Denon AVR-X3700H AVR Review

[xovaan]

Hey everyone,

I'm finally putting together the "home theater" part of a home theater and receivers are new territory for me and tad overwhelming. Wirecutter recommended the x3700h and I want to make sure it's the right buy for my needs

Current setup:
- Nvidia Shield Pro + JDS Atom DAC -> SMSL DA-9 amplifier -> MAOP 11 towers (35 watt speakers)
- Picture fed to a projector (BenQ HT2050A, 1080p@60hz)

I will be building another MAOP 11 center channel and possibly getting a subwoofer or two to go 3.1/2, with the eventual goal of 5.1/2 (I think 7 will be overkill).

Things that interest me:
- Pass-through for stereo listening, unless anyone knows if the 3700 outperforms my current Atom DAC + SMSL DA-9 setup?
- Using the Nvidia Shield Pro as my media hub for Plex, Spotify, etc.
- I also use Nvidia streaming from my PC to my projector. My friends may bring over a console as well

Would the 3700 be overkill?

Thanks in advance!

 

[xovaan]

The move to Denon 3700 may be sideways from a measurement perspective. The JDS Atom DAC measures at 110dB SINAD, while the Denon 3700 offers 97dB. I don't think you'll notice a difference in distortion between the SMLS DA9 amp and the Denon internal amps. The MAOP 11 speakers don't require much power, so the Denon amps should actually offer extra headroom.

On the plus side, the Denon 3700 is built to integrate subs while Audyssey offers room correction. You should be quite happy with the additional configuration options offered by the Denon 3700.

1. You could use the Denon pre-outs to passthrough stereo listening to your old gear, but my guess is you'll stay with the internal Denon amps once you try both settings.
2. Nvidia Shield will work fine. You can also connect Denon UPnP connection direct to a NAS or several different streaming services.

JDS Labs Atom DAC Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of the JDS Labs Atom DAC. It was kindly sent to me by the company and costs US $99. As the name indicates, this is the long anticipated companion to the JDS Labs Atom headphone amplifier: I like the big circle but oddly, it is not a switch. There...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Denon AVR-X3700H AVR Review

This is a review and detailed measurements of Denon AVR-X3700H 9.2 channel 8K Home Theater AV Receiver (AVR). It is kindly loaned to me by a local member and costs US $1,199. Visually, if you have seen one AVR, you have seen the look of the AVR-X3700H: The input selector is plastic and...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Appreciate the comprehensive reply, thank you!

If I'm reading this correctly, the differences between the Denon and the Atom + DA-9 for dedicated listening should be imperceptible? Interesting and good to know!

Here's my current setup as of today (work in progress):

 

[Chromatischism]

Hey everyone,

I'm finally putting together the "home theater" part of a home theater and receivers are new territory for me and tad overwhelming. Wirecutter recommended the x3700h and I want to make sure it's the right buy for my needs

Current setup:
- Nvidia Shield Pro + JDS Atom DAC -> SMSL DA-9 amplifier -> MAOP 11 towers (35 watt speakers)
- Picture fed to a projector (BenQ HT2050A, 1080p@60hz)

I will be building another MAOP 11 center channel and possibly getting a subwoofer or two to go 3.1/2, with the eventual goal of 5.1/2 (I think 7 will be overkill).

Things that interest me:
- Pass-through for stereo listening, unless anyone knows if the 3700 outperforms my current Atom DAC + SMSL DA-9 setup?
- Using the Nvidia Shield Pro as my media hub for Plex, Spotify, etc.
- I also use Nvidia streaming from my PC to my projector. My friends may bring over a console as well

Would the 3700 be overkill?

Thanks in advance!

I wouldn't use any pure direct modes because they will turn off DSP and bass management. Get everything dialed in with EQ and crossovers, etc, tweaking using a combination of measurements and music listening. Then, watch movies. They will sound great. The movie soundtrack shouldn't sound any lesser when you listen to the OST in stereo mode so I do not make any changes to my setup between music and movies.

Also, it definitely won't be overkill, if you're serious about sound and tightly integrating your subwoofers.

The X3000 and up range is the minimum to get Audyssey XT32 and Sub EQ HT.

It is also the minimum to get height channels for Atmos, and preouts if you ever need to add additional amps.

So, I usually don't recommend the lower series unless you know it will only ever be a basic setup.

 

[Dogen]

Denon is still the AVR king for the common man! Thanks for the review. The price of these - when you can find them - seems to have gone up to $1500 uniformly. I finally just bought a refurbished 3600H for just under $1000. This is a great unit but a little more than I wanted to spend. The chip shortage and COVID have really had an impact on electronics price and availability.

