Denon AVR-X3800H Review

[Miker 1102]

I will plug in my 3800 tomorrow and check the menu. I should have done it earlier.

 

[Juanma10dm10000]

Hi! Im new here and i just bought a denon 3800h av received from amazon us it has 100v, and in my country the power voltaje is 220v. I was planinning to get a tiroidal power up step down converter in order to use it. If there any other way to use ir without The voltaje regulator !? Like changing something inside ? Thanks !

 

[emptygreat]

Thank you so much for the detailed description. I will start watching/reading so I'll be ready if and when I get my AVR-X3800H, timing would depend on when it will drop to, or close enough to the US sales price point. Hopefull it will happen on boxing day. I will use the unit for 2 channel stereo music only but it is good to know @OCA has got us covered on everything, even for using Atmos sweeps, though I would like to see one for 2.2 stereo if there is such simplified version and therefore a shorter video to watch lol... I could do wonder with Ratbuddyssey, but OCA's scripts seem like a much easier and quicker way to get great results. Either way, it really renders my 2X4 HD useless, but I will keep it until I played with the X3800H, then I'll sell it for sure, even for $100 or less, is better than having it sitting in the box, though now that I have sold the X1800H, I had to take it out of the box and used again mainly to set crossovers when using my separates that are 2 ch stereo only.

Most welcome. It's pretty much the same process for 2.2, you just need to make less measurements. It's worth to check the video once in order to understand the basics of it, though it really is a quite simple and fast process. Can't comment on .2 calibration as I only have one sub, though I have read very very good comments on multiple sub integration, and some people actually combine it with minidsp. It is also recommended to use REW's latest beta. Also, after you have your measurements done, it's fairly easy to test different EQ target curves and repeat the process with updated versions of Nexus, which takes around 5 minutes to process. I believe OCA is also working on an updated process for calibration, though I don't much about it. Good luck finding a nice price for it!

 

[noiseboy]

There appears to be no Dirac bass management or possibly no Dirac correction at all when playing thru Heos. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[antcollinet]

There appears to be no Dirac bass management or possibly no Dirac correction at all when playing thru Heos. Can anyone confirm this?

I would expect that.

Bear in mind your DIRAC measurements set up correction filters specifically for the speakers and room you measured. Playing via heos to different speakers in a different room, then applying those filters does not make sense, and may actually sound worse.

 

[noiseboy]

I would expect that.

Bear in mind your DIRAC measurements set up correction filters specifically for the speakers and room you measured. Playing via heos to different speakers in a different room, then applying those filters does not make sense, and may actually sound worse.

It's the speakers connected to the x3800 that have that have no correction or bass management when using Heos. The Denon is the only Heos client. So, eg, if I play Spotify thru the x3800 to my bass managed LR, I get no sub or correction.

 

[ban25]

It's the speakers connected to the x3800 that have that have no correction or bass management when using Heos. The Denon is the only Heos client. So, eg, if I play Spotify thru the x3800 to my bass managed LR, I get no sub or correction.

HEOS is, unfortunately, total crap.

 

[Ciobi69]

Wait I can’t use like tidal with heos and my 2.2 system?i mean with dirac bass control

 

[ban25]

Wait I can’t use like tidal with heos and my 2.2 system?i mean with dirac bass control

Sounds like you can't through HEOS. Maybe through AirPlay 2 (lossy AAC 256kbps)? Alternatively, you could use a dedicated streamer like a Bluesound Node or an NVIDIA Shield TV Pro running the Tidal app (which will give you DD+ Atmos over HDMI).

 

[noiseboy]

Wait I can’t use like tidal with heos and my 2.2 system?i mean with dirac bass control

I've tried Spotify and DLNA, neither used Dirac bass management or bass control

 

[antcollinet]

It's the speakers connected to the x3800 that have that have no correction or bass management when using Heos. The Denon is the only Heos client. So, eg, if I play Spotify thru the x3800 to my bass managed LR, I get no sub or correction.

Well then, I agree, that is crap.

 

[Ciobi69]

I've tried Spotify and DLNA, neither used Dirac bass management or bass control

Damn. That is not good , but can you use base Dirac in stereo then?

 

[Repdetect]

I have a Denon 3800 and am using a NC502MP Amplifier for L+ R channels. If I add an SMSL DO-100 and connect it via HDMI to the Denon, will I hear the NC502MP DAC via only the SMSL DAC or what? How about if I use the SMSL via USB into the denon USB? This hobby is getting so complicated. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[antcollinet]

If I add an SMSL DO-100 and connect it via HDMI

How are you you going to connect it via hdmi? It doesn't have an HDMI connector.

