Denon AVR-X3700H / Pioneer VSX-LX305 / or wait for the new Sony STR-AN1000

[BBHT]

Hello all.

Some of you remember my opening post, and not much has been purchased!
Renovation issues, travel and extended family lunch (hosted by me) has changed my budgeting for awhile.

Since then I have decided to relook at my selection of amps, and speakers.

For amps, I have narrowed the list down to:

1. Denon X3700H (it goes on sale for about SG $1100 like once a month). The X2800H is SG $1700!
2. Pioneer VSX-LX305 (priced at SG $1600)
3. Wait for Sony STR-AN1000 (pricing TBA).

I have a PS5, and would like an amp that supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and Auto Low Latency Mode.(Feature supported by my TV).
Would also like to connect it to my Google home network.

I have earmarked the Q Acoustics 3050i, 3090i and 3010i/3020i (if I can find them in stock) to use with them. (They have good WAF)

I do hope to add height channels, but that will probably be next year, so 9 channels would be idea.

Any feedback / thoughts would be much appreciated.

 

[Sachb]

Denon sounds bad for music, so If I were you, I'd skip it in a beat.

Pioneer is a dying brand so expect little to no support.

Sony AVRs are good for music/movies but tend to have less power when all channels are driven.

I would highly recommend the Yamaha A4A


Sent from my ASUS_AI2201_C using Tapatalk

 

[BBHT]

Hi @Sachb
Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately, the only Yamaha Aventage in Singapore is the A2A. It is often out of stock as well.

I may just settle for the X3700H. If it sounds bad for music, wouldn't one be able to EQ it to be neutral?

 

[Sachb]

Hi @Sachb
Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately, the only Yamaha Aventage in Singapore is the A2A. It is often out of stock as well.

I may just settle for the X3700H. If it sounds bad for music, wouldn't one be able to EQ it to be neutral?

You can EQ it, but it won't help much tbh.

I had a Denon years back, I calibrated, adjusted the settings, but nothing worked.

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[PENG]

Hi @Sachb
Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately, the only Yamaha Aventage in Singapore is the A2A. It is often out of stock as well.

I may just settle for the X3700H. If it sounds bad for music, wouldn't one be able to EQ it to be neutral?

I would like to make two quick points and hope you don't mind.

1) It is better to make your decision based on objective data, such as specs and measurements, instead of subjective measurements by people who tell you one sounds better than the other. The reason is, if you rely on subjective measurements, that is based on other people's own perceived "sound quality", then you would need a large sample for it to be meaningful or useful, otherwise who would you believe? Also, even if the majority says product A sounds better than product B, you still cannot be sure which one sounds better to you as people have different preference/taste and you may never know if other people have done their comparisons in truly apples to apples kind, or they just compared them under different conditions and relied on their auditory memory to draw their conclusions.

2) If you are in Singapore, I've read at least one post on ASR (Audiosciencereview.com), that over there, the Marantz Cinema 50 costs about the same as the Denon AVR-X3800H, and now the prices of the AVR-X3800H in North America has gone down substantially, so you may want to check out the prices of those in Singapore.

Even if you have to pay a little more for the X3800H, or Cinema 50, it may be worth it in the long run because of their new features, such as 4 independent subwoofer outputs, the ability to disconnect internal power amp channels individually, and the option to upgrade to Dirac Live including bass control.

Hardware and design difference between different brands such as Denon vs Yamaha may result in audible different under some conditions, but even if that is the case, the differences would be much less than that resulting from different room correction systems such as YPAO vs Audyssey vs Dirac Live.

 

[lovinthehd]

I'd ignore SachB, not a good source of information. I keep him on ignore, only looked at his post since you mentioned him, but it's just his usual diatribe against the Denon brand (which of course can play music perfectly fine).....

Nothing wrong with Denon (or the sister brand, Marantz). Denon, out of the ones you mention, would be my choice, or as Peng mentioned, if Marantz is equivalently priced, a good option too. I do own three Denons myself, they work great.

 

[ban25]

Hi @Sachb
Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately, the only Yamaha Aventage in Singapore is the A2A. It is often out of stock as well.

I may just settle for the X3700H. If it sounds bad for music, wouldn't one be able to EQ it to be neutral?

I used to own the X3700H, it's an excellent option for music or any other type of content. You can easily EQ it with Audyssey to sound like whatever you want, but it isn't necessary as the Denon is neutral out of the box. The only negative specifically for music, IMO, is that HEOS is a bit janky. You don't need to use HEOS for streaming, though. You can use AirPlay 2 (built-in), connect a Chromecast, or do what I did and run the TIDAL app straight on an NVIDIA Shield Pro.

