Denon AVR-X3700H

[AVRHT]

Currently building HT setup. Looking at new AVR to be released in September here. Since it is new hence no reviews available. Any of the experts here willing to share feedback on specs compared to 3600 and 3600 review.

 

 

Planning a 5.1.4 system using bose speakers for 4.2x4.2 mt room

 

.

[Huntsman]

Here is a review from audioholics. 

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.audioholics.com/av-receiver-reviews/denon-x-series&ved=2ahUKEwjeoNSktI_rAhUMbn0KHWzBBzoQFjAAegQIAhAB&usg=AOvVaw0ZiIvEfkmbkdL1LCHSVd9H

[betty boop]

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/denon-avr-x3700h-avr-review.15031/

 

also review above has some comment how measures up vs 3600 they also tested,

 

5 hours ago, AVRHT said:

specs compared to 3600

 

if you mean as a side by side comparison site below is a good one

 

https://www.zkelectronics.com/compare/denon-avr-x3600h/usa/denon-avr-x3700h(avc-x3700h)/usa/

 

if dont particularly need stuff on the 3700 could get older 3600 and possibly at same price even a 4300h on run out or something ? now would be time I suspect or if not when new one released  

 

https://www.zkelectronics.com/compare/denon-avr-x4300h/usa/denon-avr-x3600h/usa/

 

wont get much more from actual owners till folks have in their hands and can give their thoughts etc

[Wembley]

It looks like you lose the front HDMI input, the AM/FM tuner and possibly some analog - HMDI conversion (not sure on that last one) in 3600H, but gain 1 channel in and 1 out of HDMI 2.1 video processing and passthrough.  All sound processing and power appear identical.  

 

I'm looking to upgrade and they are near enough to identical for most purposes.  I'll probably look for the 3700H in a few months as I expect it'll go on sale while it looks like the 3600H hasn't had the usual end of life price drop (or the sales are all passed).  Until stock arrives for the 3700H both are looking hard to get hold of.

[blairy]

Over on AVS Forum, jdsmoothie provides a comprehensive list of chnages from last denon avr to the new model.  He does this seemingly on an annual basis.

 

Link to post where he describes this https://www.avsforum.com/threads/official-2020-denon-avr-owners-thread-faq-posts-1-8.3151088/.  The post relates to all the AVR models not just the 3700.

 

Obviously the bits you're interested in are:

 

Quote

What's new or to be added via firmware update for the 2020 models?

- Features added to the 2019 models continue (and now also added to the X4700H/X6700H as the 2018 X4500H/X6500H were not replaced in 2019)
----- HDCP 2.3 all HDMI inputs/outputs
----- Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization (factory default is ON, so with a 7.1 or less setup, this feature is enabled; works with DD/DTS/PCM w/no Audyssey limitation)
----- Main Zone HDMI/TV Audio distribution (multi channel) down mixed to 2CH for Zone 2/HEOS speakers - press the [Zone 2 Source] button on the front panel and select "Source" instead of the actual source name (formerly only on 2019 X3600H)
----- USB input supports both FAT32 and NTFS
----- ALL ZONE STEREO setting added to Quick Select buttons
----- Bluetooth transmission to single set of headphones/hearing aids (with "Bluetooth only" or "Bluetooth + speakers" settings) - volume adjustment via headphone/hear aids only
----- HDMI Custom Input Assign (able to assign a single HDMI input jack to multiple source names to enable saving separate audio input assignments for each, ie. HDMI, digital, analog))
----- HDMI Input Auto Rename (AVR will automatically change the input name if recognized, eg. if using PS4, the name would change to PS4)
----- Airplay disable (ON/OFF) - so AVR is not seen as an Airplay device (eg. if kids in the house that might accidently select it as a source)
----- Roon tested (via Airplay or USB)
----- Able to "overlay" the volume bar, INFO and OPTION menus on all 4k (and now 8k as well for 2020 models) video with Setup menu displayed on black background - note that must be enabled for the "overlay" to occur; however, the can be disabled.
 

