Let's face it, nothing is perfect, though the AVR-5805 comes pretty darn close. In fact, out of all of the products I have ever reviewed, this one was the most difficult to write a laundry list for. After some thinking, however, I came up with a short list of areas in which I would like to see updates and/or improvements:

• Analog Video Upconversion to HDMI with OSD support (firmware upgrade coming soon).
• More representative graphical depiction of the Audyssey results (instead of the cheesy one octave bar graph readouts, and these should include the subwoofer channel).
• Provide mute during search and acquire on PCM DTS bitstreams from DTS CD's.

Recommendations

The Denon AVR-5805 is not for everyone. Serious home theater aficionados and music lovers are what this product was bred for. Unless you are an experienced home theater hobbyist, we strongly encourage having your dealer and/or certified custom installer set-up and integrate this product into your system. This is why Denon doesn't ship the receiver with the calibration mic like they do with all of their other products featuring auto setup. Care must be followed, as per the guidelines in this review, when setting up Audyssey to achieve the maximum benefits. Denon recognizes this product requires a knowledgeable Installer to reach its maximum potential. Their dedication is most obvious by the existence of their extensive mandatory eight hour training course for authorized dealers and installers.

This receiver is enormous at almost a foot in height, but redeems itself by maintaining a manageable depth of about 20 inches. Most standard home theater racks will accommodate the width and length of this product, but you may find the need to remove a shelf or two above this receiver to provide plenty of air flow. Unlike the AVR-5803 that ran relatively cool under all but the most extreme conditions, the AVR-5805 runs hot, even during idle. Considering it has double the power supply, three more power amps, over 3 times the amount of components, and more than double the processing power of its predecessor, this should come as no surprise. My advice is to provide plenty of open ventilation (at least 6 inches above and either an open front or back for steady airflow.

Conclusion

The Denon AVR-5805 is truly the most innovative and advanced product of the year 

The Denon AVR-5805 is truly the most innovative product of the year and certainly (currently) the most advanced receiver or processor for that matter on the market. I can think of no other product that better exemplifies the bleeding edge in technology, fit and function than the AVR-5805. At first glance the $6k price tag may seem a bit steep until you consider this single box solution essentially takes the place of three with so many added goodies (i.e. Audyssey, HDMI, I/P scaling, etc) that no separates solutions currently offer. Throw in state of the art processing, and the ultimate in bass management flexibility, along with the most robust amplifier section we have ever seen in a receiver, and this product clearly reins supreme. I cannot convey in words how much enjoyment this product has added to both my music listening and movie watching experiences. And all this despite that fact that I have yet to tap into all of its capabilities. With that in mind, it is our intention to make the AVR-5805 one of our mainstay processor platforms in Staff Reference System #1 . I feel there is so much more potential to unleash in this platform and I look forward to supporting hardware and firmware upgrades (especially analog video upconversion to HDMI) so long as Denon supplies them. Towards the end of the year when my new home theater room is completed, I will consider integrating a Denon AVR-5805 into my primary reference system. In this configuration it would also be used to drive a full fledged second zone 5.1 surround system in a master bedroom with distributed audio in other rooms. This would certainly allow me to see and hear first hand the full capabilities of this masterful machine.

Don 't let your snobby audiophile friends or forum cult hobbyists dissuade you from purchasing a receiver. This is truly a state of the art and, equally important, an audiophile product that if properly set up will rival the performance of most separates solutions regardless of price. It is a highly flexible piece that can fit the bill for almost any conceivable home theater or audio application. Its upgradeability path ensures years of enjoyment and manufacturers support to keep it current for the next big wave of technological progress. The Denon AVR-5805 truly is the ultimate one box separates solution that represents a quantum leap in technological achievement which will surely birth a new trend in home theater with respect to home system integration and room correction.