- Denon presents the new X2900H and X3900H AV receivers
- Both have new audio architecture for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X sound
- X2900H has 7.2 channels; X3900H is 9.4 channels
Denon has introduced two new AV receivers, including an update to one of the most popular and affordable models, and it’s a pretty solid update based on my first impressions from a demo session.
The new models are the Denon AVR-X2900H and AVR-X3900H, and they are similar in many ways, with the X3900H promising more “scalability” and “flexibility” than its little brother.
They replace the X2800H and
Both receivers support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, and include support for Dirac Live and Audyssey for sound correction. Both have six HDMI inputs and multiple HDMI outputs, with support for 4K pass-through at 120Hz with Dolby Vision HDR (and 8K video at 60Hz). New this year is 1440p support and AMD FreeSync passthrough, which is nice for PC gamers.
They also have Denon’s HEOS wireless platform for music streaming built in, with support for major streaming platforms for high-resolution playback, as well as Bluetooth connectivity.
The differences lie in how elaborately all of this is implemented. The X2900H supports 7.2 channels of sound at up to 95 W (at 8 ohms) per channel, while the
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The more expensive X300H includes support for Auro 3D and IMAX Enhanced, as well as the two standard spatial formats, and offers more Dirac tools as optional extras. The X2900H offers two HDMI outputs (one of which is eARC), while the X3900H has three HDMI outputs (again one eARC).
The X3900H’s extra channels obviously require a larger load of speaker connections on the back, but the X3900H also includes more RCA inputs, including an MM phono input, and more preamp outputs.
Both models launch today, May 14. The Denon AVR-X2900H costs $1,349 / £899 (around AU$1,680), while the Denon AVR-X3900H costs $1,849 / £1,299 (around AU$2,430).
You already have a rundown of what they can do, but what do they sound like? Fortunately, I was able to listen to them before their release.
What are the Denon X2900H and X3900H like in action?
Denon’s listening room in its Kawasaki office, used by its current Sound Master, Shinichi Yamauchi, to refine and provide feedback on the performance of its products, provided the setting for an all-too-brief demonstration of the new AVR models.
They were connected to the room’s set of Bowers & Wilkins 801 speakers, which are probably a little louder (at $55k/£34k a pair) than most people would plug into these amps, but at least I could be sure that the speakers wouldn’t impose any kind of limitation on what I was hearing.
First, Denon gave me a demo comparing the existing AVR X2800H with the new X2900H that replaces it, showing a scene of Dune on the ornithopter (a word I can now spell consistently for the first time, thanks to how frequently scenes showing it appear in home theater demos).
This was a 5.2.2 channel demo in Dolby Atmos, maximizing the 7.2 channel capability of the X2900H with the five surround channels plus the two height channels and then two subwoofers.
The key theme here is that small changes add up to a clear improvement. The clarity of the dialogue is a little stronger, standing out a little more from the flapping of the ornithopter’s wings while still feeling natural.
The spatial effect of the surround channels is also a little stronger, feeling like there’s a touch more dynamic range and width to envelop you in your surroundings.
Bass transients and bass punch also feel (say it with me) a bit stronger. There’s an extra step of liveliness and control in the bass impacts that makes them feel more tactile.
However, adding multiple elements that are a little stronger creates a whole that feels bigger, meatier, and more complete. The upgrade from the X2800H to the X2900H isn’t a game-changer, but it’s an important one.
After that, we got a comparison of the new advanced X3900H with the X2900H. The demonstration was Hans Zimmer and his friends: Diamond in the desertwhich is a concert film with music (but it sounds like an animated film where Hans and his team solve a Scooby Doo-as a mystery).
The X2900H played with the same speaker setup as above, but when we switched to the
Curiously, however, in the section of the Beginning mix that Denon showed us, I couldn’t hear as much difference between these two AVRs as I could between the X2800H and the X2900H, even though two additional speakers were being added in this case.
Part of it may have had to do with the song’s arrangement not taking advantage of the extra channels as much, but overall I’d say I didn’t feel much of a difference in the expression and clarity of the instruments.
Obviously, it’s entirely possible that a further review with more scenes will reveal more nuance, so I’ll have to reserve full judgment on the X3900H, but obviously, at the very least, even if its performance turns out to be very similar to the
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