• A single HDMI 2.1/HDCP 2.3/8k/40Gbps input (8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz pass-through) with all remaining HDMI inputs 4k/HDMI 2.0b/HDCP 2.3 - [Note that the 40Gbps number is more likely to be the number the industry adopts at large vs the 48Gbps initial target. The 2020 LG OLED X series just released with 40Gbps ports.]
• Both main zone HDMI monitor outputs are also 8k/HDCP 2.3 while the Zone 2 monitor output (X3700H/X4700H/X6700H) remains 4k/HDMI 2.0b/HDCP 2.3
• AUX 2 button on remote relabeled to 8k
• AUX 1 button on remote relabeled to AUX
• Pre-amp mode (formerly only featured on the flagship models) - physically disconnects all on board amps when only external amps are being used (X3700H and higher)
• Speaker Preset (1/2) - Store two sets of speaker settings (including separate Audyssey EQ for each ie. no longer need to use USB or MultEQ Editor app for this); also added to Quick Select buttons
• Gaming enhancements - all HDMI inputs are able to pass Variable Refresh Rate (VRR); Quick Frame Transport (QFT); Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM - previously added on some older models via firmware update)
• Video/Movie enhancements - all HDMI inputs are able to pass Dynamic HDR, HDR10+ and Quick Media Switching (QMS)
• Height 3/Front Wide speaker support (X6700H only)
• Auro 3D Center Height (CH) with Auro 3D 13.1 support (X6700H only)
• Able to use DTS Neural:X on all audio
• HDCP Setup - sets the HDCP version (Auto/1.4/2.3) for an HDMI input source
• ECO Mode defaults to "Auto"
• Volume Limit - variable from 60-80 / -20dB to 0dB (vs. fixed 60/70/80 - -20dB/-10dB/0dB on older models)
• Bass Sync can be enabled in DIRECT/PURE DIRECT modes with a multi channel audio source (X4700H/X6700H)
• Video - Information menu displays whether ALLM / QMS / QFT enabled on input signal
• All models use the same AK4458VN DAC.
• Dolby Surround Upmixer (DSU) - able to up mix to a single Surround Back speaker (ie. 6.1 setup) and Front Wide speakers (X6700H only) when the "Speaker Virtualizer" is OFF

• Added via future firmware update:
• Screen saver - moving DENON icon (after no video input or same menu displayed for more than 5 minutes - Default = OFF); also moving MUTE icon (December 2020)
• DTS:X Pro - support for up to 7.2.6 (with ability to select either Top Middle or Top Surround+Center Height) or 9.2.4 (ie. Front Wide) - X6700H only (December 2020)

 

 

 

And the bits they've taken away:

 

Quote

What features weren't carried forward from the 2018 (X4500H/X6500H) and 2019 (S950H/X2600H/X3600H) models?

• Front HDMI input removed (S960H/X2700H/X3700H only)
• Denon Link HD jack removed (X4700H/X6700H) - used with a Denon Link HD compatible Denon Blu Ray player
• Analog ---> HDMI conversion no longer supported (X3700H)

----------------------

 

Edited August 11, 2020 by blairy

[Walksm8]

I'm tossing up whether to bite the bullet and get the X3600H or wait for the X3700H? Aside from hdmi 2.1 features is there any benefit to have a hdmi out port on the front? I've read people with numerous issues.

 

The other benefit I can see is HDR10+ for future proofing.

 

Pricing hasn't dropped with the new model coming in obviously with next to no stock and covid hasn't helped.

[betty boop]

4 minutes ago, Walksm8 said:

Aside from hdmi 2.1 features is there any benefit to have a hdmi out port on the front? I've read people with numerous issues.

I wouldn't be worried on any ports out front. who uses those ? and if do if hot swapping its no1 candidate of blowing ports on gear and port on the unit. what is it you want with the 2.1 features ? 8k is surely not a requirement ? its really irrelevant to the home. are you specifically looking high frame rates ? again necessary ? 50/60hz seems enough. any more likely not going to yield more detail ? if anything might be a bit of a blur !  fuzzing detail. earc ? really necessary ? there are ways to get around this....auto latency really needed ? can just select gaming mode if needed yourself ? 

