Denon Vs Yamaha AVR

[snakeeyes]

When you get your AVR spend a little money on fans to draw out the heat. I’m not saying every new Denon runs hot as hell, but that’s the rumor...

This pair is cheap and quiet and available on Amazon:

AC Infinity MULTIFAN S7, Quiet Dual 120mm USB Fan

 

[Ponzio]

Loooong time Yammy fan boy but I have to admit the Denon 8500, especially with the silver fascia ... yes I'm that superficial ... specs/features have me intrigued.

The price, less so.

 

[MacCali]

You're right! I checked with one of the local dealers here and they are selling the Denon AVR-X4500H (Demo) for 1300 CAD taxes in (the actual price is CAD 2099) with a complete 3 years manufacturer warranty, he's even ready to offer the brand new model for the same price (I believe, I heard it correctly) They're about to close the store and I haven't had enough time to decide. I am a little confused now as I got offers for three different models within a similar price range,

AVR-X 3600 H - 1100 $
AVR-X 3700 H - 1200 $
AVR-X 4500 H - 1300 $

I know it's subjective but what do you think as the best bet here? Should I go for the one with more power or the latest one in the market considering I wouldn't upgrade my receiver often?

I would go with the 4500, I may be biased, but I was planning on purchasing the 4400 before I found my Marantz for cheaper than that. The 4400 was USD 1249 on amazon.

You also need to consider it as a test kind of unit. If you like it you keep it, if you don’t you can sell it. I see definitely a higher demand for a 4500 over the rest. So that’s also what I consider for my purchases.

 

[MacCali]

I would say this man. I just looked and prices just dropped crazy. I don’t think you’re getting a very good deal on those Denons. Here in US at least. Both units are 1200, and I know yours is CAD.

But right now I see the Marantz 6014 for USD 899. 16 in stock. I would jump on that ASAP.

And it has the HDAM technology. That's a win win all around you cant go wrong with that no matter what. Plus you will save 200-300

This is my edit for my previous comment.

Oh sorry, I didn’t think the 3700H was part of it. Misread that, I thought they were all previous models.

I mean it depends how you watch movies, etc. If you use streamers, blu Ray/4K for sure buy the 3700H. If you plan on using the PS5 or new Xbox, this would be a reason to take this route as well. But I don’t understand gaming with surround sound. Not my thing.

Im not sure if the 3700H could be used as a preamp or if it is, it has the new HDAM setup which would work wonders if you want to use an amplifier. But I do believe that is strictly for marantz. Maybe someone else can reiterate on this topic.

But the 3700H would have more appeal than the 4500H for resale if you don’t feel it


For me I just stream on my TV, so I get my full resolution regardless.

 

[lovinthehd]

I would say this man. I just looked and prices just dropped crazy. I don’t think you’re getting a very good deal on those Denons. Here in US at least. Both units are 1200, and I know yours is CAD.

But right now I see the Marantz 6014 for USD 899. 16 in stock. I would jump on that ASAP.

And it has the HDAM technology. That's a win win all around you cant go wrong with that no matter what. Plus you will save 200-300

This is my edit for my previous comment.

Oh sorry, I didn’t think the 3700H was part of it. Misread that, I thought they were all previous models.

I mean it depends how you watch movies, etc. If you use streamers, blu Ray/4K for sure buy the 3700H. If you plan on using the PS5 or new Xbox, this would be a reason to take this route as well. But I don’t understand gaming with surround sound. Not my thing.

Im not sure if the 3700H could be used as a preamp or if it is, it has the new HDAM setup which would work wonders if you want to use an amplifier. But I do believe that is strictly for marantz. Maybe someone else can reiterate on this topic.

But the 3700H would have more appeal than the 4500H for resale if you don’t feel it


For me I just stream on my TV, so I get my full resolution regardless.

Why would hdam be desireable?

