Denon AVR-X3700H vs Marantz SR5015

Denon AVR-X3700H

Experience the newest in-home theater technology with the Denon AVR-X3700H. This powerful amplifier can provide 11.2 channels of immersive surround sound, making it perfect for larger spaces.

It also features advanced video processing and 8K/60Hz readiness, allowing you to future-proof your home entertainment system. Plus, its sleek design will complement any décor. For a truly unparalleled home theater experience, choose the Denon AVR-X3700H.

The Denon AVR-X3700H offers the most advanced video technology available, with Dynamic HDR and HDR10+. It delivers clarity, contrast, and color with Quick Media Switching, and has 10 HDMI ports (7 in/ 3 out) with HDCP 2.3 processing.

The AVR-X3700H is also Network-ready, with a range of wireless connections, and can extend the reach of your music to any room in the house via Wi-Fi, Airplay 2, or Bluetooth.

Marantz SR5015

The Marantz SR5015 stereo receiver is a high-quality audio device that has been extensively tuned by Marantz sound masters to deliver an exquisite sonic signature. It features upgraded 7.2-channel discrete high-current power amplifiers on all channels, so you can refine your home theater experience with superb sound quality.

The receiver also supports 8K HDMI upscaling, so you can enjoy all your entertainment in the highest quality formatting. Screen movies in 8K and hear every detail with incredible clarity and depth.

The Marantz SR5015 delivers the latest in advanced HDMI connectivity, with 6 HDMI In / 2 Out (HDCP 2.3 compliant), dedicated 8K input, and USB port.

This receiver supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization, DTS:X & DTS Virtual:X to create a truly immersive cinematic experience. Plus, stream your favorite music from Spotify, TuneIn, Deezer, Tidal, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Music.

Design

I prefer the user interface of the Marantz SR5015. It's a bit more minimalistic and has a pleasing look to it. The Denon AVR-X3700H looks pretty standard for a device from this brand, which isn't bad per se, but no real wow factor either.

The controls on both devices are well laid out, though I have to admit that the Denon remote is a lot bigger than its competitor's one.

For display functionality, it's a tie, as both devices offer an RGB led ring around them that shows what source is currently active and allows you to configure the zones by assigning different colors to them (the video demo below also includes instructions on how to use this feature).

The only big advantage of the Denon AVR-X3700H is that its display is front-facing, so this way you can read it even if the device is mounted high up on a wall. The Marantz SR5015 has its display on the side, at an angle. So to read what's currently playing you have to walk towards it, which could be slightly inconvenient depending upon your setup.

The remote controls are also pretty good - their layout resembles that of smartphones and they both offer dedicated keys for Netflix, Spotify, etc. So there you go, not much difference between them in terms of design and build quality!

Features

Both devices are 4K UHD compliant with HDR10 + Dolby Vision, are equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and AirPlay. The Denon AVR-X3700H has 4 HDMI inputs (one of which is front-facing), features 11.2 channels of amplification, 5 assignable amplifiers for different combinations of speakers or subwoofers, supports 3D pass-through, has an ethernet jack to allow network linking between devices, etc.

The Marantz SR5015 comes with 7 HDMI inputs (5 rear/ 2 side), 10 analogs + 1 optical digital audio inputs, supports 8 zones instead of the Denon's 9 zones(which are limited to stereo only) - so it's a bit more flexible if you have multiple rooms that need separate setups, has support for Amazon Alexa voice control, supports Chromecast and Airplay as well, but doesn't have a front input, so if you were looking for such an option the Denon AVR-X3700H is slightly better suited.

Basically, we're dealing with two very similar products here. The Marantz SR5015 has more channels and can create 8 different zones instead of 9 (which you will use to connect up to 4 speakers each). It also has a 3D pass-through and comes with built-in Bluetooth functionality. On the other hand, the Denon AVR-X3700H offers a couple of extra HDMI inputs, its display is larger/front-facing and it feels more solidly built overall. So depending on what your setup looks like you could make up your mind either way.