 

7 minutes ago, Walksm8 said:

The other benefit I can see is HDR10+ for future proofing.

dead duck... going no where ... not sure why will start going anywhere in future ? 

 

7 minutes ago, Walksm8 said:

Pricing hasn't dropped with the new model coming in obviously with next to no stock and covid hasn't helped.

only low price possibility will be pre orders.... after that will have to let supply demand sort things out... the initial buzz around new models tend to subside... but yeah both demand of something new and supply issues likely keep prices higher. 

 

definitely also suggest looking older 4500 over a 3600/3700 for a step up in AVR...

 

https://www.zkelectronics.com/compare/denon-avr-x3600h/usa/denon-avr-x4500h/usa/

 

or even look back as 4300  

 

https://www.zkelectronics.com/compare/denon-avr-x3700h(avc-x3700h)/uk/denon-avr-x4300h/usa/

[don]

I noticed this thread is a bit old but hoping there are some active AVC-X3700h users on here. I understand the AVR-X3700h is the US version with the built in tuner, otherwise I believe they are identical. As people would have noticed the AVC-X3700h can be picked up for quite a bit cheaper these days as it is the older model and I was able to pick up an open box sale with an addtional $100 off voucher so very happy. 

 

Anyway, I just set up my Denon AVC-X3700h with my Sony UBP-X800, Apple TV, and Epson TW8200 and Hisense 4K TV, and everything is playing nicely together with no compatability issues. It will even run both my 1080p projector and 4k TV at the same time, albeit both in 1080p due to the projector limitations. However, really impressed that it was all plug and play unlike the older tech where I would have issues with incompatabilities. The HDMI handshaking does seem to have improved and I really like being able to run Spotify as well with the HEOS ap. The remote seems a bit dinky, unlike my old prioneer one, but still seems to do the job.

 

Things have changed a lot though as the AVC-X3700h is quite a bit smaller and lighter than my old Pioneer SC-LX73, but I think similar power specs. I'm yet to calibrate the receiver with the speakers but so far the sound is pretty good. I'll also make use of the extra subwoofer o/p although not sure if that makes a big difference.  

 

I now also have an extra 2 channels so just wondering if people think its worth going from 7.2 to 9.2 and installing ceiling speakers and/or two extra surround speakers? I can't run atmos on my front speakers due to cabling issues. 

 

My main issue at the moment is I'm not getting any sound out of the TV so any tips on getting that to work would be appreciated as I want to run it seperately to the projector and sound system but with the same inputs. 

 

 

[hopefullguy]

hmm i dont use an avr with a tv so no idea on that side of things but...

 

"I now also have an extra 2 channels so just wondering if people think its worth going from 7.2 to 9.2 and installing ceiling speakers and/or two extra surround speakers? I can't run atmos on my front speakers due to cabling issues."

 

not actually sure what you are saying. the 3700 can not do 9.2. "7" yes 2 front 1 centre 2 side surrounds and 2 rear surrounds. "9" is 2 front wides included.

 

if you mean 5 bed speakers + 2 atmos, thats 5.1.2 so 1 sub and 2 atmos. so guess you have 5.1.2 and thinking of adding another 2 atmos speakers for a 7.1.4

 

you dont want speakers sitting on your front speakers, those silly atmos modules supposedly bouncing sound off the ceiling to where you sit.. thats down to luck nothing else.

 

can you explain better your needs.. oh 2 subs work best or use the 2nd sub out for bass shakers thru an external sub amp or old avr.