 

[Sachb]

Hi @Sachb
Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately, the only Yamaha Aventage in Singapore is the A2A. It is often out of stock as well.

I may just settle for the X3700H. If it sounds bad for music, wouldn't one be able to EQ it to be neutral?

If there is any store in Singapore that lets you audition (demo) the AVRs you wish to purchase in mind, then do that.

Although, it's most of the time Impossible to do an A/B comparison between different AVRs in the same store and identical condition, if you find one in SG, it'll be great for you.

Then it's your ears, you be the judge.

Personally, every Denon I have demoed & owned in the past, never really impressed me, but the Marantz did sound a tad bit better than Denon.

Also note that the Denon AVRs are slightly smaller than their Yamaha counterpart, but the Denon tend to suffer from overheating if proper ventilation isn't provided.

You need to maintain the minimum clearance that Denon recommends or else get a fan.

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[isolar8001]

Price on the Pioneers just went down....I love mine. Love it much more than the Denon it replaced after I tried a Yamaha and sent it back.

Premium Audio Co. Rolls Back Pricing on Select Klipsch Speakers and Pioneer Elite AVRs

(May 1, 2023) Following years of industry-wide price hikes and shipping delays, we're finally seeing movement in a favorable direction for consumers. Beginning today, May 1st, Klipsch Reference Premiere speakers and Elite audio video receivers will match 2019 prices. That makes for discounts up...

www.avnirvana.com

 

[BBHT]

Thank you for feedback and advice.
I would like to try out the AVRs before buying, so I have to make time for myself to check out.

I do agree that the X3800H has more useful features, however at current pricing it is out of my budget.

X3700H is $1400 right now. X3800H is $2400. Cinema 50 is $2600.
I'm only looking to spend up to $1500 for an AVR.

So yeah. Thank you again everyone. I'll test out the X3700H and see how I get on.

 

[Sachb]

Thank you for feedback and advice.
I would like to try out the AVRs before buying, so I have to make time for myself to check out.

I do agree that the X3800H has more useful features, however at current pricing it is out of my budget.

X3700H is $1400 right now. X3800H is $2400. Cinema 50 is $2600.
I'm only looking to spend up to $1500 for an AVR.

So yeah. Thank you again everyone. I'll test out the X3700H and see how I get on.

No one mentioned this to you, but I'll do it to help you out anyways

The Denon X3700H comes with an Audyssey room correction and has more settings than an average user can understand, such as:

1) Dynamic Volume
2) Reference Offset level

For every source or type of content viewed these settings need to be changed to get the best sound, otherwise like me, you'll suffer with poor sound quality, but even after that it's not guaranteed to get that perfect sound you may looking for.

In terms of ease of use, YPAO on Yamaha AVRs is simpler and direct and most of the time, you won't be fiddling much with the remote than the Denon.

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[CharlesJones166]

I will support Sony amplifiers.

 

[BBHT]

Hi all.

I managed to make time to head down to one of the stores to check out the Denon amps. Unfortunately, the set up was such that the amps were hooked to different speakers. I asked if he could connect them to the same pair of floor standers, and the answer was no (only the expensive stuff was hooked up to multiple expensive speakers).

The sales person is pushing me to get the X2700H, and is heavily discounting it to below the price of the X1700H.
Pricing is X2700H -> X1700H -> X3700H.

So now, I am a little confused over what I need for my setup.
How would everything be connected (the sales guy confused me. I think he was more confident with music, than home theatre)? What features would I need?

Connected will be:
HiSense u7 75inch TV (we use it to stream at 4k)
Nintendo Switch
PS5 (4k, 120hz, also doubles as our 4k Blu-Ray player.)
PC (4k/60hz)

As I understand it, the TV will connect to the AVR via the eARC HDMI.
Then the PC, PS5, and Switch will connect to the regular HDMI ports.
The eARC HDMI is the only 4k/120Hz port?

The amp will be powering Q Acoustics 3090i, 3050i (pair), and 3010i (pair).
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

(If it helps, the speakers and AVR are from the same shop)

 

[Verdinut]

If you find the X3800H too expensive, I recommend the X3700H which is an excellent AVR. I've been using one for 2 years now and it features pre-outs enabling you to add external amplification should you need it in the future. It performs very well with low THD and a rather high SNR.

Here is a reliable review on this product:

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

 

[PENG]

Hi all.

