Denon AVR-X4800H AVR Review

[Tanquen]

This is precisely the reason why I never bothered cutting holes in my ceiling. You can get a beautiful Atmos envelope with a simple 7.x.2 with a majority of the objects running through your 7.x.x surrounds. You'll typically get more active usage of the Atmos layers in action/war movies. Have you tried "All Quiet on the Western Front", or "Tomorrow War", or "Dune"? Try those out and see if it changes your opinion at all. Also maybe something is off in your AVR settings, which room calibration are you using? Have you checked levels, distance (<-- especially this) , compression, etc? Sorry you're not happy with it

Is there a particular scene in any of those movies? I have watched the Dune remake (OMG, if he mentions/flashes back that damn knife one more time, this movie is how long again?) but I don't recall anything special and there were a number of folks recommending Mad Max Fury Road and again I didn't really notice anything special coming from the ceiling. A friend of mine and I watched it and we even turned up the sound a bit higher than I normally would.

I was checking out the Avatar 4K UHD disc and just because I've been thinking about it all again recently I camped out by the rear center channel and there's nothing at all. If I change the sound mode from Dolby Atmos/Dolby surround to Dolby True HD then there are sounds coming out of the rear channel. At the very beginning when he's getting off the plane and there's the mec walking by that yells at him. There's some sounds that shoot up through the ceiling speakers but I have to stand on the couch and put my head next to the speaker to verify it's coming from that speaker and not just one of the others.

I just have the Denon X6500H with Audyssey room correction and I did pay for the upgrade Windows app and there were some small tweaks to the distances of the speakers, I think. I can tell that there is a change between it being on or off but I don't know that it's better per se. I may get the X6800H and try the Dirac live if it ever comes out but it will be pretty pricey with extra licensing and I've seen a number of posts where people don't like it and or say they can't tell any difference.

Yeah, I kind of wish I hadn't cut the holes and done the four speakers in the ceiling but I got a little carried away and at the time when it came out there were so many people saying oh my, it's night and day it blows me away. Then you get it and it's like what are they talking about?

Nothing to be sorry about, it's not like I spent six grand on 3ft of magic speaker wire or something. At least this is actively doing something on occasion. It's just folks need to decide if it's really worth it to them and be a little realistic about it. There are a number of demo files some even from Dolby, but after I downloaded them I found out they weren't actively passing Dolby Atmos, at least not from my media player. I had started to try and track down one of those demo discs but it got discouraged and gave up.

 

[dlaloum]

Is there a particular scene in any of those movies? I have watched the Dune remake (OMG, if he mentions/flashes back that damn knife one more time, this movie is how long again?) but I don't recall anything special and there were a number of folks recommending Mad Max Fury Road and again I didn't really notice anything special coming from the ceiling. A friend of mine and I watched it and we even turned up the sound a bit higher than I normally would.

I was checking out the Avatar 4K UHD disc and just because I've been thinking about it all again recently I camped out by the rear center channel and there's nothing at all. If I change the sound mode from Dolby Atmos/Dolby surround to Dolby True HD then there are sounds coming out of the rear channel. At the very beginning when he's getting off the plane and there's the mec walking by that yells at him. There's some sounds that shoot up through the ceiling speakers but I have to stand on the couch and put my head next to the speaker to verify it's coming from that speaker and not just one of the others.

I just have the Denon X6500H with Audyssey room correction and I did pay for the upgrade Windows app and there were some small tweaks to the distances of the speakers, I think. I can tell that there is a change between it being on or off but I don't know that it's better per se. I may get the X6800H and try the Dirac live if it ever comes out but it will be pretty pricey with extra licensing and I've seen a number of posts where people don't like it and or say they can't tell any difference.

Yeah, I kind of wish I hadn't cut the holes and done the four speakers in the ceiling but I got a little carried away and at the time when it came out there were so many people saying oh my, it's night and day it blows me away. Then you get it and it's like what are they talking about?

Nothing to be sorry about, it's not like I spent six grand on 3ft of magic speaker wire or something. At least this is actively doing something on occasion. It's just folks need to decide if it's really worth it to them and be a little realistic about it. There are a number of demo files some even from Dolby, but after I downloaded them I found out they weren't actively passing Dolby Atmos, at least not from my media player. I had started to try and track down one of those demo discs but it got discouraged and gave up.

I recently added 4 ceiling speakers to my setup.... and there is a touch of nice roomwide ambiance added - a bit more envelopment..

But yeah - not much happening there!

I used speakers I had lying around, so all it cost me were mounts/brackets and some cable/wire.

Perhaps I should seek out some Atmos tracks to test out the height? - I'm not too fussed about it though - the system is definitely sounding very good

 

[deejaystu]

Is there a particular scene in any of those movies?

Yes in All Quiet on the Western Front try the scene at 1:21:25 (specifically listening for the planes and tank shells flying over head). And on Tomorrow War try the scene where they're in the stairwell starting at 46:30 - this is one of my favorite Atmos scenes.

 

[ArturoKiwi]

If I remember, you could try one of the first scene in Dune (new one, of course). When Paul Atreides wake up, you should ear the rain from the the Atmos speaker

 

[ban25]

If I remember, you could try one of the first scene in Dune (new one, of course). When Paul Atreides wake up, you should ear the rain from the the Atmos speaker

A really, really effective use-case for Atmos is games content on the Xbox Series X. It supports live Atmos mixing and the result is that you will often have persistent height effects in games, such as rain pouring down in the environment. Even the PS5, which only supports 7.1 (no height channels) still has excellent 3D presence due to the fact that you are controlling the camera and therefore relative sound source position in games. I've been playing Final Fantasy XVI recently and it does a great job of creating an atmospheric sound mix, even without heights.

 

[deejaystu]

So I appreciate everyone's input here over the past couple weeks. Im the guy upgrading from the 2700 with the KEF system in case anyone forgot. I just pulled the trigger on the 3800 from Adorama brand new for $1000, it was hard to turn away at that price point. I've been waiting real patiently for the 4800h to come on sale but it's not happening and I had no idea Denon was doing the 20% over 4th of July, never got notified. Instead just gonna do a 3800 setup with Emotiva BasX A7.

Does anyone know if Adorama is authorized Denon dealer? It says they are on the website but when I search on the Denon website they're not listed. And now I'm starting to question if this thing has a legit warranty? Any feedback would be appreciated. thanks

 

[EWL5]

So I appreciate everyone's input here over the past couple weeks. Im the guy upgrading from the 2700 with the KEF system in case anyone forgot. I just pulled the trigger on the 3800 from Adorama brand new for $1000, it was hard to turn away at that price point. I've been waiting real patiently for the 4800h to come on sale but it's not happening and I had no idea Denon was doing the 20% over 4th of July, never got notified. Instead just gonna do a 3800 setup with Emotiva BasX A7.

Does anyone know if Adorama is authorized Denon dealer? It says they are on the website but when I search on the Denon website they're not listed. And now I'm starting to question if this thing has a legit warranty? Any feedback would be appreciated. thanks

I believe Adorama is an authorized Denon retailer. I don't see it for $1000 on the website as it shows $1699. Did you get it straight from Adorama?

 

[deejaystu]

I believe Adorama is an authorized Denon retailer. I don't see it for $1000 on the website as it shows $1699. Did you get it straight from Adorama?

it looks like the promotion ended. The links were sent out in a mailer, then a couple guys posted the links on multiple Facebook home theater groups, and the $999 units sold out an hour later. I instantly regretted not pulling the trigger, as I was driving and I couldn’t do it at the time. So I went home and kept checking the link, until around 11pm they finally reposted the sale price. Made sure to buy it that time, and about 2 hours later low and behold the $999 units sold out again. Lets see if they open it back up today, they might be doing some sort of a drip feed (certain number per day). The link said the sale would end Tuesday. Tough to beat at that price honestly, I also confirmed the units come with warranty (they’re an authorized dealer).

Also I should note you have to use the link sent out in the promo mailer. Ill post it below, and no it’s not a scam. I thought it was at first too but the link is legit:

Denon AVR-X3800H

AVR-X3800H 105W 9.4-Channel 8K Network AV Receiver

www.adorama.com

 

[peng]

So I appreciate everyone's input here over the past couple weeks. Im the guy upgrading from the 2700 with the KEF system in case anyone forgot. I just pulled the trigger on the 3800 from Adorama brand new for $1000, it was hard to turn away at that price point. I've been waiting real patiently for the 4800h to come on sale but it's not happening and I had no idea Denon was doing the 20% over 4th of July, never got notified. Instead just gonna do a 3800 setup with Emotiva BasX A7.

