Denon AVR-X3800H is released.

[peng]

Technically speaking, it is a very bad thing because the amps unnecessarily consume energy that only converts to heat which requires even more energy for HVAC to cool the HT during hot months; that heat also raises the temp of internal components which reduces their lifespan. See my post with power consumption measurements when amps are disconnected. For those who did not follow that discussion thread, I shared other 3800H's power consumption measurements and my "first impressions" struggle with Audyssey and various bugs there as well.

Hard to say actually, so I guess it is not a case of black and white.. A little bit of bias current with the rail voltage lowered substantially when in "preamp" mode is more likely not a bad thing from engineering standpoint but a bad thing for sure in terms of energy conservation. Powering off the power amps all the time is fine though if one will never (or rarely) use them at all, otherwise I would actually prefer them to be powered at low voltage such as it is the case when put in standby mode. By the way, you mention 0.7 power factor in that post, just keep in mind p.f. (at the 120 V supply side) is not constant, and it typically is very low at very low output and increase as output increases, to maximum at or pass rated output.

 

[CyrusTheGreat_600BC]

I think he already made this review.
But waiting to post it because the results are hum ho.
Because if leniency with his new audio friends he waits until we all ordered one

My return window is closing soon, so my unopened X3800H is going back to Amazon before that. Absence of news from the only one true source of measurements we had all these years probably means there is no good news, and 3800 is nothing special. That’s not the hill I would die on specially after Denon screwed up my AKM 3700 HDMI port by using Panasonic faulty chips and the shameful top box/converter.

 

[lc6]

Hard to say actually, so I guess it is not a case of black and white.. A little bit of bias current with the rail voltage lowered substantially when in "preamp" mode is more likely not a bad thing from engineering standpoint but a bad thing for sure in terms of energy conservation. Powering off the power amps all the time is fine though if one will never (or rarely) use them at all, otherwise I would actually prefer them to be powered at low voltage such as it is the case when put in standby mode. By the way, you mention 0.7 power factor in that post, just keep in mind p.f. (at the 120 V supply side) is not constant, and it typically is very low at very low output and increase as output increases, to maximum at or pass rated output.

Sorry, but I fail to see why powering/biasing internal amps that are not going to be used (since the input signal has been disconnected from them in pre-pro mode) is a good thing. Unless you want to keep them "warmed" tube-style for some strange reason.

Also, I would like to mention that changing the front display from Bright to Dark conserves only 0.3 W (even if the setting is changed to Off while in the setup mode via TV, the display is still at the Dark level).

 

[Karls_speaker_works]

My return window is closing soon, so my unopened X3800H is going back to Amazon before that. Absence of news from the only one true source of measurements we had all these years probably means there is no good news, and 3800 is nothing special. That’s not the hill I would die on specially after Denon screwed up my AKM 3700 HDMI port by using Panasonic faulty chips and the shameful top box/converter.

So you're returning a unit based on internet speculation? Seems a little extreme to me - do you have any factual basis for assuming the measurement of the unit would be poor other than the speculation of another poster?

 

[GXAlan]

My return window is closing soon, so my unopened X3800H is going back to Amazon before that. Absence of news from the only one true source of measurements we had all these years probably means there is no good news, and 3800 is nothing special. That’s not the hill I would die on specially after Denon screwed up my AKM 3700 HDMI port by using Panasonic faulty chips and the shameful top box/converter.

Darn -- it would have been nice to have dropped shipped it to Amir who could have tested it and either returned it or shipped it onto you.

 

[CyrusTheGreat_600BC]

So you're returning a unit based on internet speculation? Seems a little extreme to me - do you have any factual basis for assuming the measurement of the unit would be poor other than the speculation of another poster?

No, I’m returning the unit because I don’t want to burn twice. It’s called being smart. You should try it sometimes.

I can always buy it again if the measurements comes out great, but so far I doubt it.

 

[CyrusTheGreat_600BC]

Darn -- it would have been nice to have dropped shipped it to Amir who could have tested it and either returned it or shipped it onto you.

Yeah, I ordered it when I was in NYC, and Ian was hitting Florida hard, so didn’t think about that. Ian already cost me 6K for roof repairs, so can’t burn more money on a receiver if I can’t feel great about it.