 

[Chromatischism]

The supply and demand crunch has certainly set in in a lot of areas, not helped by the week-long backlog of ships off the coast of L.A.

 

[Xenio]

Just bought one yesterday for 1200€ shipping in WITH 4 norstone esse stylum 1. I believe it's a good price where I am

So hyped to get it, never had a home theater setup before

And I'm really hyped by the DSP things too

 

[Annoyed82]

Has anyone actually run the 3700H in pre-amp mode where every speaker is on an external power amp and the AVR's amps are turned off? How much of a difference does it make to the sound compared to having only the LCR on a power amp?

I have a 7.1.4 where theLCR and surr back run on an Emotiva Basx A-500 and everything else runs off the AVR. Used for both movies and music including SACD and Atmos. Is it worth having all the speakers off external power amps?

 

[peng]

Has anyone actually run the 3700H in pre-amp mode where every speaker is on an external power amp and the AVR's amps are turned off? How much of a difference does it make to the sound compared to having only the LCR on a power amp?

I have a 7.1.4 where theLCR and surr back run on an Emotiva Basx A-500 and everything else runs off the AVR. Used for both movies and music including SACD and Atmos. Is it worth having all the speakers off external power amps?

I don't have the 3700H but have experience with the 3500H and 4400H as well as other D+M AVP/AVRs, with and without the use of external power amps. Keep in mind that preamp mode or not, the performance of the 3700H's preamp/dac measured about the same at pre out voltage up to about 1.4-1.5 V and in terms of THD+N, even at up to 2 V, SINAD would be about 75 dB, that is 0.0178%.

Based on the specs of the A-500 (and measurements of other Emotiva amps with comparable specs), there is no reason to believe it would make a difference either way in terms of sound quality. In this case, your final sound quality should be largely dependent on the quality of recording/mastering of the contents, assuming the amp(s) will not be pushed to anywhere near their clipping point. So I would focus on searching out contents that are known to be of top recording/mastering quality.

 

[peng]

I have the Denon 4700 running in full pre-out mode with 7.2.4. I use Monolith 7x200 and Adcom amps to power the speakers. This setup adds greater dynamic range and less distortion with higher movie sound levels. The overall sound difference to my ear is simply a clearer sound. You may or may not be able to hear a difference but the difference in pre-out mode versus using internal amps is measurable, if the external amps provide significantly higher power and SINAD than the internal Denon amps. Denon 3700 SINAD drops from 97dB in pre-out mode with amps off to 88dB once internal amps are engaged. AND if five or more Denon amp channels are in use available power can drop by 20%.

There are other benefits to running full pre-out mode such as a cooler receiver, a drop in power use (from 160W to 46W) and speakers can be provided external amps built for 4 ohm and lower impedance loads. You don't need to be concerned if XYZ speaker is too tough to drive for your receiver. A powerful external amp is there to do the job.

If you want to try full pre-out mode it's pretty easy to do.

‎Audyssey MultEQ Editor app

‎The latest Denon Marantz audio video products use Audyssey MultEQ for simple, accurate set-up calibration of your system to the room in which it’s used. But, now you can go further with the Audyssey MultEQ Editor app, going ‘under the hood’ to view and adjust settings for detailed tuning –...

apps.apple.com

1. Set up a new configuration with the Denon MultEQ Editor app using Pre-out only mode in amp assign with a simple two speaker stereo configuration. Save the new configuration to "Preset 2".
2. Create a new stereo configuration in amp assign using internal amps. Save it as "Preset 1".
3. Verify your best measured power amp is connected to the front L/R receiver pre-outs.
4. Set the receiver to "Direct" mode and play your favorite music at various volume levels while switching between Preset 1 and 2. Can you tell a difference?

This will let your ears determine if you can tell a difference between pre-out or internal amp modes with the external amp you currently have available. After you're done upload your original Denon configuration back to the receiver and you're back to where you started before the test. This allows you to try pre-out mode in A/B testing before spending on new amps. Hope that helps satisfy your curiosity!

I don't disagree, but you have the 200 W Monolith with 28 dB gain, he has the 110 W A500 that has 29 dB gain, so what applies to you may not apply to him.

 

[Acerun]

Question regarding the 3700h and Audessey XT32.