Does anyone know if Adorama is authorized Denon dealer? It says they are on the website but when I search on the Denon website they're not listed. And now I'm starting to question if this thing has a legit warranty? Any feedback would be appreciated. thanks

If you have not ordered the A7 yet, you may want to do more research. The A7 will no doubt take some load off the AVR but it won't do anything to sound quality, or even just dynamic when you crank things up or during high peaks in the demands. That's because it offers negligibly more "power". You must already know that you need 2X the output to gain a mere 3 dB spl, that is just perceptible but not very impactful. It is better to grab a more powerful amp (minimum 200 WPC) for the LCR, and see if that's all you need. That's assuming you even need the external amp for the LCR channels. An online calculator will tell you that. Some KEF speakers are demanding, but some are fine with AVRs, regardless, the important factors are the distance and how loud you listen.

 

[deejaystu]

If you have not ordered the A7 yet, you may want to do more research. The A7 will no doubt take some load off the AVR but it won't do anything to sound quality, or even just dynamic when you crank things up or during high peaks in the demands. That's because it offers negligibly more "power". You must already know that you need 2X the output to gain a mere 3 dB spl, that is just perceptible but not very impactful. It is better to grab a more powerful amp (minimum 200 WPC) for the LCR, and see if that's all you need. That's assuming you even need the external amp for the LCR channels. An online calculator will tell you that. Some KEF speakers are demanding, but some are fine with AVRs, regardless, the important factors are the distance and how loud you listen.

Valid point and it crossed my mind. I was looking at the A7 only because I was planning to switch out my Q350/C650 to R3’s at some point which can bi-amp. But in the current state might be better off just getting the A3 which has more WPC, I believe 50 watt difference per channel all channels driven.

I havent made the purchase yet, I found a guy in my area selling a one month old A7 for $450. I’ve read on Reddit somewhere that the Q150/Q350/C250/C650 need external power to shine. My listening position is about 12 feet back and I listen at around 40db to 60db. Think i’d be better off with the A3? I’m open to suggestions, was also looking at OSD and Parasound. Im not that experienced when it comes to external power so I’d appreciate the insight

 

[ban25]

Valid point and it crossed my mind. I was looking at the A7 only because I was planning to switch out my Q350/C650 to R3’s at some point which can bi-amp. But in the current state might be better off just getting the A3 which has more WPC, I believe 50 watt difference per channel all channels driven.

I havent made the purchase yet, I found a guy in my area selling a one month old A7 for $450. I’ve read on Reddit somewhere that the Q150/Q350/C250/C650 need external power to shine. My listening position is about 12 feet back and I listen at around 40db to 60db. Think i’d be better off with the A3? I’m open to suggestions, was also looking at OSD and Parasound. Im not that experienced when it comes to external power so I’d appreciate the insight

I used to run a full 7.1 KEF R series home theater (including R11 towers) with the X3700H and I can confirm you will not need nor benefit from an Emotiva amp with the 3800.

 

[pogo]

Which Emotiva amp was used?

 

[EWL5]

it looks like the promotion ended. The links were sent out in a mailer, then a couple guys posted the links on multiple Facebook home theater groups, and the $999 units sold out an hour later. I instantly regretted not pulling the trigger, as I was driving and I couldn’t do it at the time. So I went home and kept checking the link, until around 11pm they finally reposted the sale price. Made sure to buy it that time, and about 2 hours later low and behold the $999 units sold out again. Lets see if they open it back up today, they might be doing some sort of a drip feed (certain number per day). The link said the sale would end Tuesday. Tough to beat at that price honestly, I also confirmed the units come with warranty (they’re an authorized dealer).

Also I should note you have to use the link sent out in the promo mailer. Ill post it below, and no it’s not a scam. I thought it was at first too but the link is legit:

Denon AVR-X3800H

AVR-X3800H 105W 9.4-Channel 8K Network AV Receiver

www.adorama.com

$999 is a great price for the 3800 and actually undercuts yesterday's Amazon price of the RZ50 by nearly $100.

