Denon AVC-3030 (~1991–1992)
Documentation on the Denon AVC-3030 is thin. Here is what the record shows. It is an AV control amplifier from the early 1990s, sold in two variants. The standard AVC-3030 cost ¥150,000 around 1991. The AVC-3030G cost ¥158,000 around 1992 and was slightly wider and heavier, at 470mm width and 17.5kg versus the standard's 434mm and 15.5kg.
The AVC-3030 was a serious piece of home theater hardware for its time. The front and center channels used Denon's New Super Optical Class A circuit. It kept the output stage in pure Class A up to typical listening levels. At higher output it switched to a non-switching Class A mode to reduce crossover and switching distortion. A toroidal transformer fed the power supply. The Dolby Pro Logic decoder used a Denon-specified IC. The unit also had DSP ambience modes - Theater, Live, Mono Movie, Classic Concert, Rock Concert, Church, and Stadium - plus a Cinema Equalizer for dialogue clarity in movie playback. A mechanical relay provided a direct CD/VDP audio path for two-channel stereo. HiFI-Stereo (October 1992, p.22) noted the receiver delivered up to 110 watts each to the three front channels and 35 watts to the surround channel.
The specs conflict in places. Rated stereo output into 6Ω appears to be 120W + 120W from period Japanese sources, while some listings give an 8Ω stereo figure of 110W per channel. Surround-channel power varies between 35W and 60W per channel, depending on the impedance and measurement standard. Frequency response through the main input is listed as 5 Hz - 100 kHz +0/ - 3 dB. The phono section meets RIAA ±1 dB from 20 Hz - 20 kHz. The supplied RC-153 learning remote, with pre-memory function, was included.
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