I managed to make time to head down to one of the stores to check out the Denon amps. Unfortunately, the set up was such that the amps were hooked to different speakers. I asked if he could connect them to the same pair of floor standers, and the answer was no (only the expensive stuff was hooked up to multiple expensive speakers).

The sales person is pushing me to get the X2700H, and is heavily discounting it to below the price of the X1700H.
Pricing is X2700H -> X1700H -> X3700H.

So now, I am a little confused over what I need for my setup.
How would everything be connected (the sales guy confused me. I think he was more confident with music, than home theatre)? What features would I need?

Connected will be:
HiSense u7 75inch TV (we use it to stream at 4k)
Nintendo Switch
PS5 (4k, 120hz, also doubles as our 4k Blu-Ray player.)
PC (4k/60hz)

As I understand it, the TV will connect to the AVR via the eARC HDMI.
Then the PC, PS5, and Switch will connect to the regular HDMI ports.
The eARC HDMI is the only 4k/120Hz port?

The amp will be powering Q Acoustics 3090i, 3050i (pair), and 3010i (pair).
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

(If it helps, the speakers and AVR are from the same shop)

The 3700 is a safe bet for the low price. The 3800 and C50 are more exciting and perhaps future proof because of the optional upgrade (license fees) to Dirac. Depending on the setup, Dirac could potentially make your system sound like you upgraded your speakers.

Audyssey can be tweaked to the point it can compete with Dirac, but you have to know what you are doing, and be willing to spend time on it.

 

[BBHT]

Thanks for the reassurance @PENG

I looked into the X2700H, and it seems like a downgrade to the X1700H. I think that's why he was pushing as he probably has a lot of stock.

I have agreed with the shop to buy the AVR-X3700H, and the Q Acoustics speakers. Just need to find time to head back to the shop to give him the money.

My previous question on connections, I think I confused myself.

So I hook the TV using the eARC enabled HDMI port to the "8k/60" output port on the X3700H. Am I right in thinking I need a HDMI 2.1 compliant cable?

The game consoles and PC hook up to any of the inputs on the amp (PS5 goes into the 4k/120hz port...number 7..???)

 

[ban25]

Thanks for the reassurance @PENG

I looked into the X2700H, and it seems like a downgrade to the X1700H. I think that's why he was pushing as he probably has a lot of stock.

I have agreed with the shop to buy the AVR-X3700H, and the Q Acoustics speakers. Just need to find time to head back to the shop to give him the money.

My previous question on connections, I think I confused myself.

So I hook the TV using the eARC enabled HDMI port to the "8k/60" output port on the X3700H. Am I right in thinking I need a HDMI 2.1 compliant cable?

The game consoles and PC hook up to any of the inputs on the amp (PS5 goes into the 4k/120hz port...number 7..???)

You'll want to put the PS5 into the 1st HDMI port which is labeled as 8K/4K120. The PC, which is 4K60, can go in any of the others.

 

[PENG]

Am I right in thinking I need a HDMI 2.1 compliant cable?

I would get one of those regardless, though I think a good HDMI high speed cable such as one with Ethernet, will work fine.

 

[BBHT]

I finally picked up the speakers and amps, and set it up last night.

Unfortunately, I seem to have an issue with the PS5 and the x3700h.
The screen keeps flickering black, and from reading up, it seems to be a PS5 VRR / 4k/120hz problem.

If I connect the PS5 to the TV and run eARC to the amp, no problems. If I connect the PS5 to the amp, I get this problem.

I thought this issue was fixed if the amp was made after May 2021, with a SN lower than 70001. Mine is in the 90000 range, so do I have a faulty unit?

EDIT: I have tried changing cables, updating the firmware on the amp, and updating the PS5. Also tried restarting both machines from cold (i.e. unplugged from wall, then replug before turning on).

 

[lovinthehd]

I finally picked up the speakers and amps, and set it up last night.

Unfortunately, I seem to have an issue with the PS5 and the x3700h.
The screen keeps flickering black, and from reading up, it seems to be a PS5 VRR / 4k/120hz problem.

If I connect the PS5 to the TV and run eARC to the amp, no problems. If I connect the PS5 to the amp, I get this problem.

I thought this issue was fixed if the amp was made after May 2021, with a SN lower than 70001. Mine is in the 90000 range, so do I have a faulty unit?

EDIT: I have tried changing cables, updating the firmware on the amp, and updating the PS5. Also tried restarting both machines from cold (i.e. unplugged from wall, then replug before turning on).

Not familiar with the issue but have you tried all the settings in avr and player that might affect such signal?