Denon has announced a new lineup of premium X-Series home theater AV receivers with advanced features and a relatively low price tag. The AVR-X1700H offers seven channels of 80W amplification, three HDMI 2.1 ports, and supports a range of surround sound formats such as Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization, DTS: X and DTS Virtual: X.
Of the 7 HDMI connectors (6 inputs and 1 output), 3 are capable of receiving 8K / 60Hz or 4K / 120Hz signals with a bandwidth of 40 Gb / s. The AVR-X1700H supports 4: 4: 4 color downsampling and HDR formats such as HDR10, HDR10 +, Dolby Vision, and HLG. For the convenience of users, information on the status of HDMI operation is displayed on the screen, including signal resolution and HDR format type.
Gamers will also appreciate support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Auto Game Mode (ALLM), and Fast Frame Rate (QFT), all of which contribute to smooth, artifact-free video games. In addition, the AVR-X1700H features up to 8K resolution upscaling and an enhanced eARC audio return channel.
If your audio system has dedicated overhead speakers (ceiling-facing or ceiling-mounted), the AVR-X1700H will provide 5.1.2 surround sound in Dolby Atmos or DTS: X formats. But if they are absent, then Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization and DTS Virtual: X technologies that imitate them will come to the rescue, which will add three-dimensionality to the 7.1, 5.1 or 2.1 configurations.
The AVR-X1700H is perfect for music playback, supporting high-definition FLAC, ALAC and WAV formats as well as 5.6 MHz DSD. Thanks to AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth technologies, you can connect a variety of devices to the receiver, including smartphones to transmit the signal and headphones to receive it.
The AVR-X1700H can also stream music from a variety of streaming platforms such as Spotify and Tidal. Denon’s proprietary HEOS technology allows you to wirelessly connect compatible speakers to the receiver to create a multi-room audio system. For analog music lovers, there is a separate input for turntables.
You can use your voice to control the AVR-X1700H using any of the available options – Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and Josh.ai. Audyssey MultEQ XT dedicated software makes it easy to calibrate your device. It is able to recognize the characteristics of the connected speakers and analyze the room acoustics to optimize the sound.
If desired, it can be supplemented with the Audyssey MultEQ Editor mobile app (sold separately) for more detailed personalization. The Dual Speaker Presets feature allows you to store two Audyssey speaker and setup configurations on your device and quickly switch between them.
The AVR-X1700H has a suggested retail price of $ 699, which is slightly below the starting level of Denon’s next AVR-X2700H model at $ 849, presented in 2020.
