Denon AVR-X3600H AV Receiver Review

[zanny]

Hi gang, I kinda regret purchasing an x3600h because at the time, I broke up with my girlfriend and moved in a rental house with a guy who had a projector and an even fancier AVR than me

So it was boxed up for a year or two, and now I'm finally using it properly, connected to a 65" OLED and my floorstanders. With the help of ChatGPT, I've figured out that assigning mode "Front B" allows me to use my Audiophonics MPA-250SC which is a small and well reviewed Class D amp. I just set this up yesterday.

So it seems since 2021, newer models support VRR and ALLM - But this doesn't matter if I plug my future Playstation 6 into my future 77" LG G5 OLED and send the audio via eARC, correct?

I have an apartment now, with big glass sliding doors, a small space, and no acoustic treatments. I either need acoustic panels and a rug and/or I've been thinking for a long time about the Lyngdorf TDAI 1120 as the next big upgrade (I haven't bought any audio gear for 2 years, now I have a mortgage).

The sound in my old solid brick apartment, with an inferior AVR (cheap Yamaha 5.1) but same floorstanders, sounded better than my current setup.

I just don't think Audyssey would cut the mustard, there are too many variables and with a subwoofer to calibrate as well. The rest of my setup is an Nvidia Shield, and some Focal on wall 301's as side surrounds. I'd like to get some heights as well.

But ChatGPT says the Lyngdorf is a stereo amp only, so I can't room correct my surround setup.

I asked ChatGPT what features newer models have now:

• Updated Audyssey (I don't think it's going to change much)
• More channels (don't have the space for that)
• Auro-3D (sounds great!, oh well)
• Higher wattage (I have the external amp for that)
• Better streaming apps (The shield does enough, and I'm buying a Synology NAS soon to stream FLAC)
• Better Dolby Atmos Height Virtualisation, IMAX enhanced (not dealbreakers)
• 8K Video Upscaling (If I can afford 8K, it's time for a new AVR)
• WiFi 6 (for firmware updates?)
• HDR10+ and Dolby Vision (handled currently by the Nvidia Shield, not the AVR)

Does this make sense?

 

[Sal1950]

I have an apartment now, with big glass sliding doors, a small space, and no acoustic treatments. I either need acoustic panels and a rug and/or I've been thinking for a long time about the Lyngdorf TDAI 1120 as the next big upgrade (I haven't bought any audio gear for 2 years, now I have a mortgage).

I'm a little lost by your question?
Nothing you can do in a gear change is going to correct for the audible problems you suffer from having no room treatment.
The very best digital room correction systems still aren't able to remove much of the reverberate problems.
Do as much as you can do in room treatment before spending any more funds on gear.
After that I might consider upgrading to Audyssey MultEQ X, for $200 I don't think you'll get more bang for your buck.

 

[krabapple]

I have an apartment now, with big glass sliding doors, a small space, and no acoustic treatments. I either need acoustic panels and a rug

yes, you do

and/or I've been thinking for a long time about the Lyngdorf TDAI 1120 as the next big upgrade (I haven't bought any audio gear for 2 years, now I have a mortgage).

The sound in my old solid brick apartment, with an inferior AVR (cheap Yamaha 5.1) but same floorstanders, sounded better than my current setup.

I just don't think Audyssey would cut the mustard, there are too many variables and with a subwoofer to calibrate as well.

I don't see why not. Your Denon is your preamp, and that's where room DSP works. Audyssey has always handled subwoofers.

But Audyssey -- or any other room correction DSP -- can't work miracles. A highly reflective environment like yours seems to be, needs some physical treatment. At least a decent rug e.g. "clipped pile carpet on thick felt underlay"

(An alternative would be very near field surround listening, where the room is less a factor. But even that may not mitigate the room enough.)

Maybe instead of asking ChatGPT, invest some time in a book like FLoyd Tooles' Sound Reproduction: The Acoustics and Psychoacoustics of Loudspeakers and Rooms to review principles. (Third edition, though apparently a fourth, significantly updated edition is coming out next year)

 

[n3mmr]

I just landed a used X3600H to replace a seriously superannuated AVR 1912.

I am very satisfied on the whole, the performance for stereo, playing CD or FLAC files, is impeccable in my room with my speakers.

The one disappointment is lossless internet radio live streams.
I cannot seem to make the X3600H play any shoutcast/icecast FLAC stream!

With my AVR1912 I could let my Serviio media server transcode a stream https://live1.sr.se/p2-flac, which is a 48kHz/16bit FLAC stream in an OGG container, into a 48kHz/16bit PCM stream in an LPCM container, and the 1912 would play that perfectly.
When I try to have the X3600H HEOS system play that stream it sees the stream and correctly says it is 48kHz/16 bits PCM, but the stream doesn't actually play: the time displays 0 and the indicator remains at the leftmost position.

Is there any way to trick the X3600H into playing such a stream using transcoding/remuxing or whatever else could be done???

 

[witwald]

As there has been a decided lack of response to your question, I decided to ask Microsoft Copilot for some help. This is what it had to say:

It sounds like you've made a great upgrade with the X3600H, but the issue with lossless internet radio streams is certainly frustrating. The HEOS system on the X3600H may have limitations when it comes to handling certain formats or containers, even if the stream's specifications (48kHz/16-bit PCM) are technically supported.

Possible Solutions:​

1. Transcoding with Serviio:
   
   • You could continue using Serviio to transcode the stream, but ensure the output format is compatible with HEOS. Try transcoding the FLAC stream into a format like LPCM or WAV, which HEOS should handle more reliably.
   • Double-check Serviio's transcoding settings to ensure the container and codec are supported by HEOS.
2. Remuxing the Stream:
   
   • Instead of full transcoding, you might try remuxing the stream. This involves changing the container (e.g., from OGG to a simpler LPCM container) without altering the audio data itself. Tools like FFmpeg can help with this.
3. Alternative Media Server:
   
   • If Serviio isn't working as expected, you could try another media server like Plex or MinimServer, which might offer better compatibility with HEOS.
4. Firmware Update:
   
   • Ensure your X3600H is running the latest firmware. Sometimes, updates improve compatibility with specific formats or streams.
5. HEOS App Settings:
   
   • Check the HEOS app settings to see if there are options for stream handling or format preferences.
6. External Stream Player:
   
   • If all else fails, you could use an external device (like a Raspberry Pi or a dedicated network audio player) to decode the stream and send the audio to the X3600H via an optical or coaxial connection.

 

[n3mmr]

As there has been a decided lack of response to your question, I decided to ask Microsoft Copilot for some help. This is what it had to say:

It sounds like you've made a great upgrade with the X3600H, but the issue with lossless internet radio streams is certainly frustrating. The HEOS system on the X3600H may have limitations when it comes to handling certain formats or containers, even if the stream's specifications (48kHz/16-bit PCM) are technically supported.

Possible Solutions:​

1. Transcoding with Serviio:
   
   • You could continue using Serviio to transcode the stream, but ensure the output format is compatible with HEOS. Try transcoding the FLAC stream into a format like LPCM or WAV, which HEOS should handle more reliably.
   • Double-check Serviio's transcoding settings to ensure the container and codec are supported by HEOS.
2. Remuxing the Stream:
   
   • Instead of full transcoding, you might try remuxing the stream. This involves changing the container (e.g., from OGG to a simpler LPCM container) without altering the audio data itself. Tools like FFmpeg can help with this.
3. Alternative Media Server:
   
   • If Serviio isn't working as expected, you could try another media server like Plex or MinimServer, which might offer better compatibility with HEOS.
4. Firmware Update:
   
   • Ensure your X3600H is running the latest firmware. Sometimes, updates improve compatibility with specific formats or streams.
5. HEOS App Settings:
   
   • Check the HEOS app settings to see if there are options for stream handling or format preferences.
6. External Stream Player:
   
   • If all else fails, you could use an external device (like a Raspberry Pi or a dedicated network audio player) to decode the stream and send the audio to the X3600H via an optical or coaxial connection.

The transcoding facilities of Serviio are a bit limited. It will, for online resources, only deliver LPCM which the X3600H+HEOS refuses to handle.
Minimserver seems very expensive, but the information at the site is unclear.
Plex might be worth trying, but I have not found clear info on how to configure online live streams transcoding.
A streamer might be good idea. But WHICH??

 

[n3mmr]

As there has been a decided lack of response to your question, I decided to ask Microsoft Copilot for some help. This is what it had to say:

It sounds like you've made a great upgrade with the X3600H, but the issue with lossless internet radio streams is certainly frustrating. The HEOS system on the X3600H may have limitations when it comes to handling certain formats or containers, even if the stream's specifications (48kHz/16-bit PCM) are technically supported.

Possible Solutions:​

1. Transcoding with Serviio:
   
   • You could continue using Serviio to transcode the stream, but ensure the output format is compatible with HEOS. Try transcoding the FLAC stream into a format like LPCM or WAV, which HEOS should handle more reliably.
   • Double-check Serviio's transcoding settings to ensure the container and codec are supported by HEOS.
2. Remuxing the Stream:
   
   • Instead of full transcoding, you might try remuxing the stream. This involves changing the container (e.g., from OGG to a simpler LPCM container) without altering the audio data itself. Tools like FFmpeg can help with this.
3. Alternative Media Server:
   
   • If Serviio isn't working as expected, you could try another media server like Plex or MinimServer, which might offer better compatibility with HEOS.
4. Firmware Update:
   
   • Ensure your X3600H is running the latest firmware. Sometimes, updates improve compatibility with specific formats or streams.
5. HEOS App Settings:
   
   • Check the HEOS app settings to see if there are options for stream handling or format preferences.
6. External Stream Player:
   
   • If all else fails, you could use an external device (like a Raspberry Pi or a dedicated network audio player) to decode the stream and send the audio to the X3600H via an optical or coaxial connection.

The main thing to take home from your response is "use AI"!
This type of question is what AI is good at, and I now have no less than three fairly complete recipies for setting up various things to combat the inadequacies of the HEOS/X3600H combination.
At least one seems likely to work, setting up a web-server controlled media server on a Raspberry Pi or a mini PC under linux. And connect that as a "Media Player" over HDMI.
What remains would then, if it all works, ideally be to disable the unused parts of HEOS and run all internet radio stations on that media server.

 

[n3mmr]

And THANK YOU for steering me in the right direction!

 

[n3mmr]

As there has been a decided lack of response to your question, I decided to ask Microsoft Copilot for some help. This is what it had to say:

It sounds like you've made a great upgrade with the X3600H, but the issue with lossless internet radio streams is certainly frustrating. The HEOS system on the X3600H may have limitations when it comes to handling certain formats or containers, even if the stream's specifications (48kHz/16-bit PCM) are technically supported.

Possible Solutions:​

1. Transcoding with Serviio:
   
   • You could continue using Serviio to transcode the stream, but ensure the output format is compatible with HEOS. Try transcoding the FLAC stream into a format like LPCM or WAV, which HEOS should handle more reliably.
   • Double-check Serviio's transcoding settings to ensure the container and codec are supported by HEOS.
   • Instead of full transcoding, you might try remuxing the stream. This involves changing the container (e.g., from OGG to a simpler LPCM container) without altering the audio data itself. Tools like FFmpeg can help with this.

In the end, I decided on a WiiM Pro streamer, since the x3600H DACs are quite good and the WiiM can deliver bit-perfect signals to the AVR with some setup work.

The WiiM Pro isn't a perfect solution, but it will enable me to listen to internet radio flac streams in a straightforward manner.
It also is a much better and easy to use DLNA client than HEOS in the AVR can ever be. HEOS has loads of silly limitations.

P. S. I still have the volume control enabled on the WiiM and I leave the AVR volume control set at -6db. I couldn't find a way to access the volume control in the AVR w/o having either two active apps or an IR remote close by.
The sound is quite nice and this arrangement is reasonably comfortable.

 

[Fahzz]

I just landed a used X3600H to replace a seriously superannuated AVR 1912.

Thanks for adding the word "superannuated" to my vocabulary. That is exactly how I feel this morning.
Good luck with your system.