Sound United’s Denon brand, celebrating its 110th anniversary in 2020, has announced four new X-Series AV receivers, which it is promoting as the industry’s first 8K-ready AVRs. The Denon AVR-X6700H ($2,499), AVR- X4700H ($1,699), AVR-X3700H ($1,199), and AVR-X2700H ($849), to be released starting this month through August, are designed for music reproduction, home theater installation and gaming applications, in addition to featuring appointments that will appeal to custom integrators, says the company.
The series’ picture quality and immersive audio decoding capabilities make it suitable for replicating the theater experience at home, according to the company.
It takes advantage of the latest HDMI technologies. There is a dedicated “8K” HDMI input enabling 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz video pass-through, new HDR format support, including HDR10+ and Dynamic HDR, and a new HDMI feature called Quick Media Switching (QMS), which allows a source to instantly switch the resolution or frame rate to eliminate screen blackout. The latest X-Series models also still support HDR10, HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma) and Dolby Vision, as well as 4:4:4 Pure Color subsampling and BT.2020 pass-through.
Gaming & Streaming Features
Several new features give gamers an edge, including sharp motion clarity with 4K/120Hz pass through and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) to reduce frame tearing and improve overall precision. Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Quick Frame Transport (QFT) each are designed to reduce lag and improve stats. The Denon X-Series can also upscale existing HD and 4K content to 8K1 so more people can experience 8K resolution.
The new AVRs continue to support eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel), which delivers uncompressed and object-based audio from the TV to the receiver via a single HDMI cable. TVs play video directly from TV apps at best available picture quality — either 4K or 8K — while the receiver identifies the best available surround format for decoding.
With eARC and the latest HDMI connectivity up to 8K Ultra HD, the new X-Series AV receivers provide seamless connections with the latest 8K TVs, streaming devices, gaming consoles, and other source players.
Support for virtually all 3D audio formats is available with the Denon AVR-X6700H and AVR-X4700H, including Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization Technology, DTS:X, DTS Virtual:XTM, IMAX Enhanced and Auro-3D out-of-box. The AVR-X6700H will also support DTS:X Pro, which will allow users to access up to 13 channels of DTS:X decoding with speaker configurations such as 7.2.6 or 9.2.4. Listeners can also watch the latest in IMAX Enhanced films in 7.2.6 or 9.2.4 speaker configurations thanks to newly adopted 13.2 channel processing capabilities with external amplification. The DTS:X Pro feature will be delivered via firmware update later this year, says Denon.
The AVR-X6700H supports 11 channels of amplification with 13.2 channel processing; the AVR-X4700H and the AVR-X3700H support up to 9 channels of amplification and 11.2 channel processing. The AVR-X2700H supports up to 7 channels of amplification. Auro-3D engine is supported by the AVR-X6700H and the AVR- X4700H. IMAX Enhanced decoding is supported by both receivers as well as the AVR-X3700H.
Denon now also supports a new “Pre-Amplifier” mode for the AVR-X3700H, AVR-X4700H and AVR-X6700H, previously only found on Denon’s flagship AVR-X8500H. Pre-Amplifier mode provides a clear signal path and more tolerance in clipping levels by disconnecting internal amplifiers when the receiver is used as an AV processor and all speakers are powered by external amplifiers.
Denon X-Series AVRs are also Roon Tested certified, so users can get more out of their music libraries through the advanced Roon music interface on their PCs and smart devices. Denon Roon Tested AVRs can be found and set up easily by Roon via AirPlay 2, or hardwired into a Roon Core device. Each receiver features a front-panel USB port that offers audio playback of MP3 and high-resolution audio formats (WAV, FLAC, ALAC and DSD 2.8/5.6 MHz files).
Denon X-Series AVRs also work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Josh.ai, and Apple Siri for voice control. Listeners can use Amazon Alexa for a variety of commands, including switching inputs for different media players, while the Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri can be used to adjust the volume, skip to the next track, and more. Josh.ai offers custom integrators greater control over voice integration into a variety of existing smart home platforms.
With HEOS® Built-in, the X-Series AVRs also can stream music wirelessly across compatible HEOS components from a variety of free and premium streaming services, including Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music HD, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, SiriusXM, TIDAL, and more. Consumers can also hear music in any room of the home wirelessly, and can play the same song in every room or select a different song for each connected room via a variety of streaming sources. Users can also add Denon Home speakers to more rooms and control it all with the HEOS app. Apart from HEOS, Apple AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth are also supported. Apple Music streaming is supported through AirPlay 2.
Finally, Denon’s Setup Assistant makes it easy to get X-Series AVRs out of the box and up and running. And because every home theater is unique, Denon uses room calibration technology from Audyssey that automatically takes precise measurements and optimizes the receiver’s performance, providing a 3D audio experience tailored to the acoustic properties of the space, says the company. The AVR-X2700H supports Audyssey MultEQ XT while the rest of the lineup supports Audyssey MultEQ XT32, as well as subEQ HT for independent subwoofer calibration for more balanced and controlled bass performance. The Audyssey MultEQ Editor app is available for purchase for those who want more customization options.
The 2020 X-Series models now also support the newly adopted Dual Audyssey Preset function which allows users to store and instantly switch between two Audyssey configurations. For example, users can store both the Audyssey calibration result straight from the receiver and a customized MultEQ curve or frequency range made through the Audyssey MultEQ editor app on the receiver simultaneously, allowing users to easily compare differences and select their preference. Listeners can also perform Audyssey measurements for two different speaker settings, including 2.0 for music listening and 5.1.4 for movie surround.
Custom Integration Features
Custom A/V integration professionals can avail themselves of the X-Series receivers’ smart features, including support for Audio Select functionality or AirPlay OFF feature so it will not appear on every iOS device throughout the home. To best tailor system functionality for each client, integrators can now assign the same HDMI input source over multiple inputs and choose different audio sources for each input. Denon says it call this “Sports Bar” mode. With multizone simulcasting, users can also play full-quality surround in the main zone while simulcasting stereo to a second zone or HEOS enable devices.
Integrators can also provide their clients with improved service efficiency and reduced downtime by using Domotz Pro or OvrC remote system monitoring and management technology to remotely monitor and troubleshoot X-Series AVRs. HDMI Diagnostics Mode continues to be available for custom integrators to troubleshoot HDMI-related issues with connected device and HDMI cables on site.
