Denon AVR-X8500HA -- regret purchase

[ScottWr]

So, I read great reviews of the AVR-X8500HA and decided to purchase it over an Anthem receiver, figuring the Denon was the bigger bang for the back. Serious mistake.

I will concede that the AVR-X8500H sound is entirely satisfactory.

But the user interface and remote are deplorable. It's as though Denon intentionally made the UI difficult to use. I It takes me literally 30 seconds to a minute to get it configured every time I want to change source and speakers (the receiver can support three speaker zones).

Plus, the Denon app and the HEOS app are atrocious -- actually, laughable. If I try using them, add another minute, again literally. (And sometimes the apps don't work.) This is whether I am using it for audio alone or for AV. The remote is almost useless, but it does have dedicated source buttons -- plus half a star. Did I mention that HEOS can only be used via the app? Minus two stars.

These are just my major complaints -- I have others (frequent stutters during digital source playback, no sound if sources/receiver/TV are turned on in the wrong order [solution -- turn on the Denon last]). And when you turn the AVR off (i.e. with the power button), don't forget to double check and make sure it is actually off...

Plus, the initial source/speaker setup was, again literally, a multi-day affair.

I should have returned it after the first week.

Conclusion: if you are using the AVR-X8500HA for one speaker zone and sources that require no app to use, go ahead and make a purchase. If you plan to use it for multiple speaker zones or for streaming or for movies, go elsewhere. For all the trouble of the GUI, I would price it under $2k0 -- remember every time you turn it on, you are going to endure a minute of frustration.

 

[EWL5]

You purchased an AVR that came out before Dirac made a splash the following year on the '22 AVRs (along w/spiffy new UI).

This is why I prefer to buy cars after a mid-cycle refresh: you get some new stuff and most of the first year kinks have been worked out!

 

[Palmspar]

Use the 1 2 3 and 4 knobs on the remote for fast source select.

 

[ScottWr]

You purchased an AVR that came out before Dirac made a splash the following year on the '22 AVRs (along w/spiffy new UI).

This is why I prefer to buy cars after a mid-cycle refresh: you get some new stuff and most of the first year kinks have been worked out!

The absence of Dirac is irrelevant -- I would have been equally dissatisfied by a Marantz Cinema 30 or a Denon AVR-A1H (both of which I considered and rejected for other reasons).

My error, and cause for regret, was in focusing on the feature set and amplifier quality (both of which are excellent on the AVR-X8500HA) while failing to realize that, for me, convenience and ease-of-use are equally important.

 

[EWL5]

The absence of Dirac is irrelevant -- I would have been equally dissatisfied by a Marantz Cinema 30 or a Denon AVR-A1H (both of which I considered and rejected for other reasons).

My error, and cause for regret, was in focusing on the feature set and amplifier quality (both of which are excellent on the AVR-X8500HA) while failing to realize that, for me, convenience and ease-of-use are equally important.

Ok. Hope having up to 4 independent sub outs wasn't appreciated either!

 

[peng]

In that case, keep in mind the Anthem you are considering, may not be better, could actually be worse, at least to some people.

 

[ScottWr]

In that case, keep in mind the Anthem you are considering, may not be better, could actually be worse, at least to some people.

You are absolutely right! I considered the AVM 90 but rejected it (luckily for me) on account of it being frankly overkill for my residence.

 

[ScottWr]

Ok. Hope having up to 4 independent sub outs wasn't appreciated either!

Oh, that's feature set. I wired the media room for a single subwoofer because two (or more) subwoofers would overwhelm the space.

 

[SuicideSquid]

So, I read great reviews of the AVR-X8500HA and decided to purchase it over an Anthem receiver, figuring the Denon was the bigger bang for the back. Serious mistake.

I will concede that the AVR-X8500H sound is entirely satisfactory.

But the user interface and remote are deplorable. It's as though Denon intentionally made the UI difficult to use. I It takes me literally 30 seconds to a minute to get it configured every time I want to change source and speakers (the receiver can support three speaker zones).

Plus, the Denon app and the HEOS app are atrocious -- actually, laughable. If I try using them, add another minute, again literally. (And sometimes the apps don't work.) This is whether I am using it for audio alone or for AV. The remote is almost useless, but it does have dedicated source buttons -- plus half a star. Did I mention that HEOS can only be used via the app? Minus two stars.

These are just my major complaints -- I have others (frequent stutters during digital source playback, no sound if sources/receiver/TV are turned on in the wrong order [solution -- turn on the Denon last]). And when you turn the AVR off (i.e. with the power button), don't forget to double check and make sure it is actually off...

Plus, the initial source/speaker setup was, again literally, a multi-day affair.

I should have returned it after the first week.

Conclusion: if you are using the AVR-X8500HA for one speaker zone and sources that require no app to use, go ahead and make a purchase. If you plan to use it for multiple speaker zones or for streaming or for movies, go elsewhere. For all the trouble of the GUI, I would price it under $2k0 -- remember every time you turn it on, you are going to endure a minute of frustration.

I don't have any issues with the Denon UI. Your issues with the sources having to be turned on in a certain order have to do with HDMI triggering, you can turn this on and off in the settings. This receiver has a crazy number of features, there's just no way to design a UI for so many functions that's immediately intuitive to everyone.

That being said, I 100% agree the HEOS app is embarrassing and worse than useless, because it wastes your time making you think it might do something before it fails to work.

 

[Madhuski]

odd, in that ease of use is usually a strength of Marantz/Denon

 

[Will P]

Hmmm.. and a very low customer rating on Amazon too - 3.6 out of 5 stars for a flagship receiver.

38% of the owners gave it 1 or 2 star.

That's actually the lowest rated receiver on amazon. The rest of the receivers are 4.3 stars and above.
Marantz Cinema 40 for example is 4.9 out of 5 stars; Marantz Cinema 30 is 5 out of 5 stars.

What happened to Denon?

https://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-X8500H-13-2-channel-AV-Receiver/dp/B0799N687K/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&sr=1-4

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