Denon AVR-X2700H vs Denon AVR-X3700H

Denon AVR-X2700H

The Denon AVR-X2700H is specially designed for expanded family rooms and 3D-savvy homes. Stream your favorite movies, shows, and games with your friends all in stunning 4K/120Hz thanks to its high-powered amplifier with Dolby Atmos height Virtualization and DTS Digital:X capabilities.

The best thing about this product is that it meets the latest technology available now so you can always expect to have an amazing home theater experience without any lag or frame tearing.

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With dynamic HDR to deliver clear contrast and color, a Denon AVR-X2700H is the smartest way to enjoy stunning detail. With 7 channels at 140 watts per channel, this affordable Denon model also has Quick Media Switching for video without delay.

Connect with any HD or Ultra HD TV, subwoofer, Blu-ray player, and turntable for incredible stereo sound. And extend your music through wireless connections like Wi-Fi Airplay 2 or Bluetooth with speakers like the HEOS Home series.

Denon AVR-X3700H

Bring the immersive world of cinema-quality audio and video into your home with Denon's AVR-X3700H receiver. With support for Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization and DTS Virtual:X, this receiver creates an all-encompassing 3D soundscape for a truly lifelike movie experience. Plus, advanced video processing ensures crisp, clear pictures no matter what you're watching.

Ready for 8K resolution and 4K/120Hz passthrough, the AVR-X3700H is ready to take your home theater setup to the next level. For gamers, the AVR-X3700H features 4K gaming with reduced lag and frame tearing for an unbeatable gaming experience.

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With the Denon AVR-X3700H, you can experience the most advanced video technology available. This 9.2-channel receiver delivers stunning clarity, contrast, and color, and features Quick Media Switching to eliminate video delay.

Plus, with 10 HDMI ports (7 In/ 3 Out), HDCP 2.3 processing, and Digital In support, you can easily connect all your HD and Ultra HD devices. And for incredible stereo sound, it features USB connectivity, a Phono input, and Network support with a range of wireless connections. With the Denon AVR-X3700H, you can enjoy your music in any room of your house without any wires!

Design

I like the new minimalistic look that Denon has been using in their AV receivers lineup. Both models are very sleek and will fit into any decor. With the AVR-X2700H, you get a front panel with aluminum overlay while for X3700H you get to see more of the amp section itself because it is all black (including the logo).

The only thing on the front panel is the "HDMI" indicator light (for both models) which I personally don't find very useful since when the receiver is off, there's nothing indicating how many HDMI devices are connected. As I've stated in previous reviews, for me these lights are just little distractions that take away from an otherwise aesthetically pleasing design.

The only other thing on the front panel is a small blue LED power indicator. The front panel of X3700H has more going on with LEDs indicating surround sound processing status. I guess it's a nice feature but personally, due to how often I switch between sources and listening modes, I never found the info to be useful.

Connectivity

Both models have an identical set of connectivity options. Both AVRs have 7 HDMI inputs with 2 of them being on the front panel and the rest behind the receiver which makes wiring a lot easier especially when rack mounting is required. I'm not a big fan of rear-facing ports, but Denon has done a pretty good job in positioning the majority of them so they will not be in the way (or reach) while using front and top panels. They also provide plenty of analog and digital audio connectivity options: SPDIF, 2 optical, and 2 coaxial for 7.2 channels plus additional stereo RCA inputs.

The most interesting thing that both models offer is HDA connection via their Network port (or "F-Port") which is compatible with some newer Denon Blu-ray players. This is not something I would use personally since the only thing it offers over HDMI connection is lossless audio (like DSD) but requires also both devices to be HDCP 2.2 compatible which unfortunately none of my current players support so for now this feature doesn't really do anything for me.

Power

On paper, Denon X2700H and X3700H have very similar power ratings – 120/140W per channel respectively – but in reality, there's a big difference between them. Both models are rated as "8ohms stable" which means that they can output their full power into any impedance without clipping or distortion.

Typically, most receivers will start clipping with lower impedances at higher volume settings. This is not the case with X3700H which can deliver full power output even into 2ohms (and I would assume 4ohms as well). According to Denon, the average THD at 8ohms for both models should be <0.08% and >0.04% at 2-4ohms respectively so no changes are needed there assuming you use 4ohm speakers.

At low impedances, clipping will occur earlier but considering the maximum volume level of these models will be enough for medium-sized rooms without problem, this is one aspect where you won't notice any difference between AVR-X2700H and X3700H anyway.

Remote and UI

Both models come with Denon's new "UI" (user interface) which was introduced with last year's AVR-S900W. It is a major departure from the previous UI that required you to navigate through multiple menus to get where you wanted, but this one comes with a much cleaner home screen that allows using your receiver in a more intuitive way. Also, each input has their own highlighted button at the top so quickly switching between inputs have become even easier than before.

The remote also got an overhaul and for me, it is significantly better than the old one due to its soft rubber finish and good-looking led backlighting which illuminates only when needed instead of being always on like my previous Denon remote. I also like how they kept the headphone jack on the front of it and made it a little easier to use compared to previous models.

With all these changes, this new UI is still not perfect but overall I think that's certainly an improvement over their old one and I hope that other manufacturers will follow suit.

Performance

All that new connectivity and power would be useless if AVRs can't deliver good sound quality, but thankfully with both models, Denon managed to provide some of the best sounding AVRs they've made. They also added plenty of features like Dolby Atmos (X3700H only) DTS:X support, Audyssey MultEQ XT32, HDMI 2.0a / 4k passthrough on all inputs, HDCP 2.2 for dedicated 4K/60Hz video streaming devices plus built-in Bluetooth and WiFi so you won't need to use any additional adapters or accessories to enjoy most hi-res audio files. If you have a collection of high-definition video files then these receivers are equally capable with most formats up to 4k 60fps.

What really sets these models apart from each other is their power ratings and speaker configurations supported. The AVR-X2700H is rated for 7.2 channels out while X3700H can deliver up to 11.2 channels which you should be able to get even with just two speakers connected assuming they are large enough since Denon's THD specs are usually better than stated values in real-life applications. Either way, both models have enough power reserves so I believe that either one would work well with any configuration but if you want the option of adding more speakers later without changing your receiver, then I think it's safe to say that AVR-X3700H will serve you better in the long run.

Being an "8 series" receiver, AVR-X3700H also supports Denon's new HEOS wireless multiroom system which allows you to stream music wirelessly from any WiFi-enabled device around your home using their app. While it is not as advanced as Sonos or other popular multiroom systems, but it works fairly well and I'm sure that there are still some people who would appreciate this feature.

As you can tell by now, both models are very similar with only a few differences between them like power output specs, speaker configuration support, and remote design (excluding bulkiness). If those things don't really matter for you then spending $300 less on Denon AVR-X2700H would be a no-brainer. But if you find yourself needing more power or channel configuration capabilities, then Denon AVR-X3700H is the better option to go with