I didnt know they came out! Excited to see the full review. This is the one I've been waiting to see. I'm upgrading my theater now and will be moving on a receiver in a few months hopefully. Will be between this and the 6700
@@ripewave Seems a little silly at these price points. Someone will find them at some point. I don't think DACs matter that much but they should let people know when it's something they often gush over.
Same here -- definitely thinking of using this as a Dirac-enabled receiver that happens to have amps in it I can use while waiting to buy the rest of it. Definitely interested to hear if the 6800 is a better sounding option than the 4800. For another $1k it better be!
@@DavidCNavas if you put it in Pre-amp mode, which shuts off the amps, it measures very similar to a dedicated pre-amp. At least the 6700 did. I expect this one to measure similarly.
Sort of. 360 Reality Audio content is still thin and I found it hard to stream it properly for decoding by the receiver. I will see if the Denon and Marantz receiver make it easier. -Jon
I have the X6700H and just added power amps to it. It gave it new life. You can completely shut off the internal amps making the X6700H a pre-pro system. I run M&K 4 Ohms speakers which sounded lackluster using the internal amps. Not anymore. I had an Onkyo THX receiver before and was a bit disheartened at the dynamics of the Denon. The 8 Ohms setting on the Denon got very hot, so set it to 4 Ohms. It was disappointing to say the least. No punch at high volumes. The speakers I have need some power to sound their best. Power amps did the trick. Ultra dynamics are now the order of the day. Love it. I recommend the Denon 100% but only running 8 Ohms speakers. If you have 4 Ohms speakers, get a separate system. Or X4800H with a power amp. Even better. All you need is Atmos, DTS-X and Auro3D. I believe the X4800H does them all. Two channels less than the X6800H of processing. but 7.1.4 is plenty.
Hello, i just bought 6700 (tomorrow is shipping). I have 8 Ohm speakers, do i still need power amps? To be honest, i do not know what you mean with power amps. Van you help me with that? Which models you bought? Thanks in advance for the information.
@@michaelvanboekholt5755 Power amps take the job off the receiver to run the speakers. They are connected externally via the pre-amp outputs at the rear of the receiver. The Denon's internal amplification can be shut off completely. Leaving cleaner power for it to run all he processing duties. 8 Ohm speakers will be fine, Michael. It'll lose a little power per-channel. Denon has a 70% rule. So if you're running 5.1 set up, you'll looking at 98 watts per channel. Still plenty of power. But the more you add, the slightly less on the watts per channel. The receiver will always run 2 channels at 8 Ohms at 140wpc. 8 Ohms speakers are very easy to drive. 4 Ohms are a challenge. I run a 7-channel power amp and 2 channel power amp for a 5.1.4 set up. Mine are a British company called Iota. They are budget amps, but sound really good. All reviews are really highly awarded. I got them on sale, so bought together i paid £1700. I have 170wpc at 4 Ohms on all 7 channels. The surrounds running at 4 Ohms at 110wpc. Plenty of power. The sound difference when I added the external amps, was a massive upgrade. But I believe that's down to the Denon when using the 4 Ohm setting. You couldn't even use the Eco mode because it dropped the power too low. When I tried the 4 Ohm speakers with the Denon set to 8 Ohms, it sounded better, but the Denon got really hot. I wasn't going to do damage to the Denon. Its sound quality is Excellent. You'll enjoy it Michael. With 8 Ohm speakers, a power amplifier is something you don't have to rush and get.
@@2030soonbehere Thank you very much for the detailed information and advice regarding the amplifier and audio system setup. It's incredibly helpful, and I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience. Do you have any additional tips, advice, or information about this amplifier that might be useful to me? Any further insights into optimizing sound or configuring the system would be greatly welcomed. By the way, I heard something about bi-amping today. Did it have any experiance with such a system, or would you recommend it? My speakers are Tannoy D700. Again, thanks in advance.
@@michaelvanboekholt5755 Hi there, glad to be a help. If your speakers have another two binding post to run the bi-amping, go for it. You have cleaner bass and highs. I'd only use that on the front L&R speakers. You can then set them large for 2 channel music. Should sound amazing. Let me know how it goes? 👍 BTW. There is very helpful step by step set up screen to help you configure your system easily. Have fun!
I am starting to believe that the DAC brand selection has less to do the the ultimate sound quality in these processors/receivers. As long as they are the better chips the brand offers you should be fine (AKM or ESS). It is the pairing with the rest of the components that makes the difference. -Jon
I just picked up one of these....... In your video you showed the remote as being the same as the one on the A1H and having a backlight.........Did the remote yours came with actually have a backlight?...... if so what model number was it? Mine came with an RC-1256 with no side button and if there is a backlight I can't see how to turn it on........
Jon, what is the microphone stand you are using? Any accessories required to use the UMIK-1 and the Odyssey Mic? Thanks again for all your efforts. Looking forward to the rest or your evaluation.
The UMIK-1 ($79 direct from miniDSP), comes a tabletop tripod, microphone clip and USB cable. I kept the box to store between measurement sessions. Instead of the tabletop tripod, I use a boom microphone stand. These are common and the brand/model isn't so important - Amazon starts around $20. I have had mine for over 20 years, so I could recall much about it. The label on it has the Quik Lok brand. The Quik Lok website has something similar today as model A-302 (SKU A-302BK-U). B&H Photo-Video has that model for $49.99. I have a couple of the cheaper $20 stands as well, and I do prefer the Quik Lok over the cheap ones. For calibration, the cheap ones are just fine. Jon
Do the zone outputs (via rca) work separately from the 13.4 channels? If you don’t want to assign the power amps to a zone, can you still use either/both zones rca outputs in addition to the 13.4 channels or do you have to substitute some of the height channels regardless of the amp assignments?