Edited October 26, 2022 by hopefullguy

[don]

Oh I could well have the 7.2, 9.2 thing wrong. What I have is this set up:

Two Front Speakers

Centre Speaker

Surround R & L

Surround Back R & L

2 subwoofers

 

The AVC-3700h as some extra speaker terminals which I'm assuming are for Dolby Atmos?
Height 1 R & L

Height 2 R & L

Just wondering if it is worth doing anything with these and adding just the H1 speakers and/or H2 and where to put them? I assume lots of people on here have these extra speakers somewhere?

[hopefullguy]

hi mate, yes you have a traditional 7.2 set up. the 3700 will do a 7.2.2 ( 2 atmos speakers in ceiling or height) or a 5.2.4 (4 atmos in ceiling or height speakers)

 

the consensus is usually 5.2.4 over 7.2.2 but as with all HT there are variables. such as seating, 1 row or 2 rows, do you have enough space behind you to actually do 2 rear surround speakers, what do you think about inceiling vs book shelf style mounted up high. variables will always dictate things, the main one "is there another person involved in your decision making" haha

 

if you want to have a go at so called 3D sound placement is very important.. a bed layer of 5 or 7 speakers with a height layer of 2 or 4 speakers. there MUST be separation between the 2 layers. bed layer at basically seated ear level or slightly above and height at, well height near ceiling.

 

when you have some time i suggest lloking at this youtube guy, plenty of ideas but specifically no 44, 47, 48,  and the last "recommended angles"

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwxr5jJUgORcMS9FmIaH1jQ/videos

 

 

[DonGreen]

Hi Don

 

Check out the following guides, just scroll down and select the configuration, and all details, angles etc. are shown there. https://www.dolby.com/about/support/guide/speaker-setup-guides/

 

Cheers from another Don

[hopefullguy]

good link Don, op also needs to look here. more advanced with more details as some of the guides are vague and wrong, well not exactly right haha

 

https://www.dolby.com/siteassets/technologies/dolby-atmos/atmos-installation-guidelines-121318_r3.1.pdf/?pdf=Installation-Guidelines

[don]

Thanks guys, some useful info there. I think my wife would appreciate me going from a 7.2 to 5.2 by removing a pair of the floor/wall speakers although not sure if she would be too keen on me cutting holes in the ceiling but then it would remove a pair of floor speakers potentially, if I went say 5.2.2 or even 5.2.4. 

 

I guess if the ceiling speakers were white you wouldn't really notice them but are the acoustics very good without the speaker box? Any suggestions for reasonable ceiling speakers?

 

Would be good to hear from people who have gone from 7.2 to 5.2.2 or 5.2.4 on how much improvement in the sound there was?

[Quark]

26 minutes ago, don said:

I guess if the ceiling speakers were white you wouldn't really notice them but are the acoustics very good without the speaker box? Any suggestions for reasonable ceiling speakers?

 

 

 

Get speakers with a built in back box like Krix IC-50. Not only will it reduce sound leakage to other rooms, you'll avoid speaker rattles from dust/dead bugs getting on the drivers.

[don]

Now that I've had a few weekend movie nights with the AVC-3700h thought I'd post my impressions.

 

Room is approximately 3.6m x 6.1m x 2.8m high with 7.2 speaker set up. No acoustic treatment but largely carpeted and usual soft furnishings. Front speakers are Tannoy Precision 6.4, Acoustic Research S40i-C Centre Speaker, Jamo Classic 2 Signature Side Speakers, Kef Q800ds rear speakers and two 12" subs - Jamo SUB660 and DALI IKON SUB. 

 

I've been thinking how I can install ceiling speakers or extra high wall speakers for .2 or .4 but I think I am not going to be able to run cables as the current cabling was done during renovation, at least without cutting into walls, so I've put that idea on the shelf for the time being. 

 

Now my hearing probably isn't as good as it was but my initial impressions is this unit sounds very good. Compared with my old Pioneer SC-LX-73 the AVC-X3700H is surprisingly light weight compact but seems plenty powerful enough for our room and speaker size. I have the volume set to around 60 with no hint of distortion and more volume to go if needed. 