 

[Brian6751]

I will be extremely surprised if it doesn't measure similarly as good as the last model. It sounds excellent to me. very neutral and clear. Surprisingly good, actually. I have no intention of sending mine back.

 

[CyrusTheGreat_600BC]

I will be extremely surprised if it doesn't measure similarly as good as the last model. It sounds excellent to me. very neutral and clear. Surprisingly good, actually. I have no intention of sending mine back.

I see that you’ve sold a lot of Revel/Harman speakers and were pretty active on NAD discussions. What did you use before 3800 if you don’t mind sharing? Was it another Denon, or something from the house of Harman?

And just to clarify again, I already own the best 3700 with AKM chip. I just need 3800 to be better or at least the same, and not worse than 3700.

 

[Brian6751]

I see that you’ve sold a lot of Revel/Harman speakers and were pretty active on NAD discussions. What did you use before 3800 if you don’t mind sharing? Was it another Denon, or something from the house of Harman?

And just to clarify again, I already own the best 3700 with AKM chip. I just need 3800 to be better or at least the same, and not worse than 3700.

I had a Denon X6700H. The X3800H sounds at least as good. to me and my audible memory anyway..

 

[Alexium]

Is this going to be the cheapest AVR with 11 channels of processing? Or did I miss one that's cheaper?

 

[Brian6751]

Is this going to be the cheapest AVR with 11 channels of processing? Or did I miss one that's cheaper?

looks like the Onkyo TX-RZ50 has 11 channels and is $100 less

 

[stevep]

looks like the Onkyo TX-RZ50 has 11 channels and is $100 less

That one looks like a hard pass.

Onkyo TX-RZ50 Review (Home Theater AVR)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Onkyo TX-RZ50 9.2 8K THX Certified AV Receiver. It was purchased new by a member and drop shipped to me for testing. It costs US $1,399. Looks like all AVR companies are trying to break the mold of just dual rotary controls to something...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[gew55]

I will be extremely surprised if it doesn't measure similarly as good as the last model. It sounds excellent to me. very neutral and clear. Surprisingly good, actually. I have no intention of sending mine back.

Same here !
No turning back !
The unit really suprissed me in quality. I replaced it for a old Emotiva UMC-1.
I want to use it as a Pre-Amp but for now i hooked up my tough speakers, in be-amp modus, to the 3800.
And actually i must say for this price it really sounds good.
Stereo sounds open and spacious. Maybe a little less dynamics than my rotel power amplifiers but really very clean and laid-back sound.
I really love all the possible settings this unit can process, very extensive !
Next test would be comparing the dac's inside to my esteemed SU-9 DAC.
But first hooking up my Rotel Amplifiers

 

[anphex]

So same same, but different, but still the same, when compared to its predecessor. The bottleneck of the Denon is its Audyssey chip. It amplifies noise with raising volume. They probably just fixed the HDMI board and are selling pretty much the same device as before.

 

[gew55]

So same same, but different, but still the same, when compared to its predecessor. The bottleneck of the Denon is its Audyssey chip. It amplifies noise with raising volume. They probably just fixed the HDMI board and are selling pretty much the same device as before.

Maybe, but in my opinion still the "best buy for money" out there with Dirac Live expansion

 

[delta76]

That one looks like a hard pass.

Onkyo TX-RZ50 Review (Home Theater AVR)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Onkyo TX-RZ50 9.2 8K THX Certified AV Receiver. It was purchased new by a member and drop shipped to me for testing. It costs US $1,399. Looks like all AVR companies are trying to break the mold of just dual rotary controls to something...

www.audiosciencereview.com

if you look for pure audio performance, yes. but most people buying AVR for home theatre setup, and I'd say $ for $, RZ50 is a very good choice.

 

[Alexium]

if you look for pure audio performance, yes. but most people buying AVR for home theatre setup, and I'd say $ for $, RZ50 is a very good choice.

I've read that review (more than once, in fact), and I think the performance is pretty good, especially for an AVR. Worse than Denons, sure, but not by much. Should still be in the "sonically transparent" territory. Pre-outs, 11 ch processing, Dirac - great feature set, too.

 

[delta76]

I am not sure abour transparency but yes RZ50 is a very good avr for the price. It is hugely popular and there must be a reason for it

 

[Brian6751]

Can I share my YouTube review here? Not sure what the climate for that is around here lately