The Denon AVC-X4700H is one of the first AV receivers to adopt the HDMI 2.1 standard with support for 8K UHD at 60 Hz and 4K UHD at 120 Hz images, as well as VRR, QFT, QMS and ALLM for gaming. This Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatible receiver features 9 amplification channels and a dual subwoofer output to power a 5.2.4 or 7.2.2 channel home theater speaker pack. Sold for 1,499€, is this new generation AV receiver the ultimate solution to fully enjoy the latest films and next gen video games?
Denon AVC-X4700H : the brand
Denon entered the high fidelity market in 1910 by manufacturing small batches of gramophones. Right from the start, the Japanese brand focused on technological innovation to provide very high-quality sound. In 1939, Denon revealed its first disc recorder for professionals, before releasing its first consumer disc recorder in the early 1950s. Recordings made with Denon devices were recognized as superior, both technically and artistically, with the Japanese brand winning numerous awards around the world.
During the 1970s, Denon launched its first hi-fi electronics: turntables, cassette decks, stereo amplifiers, radio tuners, loudspeakers. Denon also entered the digital age with its first 8-track digital recorder in 1972. As the decades went on, the manufacturer continued to innovate, most notably by manufacturing state of the art CD players, which later evolved to become CD/SA-CD players, along with high performance hi-fi amplifiers. Denon has also been a frontrunner in the home theater domain for many years, with very capable DVD players and A/V receivers that made a strong impression. This is the case of the Denon DVD 2800 II and Denon DVD-3930 DVD players, as well as the colossal high performance Denon AVC A1SE A/V receiver.
Today, Denon’s catalog features many products with noteworthy qualities, such as connected amplifiers, DAC amplifiers, stereo hi-fi amplifiers, A/V receivers, soundbars, phono cartridges, compact hi-fi systems, multi-room speakers, CD players, network receivers and turntables. The Japanese brand is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. Denon managed to go through these different eras by continuously innovating in order to design ever more innovative electronics. They continue to do so to this day with the first 8K Ready AV amplifiers Denon AVC-X6700H, Denon AVC-X3700H and Denon AVR-X2700H DAB, as well as the Denon AVC-X4700H that we are reviewing today.
Denon AVC-X4700H: packaging & accessories
The Denon AVC-X4700H 8K AV receiver comes in a cardboard box, in which it is wedged between polystyrene sheets and wrapped in synthetic fabric. It comes with a remote control with batteries, a power cable, a microphone for acoustic calibration and a quick start guide.
Denon AVC-X4700H: presentation
HDMI 2.1, 8K and 4K UHD
When we first started using the Denon AVC-X4700H we immediately noticed the affiliation with its predecessor, the Denon AVR-X4500H. The dimensions of the chassis are extremely similar and the commands hidden behind the tilting front panel are identical. The only distinguishing features are the connectors on the back panel. In addition to those found on the AVR-X4500H, it features an HDMI 2.1 input and output with HDCP 2.3 copy protection support and the AM/FM tuner has been removed.
The Denon AVC-X4700 is a state of the art AV receiver, enabling you to enjoy movies with outstanding picture quality thanks to its HDMI 2.1 input compatible with 8K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz video streams. it also supports new HDR formats including HDR10+ and Dynamic HDR, as well as a new HDMI feature called Quick Media Switching (QMS), which allows a source to instantly change resolution or frame rate to eliminate screen blackout.
The HDMI 2.1 port also brings many benefits to gamers playing on the latest Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 consoles, with crisp motion clarity thanks to its compatibility with Ultra High Definition 4K video streams at 120 frames per second and Variable Frame Rate (VRR) to maximize accuracy. Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Quick Frame Transport (QFT) are also included so that the TV can adjust the display rate in real time to reduce lag.
The remaining 7 HDMI inputs on the Denon AVC-X4700 receiver are UHD 4K / 60 Hz compatible and support the same HDR standards as the 8K input for extended dynamic range video content. However, the Denon AVC-X4700 is capable of upscaling HD and 4K sources to UHD 8K, allowing you to enjoy the performance of a UHD 8K TV or projector.
Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Auro 3D
The Denon AVC-X4700H AV receiver with HDMI 2.1 compatibility supports virtually all 3D audio formats, including Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced and Auro 3D. With its nine channels of amplification and dual subwoofer outputs, it can deliver these different formats via a 5.2.4 or 7.2.2 channel speaker package. Its 125 watts of power per channel in hi-fi stereo mode is more than enough to maintain a very high volume throughout an entire movie, even in a large room.
The Denon AVC-X4700H also features multiple DSP modes to ensure immersive playback, even with old movies mixed in stereo or 5.1 channel. These include Dolby Atmos Height Virtualizer, DTS Virtual:X and DTS Neural:X. It can simulate spatialized multi-channel surround sound and play it through all the speakers in the system, including the Atmos speakers, from a single DVD, digital TV program, or Blu-ray disc only mixed in Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1.
Audio streaming
The Denon AVC-X4700H benefits from the Japanese brand’s expertise in designing hi-fi components to faithfully reproduce music in stereo. It is Hi-Res Audio certified, supports PCM, FLAC, WAV and AIFF digital files up to 24-bit / 192 kHz, as well as DSD files up to DSD 5.6 MHz with 32-bit oversampling. Another plus is that the reading of FLAC, WAV, ALAC and DSD files is gapless compatible. This means that playback can be continuous and uninterrupted between each track. Dual WiFi and Ethernet network connectivity and support for HEOS technology also allows it to access many online music services such as Deezer, Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, etc. It is also possible to play shared music over the local network using the DLNA protocol.
Multi-room Heos and AirPlay 2
The Denon AVC-X4700H is compatible with Denon Heos and Apple AirPlay 2, allowing it to be integrated into a multi-room system. You can listen to online music services or sources connected to the receiver on other Heos or AirPlay 2 compatible receivers or speakers. You can listen to the same song in all zones or a different song in each zone. Playback is easily controlled from a smartphone or tablet using the free Heos or Apple Home application.
Remote control and app
The Denon AVC-X4700H AV receiver comes with a large remote control that features all the essential functions for controlling the various zones covered by the receiver and its settings. The top third of the remote control includes the receiver’s power on/standby button as well as the source selection key. The middle section consists mainly of the menu navigation keys and the play/pause, next track, previous track, and repeat/random play buttons. The lower third includes the audio setup buttons and a number pad that can be used to control the associated TV.
In addition to its remote control, the Denon AV receiver can also be controlled from a smartphone or tablet. It has two applications for this purpose: Denon Remote and Heos. The first app provides the main functions of the remote control, including source selection, volume control, video output control and access to certain settings. The Heos application is dedicated solely to streaming, providing access to compatible online music services, music shared over the local network via DLNA or web radios.
Key specs
Amplification
- Number of power blocks: 9
- Output power :
- 125 watts per channel (8 ohms, 20Hz to 20kHz, THD 0.05%, 2 channels)
- 165 watts per channel (6 ohms, 1kHz, THD 0.7%, 2 channels)
- 200 watts per channel (6 ohms, 1kHz, THD 1%, 1 channel)
- Speaker Impedance: 4-16 Ω/ohms
Pre-amp section
- Input Sensitivity/Impedance: 200mV/47kohms
- Frequency response: 10Hz to 100kHz, +1/-3 dB (Direct Mode)
- S/N ratio: 102dB (IHF-A balanced, Direct Mode)
Multi-channel sound
- DTS HD Master Audio / DTS:X
- DTS Neural:X
- DTS Virtual:X
- Dolby TrueHD / Dolby Atmos
- Dolby Surround
- Dolby Height Virtualization
- Auro 3D
- IMAX Enhanced
- Multi-channel stereo
- Maximum number of channels (preamp) in processor: 11.2
Enhancements
- Independent amplifiers: 9
- D.D.S.C. HD Digital (32-bits)
- Pure Direct
- High quality sorted components
- Jitter reducer
- Alpha Processing: AL32 Multichannel Processing
- Audyssey MultEQ XT32
- Audyssey Dynamic EQ / Dynamic Volume
- Audyssey CFL
- Audyssey APP support
Network
- HEOS Multi-room and Streaming
- Compressed formats: MP3 / WMA / AAC
- Uncompressed formats: FLAC / ALAC / WAV
- DSD Audio Streaming (DSD 5.6)
- FLAC HD 192/24
- WAV 192/24
- ALAC 192/24
- Continuous (Gapless) playback: FLAC, WAV, ALAC, DSD
- AirPlay 2
- Roon Tested
- Internet Radio: TuneIn
- Spotify Connect / Tidal / Deezer / Amazon Prime Music / Pandora
- Compatible REMOTE application for Android / iOS smartphone
- Bluetooth
HDMI
- HDMI inputs rear / front chassis: 7 / 1
- 4:4:4 Pure Color, HDR10, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), Dynamic HDR and
- BT.2020 pass-through on all HDMI ports (HDCP2.3)
- HDCP2.3 support
- HDMI max Resolution (8K / 4K): 8K/60 – 4K/120
- Analog to HDMI Conversion
- HDMI to HDMI scaler up to 8K 60/50 resolution
- HDMI: 8K / 4K / CEC / eARC
- Dolby Vision / HDR 10+ / Dynamic HDR / HLG compatible
- ALLM / QMS / QFT / VRR compatible
- Standby pass-through mode
Multi-room
- HEOS Multi-room integrated
- TV Sound grouping
- Multiple zones (3 zones)
- Multi-channel audio main zone – Zone 2/3 stereo downmix
- Zone 2/3 Audio Source: HDMI/opt, coax, network, USB analog
- Zone 2/3 output: speakers or pre-amplification
- HDMI zone output from HDMI source
- Control: via IP / RS232 / Web interface / iOS-Android application
Comfort features
- Alexa Voice Control, Google Assistant and Siri
- Speaker to Microphone Calibration: Audyssey MultEQ XT32
- FSI Certification
- Adjustable cut-off frequencies
- Optimized and redirected bass
Connectors
- Composite inputs/outputs: 3 / 2
- Component input/output: 2 / 1
- HDMI Inputs/Outputs: 7+1 / 3
- Multi-room video outputs : HDMI/video
- Analog inputs: 6
- PHONO MM input: 1
- Optical/coaxial digital inputs: 2 / 2
- Analog multi-room outputs: 2 (zone 2, zone 3)
- Multi-channel preamplified outputs: 11.2
- Subwoofer outputs: 2 (independent)
- Banana plug-compatible speaker screw terminals
- Maximum number of speakers supported: 11
- Assignable Height1/Height2 speakers
- Bi-amplification possible
- Assignable multi-room speaker terminals
- Front HDMI/USB inputs
- USB/iPod/iPhone-friendly socket
Remote control
- Model RC-1240, pre-programmed
Dimensions/Weight
- Dimensions with antennas in horizontal position (W x D x H): 434 x 389 x 167mm
- Dimensions with vertical antennas (W x D x H): 434 x 389 x 236mm
- Weight: 13.7kg
Denon AVC-X4700H: testing conditions
Setup
To test the Denon AVC-X4700H amp, we associated it with the Focal Chorus 726 HCM home theater speaker pack, consisting of the pair of Focal Chorus 726 floorstanding speakers, the Focal Chorus CC700 center speaker and the pair of Focal Chorus 706 compact speakers for surround effects. We also used the REL ACoustics T9i subwoofer. We connected the receiver and the speakers using NorStone W250 Classic wire, while the subwoofer was connected using a NorStone Jura RCA SUB cable. The source was a Panasonic 4K UHD Blu-ray UHD player, connected to the HDMI-1 input on the receiver. The Denon AVC-X4700H’s HDMI Main/eARC output was connected to an LG OLED TV using an Audioquest HDMI cable. When connected in this way, we were also able to retrieve the soundtrack of Netflix programs viewed from the TV.
