Upgrade/Sidegrade Recommendations from Denon AVR-X4200W (1 Viewer)

[dpippel]

Airplay2 is still being rolled out with a lot of stuff. With your budget and wants, is there a reason you aren’t considering Marantz?

Too much like a Denon with chrome wheels and different paint I guess John. If I break from Denon, it will be a clean parting of ways.

 

[dpippel]

^ Agree, the e.g. 6/7012 are fine pieces of gear and appear to be on clearance "up North" so I assume in the U.S. too. A little more expensive than their Denon "sister models".

Re Airplay2: I know you (Doug) don't expect Apple-level integration from D&M. More like functionality with a bit of arm-twisting, I'd imagine.

I just expect it to work reliably Craig. I know that can be unrealistic with Denon at times though.

 

[JohnRice]

Too much like a Denon with chrome wheels and different paint I guess John. If I break from Denon, it will be a clean parting of ways.

I have several Marantz pieces, and I've bought Denon for the folks. There's a big difference between the two, in every aspect of them. Marantz focuses their line so much better, with fewer miniscule variations and more sincere design effort put into each one. Basically, there are typically three Marantz receivers, currently four, since they added an ultra high-end (80xx series) one. How many models does Denon have? 12?

Just sayin'...

 

[dpippel]

Still, and correct me if I'm wrong, basically the same code behind both products. Build quality and price may vary, but they come from the same bunch of designers.

 

[JohnRice]

Well, you've already decided the way things are, so I won't bother...

 

[Robert Crawford]

I agree with John that you couldn't go wrong with the Marantz too. However, if you're mind's made up for the Denon 4400, you can't beat that price break at $900.00 because the Marantz models are not discounted that much. At least, not the 7012 models. I see the Denon 6400 is selling for $1500.

 

[dpippel]

Well everyone, I made a decision over a couple of Americanos this morning and ended up pulling the trigger on the RX-A2080 at Crutchfield. Probably a dumb move from a purely financial standpoint, but in the end my desire to go in a different direction than I have in the past won out over fiscal responsibility. One of the great things about buying from Crutchfield is their fantastic 60 day return policy, so if the Yamaha doesn't work out for one reason or another I can always reconsider the the X4400H.

I really appreciate the feedback and comments from everyone! Thanks so much for helping me out.

 

[CraigF]

I wanted the Marantz 7012. It is the "sister model" to the Denon X4400. In Canada, the 7012 cost **3X** what the X4400 did when I bought it in April. And I waited a long time for the price of the 7012 to budge, since it came out, and it never did (always full list up here), until just now. But the 6012 ("sister model" to the X3400) did have some price flexibility, and it's like the 8012 was some kind of "halo" model and they didn't want or expect to sell that many (never saw one).

Some say D&M lose money on lots of their models, but they're there to capture/maintain a market segment. Very important. AVRs are a tough business.

Since I wanted the AVR for an "experiment", it's probably just as well I went with the cheaper Denon model after all. It's solid, that's why I said it's hard to get your head around what you get for the price. I honestly do not see any deterioration in D&M build quality during the last 5 years at least. You want to go back 10 years, then yes, a definite decline in observable things. Don't know about reliability of current gear; my oldest Denon AVR is 10 years old and still works, and I have much older Marantz stuff that still works, but Marantz has been many different companies over the years.

Edit: Doug posted while I was writing this. I'll leave it anyway... Which reminds me, JIC anyone here knows: what's up with Yamaha audio gear in Canada? Very hard to find these days, especially the better models.
[and corrected some model numbers...]

 

[Robert Crawford]

Well everyone, I made a decision over a couple of Americanos this morning and ended up pulling the trigger on the RX-A2080 at Crutchfield. Probably a dumb move from a purely financial standpoint, but in the end my desire to go in a different direction than I have in the past won out over fiscal responsibility. One of the great things about buying from Crutchfield is their fantastic 60 day return policy, so if the Yamaha doesn't work out for one reason or another I can always reconsider the the X4400H.

I really appreciate the feedback and comments from everyone! Thanks so much for helping me out.

Good luck with your new receiver.

 

[dpippel]

Thanks Craig and Robert!

 

[JediFonger]

long time denon user meself. currently on 4308, upgrade path will likely be 4400/4500-ish.

hopefully 4500 will accept hdmi 2.1 features when it is finalized without replacing the physical chip vs. using fw upgrade.

the biggest thing about both 4400/4500 will be the full 7.1.4 pre-amp output for external amps for me >)

 

[Girish Rana]

Folks, I'm tired of the HDMI input switcheroo thing so am looking to move on from my Denon AVR-X4200W to a comparable or slightly better AVR that supports 4K Dolby Vision (and possibly HDR10+) passthrough. My budget is $1500. Airplay 2 is a must, and I'd *love* an AVR that allows me to connect my Bluetooth headphones and listen to ANY source. Due to room limitations, I've only got a 5.1 setup, so big config ATMOS support isn't a must.

What would you do?

Look into http://www.overtureav.com . Here, you can trade-in your Denon AVR-X4200W to whatever AVR you eventually decide upon.

 

[dpippel]

Look into http://www.overtureav.com . Here, you can trade-in your Denon AVR-X4200W to whatever AVR you eventually decide upon.

Thanks for the tip, but no Denon or Yamaha. They're a little high-end for my requirements.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Well Doug, you did it. You got me to thinking about upgrading my Yamaha 3060 to the Marantz 8012. Thanks a lot.

 

[dpippel]

Any time Robert! Happy to help. Let me know if you end up pulling the trigger.

To update my situation, I've had a Yamaha RX-A2080 in my rack for almost a week now and so far I'm loving it. It's a much more polished receiver than my old Denon, to be sure. However, being the kind of person who loves to compare, I've also got a Marantz SR7012 arriving today. Found a GREAT deal on a factory refurbished unit, so I'll spend Saturday stacking it up against the AVENTAGE. The loser goes back.

 

[dpippel]

Well, my final decision has been made. The SR7012 went back and I'm keeping the Yamaha. In my room the Yamaha just sounds better to me, and the updated user interface (over previous years) is superior to the interface on the Marantz. The Yamaha also has higher quality construction and a better display. I just could not imagine living with "The Porthole", which I found to be pretty much useless even from only 8 feet away.

So, I'm very happy with the RX-A2080! It's a powerful receiver that's a pleasure to use that has all the bells and whistles I need (and some that I don't) and room to grow if I decide to expand my HT speaker setup at some point. I'm hoping it serves me well for 3-5 years. Thanks once again for your input everyone!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Well, I decided not to upgrade my Yamaha 3060. Common sense took over as I didn't need to upgrade my receiver at this time.

 

[dpippel]

There's always next year Robert.

 

[Clinton McClure]

Now I’m sort of getting the itch to upgrade from my 19-year old Yamaha RX-V995. It still works perfectly but I would love to get rid of the two hdmi switches in my living room and stop messing about with toslink. I guess it’s time I start researching what’s out there.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Now I’m sort of getting the itch to upgrade from my 19-year old Yamaha RX-V995. It still works perfectly but I would love to get rid of the two hdmi switches in my living room and stop messing about with toslink. I guess it’s time I start researching what’s out there.

Damn!