 

[Verdinut]

I would say this man. I just looked and prices just dropped crazy. I don’t think you’re getting a very good deal on those Denons. Here in US at least. Both units are 1200, and I know yours is CAD.

But right now I see the Marantz 6014 for USD 899. 16 in stock. I would jump on that ASAP.

And it has the HDAM technology. That's a win win all around you cant go wrong with that no matter what. Plus you will save 200-300

The Marantz has the HDAM module and the Denon doesn't have it. But the Denon has a better performance without that module. So, at present, there is no reason to opt for a Marantz following recent reviews.

EDIT: Here is a recent review of the AVR 3700H where Amir recommends it:

Denon AVR-X3700H AVR Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of Denon AVR-X3700H 9.2 channel 8K Home Theater AV Receiver (AVR). It is kindly loaned to me by a local member and costs US $1,199. Visually, if you have seen one AVR, you have seen the look of the AVR-X3700H: The input selector is plastic and...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[little wing]

Loooong time Yammy fan boy but I have to admit the Denon 8500, especially with the silver fascia ... yes I'm that superficial ... specs/features have me intrigued.

The price, less so.

It does look like an absolute beast. I'll bet that baby heats up something fierce.

 

[Ponzio]

It does look like an absolute beast. I'll bet that baby heats up something fierce.

Oh yeah!

I imagine that beast needs plenty of room to breathe.

 

[little wing]

Oh yeah!

I imagine that beast needs plenty of room to breathe.

Yeah for sure, lol, and some fans won't hurt either.

 

[Sax-Fan]

The Marantz has the HDAM module and the Denon doesn't have it. But the Denon has a better performance without that module. So, at present, there is no reason to opt for a Marantz following recent reviews.

EDIT: Here is a recent review of the AVR 3700H where Amir recommends it:

Denon AVR-X3700H AVR Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of Denon AVR-X3700H 9.2 channel 8K Home Theater AV Receiver (AVR). It is kindly loaned to me by a local member and costs US $1,199. Visually, if you have seen one AVR, you have seen the look of the AVR-X3700H: The input selector is plastic and...

www.audiosciencereview.com

$899 for a new sr6014 is still a very good price. And there are those who believe the Marantz sounds better (but there is no way I'm getting into that debate).

 

[lovinthehd]

$899 for a new sr6014 is still a very good price. And there are those who believe the Marantz sounds better (but there is no way I'm getting into that debate).

Rather than sounding better or even different, I think its more a matter of being marketed differently and having different reputations based on gear from different times....

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Why would hdam be desireable?

Because it’s H-DAM-it.

 

[Sax-Fan]

Rather than sounding better or even different, I think its more a matter of being marketed differently and having different reputations based on gear from different times....

Probably true.

I spent a little time the other day at a Best Buy listening to the Denon 4700 and the Marantz 7013 (they didn't have the the 7015 yet and the Denon 3xxx and Marantz 6xxx weren't hooked up properly). It was as close to a blind test as possible under the circumstances as I wasn't told which receiver was playing unless I asked. I also am not familiar with the units, so if something was set up in a way that affected the sound, I honestly would not know.

I did notice what I perceived as very subtle differences, but would be hard pressed to say that one sounded better than the other. Depending on the music or movie playing, there were times I slightly preferred one vs the other and sometimes the one I preferred turned out to be the Denon and other times the Marantz.. My conclusion was that, if there was a difference, it wasn't significant enough in either direction to persuade me one way or another.

So, I don't think perceived sound difference should necessarily be a factor in the decision making process. But, while test measurements are a more objective way to compare, I also don't necessarily believe that should be the end all either -- and I get the feeling that many make decisions based solely on that determination. If you can save some money vs. another equally equipped receiver that may have received higher measurement scores based on tests from one person, but the receivers sound the same anyway, does it make sense to pay more?

 

[MacCali]

I mean it comes down to how much money you’re going to spend.

But as @Verdinut mentioned, if it is getting better reviews for pre amp function it evens the playing field.

