In October of 2022, the home cinema market welcomed two new AVRs from the highly esteemed manufacturer, Denon. These two new AVRs—the Denon AVR-X2800H and AVC-X3800H—build on their predecessors with a range of improvements to user experience, sound quality, and connectivity.
The AVR-X2800H, which will be the focus of this blog, has been designed to supplant the previous AVR-X2700H model. So, if you’ve been considering an upgrade to your AVR-X2700H or are simply curious to try out the AVR-X2800H, here’s what you should know…
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What is the Denon AVR-X2800H?
Before diving into the specs, some of you might be wondering what exactly the Denon AVR-X2800H is and what it does. Well, as the name implies this is an AVR or audio/video receiver with X2800H as its model number.
The function of an AVR, for those who are less familiar, is to receive and process signals from various input sources and deliver them to connected output devices. Often AVRs will amplify and enhance the audio and video signals before sending them out to compatible devices like speakers, turntables, TVs, or projectors. They’re an excellent tool for the centre of home cinemas and gaming set-ups.
More specifically, the Denon AVR-X2800H is a 7.2-channel AVR, meaning it can channel signals to seven speakers and two further subwoofers. This is in addition to the plethora of connectivity options found on the front and back of the AVR-X2800H. We’ll discuss such connectivity in greater detail a little further down the line.
Setting up the Denon AVR-X2800H
Unboxing
Even from within its box, the AVR-X2800H leaves a great first impression. FSC-certified packaging is just one of the extra touches put in by Denon to declare their attention to detail and to the environment.
Once inside the box, we find that, alongside the glorious AVR-X2800H itself, Denon has supplied a remote control, antennas, cables, and several useful guides for getting started. Provided you already have any speakers, devices, and their respective cables to hand, you’ll be ready to start right away.
Set-Up Menu
Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of the Denon AVR-X2800H’s improvements, starting with its new set-up features.
First and foremost, Denon have finally upgraded to a 1080p display! For what felt like forever, their AVR menus featured a display resolution of 720p; kind of bizarre given the AVR itself was capable of 8K video. With this eagerly awaited upgrade, Denon fans will be glad to know the brand have caught up to their competitors once again.
The set-up menu itself has been improved with details like the background watermark, new graphics, and sharper images and text all-round. Moreover, you can access the user manual digitally from the AVR itself via a QR code or web address. This makes it a little bit easier to refer back to the instructions when paper guides are lost or discarded.
Web User Interface
To the delight of many Denon AVR fans, the user setup experience has been made more accessible and convenient. Now, rather than getting a hold of your IP address or turning on your TV, you can access the graphical user interface (GUI) on personal devices like phones or tablets.
This is accessible with Denon’s AVR Remote app which features a new ‘web control’ button. Navigate to the icon with three stacked dashes and select ‘web control’ from the drop-down options. From here, open the web user interface in the app.
Connectivity
Speakers
As we touched on earlier, the AVR-X2800H is a 7.2-channel receiver. With 95 Watts of power (8 ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz, 0.08%, two channels driven) it will capably fill a medium-sized room with immersive and dynamic sound. This is ideal for home cinema enthusiasts looking for powerful Dolby Atmos experiences from the comfort of their own sofa.
Audio
Audio connectivity includes Denon’s own HEOS built-in. If you haven’t encountered HEOS, in a nutshell, it enables wireless multiroom streaming. With it, you can easily control all audio across the house from one convenient app on your phone or tablet. Transmitting sound from one place to another has never been easier.
Other audio features include Bluetooth 4.0 with high resolution up to 24 bits at 96 kHz and ARC and eARC compatibility with bandwidth support up to 40 Gbps. Return compressed audio signals to their full glory with the compressed audio restorer feature.
Read More | ARC vs eARC
Video and Gaming
In addition to speakers and subwoofers, the AVR-X2800H will support six HDMI input and two HDMI output connections. Of the six HDMI inputs, three support 2.1 and offer 8K at 60 Hz or 4K at 120 Hz.
The good news for gamers is that 4K at 120 Hz means faster response and refresh rates for a competitive edge over competitors. This is in addition to VRR, ALLM, QMS and QFT which boost the gaming experience even further.
Read More | HDMI Cables: Explained
Other
Aside from speaker channels and HDMI, the input and output terminals on the front and rear of the AVR-X2800H consist of a USB port (ideal for iPod and iPhone audio), four analogue inputs, a phono (mm) input (great for turntable amplification), and much more.
Sound
With the AVR-X2800H, expect more of Denon’s warm and weighty sound with clear, balanced bass from that second subwoofer.
Since the previous model already boasted such impressive sonic features, these have been largely carried forward into the AVR-X2800H. Nevertheless, here are some of the stand-out ways the new AVR-X2800H will boost your sound…
Surround Sound
To optimise your home cinema with surround sound, the AVR-X2800H supports premium Dolby technology including Atmos, Surround, TrueHD, Atmos Height Virtualisation, and Atmos Music.
Other top-tier multichannel technologies from DTS are ready to use too. DTS:X, Virtual:X, HD Master, and Neural:X will all help you create the ultimate cinematic experience.
Height virtualisation tools (DTS Virtual:X and Dolby Atmos Height Virtualisation) are ideal for those without dedicated height channel speakers in their configuration. Easily mimic the effect of in-ceiling speakers and immerse yourself in full 3D entertainment.
Audyssey
For room correction, the AVR-X2800H includes Audyssey MultEQ XT calibration technology. With Audyssey, your sound can be calibrated to suit the specific sizes and arrangement of speakers in your room.
Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume calibrate sound to the unique conditions of your room and temper harsh volume contrast respectively. Further customisation can be done from the Audyssey MultEQ Editor app if purchased separately.
If you’re after more advanced room measurement and correction software, consider upgrading to the more advanced AVC-X3800H model. By Spring of 2023, a firmware update will be available to upgrade this model to Dirac Live and premium Audyssey software packages.
Shop Now | Denon AVC-X3800H
Summary
Is it worth making the upgrade from the X2700H to X2800H? Well, that’s entirely up to you but if you’re after more HDMI 2.1, better set-up accessibility, and an overall more comprehensive sound quality, we’d say, absolutely!
Ultimately, the Denon AVR-X2800H upholds its predecessor’s reputation as the go-to AV Receiver on the market today. With Denon being one of the most awarded manufacturers out there this should really come as no surprise.
Purchasing the AVR-X2800H also comes with the perk of a five-year warranty—substantially more assurance than some other AVR brands. This is a testament to Denon’s industry-leading AVR portfolio and one of the many reasons we’d highly recommend the AVR-X2800H.
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regarding the Denon AVR-X2800H review, be advised that using a longer HDMI cable and connecting to HDMI 1, even an active fiber cable at roughly 10 meters length, can result in both video dropouts to the connected TV AND audio dropouts to the speakers. Denon troubleshooters finally admitted their receiver has problems with longer cables as did their service group (United Radio) after I sent my system in for repair. They don’t advertise this weakness of the system but it can be critical for those who have a multimedia AV system placed feet away from the TV screen.