Acoustic calibration
When starting up the Denon AVC-X4700H AV receiver for the very first time, you will be prompted to select the prefered language and then declare the speaker configuration. We declared a 5.1 speaker system. The amp can play a signal through each speaker and subwoofer to confirm that everything is properly connected.
After indicating the configuration used, the Denon AVC-X4700H suggests using Audyssey MultEQ XT32 for acoustic calibration. This requires connecting the supplied microphone to the receiver and placing it first at the listening position and at ear level. The microphone will have to be moved several times during the calibration process. The sounds, their volume and their reverberation in the room are then measured and analyzed so that the amplifier processor can perform an acoustic correction of the signal sent according to the properties of each speaker and/or the listening room.
Once the calibration process is completed, all that remains to be done is to enter the WiFi password, rename the video inputs if necessary and log in or create a Denon Heos account to enjoy audio streaming and web radios.
Denon AVC-X4700H: listening impressions
We started testing the Denon AVC-X4700H with Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar in DTS HD Master Audio 7.1. Hanz Zimmer’s iconic soundtrack was perfectly reproduced and brought life and energy to the movie. In the introductory scene, the sounds of the aircraft were very believable and gave the impression that the latter was moving around the room. As Cooper chased it across the field, the sound of the corn cobs crashing on the windshield was very realistic, giving the impression of sitting in the vehicle next to him. The sound placement was very precise and every small detail was correctly positioned in space. The depth of the different sound layers was perfectly controlled. The Denon AVC-X4700H manages to place the listener in a real sound bubble in which effects flow from all sides.
The Denon AVC-X4700H AV receiver confirmed its undeniable dynamic character the more movies we watched. With the film Avatar in DTS HD Master Audio, the confrontation between the humans and indigenous peoples was incredibly intense. The different sounds of the animals and machine guns flowed from all sides. The roar of the bulldozers landing on Pandora was very realistic and resounded in our chests. The footsteps of the machine commanded by Colonel Miles Quaritch sounded powerful and conveyed the weight of this equipment wonderfully.
The Denon AVC-X4700H proved to be just as comfortable delivering the biggest explosions with power and authority as it is smoothly and subtly recreating intimate scenes and the mood of the movie. The dialogue was always very well centered and natural. In the movie Jungle with Daniel Radcliffe, the Denon AVC-X4700H extracted countless details to transport us into the heart of the rainforest. We could really feel the anguish that the character suffered alone at night in the jungle.
Denon AVC-X4700H: compared to…
Marantz SR-7015: Marketed at €1,699, this AV receiver by Marantz offers a very similar solution with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X compatibility on 9.2 amplified channels, IMAX Enhanced certification, and an HDMI 2.1 input compatible with 4K UHD at 120 fps and 8K UHD HDR at 60 fps. It also features HEOS technology with access to a wide range of online music services, web radios, and music shared over the local network. Soundwise, these two receivers offer a very similar performance. However, the receiver by Marantz is a little less dynamic, but has a slightly warmer sound signature when listening to music.
Denon AVC-X4700H: conclusion
With the Denon AVC-X4700H, the Japanese manufacturer delivers an AV receiver that’s ready for the latest gaming consoles without sacrificing the cinematic and musical qualities that made previous models so successful. It’s always dynamic and responsive when it comes to bringing action scenes to life far beyond the limits of the screen. The spatialization is mastered to perfection with a meticulous placement of the various effects in space. It is explosive when needed, but also knows how to be soft and subtle when the soundtrack requires it. A real tour de force made to immerse the spectator in the universe of the film on screen.
What we liked:
- The 4K UHD 120 Hz and 8K UHD 60 Hz compatibility
- The dynamic range
- The breadth of the sound stage
- The accurately placed effects
- The user-friendly design
We would have liked:
- More HDMI 2.1 inputs