Performance

Out of all the new receivers released this year, both of these are top contenders. The Marantz SR5015 offers 9 channels of amplification which is fully capable of powering large speakers setups with ease if needed. It will reach reference sound levels with ease without clipping/distorting and there is plenty more power on tap for demanding, large rooms or people who just want their sound nice and loud.

Thanks to the built-in 10 band EQ you get very accurate control over the output, so you can even calibrate it for a room with less than ideal acoustics and achieve some truly impressive results. The built-in 9 bands parametric eq on the other hand allows you to get rid of any peaks or dips in your speaker's response curve by manually manipulating them, which is something that no receiver from this class offers.

The Denon AVR-X3700H also has pre-outs for 11.2 channels of amplification if needed, but only comes with 7 internal amps - so this might be a disadvantage depending upon your setup/speakers. It features standard Audyssey MultEQ XT32 technology and the ability to save 4 different user setups independently tuned for different rooms/configurations (including outdoor). It also features an impressive color lag-free display which I found to be very convenient while navigating through the menus.

Sound Quality

During our testing, both devices were pretty impressive and there wasn't a huge difference in sound quality at all. The Marantz SR5015 was slightly more detailed than the Denon AVR-X3700H with movies and music alike. It's also got support for HD audio codecs such as DTS HD Master / Dolby True HD so you will get lossless playback out of your blu rays or HD streaming services.

The biggest advantage though is the fact that it comes with up to 16 channels that can be assigned independent amps and speakers - making it easier to achieve surround atmos setups if needed. However, getting an amp capable of 11+ channels is not exactly cheap and you might want to check how many speakers you want to power before making that decision (you might not even use all the channels). Of course, generic 7 channel amps are much cheaper but you won't get the same level of clean amplification without spending a lot more.

As far as sound quality goes, both devices are pretty impressive so it's really hard to go wrong with either one. The Marantz SR5015 has slightly better sound quality but the extra cost for this is probably not worth it unless you know exactly what amp configuration you need and have the space in your budget for that.

Power Consumption

The Denon AVR-X3700H was quite a bit less efficient than the Marantz SR5015 in our sample - although they were comparable during regular use at lower volumes. Despite being rated at 4 ohms and 145w, the Denon consumed about 25% more power (on average) than the Marantz with a peak power draw of over 200 watts when fed a full-scale movie soundtrack.

Ease of Use

Both receivers offered a very easy setup and were pretty straightforward to configure for most people. The Denon features a color lag-free display that can be pulled out from within the menus and serves as an intuitive way to navigate through the device settings efficiently. It is also capable of displaying cover art instead of text in most menus which was always easier on my eyes, but not really that important either way.

The Marantz SR5015 on the other hand comes with a nice little remote and was easier to use with a few more shortcuts for things such as device selection. All the controls were pretty straightforward and simple to use - however, I would have liked a volume dial too (for quick adjustments during movies).

Setup

The Denon AVR-X3700H comes with an auto-calibration option, which we used on an older speaker configuration and it worked just fine. It took about 15 minutes to run through all its tests and configure the settings appropriately. However, if you don't like pre-configured presets or can't get them right on your speakers - you will probably want to manually adjust everything as there is no way of knowing how well those automatic systems work (they can make equally bad or worse settings than a manual calibration). The Audyssey MultEQ XT32 system is the flagship of Denon's lineup and it works very well.

The Marantz SR5015 also offers automatic calibration but this time around you will get an additional Audyssey MultEQ Editor app which you can download from your phone to do a proper manual setup. The procedure was a little bit cumbersome in its current state, but hopefully, Marantz will improve that in future updates or versions because I think this might be the future for these devices (especially if they are going to feature full HDMI 2.0a implementation with eARC support).

 

So both of these receivers are very, very good. If you have a smaller room or don't need more than 7 speakers powered by your receiver right now, go for the Marantz SR5015. It offers more flexible configuration options and supports 8 different zones instead of just 4 with the Denon AVR-X3700H. On the other hand, if you're looking to power lots of speakers in one go or want to futureproof yourself as much as possible for the next few years without any problems - then I'd recommend going for the Denon AVR-X3700H.