Denon AVR-X4800H AVR Review

[Descartes]

Assuming you meant X4800H (4008 a typo?), as I suggested several times before, it is easy to choose if aesthetic is the most important factor, otherwise it is also easy to choose based on price.

As far as I can remember, the price difference between the two in Europe and Asia/Far East (such as Singapore) is not much, from $0 to

250 or less. So unless you are in North America, the Cinema 40 may be a slightly better choice not because of "sound quality" (those who reportedly hear the Marantz warm/musical sound most likely have the so called golden ears, or they are more prone to(influenced by) hearsay and marketing info), but because of the better looking build (such as the gold plated connectors) the C40 offers. It will likely run a little warmer and use a few cents more on energy because of the extra buffers (HDAMs).

In North America, the difference is about US$1,000. For such a ridiculous premium price, one would have to really love the look of the C40 and can't stand the look of the X4800H lol..

I am in NA which is why I ask $1,000 is ridiculous especially if in Asia it is the same price!

 

[peng]

I am in NA which is why I ask $1,000 is ridiculous especially if in Asia it is the same price!

To me I will never buy it for $1000 more. In NA, at least in Canada, even the Cimema 70 costs more than the X3800H, and the C70 doesn't even have HDAMs, even if I consider that actually a plus, that is, less parts that could potentially add more THD+N.

If you can wait, I bet those Marantz will go on sale within the next few months. I have seen the SR7012/7013 gone to sales price well below the equivalent X4409/4500H before. So it may happen to the C40 vs X4800H too. The current $1000 premium is not sustainable, there are only so many audiophiles who would fall for the silly thing about the "Marantz sound" to the point they would chase such myths at any cost lol..

 

[Descartes]

Waiting to see the Denon 6800H

 

[ban25]

Waiting to see the Denon 6800H

There's not much to see, to be honest. It's a 4800H with 2 more channels of amplification and processing, respectively. If you like the 3800/4800, but need 13 channels, the 6800 is for you...

 

[funkera91]

hey guys, is 1250 Euro a good price for new Denon AVC - X4800H ?

 

[Descartes]

hey guys, is 1250 Euro a good price for new Denon AVC - X4800H ?

Very good wised it was that price in the US!
Right now it is $2,499 plus tax!

 

[Descartes]

My speakers are 4 Ohms will this AVR work or should I wait for the 6800H?

 

[evert]

30% discount on Dirac has just started!

 

[CapMan]

Still no DLBC though - many had speculated this might be released to coincide with Black Friday.

 

[evert]

Still no DLBC though - many had speculated this might be released to coincide with Black Friday.

Yes, it's sad..

 

[CapMan]

I guess if I was in their marketing and sales teams I would use Black Friday to hook in as many subscriptions as possible, then roll out DLBC after the sale to capitalise on the larger user base .

 

[PHD]

I asked this question in an other thread but was wondering which to choose the Denon AVR-X4008H or the Marantz Cinema 40 the insides look identical

They share the EXACT same hardware—the only differences are cosmetics, FW (software), and GUI. However, sonically, the Cinema 40 may appeal to audiophools who prefer a "warm" more analog sound. This is attributed to FW-based artificially added digital distortion (harmonics) aimed to create a psychoacoustic effect on the Marantz line.

 

[mosco]

Dirac seems to me to be an erroneous commercial policy in all its aspects. link the Av to the license, retain DLBC. Audessy, ReW and Mso and you are left with a magnificent and very satisfactory system. We will sit and wait for the wonders of "Art"

 

[Rednaxela]

They share the EXACT same hardware

So with the Denon you get HDAMs too?

 

[PHD]

So with the Denon you get HDAMs too?

there is no mention of HDAM on any of the new Denon/Marantz product lines. Whatever HDAM did, I assume it's now being emulated by a software-based approach only on the Marantz AVRs.The effect remains the same. To many, the Cinema 40 will sound more "musical" in stereo than the X4800H. But they sound the same for movies and TV. I'd go with the cheaper X4800H.

 

[Rednaxela]

Hoogwaardige 9.2-kanaals AV-versterker met 125 watt per kanaal

Hoogwaardige 9.2-kanaals AV-versterker met 125 watt per kanaal versterking, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X Auro-3D, 8K Ultra HD en streaming via HEOS® Built-in. CINEMA 40 is een indrukwekkende en toonaangevende AV-versterker

www.marantz.com.cn

(Not that I care one bit about HDAM myself by the way.)

 

[peng]

My speakers are 4 Ohms will this AVR work or should I wait for the 6800H?

It won't matter whether you go with the 6800 or even external power amps depending on your listening habit, the impedance/phase angle curve, speaker sensitivity and seating distance.

Consider the following facts, on all else being equal basis:

- Sensitivity is important, for example, 90 dB/2.83V/m would offset the higher demand from a 4 ohm speaker vs a 8 ohm speaker that has 87 dB/2.83V/m.
- Distance matter more, SPL drops 6 dB example: if sit 2.75 m from your 4 ohm speaker, power requirement would be about the same as if sit 3.41 m from your 8 ohm speaker.
- Impedance curve matters: Not all so called nominal 4 ohms are equal, depending on the nature of impedance dips, some 4 ohm speakers are don't need much more power than some 8 ohm speakers.
- Phase angles matter too, as most class AB amps may have trouble dissipating heat adequately, and some may run into stability issues if the phase angles are much higher than normal especially if capacitive in nature.
- Lastly, as we all know, it take 2X the power to gain merely 3 dB of SPL, 3 dB of SPL +/- is just a few clicks +/- difference on the volume dial.

Practically speaking, it is better to use an online calculator to figure out your power need first, and then decide whether you need an external power amp, than to worry about which AVR to choose based on their specified output ratings.

 

[alik1006]

I just picked the Denon AVR-X4800 up for $1700 from Best Buy (I had them price match from Amazon) and I'm very excited to get this puppy up and running. I'll report back once I've broke it in. Thanks for the review!

Same but directly from Denon. Will see how it goes.

 

[Descartes]

It won't matter whether you go with the 6800 or even external power amps depending on your listening habit, the impedance/phase angle curve, speaker sensitivity and seating distance.

Consider the following facts, on all else being equal basis:

- Sensitivity is important, for example, 90 dB/2.83V/m would offset the higher demand from a 4 ohm speaker vs a 8 ohm speaker that has 87 dB/2.83V/m.
- Distance matter more, SPL drops 6 dB example: if sit 2.75 m from your 4 ohm speaker, power requirement would be about the same as if sit 3.41 m from your 8 ohm speaker.
- Impedance curve matters: Not all so called nominal 4 ohms are equal, depending on the nature of impedance dips, some 4 ohm speakers are don't need much more power than some 8 ohm speakers.
- Phase angles matter too, as most class AB amps may have trouble dissipating heat adequately, and some may run into stability issues if the phase angles are much higher than normal especially if capacitive in nature.
- Lastly, as we all know, it take 2X the power to gain merely 3 dB of SPL, 3 dB of SPL +/- is just a few clicks +/- difference on the volume dial.

Practically speaking, it is better to use an online calculator to figure out your power need first, and then decide whether you need an external power amp, than to worry about which AVR to choose based on their specified output ratings.

My speakers are very inefficient at 85db I listen to 85db volume on average and that don’t exceed 95db with movies

 

[peng]

My speakers are very inefficient at 85db I listen to 85db volume on average and that don’t exceed 95db with movies

What's the distance between you seat and the front speakers, and do you have the impedance vs frequency curve for the speakers?