I like to listen to sports games in Multi-Channel mode. It creates more if a "you're at the game" effect. I have run Audessey XT32 for my set up and done the target curve adjustments per Amir's recommendation. The only issue I have is that there is too much volume coming from the surrounds in multi-channel mode. I hear the announcers from the surrounds and not from my mains. Is there any way to drop the surround volume a few db manually? I can't find anything. My old Sony had the capability to raise or drop any of the speaker volumes by half a db at a time. Not on this model?

 

[Dogen]

Question regarding the 3700h and Audessey XT32.

I like to listen to sports games in Multi-Channel mode. It creates more if a "you're at the game" effect. I have run Audessey XT32 for my set up and done the target curve adjustments per Amir's recommendation. The only issue I have is that there is too much volume coming from the surrounds in multi-channel mode. I hear the announcers from the surrounds and not from my mains. Is there any way to drop the surround volume a few db manually? I can't find anything. My old Sony had the capability to raise or drop any of the speaker volumes by half a db at a time. Not on this model?

Are you using multichannel stereo? I think you’ll get better results from one of the other surround modes, like Dolby Surround. Multi-channel stereo (if that’s what your using) duplicates the right and left channels in the surrounds. It sort of always sounds as you describe. Another surround mode will be more subtle.

 

[Acerun]

Are you using multichannel stereo? I think you’ll get better results from one of the other surround modes, like Dolby Surround. Multi-channel stereo (if that’s what your using) duplicates the right and left channels in the surrounds. It sort of always sounds as you describe. Another surround mode will be more subtle.

I think the Dolby Surround mode sounds absolutely horrible. I will try some others. I love the sound quality on multi-channel but wish I could adjust the surrounds down a bit but doesn't look like that's possible.

 

[Acerun]

Look on the TV Menu: Speakers: Levels. You can adjust each individual speaker level on that screen. I would suggest moving levels back to what Audyssey had set after you are done. Or save the original Audyssey file with the MultEQ app so you can upload it back to the Denon 3700 later when you want to use it for Home theatre.

Hmmm...OK, I will look there again. I remember going to that menu and the option seemed to be a full reset, not individual speaker levels...Will take a look and yes I have the app and think it's terrific.

 

[Acerun]

Look on the TV Menu: Speakers: Levels. You can adjust each individual speaker level manually on that screen. I would suggest moving levels back to what Audyssey had set after you are done. Or save the original Audyssey file with the MultEQ app so you can upload it back to the Denon 3700 later when you want to use it for Home theatre.

I found it under "Test Tone Start" after levels ... seems like a misnomer but there it is. Thank you! This is great.

 

[Chromatischism]

I found it under "Test Tone Start" after levels ... seems like a misnomer but there it is. Thank you! This is great.

Yes, the levels on the surrounds should be reduced. If using Dynamic EQ, they should be permanently reduced by at least -3 in the Levels menu.

If you only do so on that input, you may also just adjust the channel levels in the options menu. Those are per input only.

 

[Acerun]

Yes, the levels on the surrounds should be reduced. If using Dynamic EQ, they should be permanently reduced by at least -3 in the Levels menu.

If you only do so on that input, you may also just adjust the channel levels in the options menu. Those are per input only.

So Levels menu adjustments are universal and Channel Level Adjust in the options menu is just for the input that you are on?

Edit: Got it from the manual. Thanks.

The set “Levels” are reflected in all sound modes.
If you wish to adjust the channel level for each input source, carry out the settings in “Channel Level Adjust”. link
When headphones are connected to the PHONES connector on this unit, you cannot set “Levels”.

 

[Acerun]

Yes, the levels on the surrounds should be reduced. If using Dynamic EQ, they should be permanently reduced by at least -3 in the Levels menu.

If you only do so on that input, you may also just adjust the channel levels in the options menu. Those are per input only.

FWIW, I had to take the surrounds down -6db to get them to sound right in multi-channel mode. Now it sounds great!

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

FWIW, I had to take the surrounds down -6db to get them to sound right in multi-channel mode. Now it sounds great!

And that is the problem with poor room correction. That is why I switched to Anthem.

 

[Chromatischism]

And that is the problem with poor room correction. That is why I switched to Anthem.

Because spending more $ is easier than turning channel levels down?

 

[GalZohar]

And that is the problem with poor room correction. That is why I switched to Anthem.

It doesn't seem like poor room correction in this case. Rather he uses a mode that is inappropriate for the desired result, so additional tweaking to reach the desired result were required. Most likely all upmixers will do at least some things in a bad way, so this kind of problem is probably difficult to avoid, at least not without tuning for the specific content (unless receiver already has some decent "soccer-oriented" upmixing mode).