Bummer that there's no multichannel analog inputs. Why are those disappearing on A/V receivers? I see there's a lot of analog inputs. I don't suppose there's a way to route each one to a different speaker, to make your own multichannel analog inputs...? Know what I mean? I was considering the X8500HA, which does have multichannel analog inputs, but they switched DACs in that one now, and it no longer has the "good" DACs. Yes, I want superb DACs *AND* multichannel analog input. I want it all.
I have not seen a model which lets you combine stereo analog input to achieve a multichannel input. Neat idea. I believe reason to drop multichannel inputs is the widespread adoption of HDMI and the limited space on the back of these units to support more inputs (sometimes). HDMI provides a simpler method to carry multichannel information between components- digitally with no signal loss. Those who like multichannel analog input prefer the DACS in upstream devices over those in their receiver or processor. I believe the conflict could be settled by including the superior DACS in the receiver or processor. However, to remove and degrade the DAC is worst case. -Jon
I had the x2700h and I wasn’t happy with the sound stage. Poor connectivity on heos., but I feel that the x6800h will give me better sound stage, I’m on the market looking so I’m convinced this can deliver to my expectations.
Thanks for the overview of the X6800H, the X6700H was actually $2,499 upon release back in 2020 with a couple of price increases along the way so it has seen a $1000 increase which is not insignificant but you do have the 4 Independent Subwoofer Outputs along with Dirac for additional fees ;) The X8500HA, X6700H, X4700H actually have 8 HDMI inputs (Front HDMI Input), sadly omitted on the latest D+M AVR/AVPs :(
Another issue I have, the x6800h is 140 wpc, is that the true reflection? Like is that really deliver to each channel? I have 2 Monoblocks from Marantz that delivers 125 watts each. I feel they might improve the sound stage for my fronts compared to the internal amps from the Denon although Denon says 140 wpc, am I correct?😮
That is a good question. I haven’t seen any chatter on that one. Assuming it will track the Denon X6800H feature set closely. My guess is either May or September this year. -Jon
On paper the X6800 is better - no channels, more power, Dts:x pro / front wide support, better specifications. We will learn from our listening tests if that is true. -Jon
Denon and Marantz have certainly dragged out the releases within this latest generation - Started October of 2022 and we still have not seen the full lineup. -Jon
the fact that they don't tell us what DAC chip is in it. Is not a good sign :') probably the same crappy Ti dac found in lower models. The only thing i thought was kinda cool is that they added a layer of copper to the alu heatsink to improve cooling capabilities.
That seems to be trend. More brands are starting to withhold DAC details. It is either nothing to brag about or they want the flexibility to change if they have supply issues. -Jon
About $1000 more for the 8500AH. Given that you get 2 more channels of amplification and more power for all, that does closed the gap a bit. You just need to be okay with not having Dirac options, 4 independent subs and HDMI 2.1 for all inputs. -Jon
After auditioning several AVR's, one of them being the Denon 6500, I was unable to get the best out of any of my high-end stereo speakers. Fortunately, I came across the HDA units of Arcam. Sound quality wise, a different League!
I'm really disappointed that they do not have the QMS HDMI 2.1 option. It's on their website. I don't know why they bother listing it there if none of their new models have it? And any idea why it was removed ? From Denons site: More watching, less waiting. Say goodbye to blank screens using Quick Media Switching (QMS) Are you tired of the blank screen that occurs when you select a movie? Depending on the equipment you have, this may take up to 15 seconds to re-synchronise the source with the TV just because the frame rate of the content changed. QMS - if implemented in source and sink will smoothly switch between content with different frame rates. Goodbye - blank screen. Beside the enhancements that improve picture and sound quality as well as usability, HDMI 2.1 also includes long awaited features for console gamers.
Very odd. Their website shows QMS is the model specifications as QMS = No. While they talk of the merits of this feature, they are not claiming on the new models, but still list for the old models. Is it simply an error and they really do support? I may need to call Denon support for clarification. -Jon
@Tanquen please correct me if I'm wrong... unless one happens to be a gamer. Presently, there's no benefit of HDMI 2.1, certainly no sound enhancements. Still unable (or haven't released) streaming Lossless audio together with a visual display!. Maybe in the near future. There's a reason why quality sounding AVR's tend to have limited channels with features and functionalities. As far as interference is concerned, it's all the same! The more unnecessies they cram within an AVR chassis, the more the quality of sound is likely to diminish. Hence, arcam states... "we put sound quality first"
This review spends so much time comparing the amp to previous generations or Denons other models. This is really pointless. If someone is watching this review, they're not going to buy an older model or another model in Denons line up, they want to compare it to other brands like the Onkyo RZ70, the Yamaha A8A or the Marantz.
I find it fair to say that having comparisons to competing brands is very useful when selecting a new AV Receiver. We do that is other videos but not in this one. I will make sure we balance more these introductory videos as well. However, I would not discount the value of prior generations for the entire audience here. We have a large audience that has the prior generation and looks to upgrade or has considered the prior generation but passed on those due to missing attributes. That audience is running in to know what has changed and whether or not that change is significant effort for them to consider an upgrade or to finally select. -Jon