prefer the SR-18EX. Audio quality of this unit is FAR superior to the B&K. I used to LOVE the B&K and compared it to many Marantz products since they were sitting in the same room as the B&K. The B&K was clearly better than ANY of the Lower end (sub SR-18) receivers. But.. one day I ventured into the other room and found the SR-18 and even without an A/B comparison, I could tell the Marantz SR-18 was better. Fuller, richer, more detailed sound, no harsh brassy highs, and transparency not common in this price range. Now I understand why they keep that Marantz SR-18 in the other room.... Because it would be impossible to sell a B&K with it around. To make matters even more interesting, the B&K was hooked up to B&W N-805 speakers and the Marantz in the other room used "in wall" B&W speakers. Clearly the B&K had the advantage of sounding better but still did not. I was heartbroken at the time and I felt stupid for thinking so highly of the B&K. Anyhow.. this is my experience and I hope that you can use this information to your benefit.

I own the 202 and i am very happy with it.I listened to the 5800 and 307 at the same dealer and prefer the 307.I drove a block away and listened to the marantz flagship model and prefer the 307 over that also.Considering the b&k receivers are upgradable and the others are not,i do not even see this as a decision,it is a no brainer.all the other brands will be outdated steel boxes in two or three years,while the b&k units will be state of the art.

Hey Ears, Update? What are you going to update to? Can you update your 202 to Dolby Ex? Can you update to 7.1 channel sound now that it's available? Can you add additional line level outputs for other speakers? Does it have extra slots for additional amps?

No... of course you cannot. Maybe though you can update your 202 with an emulated version of 7.1 so it makes 5.1 sound like 7.1 with only 5 speakers.

I'm just being sarcastic and kidding around a bit because I don't get what this "upgradable" thing is all about. Your 202 is DTS compatible and I really don't see another format comming down the pipe which would be WORTH upgrading to. If anyone has any input on this I'd love to
hear it.

Oh.. of course you might be able to upgrade your 202 or 307 processor to decode DVD-A... but... then you'd need a new DVD player to go with it.

Any insight on what this whole "Upgrade" thing is all about?

Bwhite,
Update = Sending the unit into B&K to get the hardware current with the LATEST technology. i.e. the 202 currently does DD and DTS, I have been told the next upgrade is to add DTS-ES, DPL-2, and THX certification. This is why B&k customers are so loyal, because their equipment is never outdated.