Denon AVR-X4800H AVR Review

[peng]

He said “should”. So basically, yes, but if youre not in a pinch, I’d wait to see how it turns out

That's true, he was very cautious when Gene pushed him for answer.

 

[peng]

yes, he pretty much confirmed it for the flagship AVR's and I tried through the chat to get him to confirm it for the x800 series, but they didn't answer it.

You should watch that video yourself, he basically, or sort of, answer it, but was very cautious.., kind of leaving room for error, or just cya.

 

[peng]

yes, he pretty much confirmed it for the flagship AVR's and I tried through the chat to get him to confirm it for the x800 series, but they didn't answer it.

Time mark: 11:35

That's where Gene tried to get him confirm not only the flagship AV10 and A1H, but also any of the AVRs that have 4 subwoofer outputs, and Phil Jones answer was, while not definitive, but sort of confirmed that D+M's committed, so I agree with tjcinnamon, if you can wait, just wait until they officially confirm that even the X3800H through Cinema 40 can do ART and with committed ETA.

 

[tjcinnamon]

The SDA series was awesome. A heck of a lot less critical seating position than Carver's original Sonic Holigraphy though. Most people here probably have no idea what I'm talking about with regards to your speakers or carver

That’s awesome (youre in the know too)! Those L800’s improved on the previous generations. Unreal speakers!

I’ve been monkeying with other ideas for that tech where the speakers can accommodate a large display in the middle. Tim Link on the forum has some techniques. Not sure how well it works.

I’ve tried some of the software and it’s not nearly as effective as the speakers.

 

[tjcinnamon]

That's true, he was very cautious when Gene pushed him for answer.

I paid special attention because I am itching for a new AVR

 

[Miker 1102]

That new Pioneer VSX-LX805 is going to need to fight for its life esp since theyre no longer doing Class D. Denon's packages are still HUGE value both in performance metrics and features. Tho the new Sony ES Flagship lineup is looking very enticing and their spatial processing seems to be plug and play and far more effective than even Dirac. Looking forward to seeing if someone would be willing to send one of those in. Honestly if I were to rec to people AVRs right now it would be the Sony's just for the fact that they are dead simple to setup and no need to tinker w/ all the hours of Dirac measurements and setup.i

I thought this as well.

 

[dave999z]

I have not followed AVRs for very long. Based on Denon's past release cycle, do folks have any sense of when a Denon X4900H may be released? I'm looking at getting a receiver for 7.2.4 Atmos sometime next year and am just curious if a new model may be on the scene by then.

 

[tjcinnamon]

I have not followed AVRs for very long. Based on Denon's past release cycle, do folks have any sense of when a Denon X4900H may be released? I'm looking at getting a receiver for 7.2.4 Atmos sometime next year and am just curious if a new model may be on the scene by then.

Everyone thinks they are on a 3 year cycle. So my guess would be 2 years to 18 months: leaning the former.

 

[NoCoYeti]

Everyone thinks they are on a 3 year cycle. So my guess would be 2 years to 18 months: leaning the former.

Not to mention that I can't really think of any technology it is missing.

 

[tjcinnamon]

Not to mention that I can't really think of any technology it is missing.

Totally. Their old trick was to increase the amps by 10 watts.

But yeah, unless there’s some new version of Dirac down the road then HDMI 2.1 is still under adoption and the audio format space is saturated and the major players have what they need.

I think it’s more profitable for them to just sit with the same boxes, same labels, and just focus on firmware until the next big thing.

 

[pogo]

Not to mention that I can't really think of any technology it is missing.

The biggest weakness at the moment is the amplification and the problem is worsening with ART. But here, too, class-d will certainly be introduced soon.

 

[ban25]

This question came up somewhere, maybe around Cedia, and IIRC Phil Jones said they didn't really see any reason for annual refreshes. So yeah, 18-months to 2-years for the next generation. Probably the differences will be minor, 48 Gbps HDMI chipsets will be out, which should allow 4K144 for those who need it. I'll be curious to see if they drop Audyssey and move to shipping Dirac Live by default.

 

[tjcinnamon]

This question came up somewhere, maybe around Cedia, and IIRC Phil Jones said they didn't really see any reason for annual refreshes. So yeah, 18-months to 2-years for the next generation. Probably the differences will be minor, 48 Gbps HDMI chipsets will be out, which should allow 4K144 for those who need it. I'll be curious to see if they drop Audyssey and move to shipping Dirac Live by default.

