Alternatives to Denon AVR-X2800H

[benjii]

I'm after an HDMI 2.1 AVR and saw the upcoming Denon AVR-X2800H, priced at £869. Our current requirements are 2 HDMI 2.1 inputs and 1 output, with another 3 HDMI inputs of any spec.

Are there any good alternatives at a similar price point? Not that I mind getting the Denon, just not sure what else is out there.

 

[benjii]

I love my Denon. I have the AVR-X2400H. It's been going strong for 5 years and is still getting updates. Would the AVR-X1700H help save you some money and offer the same features you're after? It is £599 and was only released last year.

• 6 HDMI inputs / 1 HDMI 2.1 output
• 3 HDMI 2.1 inputs with 8k upscaling

I'll have a look, thanks.

£869 now for the 2800? I have the 2700 and that is like £250 less.

Not sure at that price i would get the 2800, I would just get the 3700.

Unfortunately, the 3700 only has 1 HDMI 2.1 input. I had a thought below.

 

[benjii]

The lower end denons have inferior room eq,.you want the full xt32.

Also they have Dirac option..

My current one didn't have the full fat version either and that still made a big difference. It would be nice to have a sound upgrade as well as ports.

That would direct me towards the newer X3800H then I guess, £1499.

Are HDMI 2.1 splitters any good? Could I perhaps save some cash and get the X3700H and use a splitter? I'd only use 1 HDMI 2.1 input at a time, I just don't want to be changing cables all the time.

 

[benjii]

Does any of last year's versions have the spec you want at a lower price?

I just edited my post before you posted. The X3700H would be fine if it had more HDMI 2.1 inputs. I don't know if splitters are any good though.

Nevermind, the X3700H has issues with VRR on the PS5 apparently.

 

[benjii]

I don't think HDMI works that way with a splitter unfortuantly, I believe if it detects one source isn't compatible it drops the higher mode.

Ah, I see. Thanks for the info.

Regardless of the outcome, I appreciate you all taking the time to share your thoughts. I'm both learning things getting some food for thought.

What about Marantz? I've never owned one, but the upcoming Marantz Cinema 60 seems to rival the X3800H and is a bit cheaper.

 

[benjii]

What about Marantz? I've never owned one, but the upcoming Marantz Cinema 60 seems to rival the X3800H and is a bit cheaper.

 

[benjii]

Marantz usually have HDAM and they have own house sound, which you may or may not like. They're known to have high frequency roll off, although the 8015 didn't suffer from this issue.

I see, thank you. I just noticed one difference. The Marantz Cinema 60 doesn't have Dirac live, but apparently the X3800H will be getting an update for it in March. Do you have any experience with it? Is it a replacement for Audyssey or as well as? Is it worth it?

 

[benjii]

Not heard that, I've got a ps5, but not a new enough tv connected to it to check. What's the issue, it just doesn't work?

A black screen with VRR enabled. It seems Denon says all AVR's made after May this year have the bug fixed.

 

[benjii]

Was that the issue where older ones had to have an external box (that denon provided free of charge) to fix?

I believe so, yes. Either that or plug directly into the TV and use earc.

 

[benjii]

dirac is better than audyssey
dirac will be most likely a £500 upgrade
Audyssey is decent. u can get an app on ur phone which unlocks a bit more functionality to fine tune the sound.

denon vs marantz

marantz will likely sound better to ur ears.
they're both average in the home AV EQ-world.

u move up a tier with arcam + anthem.. then up another couple of tiers with trinnov and lyngdorf


im currently playing with a yamaha AVR to compare to my denon and arcam. will be fun as never used them before. not heard great things but i venture it will be betetr than the low tier denons by far and probably as good as xt32.

I appreciate the insight, thanks.

 

[benjii]

Yeah, that’s what I'd seen too.

New firmware, rumoured to be around March 2023 and a paid upgrade (like D&M did for Auro-3D on some models). £500 seems to be the price of admission...

Given how upset some users got with the cost of MultEQ-X when Audyssey launched that (at around £150), it will be interesting to see how many owners actually purchase a Dirac licence, as it's not an insignificant cost. Depending on the model, it's even a large chunk of the initial purchase price.

That said, it's always good to have options and it's not as if you have to purchase it

Beyond that, the licence isn't transferable to a different AVR as far as I'm aware. It would make resale interesting, finding someone willing to pay more because it has a Dirac licence.

 

[benjii]

I wonder if it's registered to that email address, IP, ornif it detect it changes reauthorisarion with a telephone number, bank account etc?

I assume the AVR has to have an internet connection to activate the licence, so it's probably tied directly to the AVR's serial number.

 

[benjii]

I'm assuming the same. Emotiva have a similar sort of licence upgrade arrangement with two tiers of Dirac and they've confirmed neither are transferable to a new owner if you sell the unit. The new owner has to buy a licence.

Wait, what? It doesn't even transfer with the AVR? God damn.