The Home Cinema amp market is more competitive this year than ever before - Onkyo's sensational new range is particularly strong, for example. However, many people have been born and bred on Denon, so their first port of call when it comes to changing equipment will be the manufacturer they know and trust. And they won't be disappointed, because Denon's '08 range is the most highly specified we have ever seen. At the lower end of the range, Onkyo's all conquering TX-SR605 is a difficult act for Denon to follow, but higher up, the Denons put up a much stiffer fight. The AVR-3808 and AVR-4308 have been particularly well received, thanks to full HDMI 1.3 / HD compatibility, four HDMI inputs, 1080p upscaling, a network port and (in the case of the 4308) two HDMI outputs, wireless Wi-Fi capability and DAB radio. For most Home Cinema enthusiasts, this is the stuff that dreams are made of! Personally, I can't help thinking that the AVR3808 is the best value for money - it will be interesting to see how it fairs against Onkyo's excellent 875 and 905 models. Let battle commence!
