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Denon AVR-X2200W Audio/Video Receiver Review

amirm

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This is a review and detailed measurements of the Denon AVR-X2200W home theater AVR (processor and amplifier). It is on kind loan from a member. Looks like the unit was released back in 2015. I can't find the pricing on it but I am guessing US $700 when new. Used ones seem to go for as little as US $250. Despite its age, all the modern features seem to be there from UHD video resolution to Dolby Atmos.

The front panel is the usual affair with AVRs (you have seen one, you have seen them all):

Denon AVR-X2200W Home Theater AVR Dolby Surround Audio review.jpg

The OSD (on-screen display) is low resolution (1080p?) but fairly responsive. Amplifier construction is of the flimsy heatsink type to keep the weight down. As a result, the unit runs warm even at idle.

Back panel shows outdated inputs which shouldn't have been on it even then:

Denon AVR-X2200W Home Theater AVR Dolby Surround Back Panel Connectors Audio review.jpg

Like the clear labels on speakers though. And the little clips that keep the Wifi antenna in place and not risk ripping them out.

AVR Audio Measurements
There is no preamp output so I can't test the DAC portion by itself. So all the tests are from speaker output. Let's start with our dashboard of 5 watts into 4 ohm using HDMI as the input:

Denon AVR-X2200W Home Theater AVR Dolby Surround HDMI Audio Measurements.png


Shame one channel (in blue) is worse than the other by good bit. Still, this is not an embarrassing showing seeing how bad many AVRs are. Among all amplifiers tested, the ranking is middle of the road:

Best AVR Amplifier Review Test.png


Among AVRs, it does a bit better:

Best AVR Amplifier Tested.png


Crosstalk was rather disappointing:

Denon AVR-X2200W Home Theater AVR Dolby Surround Analog In Crosstalk Audio Measurements.png


The dashed green line is a $25 ebay-special amplifier!

Signal to noise ratio ranks similarly:
Denon AVR-X2200W Home Theater AVR Dolby Surround Analog In Dynamic Range Audio Measurements.png


Frequency response using the analog input was surprisingly flat and wide:

Denon AVR-X2200W Home Theater AVR Dolby Surround Analog In Frequency Response Audio Measurements.png


No digitization, no band limiting. I like it!

Power into 4 ohm load is very healthy (with two channels driven):

Denon AVR-X2200W Home Theater AVR Dolby Surround Analog In Power into 4 Ohm Audio Measurements.png


Denon AVR-X2200W Home Theater AVR Dolby Surround Analog In Power into 8 Ohm Audio Measurements.png


There is good bit of extra juice for momentary power requirements (again, in two-channel configuration):

Denon AVR-X2200W Home Theater AVR Dolby Surround Analog In Burst and Max Power into 4 Ohm Audi...png


Conclusions
As time has gone by, complexity of building these devices has gone up and with it, much more opportunity to screw things up. The Denon AVR-X2200W seems to predate some of this grief and appears sound. No, it still doesn't hold a candle to any desktop or main system 2-channel audio products. But if you can pick it up for $250, it may do the job as well as some expensive and new AVRs.

No recommendation one way or the other.

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As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

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Doodski

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Apparently the protection circuitry did not engage. 4 Ohm and 8 Ohm output power was respectable for what it is and it has the reliability of a Denon which from what I've experienced is pretty good. I still am suspect that Sony and Denon are made in the same factories :p They share the same common transistors, the service manuals are near identical in layout and style but the Denon does seem to be a notch above Sony overall IMHO.
 

stunta

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Back panel shows outdated inputs which shouldn't have been on it even then

True, but the back panel is surprisingly less cluttered than most AVRs. Thanks for the review. This looks like a good AVR to recommend to friends who are on a tight budget.
 

Sancus

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Agree, it could have been even worse for the era.

And all that stuff is still on the 2019 versions. I wonder if the reason they haven't gotten rid of the RCA video/component in/outs is because they're just re-using that same PCB over and over again and see no reason to change it.
 

bobbooo

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There is no preamp output so I can't test the DAC portion by itself.

I see it has 'ZONE2 PRE OUT' connections on the back - can't you use those for this test?

Edit: From the manual,
Connection 2 : Connection using an external amplifier
The audio signals of this unit’s ZONE2 audio output connectors are output to the ZONE2 amplifiers and played on these amplifiers.

Pict ZONE Audio2 X2200E2_DRDZILuemrraff.png
 
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amirm

amirm

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I see it has 'ZONE2 PRE OUT' connections on the back - can't you use those for this test?
I have done that in the past and people complain that the zone 2 is often using an inferior DAC.
 

bobbooo

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I have done that in the past and people complain that the zone 2 is often using an inferior DAC.

As you said this model "seems to predate some of this grief and appears sound," maybe the same is true of the preamp DAC used here - I and I'm sure many others would be curious to know and much appreciate the zone 2 pre-outs being tested on this unit.
 

Nathan_A

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Compared to most of the mainstream AVRs (and even some niche ones), it seems like the Pioneer D3-based like @amirm's old SC-61 hold their own fairly well.
 
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amirm

amirm

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Thanks for the review, Amir. I'm sure this has been requested before; are you able to test power versus distortion for all channels driven?
Not with this unit. If it had analog multi-channel input I could test 4 channels.
 

martin900

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Dear Amir, if it's possible in the future, I'd love to see power/distortion measurements vs amount of channels driven.
 

maty

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QMuse

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Dear Amir, if it's possible in the future, I'd love to see power/distortion measurements vs amount of channels driven.

# of driven channels affects max output power per channel, not THD. ;)
 

twofires

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Back panel shows outdated inputs which shouldn't have been on it even then

I'd say game consoles played a large part in the decision to keep analogue inputs. In 2015 lots of people would still have had their X-Box 360s and Nintendo Wiis hooked up, and would have appreciated the digitisation, upscaling, and single cable out solution the Denon offered. Today? Not so much.
 

Vovgan

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Comrades, we really need to have Denon x4500 or x6500 tested. They sound so much better than Denon x3500 (which in turn measured here better than this x2200), but we need to see objective data. So please, if you happen to have one or are going to buy one - consider offering it to Amirm for testing.
 
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