AUDIO-VISUAL
Around the midpoint of this six-strong range of Denon receivers, the pictured AVR-X3500H
delivers seven channels of 105W each, Dolby Atmos, Alexa voice control, and full HEOS streaming.MultEQ XT system, or MultEQ XT32 on the
X3500H and up.
One of the things we like about the Audyssey
system is that it EQs the subwoofer in addition to
the main speakers. Not all of them do that.
But when it comes to sound, the major
difference across the model range is in the number
of channels and power output. All of them have at
least seven amplifier channels, and a pair of these
can be assigned to driving a second zone if you
wish. (The AVR-X2500H and up also have line
outputs for a second zone, or more.) The X4500H
pushes that up to nine channels. To use a full
7.2.4 speaker system an addition pair of external
power amplifiers is required. But they aren’t
needed for the X6500H, which has 11 amps built
in, nor for the X8500H, which has 13. All the
models can also do things like bi-amp the front
speakers or run separate A and B front speakers.
Note, all the power output ratings in our
listing at the end are for two channels driven.
But also note, in the real world, the limitation is
usually closer to the higher dynamic ratings.
Not comfortable with network audio? The
USB socket on the front can accept music on
storage media. They can be the same formats as
supported within the receivers’ network capabili-
ties. You can navigate through its contents using
just the remote or on screen display. Or if you are
networked, you can just use the HEOS app to
manage the music queue (and mix and match with
network content).
Meanwhile for other music sources, all models
have regular line inputs and digital audio inputs,
in addition to HDMI inputs and the phono input.
2019 Denon
AV receiver line-upDenon AVR-X1500H
Price: $1149
Quoted power: 7 x 80W
(8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.08% THD)
HDMI in/out: 6/1
Denon AVR-X2500H
Price: $1699
Quoted power: 7 x 95W
(8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.08% THD)
HDMI in/out: 8/2
Denon AVR-X3500H
Price: $2099
Quoted power: 7 x 105W
(8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.08% THD)
HDMI in/out: 8/3
Denon AVR-X4500H
Price: $3299
Quoted power: 9 x 125W
(8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.08% THD),
HDMI in/out: 8/3
Denon AVC-X6500H
Price: $5199
Quoted power: 11 x 140W
(8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.08% THD)
HDMI in/out: 8/3
Denon AVC-X8500H
Price: $6199
Quoted power: 13 x 150W
(8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.05% THD)
HDMI in/out: 8/3Contact: QualiFi Pty Ltd
Telephone: 1800 24 24 26
Web: http://www.au.denon.com/auVIDEO AND SET-UP
It is now 2019, so of course all the receivers can
handle modern video. And modern video means
High Dynamic Range (HDR), 10 (or more)-bit
colour, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log Gamma images
and UltraHD resolution. Plus the HDCP 2.2
copy protection required by UltraHD Blu-ray.
But from the X2500H and up the receiver
can also upscale HDMI video and perform other
video processing functions. Given the weakness
of some displays in handling Australian 50Hz
video signals, that could be a boon if the receiver
does it well. Here’s what we had to say about
the Denon AVR-X3500H on this front in our
recent review for Sound+Image magazine (you
can read this in full at avhub.com.au/X3500H):
“The automatic progressive-scan conversion was
excellent. There was only the briefest of slips into
accidental video-mode deinterlacing with the
hardest 1080i/50 test clip, and none at all with
576i/50 tests.”
In other words, the X2500H and up can
actually improve video quality compared to some
displays, which is especially useful when one is
using a PVR (many of which aren’t especially good
on progressive-scan conversion).CONCLUSION
This is the time of year when we hear the first
inklings of next year’s range, but until then Denon
offers this superb range of home theatre receivers,
allowing enthusiasts to balance their budget with
their feature and performance needs. We’ve been
living with the Denon AVR-X3500H receiver for
several months, and we remain impressed.