Denon AVR X1800H DAB
7.2 channels, AM, FM, DAB+
Product ratings
Pros
Cons
15 reviews
Everything top except dab+
Pro
- Fast installation
Contra
- Dab+ no or almost no reception, ukw works without problems
Impeccable AV receiver with sufficient connections and an attractive appearance.
The Denon was delivered upside down. Digitec stuck the address label on the underside. How stupid do you have to be. For example, the remote control was lying unprotected on the floor. At least nothing seems to be defective because of this.
Sound with bass and treble adjustment absolutely laborious. (Not directly adjustable at the front like the Onkyo 494). If I just want to listen to music, I have to switch off the EQ somewhere and then switch on the TV first so that I can adjust the bass or treble on the on-screen menu.Pro
- DAB+
- Phono connection
- Good sound
- Has the latest connections you need
- beautiful design
Contra
- Bass and treble adjustment not on the front of the housing (e.g. Onkyo 494)
Top receiver
Easy to use, clear menu (once you get used to it). Hard to beat for the price - so five stars for sure!
Pro
- Sound
- HDMI connections
- DAB+ radio
- Streaming
- Automatic calibration
Contra
- Menu a little awkward until you get used to it.
After first disappointment - all good - when you use the right quality HDMI cable
First a bad experience because the HDMI cable from the receiver to the TV was not good enough. After talking with a very nice support person at Feintech, I tried a higher quality cable and voila - it all worked as expected.
So I can recall my previous assessment - this machine is working well. It is also one of the most recently introduced in the receiver group - chances are that they keep updating it.
The setup process is smooth, the system tells you step by step what to connect where.
The configuration menu is clear and understandable, and can also be controlled from your PC by simply putting in the ip address of the receiver.
So highly recommended now.Pro
- Great sound
- Flexible connectivity, many ports
Contra
- Connectivity with Home Assistant instable
Simply sensational - everything simply works without the need to study the manual in depth
The ageing, outdated Yamaha receiver needed to be replaced with something new - after a brief look at test reports and manuals from Yamaha and Sony, I quickly discarded the current devices from these brands (unusable, unreadable displays, minimalist user interface, half-baked Bluetooth) and rather spontaneously ordered this well-rated Denon. What an experience for this price: TV box, BD player, multimedia PC, Bluetooth mobile, Bluetooth headphones, DAB+, 3 speakers, TV all configured quite quickly and intuitively. A very nice, very well thought-out user interface (you only have to search briefly for a few functions to find where they are in the menu), which makes configuration (assuming a little technical know-how) an absolute pleasure. Many well thought-out operating details, for example: the 4 "scene programmes" - simply set the amplifier, press the scene button for 3 seconds and the setting is saved. With the sound output on Bluetooth, you can set whether the speakers remain active (and are set via the volume control) or only Bluetooth (this is always set via the volume control of the Bluetooth device). Bingo. Depending on the source, the Bluetooth module automatically switches between mobile>Bluetooth input or Bluetooth>headphone output and the devices reconnect immediately.
DAB+ reception was perfect straight away, the antenna was simply thrown carelessly behind the amplifier.
The display on the device always intuitively shows what you want to see: source, channel, DAB song, Spotify song, volume etc. etc.
I didn't think I'd be allowed to write this again: after decades of Yamaha and Sony receivers, this Denon is the best receiver I've ever owned - lovingly crafted software and all sources and target devices work absolutely flawlessly, the operation is very intuitive in my opinion. I LOVE IT!
Footnote 1: at the beginning the Wingo/Swisscom box was a bit of a bitch, with the picture flickering (but stable for a while after restarting the Wingo box). All other HDMI sources HP-PC, BD player, however, without any problems. First annoyed out loud and tried 50 settings on TV, Denon and Wingo box until the 2m HDMI cable Denon>TV was replaced by another (also cheap) cable. Problem gone. The output level of the Wingo box is probably not quite optimal and the cheapest cable is not recommended, it seems to have been enough for the Yamaha, but not quite enough for the Denon.
Footnote 2: CEC simply didn't work with the Sony TV / Yamaha receiver / Wingo box (amplifier switches on again after 5 minutes and nonsense like that). CEC could somehow not be deactivated properly in the old Yamaha receiver. Now I've deactivated everything on the Denon and all other devices and nothing switches on again without motivation. I'll play with CEC again later and trust the Denon to get it right here...Pro
- Simply perfect
- DAB+ reception perfect for me, antenna carelessly thrown behind the device
- Bluetooth audio input super
- Bluetooth headphones out best
- HDMI devices work perfectly (Wingo box, PC, BD player)
- Lovingly designed, beautiful user interface
- HDMI pass-through with amplifier off flawlessly (as usual from Yamaha)
- The most "complete" receiver I have owned in the last 35 years
- For me, the best value for money you can find
Contra
- Why didn't I buy this item much earlier?
Product with rough edges
In itself a very good, attractive and powerful device.
A) Setup must be carried out via the TV receiver (the device doesn't even have a keypad). Very impractical in our case: TV on top of the gallery floor, audio at the bottom. Feasible with WLAN, but cumbersome, so to speak).
B) Documentation: Minimalist Quick Start Guide and comprehensive online manual (download). You can work with it, but some processes and images are described in a misleading/incomplete way, which takes time. Remote control options (remote controller) and smartphone apps are not ergonomic.
C) Apps: HEOS app (streaming services, playing your own music); Denon app (controlling the AVR) Contrary to all the mostly good reviews I have read regarding Denon setup, I find this concept a real imposition. In order to achieve a good result, we enlisted the help of a specialist. And we are now completely satisfied. And: we would buy it again.Pro
- High-quality device with a beautiful design
- great sound
- Modern technology/complete connection options , Network-compatible
- three HDMI in/one HDMI in/one HDMI out (8K)
- Very good features (see technical data)
- Audissey room acoustics tuning
- DAB/DAB+ (but with HAMA antenna)
- Reliable logistics, excellent packaging
Contra
- Setup concept (very) difficult to get used to)
- somewhat uninterested first level support
6 out of 15 reviews
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