Marantz SR 7012 and Denon x4400h AV receivers are enjoying the recent surge in popularity for households seeking to buy an audio video receiver.
With the rise in demand for av receivers one might wonder, which av receiver is the better, Denon or Marantz?
After comparing Denon vs Marantz for sound quality, video processing and accuracy, Denon X4400H stands out as the best audio video reciever over the Marantz SR 7012 reciever.
While an argument can be made for Marantz and Denon AV receivers comparatively looking like they are a match for match, Denon recievers deliver a far more superior audio and video processing accuracy you hardly get from Marantz SR 7012 recievers.
On the other side, Marantz SR 7012 is an excellent budget choice if you are looking for an affodable AV recievers, then getting this Marantz AV(available here on Amazon) is more ideal than the Denon x4400h. However, if you budget is not an issue, and you are going for the premium AV recievers, the Denon recievers are highly recommended.
Despite Marantz sr 7012 and Denon x4400h being manufactured by the same parent company, these AV recievers are completely two didfferent brands. Marantz sr7012 was released in 2018 while Denon x4400h was released in 2017.
These two are really both powerful av receivers that are flagships as well so i am going to make it very easy for you to decide which one to purchase as here on this article i will compare both the av receivers,from their strengths and weaknesses.
What they have in common and what makes the other which i have given a bigger score better than the other one which i have given a lesser score.
Both these flagships have got a lot to offer ,from dolby atmos to dts but lets face it there is always one which comes with better features than the other ,which im sure that is exactly what you are looking for, so i will start with the basic details.
Basic Details For Marantz Sr7012
Country of make : USA
Name of manufacturer: Marantz
Model:sr7012
Series: sr
Release year: 2018
Dimensions: (w x H x D) 17.3 x 7.3 x 16.2″
Type :av receiver
Weight :31.3 pounds or 14.2kilograms
Basic Details Denon x4400h
Country of make : USA
Name of manufacturer:Denon
Model : x4400h
Series: x
Release year : 2017
Dimensions: (w xh xd ) 14.92 x 17.09 x 6.57 inches
Type :av receiver
Weight :29.77 pounds
I have taken some time to study both the av receivers and i have even had the opportunity to test them out as both these av receivers are flagships.
It was an honor actually to get to test them out as they are both powerful av receivers but as always one has to come out on top and from my findings i guess this is the overall score i give each one of them respectively ,Denon x4400h scores at 79 and Marantz sr 7012 scores at 78.
The results are not too different because both av receivers are very good but Denon is just a litte more powerful.How i came to these scores you ask well following is the overview of each av receiver.
Overview
On the overview i will compare marantz sr 7012 vs denonx4400h ,i will reveal the strengths and weaknesses that they have in commom as well a the things that sets them apart, like the differences that they have that will help you to choose which one suits you best before you can go and finally purchase.
In terms of channels they have something in common as they both have 9 channel amplifiers but the denon is a bit more powerful than the latter.
The highlights are as follows:
Denon x4400h has got the following features
Total Channels: 9.2 channels,
Watts: it works on 125 Watts (8 Ω, 20 Hz – 20 kHz with 2 channel driven),
It includes Dolby Atmos,
DTS:
Auro 3D capable
It also features HDR10, Dolby Vision, 4K Upscaling, 4K
Passthrough: It has got AirPlay 2, DLNA, also has in terms of wireless connectins HEOS Ethernet, Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth and also include a USB port and Phono inputs.
On the other hand the marantz sr 7012 has the following features
Channels: 9.2 channels,
Watts: it works on 125 Watts (8 Ω, 20 Hz – 20 kHz, 2 channel driven), like the latter also comes with Dolby Atmos, DTS:X capable, also HDR10, Dolby Vision, 4K Upscaling, 4K Passthrough, also AirPlay 2, DLNA, HEOS and in terms on wireless connetivity its not that different as well as it also comes with Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a USB and Phono inputs.
As you can see from the features the reason Denon x400h gets the higher score,it is based on the specifications of the amplifier, the audio and video feature, the connectivity, the capabilities of the multizone,the radio and all the other details that you can see above.But dont be too quick to write off Marantz sr7012 yet,it also has some things on its favour like the pricing, it does not come with a huge price tag than its brother flaghips.
