This is a review and detailed measurements of the Denon AVR-X2200W home theater AVR (processor and amplifier). It is on kind loan from a member. Looks like the unit was released back in 2015. I can't find the pricing on it but I am guessing US $700 when new. Used ones seem to go for as little as US $250. Despite its age, all the modern features seem to be there from UHD video resolution to Dolby Atmos.
The front panel is the usual affair with AVRs (you have seen one, you have seen them all):
The OSD (on-screen display) is low resolution (1080p?) but fairly responsive. Amplifier construction is of the flimsy heatsink type to keep the weight down. As a result, the unit runs warm even at idle.
Back panel shows outdated inputs which shouldn't have been on it even then:
Like the clear labels on speakers though. And the little clips that keep the Wifi antenna in place and not risk ripping them out.
AVR Audio Measurements
There is no preamp output so I can't test the DAC portion by itself. So all the tests are from speaker output. Let's start with our dashboard of 5 watts into 4 ohm using HDMI as the input:
Shame one channel (in blue) is worse than the other by good bit. Still, this is not an embarrassing showing seeing how bad many AVRs are. Among all amplifiers tested, the ranking is middle of the road:
Among AVRs, it does a bit better:
Crosstalk was rather disappointing:
The dashed green line is a $25 ebay-special amplifier!
Signal to noise ratio ranks similarly:
Frequency response using the analog input was surprisingly flat and wide:
No digitization, no band limiting. I like it!
Power into 4 ohm load is very healthy (with two channels driven):
There is good bit of extra juice for momentary power requirements (again, in two-channel configuration):
Conclusions
As time has gone by, complexity of building these devices has gone up and with it, much more opportunity to screw things up. The Denon AVR-X2200W seems to predate some of this grief and appears sound. No, it still doesn't hold a candle to any desktop or main system 2-channel audio products. But if you can pick it up for $250, it may do the job as well as some expensive and new AVRs.
No recommendation one way or the other.
------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
Had to go to the store and buy another rack to store the large number of big boxes of audio gear that keeps arriving. Could use having cash to pay for the credit card when the bill comes so please donate using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
The front panel is the usual affair with AVRs (you have seen one, you have seen them all):
The OSD (on-screen display) is low resolution (1080p?) but fairly responsive. Amplifier construction is of the flimsy heatsink type to keep the weight down. As a result, the unit runs warm even at idle.
Back panel shows outdated inputs which shouldn't have been on it even then:
Like the clear labels on speakers though. And the little clips that keep the Wifi antenna in place and not risk ripping them out.
AVR Audio Measurements
There is no preamp output so I can't test the DAC portion by itself. So all the tests are from speaker output. Let's start with our dashboard of 5 watts into 4 ohm using HDMI as the input:
Shame one channel (in blue) is worse than the other by good bit. Still, this is not an embarrassing showing seeing how bad many AVRs are. Among all amplifiers tested, the ranking is middle of the road:
Among AVRs, it does a bit better:
Crosstalk was rather disappointing:
The dashed green line is a $25 ebay-special amplifier!
Signal to noise ratio ranks similarly:
Frequency response using the analog input was surprisingly flat and wide:
No digitization, no band limiting. I like it!
Power into 4 ohm load is very healthy (with two channels driven):
There is good bit of extra juice for momentary power requirements (again, in two-channel configuration):
Conclusions
As time has gone by, complexity of building these devices has gone up and with it, much more opportunity to screw things up. The Denon AVR-X2200W seems to predate some of this grief and appears sound. No, it still doesn't hold a candle to any desktop or main system 2-channel audio products. But if you can pick it up for $250, it may do the job as well as some expensive and new AVRs.
No recommendation one way or the other.
------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
Had to go to the store and buy another rack to store the large number of big boxes of audio gear that keeps arriving. Could use having cash to pay for the credit card when the bill comes so please donate using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
Last edited: