Denon AVR-X8500H review
Mar 04, 2020
This Denon AVR-X8500H review is all about the 13.2-channel AV receiver of premium quality, designed to satisfy the requirements of the pickiest audiophiles. It’s really impressive when it comes...
Read MoreThe pros and cons of Denon AVR-X7200WA vs Denon AVR-X8500H
What is the best receiver - Denon AVR-X7200WA vs AVR-X8500H? Not so far ago I decided to compare these products - AVR-X7200WA versus Denon AVR-X8500H - in order to figure out the best device. At the first glance, Denon AVR-X7200WA is smaller and cheaper, but Denon AVR-X8500H is more powerful, reliable and professional. If you don’t know what you should choose - Denon AVR-X8500H vs AVR-X7200WA, read this review!
Features & Performance
The fact is that Denon AVR-X8500H has all possible features. I’m not kidding. This receiver has a smartphone remote control, deep color, ASR technology, etc. However, the most “important” feature is its price, which is higher than other products in this market. Not cheap, but for a Dolby Atmos / DTS:X setup, worth considering. Nevertheless, the developers didn’t manage to solve the overheating problem. The receiver becomes hot if you play long tracks with heavy bass. As for AVR-X7200WA, it has the smartphone app and three-zone capability as well. This application works great and it’s well-optimized. In addition, the sound quality of these receivers is impressive. Everything works without problems and interruptions.
Connections & Setup
They are compatible with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Unfortunately, they’re not compatible with Alexa, while there are a lot of cheaper receivers, which have already implemented this feature. There were no problems to connect Samsung S8 and iPad to Denon’s products. There are also a lot of HDMI inputs. However, I was really disappointed because Denon AVR-X7200WA has a serious problem with its network connection. It was disconnected after 10 minutes of streaming Pandora. After that, I tried to reconnect and it sent a loud popping noise from all the speakers.
It’s not really difficult to set up the receiver. However, they didn’t add printed manuals, which can solve a lot of problems.
Design
I don’t like the design of these receivers at all. They are like old VHS, which we had to use many years ago. On the other hand, I have to admit that the quality of materials is great and the construction is solid. However, it’s a bit difficult to use the remote controller because its design isn’t intuitive.
Denon AVR-X7200WA Pros & Cons
Pros:
- I like its sound equalization settings (equalizer, treble, and bass). The sound is really great!
Cons:
- The UI is horrible. I can’t find the setting I'm looking for.
Denon AVR-X8500H Pros & Cons
Pros:
- The scaler works well. It scales my poor Comcast signal up to 4K.
Cons:
- The weight is more than 50 pounds! It could be difficult to find the appropriate place for it.
