Curious, what source(s) do you use that only has composite video output?Hot take but I actually appreciate legacy connections wherever I can find them.
Curious, what source(s) do you use that only has composite video output?Hot take but I actually appreciate legacy connections wherever I can find them.
Hot take but I actually appreciate legacy connections wherever I can find them.
Besides that, this company is dumb. Like what are they even doing anymore with thwir products? Failint virtually every spec has to be on purpose at this point.
Aside from the I/O Amir doesnt care for (something other audio companies should look to AVRs for), this is just an epic fail.
Will you call Denon AVR-X8500H bad and not Hi-Fi? If yes what is your definition of Hi-Fi? Or for that matter how many 2-ch amplifier/DAC combos you know that matches these specs?Has there ever been an AV processor that was good? No! If I put a ton of electronics in a big tin bin, no hi-fi can come out.
I used to think that. But that isn't it. Pro gear can have much higher density and channels than AVR and the best of it is very good measurement-wise. So it could be possible to make an AVR that has great numbers, and my guess is other than bothering to make it a goal the cost vs what they have would be somewhere from minimally higher to perhaps not at all higher.Has there ever been an AV processor that was good? No! If I put a ton of electronics in a big tin bin, no hi-fi can come out.
I wonder if it is a hold over from when solid state amps tried to replicate that “tube amplifier sound”?I used to think that. But that isn't it. Pro gear can have much higher density and channels than AVR and the best of it is very good measurement-wise. So it could be possible to make an AVR that has great numbers, and my guess is other than bothering to make it a goal the cost vs what they have would be somewhere from minimally higher to perhaps not at all higher.
Take Marantz's insistence on the HDAM. It isn't particularly great, they make it with quite a few discrete transistor circuits. My guess is they could make an all IC version 20 db better in every metric and far cheaper. Why don't they do it? I don't know.
I used to think that. But that isn't it. Pro gear can have much higher density and channels than AVR and the best of it is very good measurement-wise. So it could be possible to make an AVR that has great numbers, and my guess is other than bothering to make it a goal the cost vs what they have would be somewhere from minimally higher to perhaps not at all higher.
Take Marantz's insistence on the HDAM. It isn't particularly great, they make it with quite a few discrete transistor circuits. My guess is they could make an all IC version 20 db better in every metric and far cheaper. Why don't they do it? I don't know.
Because HDAM marketing brings in more money than just having a good product. There is zero incentive for these companies to produces high fidelity products because there is no competition. All the licensing for HDMI, Dolby, DTS etc. makes entry to the AVR market very hard. Apart from that the software is also not something that can be developed by a small team.I used to think that. But that isn't it. Pro gear can have much higher density and channels than AVR and the best of it is very good measurement-wise. So it could be possible to make an AVR that has great numbers, and my guess is other than bothering to make it a goal the cost vs what they have would be somewhere from minimally higher to perhaps not at all higher.
Take Marantz's insistence on the HDAM. It isn't particularly great, they make it with quite a few discrete transistor circuits. My guess is they could make an all IC version 20 db better in every metric and far cheaper. Why don't they do it? I don't know.
There is zero incentive for these companies to produces high fidelity products because there is no competition.
They only test samples, if any. When I started as a Video Editor, Betacam SP Decks, the pro offspring of Betamax, were extremely expensive. Reason: Every Machine had to be measured and aligned individually.That's so adorable. I appreciate your courage in running this website! Good news indeed that the results are similar.
Is there any data on the variation in performance of audio equipment, as far as variation between individual units? I mean, we could test 20 SMSL DACS and look for differences. How do manufacturers test individual units? It can't be the same story between SMSL, Schitt, Denon, and Naim, can it? And what about speakers?
7 brands is nothing, just compare it to the market for amplifiers, speakers and dacs. There are literally 100 times more competitors for those. Anyone can develop any of these in their own shed, but the barrier for entry for surround receivers is huge. The fact that there is only one brand from China that is officially licensed tells the entire story.Why do you say that there is no competition? @amirm has so far measured AVRs from dozen brands belonging to seven parent companies. Does it look to you a non competitive market?
In my view the reason is lack of knowledge of the buyers. This is why ASR is important. If you are rational you will learn to rely on data and re-condition your ears.
First, I said more than a dozen brands tested here, not seven, nor what is available in the market. Do please read before you disagree. Finally, are you really saying that there are 700 Hi-Fi brands on the market competing with each other?7 brands is nothing, just compare it to the market for amplifiers, speakers and dacs. There are literally 100 times more competitors for those. Anyone can develop any of these in their own shed, but the barrier for entry for surround receivers is huge. The fact that there is only one brand from China that is officially licensed tells the entire story.
Lol, I wondered to myself when I 1st saw this "wait, didn't you test this already?"OK, this is embarrassing. I had reviewed this unit before! The owner said it would be 7706 and I did not pay attention to the model number as I did the review just now.
Good news is that it performs very similarly to the first sample.....
I used to think that. But that isn't it. Pro gear can have much higher density and channels than AVR and the best of it is very good measurement-wise. So it could be possible to make an AVR that has great numbers, and my guess is other than bothering to make it a goal the cost vs what they have would be somewhere from minimally higher to perhaps not at all higher.
Take Marantz's insistence on the HDAM. It isn't particularly great, they make it with quite a few discrete transistor circuits. My guess is they could make an all IC version 20 db better in every metric and far cheaper. Why don't they do it? I don't know.
Great re-review... I would really be interested to see, how the Marantz 2ch amps like e.g. the PM800X, PM600X measure as those also use these hdma-modules...