Configuring Denon AVR-X3700H

With my old, 12-year-old Onkyo PR-SC886 processor incapable of driving HDM2.0 signals to our new LG OLED CX 77 TV, I needed a new processor to handle 4K/60Hz signals from my nVidia Shield streamer to the LG TV.

 

After much research, I settled on the Denon AVR-3700H due to the following reasons:

1. The retail price for the Denon AVR-3700H is $1199 on Amazon. I couldn't afford the Emotiva XMC-2 (which would have been another great choice at $3,000)
2. HDMI 2.1 support for 8K TVs
3. Dolby Atmos, Dolby Vision support
   
4. Audyssey XT32 support (for automatic room correction)
   
5. 1 Amp Trigger (though 2 would be better for my two Parasound Amps). I used a 3.5mm splitter to trigger both of my Parasound Amps.
   
6. The speaker amplifier section can be disabled so I can use it as a pre-processor for my Parasound HCA-2205 amplifiers.
7. A very positive review on Audio Science Review here.

During the Black Friday sale, I tried to find lower prices for the Denon AVR-3700H. Video Only offered to sell it to me for $999, but the store did not have it in stock and had a two-week shipping delay. Amazon did have it available, and I decided not to wait.

Although Amazon indicated that shipping for the receiver would be December 10th, I received it much earlier - on Thursday, December 3rd. 

After removing the old Onkyo PR-SC886 from my A/V rack and removing all the obsolete cables, I added the new Denon to my rack.

I ran the Audyssey speaker calibration routine to configure my 6.1 speaker system. It reported the following results (but some of them were incorrect). For example, Audyssey selected a 120Hz crossover for my speakers, which was a very high setting (resulting in a muddy sound).

The $20 Audyssey Multi-EQ App for IOS made a much better difference to the audio quality. I reviewed the room acoustics, made corrections, and uploaded my desired setup to Denon. It sounds much better.

Speakers/Distances

• Front L: 10.5ft
• Front R: 10.1 ft
• Center: 8.3 ft
• Subwoofer 1: 8.8 ft
• Surround L: 9.0 ft
• Surround R: 9.1 ft

Speaker Type

I chose "small" for all speakers, as it allows the receiver to send all the low-frequency audio signals to my SVS 20-39CS subwoofer (powered by a Parasound HCA-1500 amplifier)

Speaker Crossover

I manually selected 60 Hz for the Speaker crossover.

LFI Crossover

I experimented with different subwoofer crossovers and finally settled at 80 Hz.

IOS Apps

AVR Remote - lets me configure settings on the AVR (without using TV)

DS audio - lets me play the music files stored on my Synology 1815+ NAS on my AVR

HEOS - lets me play Pandora and Spotify on my AVR

Amazon Alexa - lets me turn on my AVR using voice, but I don't want to play Spotify on it.

Music

For playing 2-channel stereo music, I prefer AVR's auto mode, which plays music in 2.1 mode.

Movies

I am still trying to figure out the best settings for movies.

My Home Theater Setup

• Synology DS1815+ NAS (for streaming music using DS Audio and movies using Plex)
• Nvidia Shield 4K streamer
• Denon AVR-3700H receiver (used as a preamp/processor)
• LG CX77 OLED TV
• Parasound HCA-2205AT 5-channel amplifier (for Left, Right, Center, LS, RS speakers)
• Parasound HCA-1500 2-channel amplifier (for the subwoofer and rear speaker)
• SVS 2039CS Subwoofer
• AV123 Diva Swan 6.1 Speakers
• Sofabaton U1 Universal Remote Control

Music Streaming

Unlike my previous system with the Onkyo PR-SC886, I can now stream music from my Synology 1815+ NAS using the DS Audio App on my iPhone. In addition, I can also stream Pandora or Spotify using the HEOS app (without having to turn on my LG TV).  

Bugs

One strange issue I immediately encountered was that the AVR would turn on by itself (even after I turned it off)! After reading some forums, I was encouraged to turn off the CEC settings in my Nvidia Shield. When Shield wakes up, it can automatically turn on other components and turn on the AVR.