But now the deal comes down too, do you want to pay 300 more for 4k/120

I would honestly hit that audio shop and bargain with a price drop, see if they will do it.

Cause those prices aren’t fair even new in my opinion. Especially if it is open box, should be much lower

 

[MacCali]

Let me check in Canuck.

My man, I hope you didn’t jump to any conclusions on your purchase. We haven’t heard back from you.

I am not sure if what I understood is precise, but they just recently had the HiFi summit, and some new information that came out about the main company’s doing 4K/120 and 8k/60 is actually not going to be possible. Something is wrong with the chip, and even firmware won’t be able to fix the situation.

So now the new advice is to steer clear of any of those upgrades strictly for 4K/120. Hope you get a chance to read this!

 

[Arun Prasad]

My man, I hope you didn’t jump to any conclusions on your purchase. We haven’t heard back from you.

I am not sure if what I understood is precise, but they just recently had the HiFi summit, and some new information that came out about the main company’s doing 4K/120 and 8k/60 is actually not going to be possible. Something is wrong with the chip, and even firmware won’t be able to fix the situation.

So now the new advice is to steer clear of any of those upgrades strictly for 4K/120. Hope you get a chance to read this!

@MacCali , thanks for your note, yeah I too heard about this. I haven't decided on the models yet, hoping the prices would go down during BL weekend so still counting on it But I got a chance to test my old speakers using Denon AVR-X3600H and it sounds ok (nothing wrong with the AVR, it's just my old speakers sounding average) so I would go with 3600 or 3700 or 4500 depends on the prices during the sale so that I can save some money to upgrade my speakers.

 

[MacCali]

@MacCali , thanks for your note, yeah I too heard about this. I haven't decided on the models yet, hoping the prices would go down during BL weekend so still counting on it But I got a chance to test my old speakers using Denon AVR-X3600H and it sounds ok (nothing wrong with the AVR, it's just my old speakers sounding average) so I would go with 3600 or 3700 or 4500 depends on the prices during the sale so that I can save some money to upgrade my speakers.

Damn, yea the 6014 is gone on Amazon. AudioAdvisor has it but only ships to the US. That was a killer deal. This mistake is going to keep prices higher now unless they missed the info.

 

[Arun Prasad]

Damn, yea the 6014 is gone on Amazon. AudioAdvisor has it but only ships to the US. That was a killer deal. This mistake is going to keep prices higher now unless they missed the info.

Yeah that was killer deal but not available in Canada.

 

[Arun Prasad]

@Here,

Finally, I got a Denon AVR-X3600H. I tried connecting the subs with cheaper power amps from amazon but I am not pretty happy with the sound as it sounds distorted on higher volumes.

I have shortlisted a few used amps., to power the subs as well the front channels. My front channels and the subs have a power rating of 150 RMS @ 4 ohms (the same with subs), does it mean I should get an amp that has more than 150 Watts per channel so that the speakers will have enough headroom for the dynamics? Most of the professional lineups like Crown and QSC have enough power rating (150 to 200 WPC) for the budget I have, also found few dedicated home theater amps like Rotel RMB-1066, Cambridge which has 60 or 70 WPC not sure which one would suit better? Any suggestions on this would be highly appreciated.

 

[lovinthehd]

I have several Crown XLS amps (four XLS1500s and one 2502) for my diy subs primarily but also on the mains in my main system (don't really need them for the mains at my listening levels but they were just sitting there....). They run nice and quiet, have some nice features and can be connected with rca cables (or balanced if you have them) so are fairly consumer friendly.

The power rating on the speakers is more a warning of what maximum not to exceed without potentially damaging them, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're going to need that much for your listening levels, even allowing for some headroom. Are the ratings program/continuous or peak? More useful would be using their sensitivity rating and an spl calculator to estimate your needs. More than enough power isn't necessarily a bad thing, but unused power is just that....unused.