My guess is that dropping Audyssey wouldn’t happen because of it being so embedded into the AVR. No requirement for a computer, no requirement for an external USB mic, much easier to use, and I think licensing would be more expensive to their bottom line.

If anything, I bet D&M gets a kickback from Dirac for licensing sales. As opposed to DM paying them.

 

[ban25]

My guess is that dropping Audyssey wouldn’t happen because of it being so embedded into the AVR. No requirement for a computer, no requirement for an external USB mic, much easier to use, and I think licensing would be more expensive to their bottom line.

If anything, I bet D&M gets a kickback from Dirac for licensing sales. As opposed to DM paying them.

Dirac can definitely be calibrated on AVR, as is supported on PAC products with the included puck mic. Is that as good as calibrating on a PC/Mac with a UMIK-1, hell no, but it is possible. D+M would have to implement that with their firmware, but if they pull the plug on Audyssey, I could see that happening.

 

[JBLHD]

I currently have a 3700h with an Emotiva BasX A3 power amp (3*140 watt) for my front stage.

I would like to improve my system with Dirac and the individual management of my two boxes (SB3000) with DLBC.

I still hesitate between the 3800h and the 4800h, even having read all the pages of your very enriching comments on the two models (two evenings of reading...)

The small problem I have with the 3700h is the fact that the amp's heating does not decrease with the addition of the BasX A3. Since the 3700h is not monolithic, the internal amps cannot be deactivated, I think I will have the same problem with the 3800h. The question is, will being able to cut off the power supplies to the three LCR channels radically change the audio quality situation in favor of the 4800h and justify the current €400 difference.

 

[ban25]

I currently have a 3700h with an Emotiva BasX A3 power amp (3*140 watt) for my front stage.

I would like to improve my system with Dirac and the individual management of my two boxes (SB3000) with DLBC.

I still hesitate between the 3800h and the 4800h, even having read all the pages of your very enriching comments on the two models (two evenings of reading...)

The small problem I have with the 3700h is the fact that the amp's heating does not decrease with the addition of the BasX A3. Since the 3700h is not monolithic, the internal amps cannot be deactivated, I think I will have the same problem with the 3800h. The question is, will being able to cut off the power supplies to the three LCR channels radically change the audio quality situation in favor of the 4800h and justify the current €400 difference.

No audible difference between the 3700H and 4800H, beyond Dirac/DLBC, which is significant. The vast majority of the heat is from the HDMI board, so it won't matter whether you use internal amplification or external. The 3800/4800 is a toasty beast, just like the 3700.

 

[graystreet]

No audible difference between the 3700H and 4800H, beyond Dirac/DLBC, which is significant. The vast majority of the heat is from the HDMI board, so it won't matter whether you use internal amplification or external. The 3800/4800 is a toasty beast, just like the 3700.

Getting a AC Infinity AIRCOM fan system made a big difference in my setup. It's nice to know that there are three thermostat controlled fans quietly pulling air through my AVR as needed.

 

[ofc]

The 3800/4800 is a toasty beast, just like the 3700.

I find my X4800H much cooler than my previous X6300H.

 

[Steve Dallas]

I find my X4800H much cooler than my previous X6300H.

Agreed. My 4800 runs much cooler than my 4700 did until it died.

 

[GSil]

Today received Fosi ZA3 amplifier to power my rear heights with 11.1.4 setup setup, previously my rear heights were powered by my old behemoth Onkyo AVR TX-SR805. Connected Fosi ZA3 amp with mono 3.5mm trigger cable. When I turn on X4800 the Fosi amp turns on, but X4800 internal amps stay off, no relay click also, speaker setup shows only rear height channels as Pre-Out. Turn off X4800 and the Fosi turns off. The trigger function is working.
Also with connected trigger cable there is humming noise from speakers that are connected to Fosi. Turn everything off, unplug the trigger cable, switch on and the humming noise is gone and the X4800 internal amps are on. The trigger cable is OK, tested with multimeter 0.1 Ohm resistance and no short circuit. Can't figure out what is causing this, ZA3 or X4800