New or Refurbished / Reconditioned Denon?

I am intersted in purchasing a Denon 2805. Local store willing to sell me brand new, factory sealed for $725, which I view as a bargain.

However, some Denon-authorized refubirshed / reconditioned e-tailers are selling this thing for $549, which would relieve me from a sales tax burden as well.

Is it worth the extra $250 to have a factory-sealed model? Any experience with reconditioned or refurbished equipment?

Thanks so much for any assistance.

there's a number of options... the two sites I've seen with refurbs want extra for a warranty, something you would almost HAVE to have on a refurb.

I'd be wondering why a receiver that was out just a few weeks was producing enough returns that places could stock refurbs... here's some other prices, you can do quite a bit better than $ 700 ish new, and still get out from under the taxes. just be sure you get a warranty.

http://www.shopping.com/xPC-Denon_AVR_2805

I received a 3803 refurb from ecost today. They saved me money...but there is no audio. Now I have to take it to the service center to get it fixed! These units are sold as is. You get a warranty but its yours once it hits the door. You have to pay to ship it back to Denon if you dont live near a service center. Sorry if this seems really negative but Im taking a break from 4 hours of hooking up then troubleshooting. Good luck with your decision.

what I have seen of refurb products is not good. Sure, the stuff usually works ok, but not as good as brand new one will. Pay the extra and get a new one -you'll be much happier.

mathu said:

I received a 3803 refurb from ecost today. They saved me money...but there is no audio. Now I have to take it to the service center to get it fixed! These units are sold as is. You get a warranty but its yours once it hits the door. You have to pay to ship it back to Denon if you dont live near a service center. Sorry if this seems really negative but Im taking a break from 4 hours of hooking up then troubleshooting. Good luck with your decision.

Click to expand...

I have purchased many refurbished products with no problems including my Denon 3805 from Dakmart.

I hate to tell you this but you would just as unhappy, maybe even more so, if you had purchased a new receiver and the same thing happened. Part of the problem you describe is a mail order issue. If you buy it in the mail you will probably be mailing it back in for service if you do not live near a service center regardless if it was Brand New or refurbished. One of the advantages of buying locally is you can take it back the next day. Many of us purchase products via mail/web to save money. Sometimes you still end up paying full price whether you wanted to or not. It's a gamble, one that has paid off nicely for me in the past.

And I seriously doubt that the quality of the sound is different than a new one. One theory is that a refurb has been checked more than a new unit. The reason there are refurbs in the first place is because those new units failed. It's been a common trait with electronics since they were created and will remain so.

It's hard to say. I've bought several refurbs from ecost, and for the most part they were fine. But some had some "quirks." For instance, one CD player I bought plays perfectly, but the display is bright enough to light the whole room! It's almost like there's no resistor/dimmer ahead of the LEDs. My other player (same model #) is maybe 1/3 as bright. Another CD player I bought there looked perfect and worked just fine- for about 8 months. Then it crapped out. Would a new one have? Maybe, but then I'd have had a warranty. On the other hand, I paid less than 1/3 of new price, so ultimately I think it was worth it.

My view is this- buy a refurb only if it's a cheaper component. Anything that would cost me less than $400-500 to replace, I'd take the chance. But I personally wouldn't risk buying a more expensive peice without a warrenty, especially a Denon. It's not that Denon are less reliable; but Denon will not honor the warranty unless you purchased from an authorized dealer.

Bottom line: buy from a local dealer. They'll often cut you a decent deal, too. I bought my 3802 locally, and I did need to have it serviced. I was profoundly glad I'd bought it at my local Ultimate Electronics. At least in my city, Ultimate bends over backwards to make sure you get the service you need. They're great guys. Not as cheap as an etailer, but they're there for you after the sale. I bought my DVD-2200 there, too. When I buy my next one, they'll be the ones to sell it to me.

One last point

I'd rather buy refurbished from an authorized dealer than a new unit from an unauthorized dealer with no warranty any day. Denon honors their warranties the same way whether it's new or refurbished.

Good luck.

Buy local & buy new whenever possible.

That said, buying a refurb can represent a good value, BUT units that have been on the market for but a short period of time are generally a poor unit to ever buy as a refurb. Simply stated, new designs are more prone to failure than a unit that has been manufactured for several years. Why? Because the manufacturer has a chance to determine the MTF (mean time to failure) in real world conditions and make appropriated changes within the design as needed.


Look at total cost of purchase, including the what if's of the situation. If I lived in the town as a service center, what if I don't? Who is going to support the product after the sale? How do I exchange the unit if I am unhappy? Is an upgrade possible? These are all issues, besides trying to achieve the lowest possible price, and in many cases can add considerably to your overall cost.

Good luck with receivers, then. You're not going to find any HT receiver staying in production for several years. Not if you care at all about being able to decode current formats.