Denon AVR-A1H High-end AVR Review

[Oddball]

Well the one Harman? JBL? processor @amirm tested did measure well but that was it. In the Topping B200 thread someone was bemoaning the external power supply, wanted it in the chassis. But I hypothesize that having it completely outside helps them hit those high numbers.

As for this Denon, my summary would be:
- Nice Preamp!
- Lousy Amp!
Is that about right?

That would not be quite right - it’s a great AVR and best in class. You can choose the separates and get the great amps if that’s your thing. That’s just how market works.

But then, could you really tell a difference in simple e.g. 5.1 setup with “normal” speakers?

 

[nadrealista]

@amirm is it possible to add additional metric for all/more than 2 channels driven power output to these AVR/AMP reviews?

That is what really matters in the HT applications where most of these AVRs will be used anyways simultaneously running 5 to 11 channels of output.

 

[peng]

@amirm is it possible to add additional metric for all/more than 2 channels driven power output to these AVR/AMP reviews?

It has been done before on other D+M models, and the results showed they did more than D+M's 70% estimate when 5, or even 7 ch are driven simultaneously.

Woul is what really matters in the HT applications where most of these AVRs will be used anyways simultaneously running 5 to 11 channels of output.

True, but also true that most, if not all movies edit: missing the key words in bold don't have contents that would output the same peak as the front channels at the same time. Even if that happens, it won't last for more than a few secs. So, no concerns there at all.

 

[CD13]

Haven’t visited for a bit but was wondering if this would be get reviewed. I picked this up a little over a year ago as a replacement for my X7200WA. Running 7.1 at the moment with CM10 S2s / CMC S2 up front and CM5/CM5 S2 supporting and I’m quite happy with it. I need to rerun calibration after getting a different Dirac license, but otherwise, I have no concerns with its performance.

I use it for amping only with an SMSL DAC for some music if not simply air playing, but as a do-it-all box, works pretty well.

 

[design0312]

A1H XLRs seem to have different outputs.

If I connect one subwoofer to the 1/2/3/4 terminals alternately and measure with the UMIK-1, the volume is about 4dB different.

Do subwoofer need to be connected with RCA?

The XLR on the A1H doesn't seem like a good idea if you're using multiple subwoofers.

 

[Bleib]

Yes. 40Gbps on all inputs. There are no commercially available 48 Gbps AVRs on the market as of yet.

It's quite amazing that it hasn't happened yet

 

[ban25]

It's quite amazing that it hasn't happened yet

Seems likely things may jump straight to HDMI 2.2.

 

[Frank207be]

A1H XLRs seem to have different outputs.

If I connect one subwoofer to the 1/2/3/4 terminals alternately and measure with the UMIK-1, the volume is about 4dB different.

Do subwoofer need to be connected with RCA?

The XLR on the A1H doesn't seem like a good idea if you're using multiple subwoofers.

I use the 4 XLR subwoofer outputs from day 1 and have no complaints.

 

[Oddball]

XLR would output 4V and RCA 2V - in general. How to sub reacts to it is its own business. But room EQ - be it Audy or Dirac - would take care of any differences and equalise the output between XLR and RCA - provided they are measured with the XLR and RCA outputs respectively.

 

[Frank207be]

XLR would output 4V and RCA 2V - in general. How to sub reacts to it is its own business. But room EQ - be it Audy or Dirac - would take care of any differences and equalise the output between XLR and RCA - provided they are measured with the XLR and RCA outputs respectively.

This is what I wanted to say but didn't have a good explanation for Moreover I use power amps with gain controls so I can pre-adjust subwoofer levels before getting started with Dirac

 

[kawauso]

I installed front height speakers to enhance Auro-3D. As expected, they work effectively, even with the Auro-Matic upmixer.

My top front speakers are positioned at a 45-degree angle, while the front heights are around 35 degrees. For Dolby Atmos, I prefer the top speakers because they create a greater sense of openness overhead.

If you plan to enjoy Auro-3D, I highly recommend installing front heights. I was also able to make good use of the extra channels on my AVR-A1H.

 

[peng]

XLR would output 4V and RCA 2V - in general.

