Watching movies and playing video games is a fun pastime, and with current TV/Projector technologies video looks sharp and crystal clear - But what about the cinema-quality sound? The soundtracks mixed into a movie or video game? The sound that brings the theatrical to life? The answer - A home cinema system. And at its heart sits an AV amplifier.

Denon have launched a new range of Dolby Atmos/DTS-X AV amplifiers and the first two new models have arrived with us at Audio T Swindon. The 7 channel Denon AVR-X2800H and the 9 channel Denon AVC-X3800H.

Two new AV amplifiers - Deneon’s AVR-X-2800H and AVR-X3800H

Denon AVR-X2800H

Let’s start with the first of our new arrivals, the Denon AVR-X2800H. It is a 7.2 channel power house that allows connectivity for games consoles, 4K Blu-Ray players, video servers and more. 6 HDMI sockets, with three of them ready for up to 8K video resolution, 2 optical inputs and a front USB socket for music stored on flash drives. Five analogue inputs including a Phono MM input for a turntable are on board, too.

The two surround back amplifier channels can be assigned to either connect to a pair of surround back speakers (2 surround speakers beside and the surround back speakers behind the listening position) or they can be used to drive a pair of “atmos-pheric” Atmos speakers (a pair of surround speakers behind the listening position and one pair of in-ceiling speakers). The choice is yours.

Denon AVC-X3800H

The Denon AVC-X3800H includes all the features of the Denon AVR-X2800H and allows to add two more speakers to the system. So for example you can connect an extra pair of surround back speakers and one pair of Atmos speakers to a 5.1 system or assign all four outputs to height speakers like overhead-speakers. It is all set-up here in the shop and we are happy to talk you through it.

Compared to the AVR-X2800H, the AVC-X3800H offers 20 watts more per channel and this really makes a difference to the sound. Generally speaking, speakers like power and control and a better output results in a more balanced sound. There is room for expansion as there are pre-out sockets for all channels should you want to power some of the channels/speakers with external power amplifiers or even take it up to an impressive 11 channel speaker system.

HEOS - Built-in music streaming technology

Both amplifiers can be set-up to use the HEOS platform, a free app that can control almost all Denon products. You can use it to play music from streaming services like Spotify, Tidal, Deezer or from a music server in the house - no problem. Bluetooth and Apple Airplay2? Certainly, on board.

You can find out more about the HEOS app in a blog from our Portsmouth store Here.

Another cool feature is the option to use the free Denon control app, available for Android and iOS. Denon AVR Control works really well and is fun to use. Very helpful if your new AV amplifier is inside a rack or cupboard, or you can not use the supplied remote control.

Set Up and Sound Performance

The set-up process is very straightforward and everything is explained via a menu on the tv screen. Fresh out of the box an on-screen menu takes you through the initial set-up with the supplied room calibration microphone, and once that is done have a listen and tweak it to your liking.

We started with a 5.1.2 system and the Denon AVR-X2800H sounds fantastic and detailed, big sounding but not overblown. We added another pair of speakers (5.1.4) to the AVC-AVC-X3800H and we hear the extra control and improved timing. The 2022 blockbuster, Top Gun: Maverick is a great system tester with a nice mix of cinematic music and incredible surround effects. The sound quality is mind blowing, so much so that we had to keep watching as it sounded so good.

Our verdict is - Both amplifiers sound brilliant, are easy to use and in our opinion worth every penny!

Thanks for reading - Stefan & Andy - Audio T Swindon.

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to Contact Us.

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