Digital Trends

Denon AVR-2808CI August 18th, 2008 | by Mike Kobrin

Design and Features

Like most receivers, the 2808CI is basically a big black box. Two large knobs flank the LED display on front, controlling input source and master volume. Buttons below the left knob provide convenient access to source input, tuning presets, zone select, and video select; below that are power and standby buttons. Under the right knob is a trio of quick-select buttons, which let you instantly switch AV profiles without having to reconfigure all your settings each time. The front panel under the screen opens to reveal a full set of on-board controls, RCA and optical inputs, a headphone jack, and a port for the included Audyssey calibration mic.

On the back are speaker terminals for up to 8 channels (7.1 or 5.1+2), which thankfully support banana plugs as well as traditional connectors. The dizzying array of audio inputs and outputs includes digital coax, optical, and analog RCA. You can also hook up external amplifiers via the 8 preamp outputs. Video I/O includes composite, component, and S-Video, and the receiver's two HDMI 1.3a inputs and one output support Deep Color. It's also XM-ready.

Internally, the 2808CI brings Denon's receiver line up to date, with a Faroudja video processor for 1080p upscaling, as well as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio codecs and THX Ultra2 certification. The amplifier puts out 110W per channel into 8 ohms, which is more than sufficient for most home needs, and it has three independent zones of audio and two zones of video, making it a viable multiroom solution.

Remote Controls

The included remote has a soft touch screen, but nowhere near as slick as something like Logitech's Harmony One. Rather than a series of menus, you get a single screen with icons that blink to show they're active. The buttons are labeled with shortened text that could've been written by a 13-year-old in an SMS message on a cell phone, but they are very responsive, and the remote has a fairly ergonomic feel.

A sub-remote is included for zones 2 and 3, and it's actually easier to figure out than the full remote. To use it in a different room, you'll have to connect an infrared extender, sold separately.

The Front of the 2808CI

The Back of the 2808CI Includes Plenty of Inputs