 

I ran Audyssey initially and it was remarkably simpler than the Pioneer MCACC. Audyssey went through a single tone for each speaker and 6 microphone placements and that was that. Whereas MCACC, at least from back in the day had at least a few differnt tones from memory but a single microphone placement. It seemed a lot more sophisticated. I'd like to try one of the new eqivalent Pioneers and see how things have changed. 

 

Nevertheless Audyssey seems to have done a good job. I've played a variety of 5.1, 7.1 content from bluray and netflix as well as some Dobly Atmos content from Disney Plus. Audyssey seems to create more surround sound than MCACC did and there is a nice sense of depth and movement. Although I have had one Dolby DTS content where the centre speaker/voice track was not well balanced or clear. I also played an old remastered Star Wars from Disney Plus and it was not the best, but I haven't tried my Blu Ray version which might be better. Otherwise most of the modern content with Dobly Atmos and DTS HD sounds good and well balanced within the room. 

 

I have had to play around with the centre channel level a little for some movies which is made very easy with the Denon remote. I also think the the subwoofer volume could be increased a little. As mentioned the clarity of the centre channel hasn't always been the best but I did the set the speaker size to large, so perhaps setting it to small and recalibrating might help. The 80W Acoustic Research S40i-C Centre Speaker is also a relativley budget speaker with dual 6.5" mid/woofers and 22mm tweeter so perhaps there is also something in that. Although I have never noticed an issue with my old Pioneer amp but have always been tempted to try a higher quality centre speaker. 

 

P.S. I still haven't been able to pass audio through the receiver to our TV for some reason or another and emailing support was useless.  

Edited November 10, 2022 by don
TV

[hopefullguy]

hi Don good to hear you are moving along nicely.

 

as for the speakers, that's a mix isn't it. very difficult to find much about the centre other than standard stats but with audyssey it seems the usual thing is to add +3db to the centre and similar to the subs. of course this comes down to personal taste. when using xt32 i set the subs at 82db, in the red, as audyssey seems to set them a little low imo.

 

tv, no idea as i use projectors.

 

make sure when you do audyssey the avr is not in any sort of "modes" such as eco, or Audyssey Dynamic EQ / Dynamic Volume. running the avr in eco mode is not great either, as it reduces output to speakers.

 

try running audyssey just 3 positions, might like it better.

 

as for height speakers i prefer them hanging off the ceiling vs in ceiling or on walls. but not everyone likes the way height hanging from a ceiling look so it comes down to taste.

 

Disney "nannify" their sound, i would not judge any sound track by a Disney made movie., even on bluray disk. they make family friendly sound not cinema sound.

 

the centre speaker may or may not be any good but first thing is how is it set up, placement in a cabinet? or at seated ear level? what db level etc etc. maybe post your final audyssey levels for the speakers.

 

 

 

 

[don]

Many thanks for the tips on above. I agree, quite a mix of speakers. The Tannoy Precision 6.4's were a bit of an impulse buy when I saw them on Grays and ended up being $2300 shipped. They are nicely finished and satisfy the wife's asthetic standards for main front speakers. Sound is reasonable, however, at a RRP of around $6000 back in the day I'm not sure if they are as good as some other similarly priced highly rated speakers. The centre was also a grays purchase, as was the Jamo SUB660, these work pretty good but I notice the pot on the Jamo is getting a little scratchy which made calibration a bit difficult. Kef Q800ds (also a grays purchase) are surprisingly substantial at around 7.4kg each. The Jamos as side speakers were a bargain from gumtree and still sound really good. My wife would prefer speakers hanging from the wall or ceiling but maybe that's something for the future. 

 

In the mean time I recalibrated the Audyssey a couple of times. One strange issue I found was one of the subwoofers seemed to be causing an error with the front right speaker (in terms of phase, distance and level)  when using a Y-cable and the two inputs into the sub. I pulled out a single cable and plugged into the single LFE i/p which seemed to resolve the problems. I will get some new cables for the sub as my prior amp only had one sub o/p, hence the y cables and my prior ignorance with respect to the LFE i/p.