I managed to snag a 3800 by getting Best Buy to price match Amazon's current price of $1302 (lowest price it's been according to 3xcamel):

https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B0BBYSLL3V?context=search

 

[peng]

I’m open to suggestions, was also looking at OSD and Parasound. Im not that experienced when it comes to external power so I’d appreciate the insight

In that case, I would say bite the bullet, pay a little more and get the Hypex amps such as buckeye amp.

Buckeye Amps

Buckeye Amps utilizes the most advanced audio amplifier technologies available. Authorized seller for Hypex and Purifi Class D amplifiers. Based in the US. Free shipping and worldwide service!

www.buckeyeamp.com

 

[deejaystu]

In that case, I would say bite the bullet, pay a little more and get the Hypex amps such as buckeye amp.

Buckeye Amps

Buckeye Amps utilizes the most advanced audio amplifier technologies available. Authorized seller for Hypex and Purifi Class D amplifiers. Based in the US. Free shipping and worldwide service!

www.buckeyeamp.com

These look nice thx for the recommendation. Any other recommendations on a four, or five channel amp? Will 350w/channel be overkill?

Someone is also selling a Rotel RMB-1075- 5x120 in my area for $700

Which Emotiva amp was used?

The Basx A7 (7-Channel Emotiva entry level amp)

 

[deejaystu]

I used to run a full 7.1 KEF R series home theater (including R11 towers) with the X3700H and I can confirm you will not need nor benefit from an Emotiva amp with the 3800.

Thx for the insight. I think I’m gonna take all of your advice and hold off on the amp upgrade for now. Doesn’t seem logical unless it’s a significant wattage upgrade

 

[RF Air]

Do you think the external amps made a noticeable difference? What amps are you using?

Hello @PeteXian
Sorry for the delayed response, I am vacationing. I have McIntosh Amplifiers that are rated for 300 WPC and I find the performance exceeded my expectations. The X4800H has performed very well with no audible noise detectable to my ears with or without the External Amps. I prefer the Amps as I will drive loud volume performances for the dynamic output of a Live Performance recording or Theater Production.

The McIntosh Amps are especially well suited for this type of performance with the Power Guard circuitry that protects the Speakers when the THD exceeds 1% at High Output allowing the Amp circuit to maintain performance without Clipping. I've used external Amps for performance with my Home Theater and AVR's as Pre-Amp consistently with great results.

 

[deejaystu]

Just setup the x3800 I grabbed from Adorama. Really happy with it overall. Got a little concerned at first - out of the box the 2700 honestly sounded better. I typically stay away from one word adjectives like “warm” or “bright” describing sonic signatures, because I think that's horse _, however the 2700 did sound warmer lol.. Dont know if thats the result of a difference DAC chip, or perhaps I’m getting a truer representation of how the speakers sound? All in all I noticed this unit definitely took more dialing in than the 2700 did, and once I got it set, it was easily an upgrade in functionality/sound over the 2700, but it took like 5 hours of tweaking.

One thing I noticed thats slightly bothersome is the 3800 throws out extremely sharper highs then my 2700, to the point of causing a small amount of audible distortion. Its a bit much really, and slightly annoying after a while… you can’t hear it when playing higher quality audio (Atmos) but I can hear it when playing DD+. I’ve seen several posts about this on Reddit and most people are able to resolve it using MultEQ. I just downloaded it and will be running a new calibration tomorrow.

Didn’t end up running any external power, don’t think I’ll need it. This unit seems to handle the KEF-Q system fine. Overall though I really like it for $999 it was money well spent imo

 

[hex168]

Can you use the pre-out and internal amplifier of the same channel at the same time? Use case: DIY speaker, woofer connected to internal Denon amplifier through a passive crossover, pre-out to active crossover to external amplifier to the tweeter. (This is sometimes called a "hybrid" crossover.)

 

[peng]

Can you use the pre-out and internal amplifier of the same channel at the same time? Use case: DIY speaker, woofer connected to internal Denon amplifier through a passive crossover, pre-out to active crossover to external amplifier to the tweeter. (This is sometimes called a "hybrid" crossover.)

You can do it for sure, but make sure your external amp's input impedance is not unusually low, anything close to 20 kohms, or even 10 kohm should be fine.