True enough, I would however, like to emphasize that neither one would output at fixed voltages for real world use. To you and I, that seems like stating the obvious but I get cautious about it because I have seen enough forum posts (including this science oriented ASR forum) to know that there are no shortages of hobbyists who actually thought the specified pre out voltage in owner's manual, such as 1 (Yamaha), 1.2 (D+M) and many other brands are the voltage that are going to get, period, apparently don't realize that's the voltage specified under specific test/measure conditions and that when in use, it could be outputting between 0 to whatever voltage up to the point where it starts to clip, and even then if may still go up further in a non linear fashion, until the protection stuff kicks in, or something much worse happen. Again, stating the obvious, just hope that it may help a few who may not know that.

 

[Oddball]

True enough, I would however, like to emphasize that neither one would output at fixed voltages for real world use. To you and I, that seems like stating the obvious but I get cautious about it because I have seen enough forum posts (including this science oriented ASR forum) to know that there are no shortages of hobbyists who actually thought the specified pre out voltage in owner's manual, such as 1 (Yamaha), 1.2 (D+M) and many other brands are the voltage that are going to get, period, apparently don't realize that's the voltage specified under specific test/measure conditions and that when in use, it could be outputting between 0 to whatever voltage up to the point where it starts to clip, and even then if may still go up further in a non linear fashion, until the protection stuff kicks in, or something much worse happen. Again, stating the obvious, just hope that it may help a few who may not know that.

Absolutely - did provide a caveat (in general) but above is a better explanation.

Actual voltage will depend on number of things. Probably most important are the voltage of the input signal (e.g. on my Apple TV the Apple library movies have lower volume/voltage than e.g. Amazon app and titles), master volume and trims set on the AVR. But XLR will - in general - output around twice the voltage compared to RCA. Amps will (should) have input stages to deal with these differences and ultimately provide nearly identical output. And both XLR and RCA in good implementation will likely be able to output more than 4V and 2V respectively, albeit in some cases at lower SINAD.

Another thing worth mentioning is the SINAD vs. voltage as we usually just note the best numbers, but there is more to the story...

Each AVP/AVR will have different curves - this is just for illustration. Even at around 1V output, AV-10 will start topping 95dB SINAD which is pretty good.

This is the 3700H that also started a bit of debate as to where the "clipping" is:

It still can do 2V, but at SINAD of some 77dB, which might be acceptable, but not really great.

Then there is the A1H that arguably shows better curves with lower voltage than its AVP brother AV-10 that seems to be doing a tiny bit better with higher voltage outputs.

Sorry for a bit of digression, but few graphs won't hurt anyone I hope .

 

[Kendo]

Distortion goes up which likely due to lower quality converters used for sub out. From here on, testing will be done with RCA.

Ouch - I’m using the XLR’s to Parasound Halo A21 - so using the RCA instead you get better performance with less distortion?

 

[sask15]

I bought a McIntosh MC7270 to try with my A1H for 2 channel, which input level would work best? It has a switch for either .75v or 2.5v. I have never used McIntosh before so not sure what works best. I also bought an Anthem MCA-225 and a 325 gen 2 to use with the A1H. The anthems have an input level of 1.5v. Thanks

 

[peng]

Distortion goes up which likely due to lower quality converters used for sub out. From here on, testing will be done with RCA.

Ouch - I’m using the XLR’s to Parasound Halo A21 - so using the RCA instead you get better performance with less distortion?

May be not, it depends.

 

[peng]

I bought a McIntosh MC7270 to try with my A1H for 2 channel, which input level would work best? It has a switch for either .75v or 2.5v. I have never used McIntosh before so not sure what works best. I also bought an Anthem MCA-225 and a 325 gen 2 to use with the A1H. The anthems have an input level of 1.5v. Thanks

Again, it depends on several factors, I would use the setting that would likely land it on the optimal SINAD on the curve. That should give you the best SINAD for you listening habit based on your devices and speakers. Having saus that, based on their specs, the lower sensitivity setting, that is, 2.5 V would likely be the one ro use. In terms of audible differences, it likely won't matter unless your lustening habit and speakers are on the extreme side of the spectrum.