 

Thanks for the tip on the eco mode, I think maybe it is running in that mode so I will switch that off.

 

So I recently recalibrated using less positions as you recommended and these are my current results below, which as mentioned in my other post did sound quite good at high volume when playing Intersteller 4k UltraHD from my old UBP-X800, much better than from the usual 1080p blu ray for some reason. Although the sounds was good I did notice the receiver said it was encoding "PCM Multi-channel in" so not sure if the X800 is able to decode Dolby Atmos. 

 

All looks reasonable, although not sure why Audyssey makes all speakers small and Front R seems a little low, but at least the distance is now accurate which was the problem before. 

 

Speaker Config:

 

Front                            Small

Center                         Small

Subwoofer                 2 spkrs

Surround                   Small

Surr. Back                  Small

 

Distances:

 

Front L                        4.65m

Front R                        4.50m

Center                         4.20m

Subwoofer 1               4.59m

Subwoofer 2              1 .44m

Surround L                1 .74m

Surround R                1 .29m

Surr. Back L                1 .53m

Surr. Back R                1 .44m

 

Levels:

 

Front L                        - 0.5 dB

Front R                        - 2.5 dB

Center                         - 5.0 dB

Subwoofer 1               - 6.0 dB

Subwoofer 2              - 6.5 dB

Surround L                 - 0.0 dB

Surround R                - 3.0 dB

Surr. Back L                - 0.5 dB

Surr. Back R                - 1.5 dB

 

Crossovers

 

Front                            60Hz

Center                         110Hz

Surround                   40Hz

Surr. Back                  150Hz

 

 

 

[hopefullguy]

can i suggest trying a blanket manual crossover setting on the avr at 80-100hz. the "usual" thx setting that came along many years ago and adopted by many many is a blanket 80hz with all speakers set to small. i did do the individual cross overs a few times but in the end always went back to a blanket setting, for me 90hz.

 

please remember to write down settings before tweaking them. i keep a book from the different avrs/rooms/speaker comboinations

 

eco mode can be used IF all channels are being run by external amps, other wise no point what soever to use it.

 

funny that xt32 set the centre speaker far "lower" than the fronts, never seen that before. my fronts are usually around -9.5 and centre is manually set to -6.5 but all rooms are different. my xt32 always sets side surrounds to soft for me and i always add 3db to them the same as my centre.

 

as for the difference in db level between L&R there can be many variables, distance to walls, other furniture close by, your mic position, room acoustics. if it sounds good then thats all that matters. i would suggest the $30 app, as many denon users get, even if just to fix the mid range dip/cut xt32 eq off at 500hz. i have never used it as i just sold my x4500, regretfully, as my rebuild ht room is still 18 months away.

 

now as for Interstellar.. i am a bit surprised sound wise as the sound is the same track on bluray and 4k disks, he always does that. i vividly remember playing that film on bluray in my main Ht room. old denon 4311, pb2000 up front+ velodyne ch-150 near field. so more run of the mill subs, 7 normal speakers just first gen klipsch ref series (no atmos/3D sound, upmixing etc just the original source soundtrack) running the denon at about -20db gain.

 

well when Matt Damon "left" that airlock people fell out of their chairs, one had a heart attack (me) and a few expletives were uttered. you dont need to spend a ton to get a ton of satisfaction.  keep tweaking as that is part of the fun.

Edited December 27, 2022 by hopefullguy

[don]

Thanks for the tips. The blanket 80Hz crossover does make more sense as surely all the speakers can handle down to 80Hz. Or at least can't hurt. I'll give it a try anyway. 

 

I must admit with the centre speaker set so low, the surround sound was very loud, but cinema like and did compliment the Hans Zimmer sounds track on Interstellar very nicely. I don't mind it but my wife did comment the surround effects were loud and she could feel the room shaking a little. As you say there were quite a few "out of chair moments"! I could probably try tweaking that up a little so to not deafen everyone!

 

That $30 ap sounds interesting. What is that called?