The following are the pros and cons of both the av receivers, the pros are what gives the av receiver an added advantage while the cons are the downside, mostly these come from consumers who have had first hand experience with the receivers.
Marantz Sr7012 Pros
- it comes with a very good price as i mentioned above
- it has got support for dolby atmos
- suports hdr 10,4k upscalling
- it has got hybrid log gramma and 4k passthrough
- it supports amazon alexa, ethernet connection,wifi,
bluetooth, phono input also analog pre outs
- The setup is very straightforward considering all the configeration that is required.
- it has got premium component quality
- it has got great power and inputs
- the dolby atmos speakers sound is very good
- it has got great sound and also has component quality
- it as got a very clean atrractive morden look
- it has decent menu overlays on its display
- it also comes with decent internal circulaton fans for the ams
Cons
- It has got no front side channel suport
- It has got no Mhl input, it has no chromecast
- It has got no dts play -fi no sonos and also it has no toroidal transformer
- The sr7012 model wont receive firmware update for decoding
- It is not iMAX enhanced ready unlike the newer models like sr7013
- The menu it comes with is a bit glitchy so not too many people can readily understand it
- Customers have complained that it rather gets warm too quickly so you might consider adding an ac infinity
- it is not very intuitive some customers have claimed
- it has got redundant sound settings sets some custmers have said
- it has got a very low frequency for Audessey and sorround and it requires plenty of time to play and to set it u to your liking for all sources
- It only has a single small lcd display for such a powerful av receiver
- The design is not very attractive
The Denon x4400h Pros And Cons
Pros
- It supports dolby atmos, it has got DTS:X support also Aura 3d ad hdr 10, it also has got dolby vision support.
- It has got hybrid log gamma,4k passthrough,4k upscaling,DLNA 1.5 and HEOS , also amazon alexa and ,ethernet connection ,phono input, analog pre outs,internet radio and pandora
- In terms of wireless connection it has got wifi as well as bluetooth
- other features include spotify, tidal,deezer, napster and sirius xm
- It is very easy to setup the menu is easy to read and also some consumers have reported that the customer service is very easy to reach and are very helpful
- The price tag that coes with it will not break your budget
Cons
- It has got no front wide channel support
- It has no MHL input, does not support chromecast
- It has no DTS play- fi,no SONOS, no analog and no multi-channel input
- It has no no doly atmos height virtualisation
- It has no IMAX enhanced
- It has got no fire connect
- It has no flare connect
The Common Strengths Of Denon x4400h And Marantz SR7012
- Strength x400h SR7013
- Maximum Channel 11.2 11.2
Processing
- Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 7.1.4
- dts 😡 7.1.4 7.1.4
- dts neural: x yes yes
- dts virtual: x yes yes
- HDR 10 yes yes
- dolby vision yes yes
- hybrid log gama yes yes
- dlna 1.5 yes yes
- heos yes yes
- works with amazon
- alexa yes yes
- ethernet yes yes
- wi-fi yes yes
- bluetooth yes yes
- pandora yes yes
- spotify yes yes
- tidal yes yes
- deezer yes yes
- napster yes yes
- sirius xm
- internet radio yes yes
- dsd via hdmi yes yes
- dsd via usb yes yes
- 4k passthrough yes yes
- 4k upscalling yes yes
- several hdmi inputs yes yes
- usb input yes yes
- internet radio yes yes
Those are their common strenghts now for their common weaknesses
Common Weaknesses Of Marantz SR7012 And Denon x4400h
- Weakness x4400h SR7013
- Dolby atmos height
- Visualisation no no
- Front wide channel
- Support no no
- Toroidal transformer no (el) no (el)
- Work with sonos no no
- Chromecast built in no no
- Fire connect no no
- Mhl input no no
- Front wide
- Channel support no no
Why Denon xx400h is rated or scored better than sr7012 since they have so many similarities you ask yourself? On the following section i will outline in detail the features and some specifications which are the reason why i came to a conclusion that Denon x400h is better than Marantz sr7012 despite their common strengths and common weaknesses.
what makes Denon sr4400h win is that it includes the following:
Users like me who have had the opportunity to use both the av receivers have said Denon seems to be more powerful when you are playing music you can increase volume to the maximum level but the sound will stay the same clear with no noise. Not to mention even though it seems to be an older model it has a really nice design,
