Denon AVR-X3700H vs Yamaha RX-A2A

Denon AVR-X3700H

The Denon AVR-X3700H home theater system is the pinnacle of AV receivers and will elevate your entertainment and gaming experience to new heights. With Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization, DTS:X decoding, and 8K readiness, this powerful yet affordable receiver has everything you need to improve the way you watch TV with 4K HDR10+, 3D audio soundtracks, immersive soundstage for music or games.

The 2nd generation of Audyssey MultEQ XT32 takes speaker calibration to another level with dynamite results - more than just measuing frequency response curves! Now recognizing individual speakers at high-speed for even finer correction. Clever amplifier technology allows it easy setup of a customized 7.2 surround array with different power output.

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The Denon AVR-X3700H 9.2 Channel Receiver delivers clarity, contrast, and color; delivering an immersive listening experience with Quick Media Switching to eliminate video delay. This receiver perfectly complements every HD/Ultra HD TV, Subwoofer, Blu-ray Player, and Turntable for incredible Stereo sound.

Connect any room in your house to enjoy your favorite music by utilizing Wi-Fi, Airplay 2, or Bluetooth to power HEOS Wireless Speakers like the Denon Home series without any additional setup needed!

Yamaha RX-A2A

The Yamaha RX-A2A lets you experience the latest in home theater technology. This receiver features HDMI with HDCP 2.3 and eARC, allowing you to enjoy 4K content at 60 fps, 8K content at 60 fps, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound. It also has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, and Spotify Connect built-in so you can easily stream music from your devices.

MusicCast multi-room audio is also supported, letting you create a whole-home audio system. And if you want to add some extra speakers for surround sound, the RX-A2A is compatible with MusicCast 20 and MusicCast 50 wireless surround speakers.

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The Yamaha RX-A2A is a Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos with Height Virtualization and DTS:X receiver processor designed to be the perfect balance between power, energy efficiency, resolution, and performance. With Alexa Voice Control built-in at your fingertips, this lovely beast will bring you the warm sounds of Fur Elise instantly.

You won't have to think twice about what songs are on-demand or how many times Beyoncé has played for you because with voice control that's all taken care of for you! The Yamaha RX-A2A features 4K/60P 8 HDMI inputs plus one HDMI output which makes it easier than ever to introduce cinema-level audio into your home theater system without having to upgrade.

Design

We've had the Yamaha RX-A2A and Denon AVR-X3700H back to back in most of our rooms at one time or another over the past few weeks, and there is something clearly very different about them. The Yammie looks like an AV receiver from 10 years ago with its blend of silver and black, while the Denon has a very modern dark grey matte finish. It's not just cosmetics though; you can see straight away that the AVR-X3700H is a much more substantial unit with the better build quality and more heft (13kg vs 9kg).

Features

This is where it starts getting interesting. Both units offer almost all of the key features we would expect, including 4K and HDR support (HDR10 and Dolby Vision), AirPlay, Bluetooth, Chromecast built-in, multi-room support with HEOS app integration, etc. However, the X3700H brings a lot of additional technology to the table:

• Precision calibration microphone system - YPAO: The included microphone is used for auto-calibration based on speaker location and geometry. Generally, we've found that this works very well even without any user input over the years; it's pretty crazy to think how simple it has become to get a decent sound in your living room these days! The AVR also offers MultEQ XT32 laterally/vertically aligned dual-mic setup for advanced adjustments if you're particularly fussy about your speaker setup.
• Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support: This is a big one, as both of these object-based sound formats are changing the way we hear movies in our homes. You've also got a choice between a 5 or 7 channel amplifier depending on your needs. In terms of connections, the Denon has 8 HDMI inputs (versus 6 from Yamaha) alongside 2 output but strangely no front A/V input which the Yamaha offers to the RX-A2A's rear panel.
• 4K upscaling: If you're not using 4K sources right now, this probably isn't going to be an important feature for you, however, if you are then it's nice that one of these units has this capability. The AVR-X3700H can upscale your existing content and offer a higher quality image than the RX-A2A, which cannot upscale at all.
• Bluetooth: This is another area where we see two different approaches to wireless connectivity with the Denon offering Bluetooth along with Chromecast built-in, whereas Yamaha offers nothing beyond AirPlay (although this can be added via an update if required).
• Virtual Cinema Front: Something that both receivers have now is the ability to emulate a surround sound setup when they're connected directly to a TV - something we've seen implemented differently on each unit, however. On the AVR-X3700H you can use the vTuner service to stream virtual surround sound for TV and movies, whereas on the Yamaha you can download an app (for iOS or Android) to do the same thing.
• HEOS: Both units also offer HEOS multi-room streaming technology, although if you go with Denon then you need to pay a premium unless you buy into one of their products.

Setup and Usability

As we've come to expect from both brands, setup is very easy. Both receivers also include useful calibration tools such as Audyssey's speaker set up the system and YPAO microphone which work well and offer some additional user control over your room geometry for those who want it You'll find that things like the Bluetooth and network features of the Denon are a bit easier to set up than those on the Yamaha, however, you'll need to factor in some extra cost if you want multi-room streaming with HEOS.

Sound

This is perhaps where we see the biggest difference between these two units. The Yamaha RX-A2A offers 120 watts per channel compared to the more modest 100 watts from its rival - something that isn't easy to spot on paper as both Denon and Yamaha offer low impedance drive capabilities. If we had to choose between them for sound performance it would be tough as they're quite different beasts; we'd probably give a slight edge to Yamaha here thanks to slightly greater resolution at lower volumes but not by much.

Ports

The AVR-X3700H and RX-A2A both have 7 HDMI ports. The X3700 has 4k pass through whereas the RX-A2 does not. Both come with at least 2 HDMI out for zone two. All ports are HDCP 2.2 compliant except for one on each receiver which is HDCP 1.4 where you will not be able to use it if your TV is older than 2012 or so, but most people don't have equipment older than that nowadays.

The result goes to Denon by a small margin because even though you cannot use the older HDMI connections on zone two, most people have a second tv in their living rooms anyway.

Also noted is that the X3700H has Audyssey Platinum which allows you to calibrate all speakers in your home theater system by itself. It also comes with an 8 HDMI input whereas the RX-A2A only has 5 HDMI inputs.

Remote Control

In terms of remotes, both receivers come with their own standard remote with backlighting but I find that Denons's feels slightly better quality built and heavier compared to Yamaha's which is made out of plastic materials. Both remotes run off infrared where you can't really control any device from anywhere else in your house but they both come with features such as Yamaha's MusicCast and Denon's AVR Remote App where you can use your phones as a remote for both receivers.

The only difference is that the X3700H has support for Apple HomeKit whereas the RX-A2A does not. This feature allows you to play/pause, stop and skip songs from your phone if it's connected via airplay which is pretty convenient and also can be used to adjust volume and switch between inputs.

The downside here is that there isn't a way to set up rules so these things don't happen automatically. You will need to open up the app every time you want to control another device such as sending audio from your TV (connected through one of the HDMI inputs) to your Echostar speaker (connected through one of the Zone 2 ports).

These receivers are very different from one another with the Denon AVR-X3700H being a technology powerhouse versus the YPAO calibration-focused Yamaha RX-A2A. That's not to say that they're suited to different customers - you might be eager for Atmos or DTS:X but have limited space so you'll go for the AVR-X3700H while others may prefer AirPlay and Chromecast built-in, front panel USB inputs, and Bluetooth connectivity along with Yamaha's more user-friendly setup approach which is all packed into a smaller unit without any loss of power.