AVR-X3800H

Amazon has had some really good prices on the Amazon days so I bought a new receiver. Now I recently bought a AVR-S960H in 2022 which was excellent but I was needing another receiver.I originally reviewed the S960H comparing against an Onkyo back in 2022. I mistakenly stated the Onkyo was a TX-NR6100, which it was a TX-NR6050. Very similar with the NR6100 having THX and 10 more watts of power.This year I bought the Onkyo TX-NR6100 hoping it was better than the TX-NR6050 which it was in sound quality only, equaling the Denon AVR-S960H and Denon AVR-X2800H.However the Onkyo TX-NR6100 just doesn't compare with missing features, weird on-line manuals that have numerous inaccuracies, and weird, none standard Dolby decoding that is mentioned in the manuals. The biggest problem that I was hoping was corrected with a firmware update for the 2 years that passed with the TX-NR6050 was the incorrect speakers, playing the wrong dolby discrete channels.As I stated this is even mentioned in the manual as Onkyo thinks this is alright. I have a 7.1 speaker setup and listen to discrete 5.1 Dolby soundtracks of Concert Music Videos. I want to listen to the soundtrack discrete with no up mixing with a 5.1 speaker 'output'. The Onkyo's surround channel signals will only play out of the 'back' surround speakers leaving the surround speakers quiet. This is by design and acknowledged in the manual! This made the sound inferior and unacceptable to me. My Denon receivers play the surround channels correctly through the surround speakers.Then the above goes one step further in displaying the incorrect number of channels output in the on-screen display on your tv. It will say a 5.1 signal input to 7.1 speakers output. This is wrong and should say 5.1 signal input to 5.1 speakers output. Since the "back" speakers are playing, it somehow thinks that the output is 7.1 speakers when only 5.1 speakers are playing, even if it is the wrong speakers.Also the Onkyo has no HDR10+ for it's 3 inputs that aren't 8K compatible. Not good IMO.So with the quirks in the Onkyo TX-NR6100, I sent it back. I replaced it with a Denon AVR-X2800H.I could had replaced the Onkyo with a Denon AVR-S970H but I wanted the added room correction upgrade with the X2800 which is Audyssey MultiEQ XT, S970 has standard MultiEQ, no XT. Plus the X2800 in a 5.1 speaker setup will allow Speakers B to be assigned to the back surround speaker outputs or BIAMP if you have the need with your speakers. The S970 will not do that.The X2800 also has Zone 2 preamp outputs that the S970 does not. Also the X2800 has one year longer warranty than the S970. The X2800 also has 5 more watts/channel than the S970.At the time I bought during Amazon days, the X2800 was less than $200 more than the S970, so I bought the X2800.The X2800 steers the correct surround channels to the correct surround speakers unlike the Onkyo and sounds just as good if not better. I have more features and a long warranty with the Denon AVR-X2800H as well over the Onkyo. Also the Denon has HDMI 2.1 inputs for all 6 inputs and will play HDR10+ on all 6 HDMI inputs, that the Onkyo can not!I honestly have nothing to complain about the Denon. It does everything right and sounds great! It's also compatible with 8K60p(A) "UNCOMPRESSED" and 4K120p unlike some.I didn't look at the Yamaha RX-V6A/RX-A2A twins as they were not compatible with 8K60p(A) "UNCOMPRESSED" , just 8K60p(B) "COMPRESSED". They were the same price as the Denon AVR-S970H and AVR-X2800H models. That being Yamaha RX-V6A price about same as Denon AVR-S970H, and Yamaha RX-A2A about same as Denon AVR-X2800H.The Yamaha model compatible with 8K60p (A) "UNCOMPRESSED" is the more expensive RX-A4A but I seen no comparable pricing around what the Denon AVR-X2880H was selling at. Very similar to the Denon but more power with pre-amp outputs. I didn't need either for the hundreds more it was selling at.The Denon AVR-X2800H is the best bang for your buck 7.1 receiver right now IMO.

This replaced my 14 year old Marantz SR7005. I had PSB 5.1 surround speaker system. The Denon is driving the same speakers. Absolutely fantastic sounding receiver. Handling music and movies with ease. Set up is very easy and Audyssey calibration is a breeze. Connected to my smart TV via eARC. Overall, and excellent product.

I bought this for my 2.1 system used for TV (4K with 120 Hz), movies, video games (4K with 120 Hz), turntable, and digital audio. I have previously used Denon, Marantz, and NAD AVRs. I was using an old NAD without HDMI, and I really wanted everything to synch up.I tried out a stereo receiver since I am only running a 2.1, but I didn't mesh for me. It was fine, but I felt it was lacking especially around multi-channel audio and the lack of an LFE output for the sub.The 2800H was very intuitive and easy to set up right out of the box. Hooked up to a TV, it runs through everything step-by-step. After the initial setup, I downloaded and ran a firmware update. When I finally got to use my ears, the sound was already superior to what I had from the mid-2000s 60-watt-per-channel NAD AVR with an external Bluetooth/DAC and PCM cable from the TV AND the brand-new, 2023 model HDMI-equipped stereo receiver (that cost me more than the 2800H). After running Audyssey, the sound only got better. Then, I set up my 2 front speakers on a bi-amp setting, utilizing two of my unused channels to drive my woofer and tweeter with discrete power sources.The eARC and settings makes turning on my TV, PS5, and AVR easier and quicker. I enjoy the fact that I can use any remote to fix the volume so there is always a remote close when we need a quick mute or change in the volume.I find the HEOS app to be a little clunky, but I am loving it anyway. I can run high-definition audio through streaming, which is a huge improvement from using Apple Airplay 2 or Bluetooth. It also lets me talk on the phone, send and receive messages, etc. without interrupting the music.Right now, I am still tweaking my settings, but I can definitely say that the sound is really good. Have I heard better? Sure. This isn't an 11-channel receiver with Dirac, a 200 watt-per-channel, high-end "audiophile"-grade component, or a tube amp. It is best at multi-channel audio and does really well for music, especially with a good set of speakers and quality sub with parametric EQ.My speakers have are low sensitivity (84dB), and the 2800H puts out enough grunt to listen give nuance and life to music in listening position, to bump the music to listen in my kitchen two rooms over, or watch at theater-level volume in my medium-sized living room with 8-foot ceilings. This thing is getting daily use, and it is more than enough to get the job done in style. For what I need, the 2800H is spot on.

There are lots of reviews out there discussing all the capability built into this receiver, so I won't repeat all that. I'll just say that I really like this thing. We just finished building our new, dedicated home theater, and I needed a decent 7.2.2 receiver to power 11 Klipsch speakers and route video to our Epson LS12000 projector. I've had a Denon receiver for years up in our family room, and it has been flawless. This Denon fit the bill and is less glitchy and more affordable than many other receivers out there, so we purchased one here on Amazon and haven't looked back. The theater has only been running for about two months, but the Denon is performing great, as expected. Set up was easy for our 7.2.2 speaker arrangement, the sound is crisp with more decibels than we'll ever need, and video switching has been flawless. The Android app for playing music on demand via phone command when tinkering elsewhere in the house is a handy feature.I'll update this review if anything changes, but at this point we could not be happier with this receiver. Highly recommended.