 

[Repdetect]

antcollinet

Sorry, getting a Pro model

 

[NanoGuidingStar]

Hello everyone,

I’m still a beginner. Currently, I’m using a Denon X3800H AV receiver with an SVS SB3000 subwoofer, and my 5.1.2ch setup consists of SVS Prime Satellite speakers x5 and 2 Monolith THX campact satellites.

Previously, I used Audyssey XT32 for room calibration (with two Speaker Presets saved). However, since Dirac started their Black Friday sale yesterday, I’ve purchased Dirac Live Room Correction + Bass Control. I have a few questions I’d like to ask:

1. Before running Dirac, do I need to disable Audyssey or reset the two Speaker Presets saved on my receiver to their default settings? If there are any other feature I need to disable or reset, please let me know.
2. Should I use the advanced subwoofer tuning features in the SVS App (e.g., PEQ) before running Dirac, or should I let Dirac RC + BC handle all speaker and subwoofer configurations?

If you have any related articles, videos, or materials for reference, I’d greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

 

[Ncesar]

Hi! Im new here and i just bought a denon 3800h av received from amazon us it has 100v, and in my country the power voltaje is 220v. I was planinning to get a tiroidal power up step down converter in order to use it. If there any other way to use ir without The voltaje regulator !? Like changing something inside ? Thanks 100v to 220v step up converter.

Try to find a quality made in Europe or Japan step up converter. Beware of the alliexpress ones.
I believe is the easy and affordable that replace the inside one.

 

[popej]

Try to find a quality made in Europe or Japan step up converter.

It should be step down converter, right? 220V network to 120v AVR.

I would rather look for autotransformer than electronic converter. I don't know how good are available converters, but they usually aproximate sinus voltage at output, which can lead to noise or additional heat on AVR.
Other thing is network frequency. Switching from 60Hz design to 50Hz network overtaxes transformer. I would try to lower voltage even more, like to 100V.

Or maybe there exist a good converter to 120V/60Hz?

 

[EWL5]

Hello everyone,

I’m still a beginner. Currently, I’m using a Denon X3800H AV receiver with an SVS SB3000 subwoofer, and my 5.1.2ch setup consists of SVS Prime Satellite speakers x5 and 2 Monolith THX campact satellites.

Previously, I used Audyssey XT32 for room calibration (with two Speaker Presets saved). However, since Dirac started their Black Friday sale yesterday, I’ve purchased Dirac Live Room Correction + Bass Control. I have a few questions I’d like to ask:

1. Before running Dirac, do I need to disable Audyssey or reset the two Speaker Presets saved on my receiver to their default settings? If there are any other feature I need to disable or reset, please let me know.
2. Should I use the advanced subwoofer tuning features in the SVS App (e.g., PEQ) before running Dirac, or should I let Dirac RC + BC handle all speaker and subwoofer configurations?

If you have any related articles, videos, or materials for reference, I’d greatly appreciate it. Thank you!

Also a Denon 3800 owner but I only have Dirac Live Full Bandwidth license (no DLBC). Here are some answers and beginner tips:

1) Audyssey doesn't need to be disabled (it can be left saved in its own preset as Dirac will be saved in the other one!). There's nothing to disable but once you have finished Dirac calibration, certain settings may be locked out when you return to the Denon menu. Note that certain features like DynamicEQ can't be used w/Dirac (but you can always switch back to the Audyssey preset when needed)!

2) Since you have purchased DLBC, leave all your SW tuning EQ settings neutral/off. The only adjustment you should make on your SW is the gain dial (see mehlau link below).

Here are very clear step by step instructions of how to get your Dirac calibration going:

Configure microphone and setting speaker levels for measurements in Dirac Live v2 & v3

Most important takeaway from that website:
- Need a decent margin above the noise floor (make sure room is silent and any "droning" from equipment is addressed.
- SW gain is only addressed after all other speakers are done

Additional tips:
1) You didn't mention it but I assume you got a hold of a UMIK-1 microphone and the 90° upward calibration file?
2) Don't forget to address Dirac Bass Management before doing Bass Control!
3) Big Dirac thread here: https://www.avsforum.com/posts/59508402/

 

[Ncesar]

It should be step down converter, right? 220V network to 120v AVR.

I would rather look for autotransformer than electronic converter. I don't know how good are available converters, but they usually aproximate sinus voltage at output, which can lead to noise or additional heat on AVR.
Other thing is network frequency. Switching from 60Hz design to 50Hz network overtaxes transformer. I would try to lower voltage even more, like to 100V.

Or maybe there exist a good converter to 120V/60Hz?

Yes, step down.