A Budget Home Theater & PC Setup: 4K, HDR, UHD Blu-ray, and More
by Ganesh T S on December 26, 2017 8:30 AM ESTThe AVR: Denon X3400H
The choice of AVRs used to be a difficult one to make when support for different HD audio formats was not widespread. Now, the requirements boil down to the AVR being able to support the latest HD audio formats (Dolby Atmos and DTS-X), while matching the capabilities of the display in the chain. The additional features may help sway the purchase decision for consumers.
Budget considerations dictate the number of channels and display zones. We had to migrate from the 7.1 channel Pioneer Elite VSX-32 to a newer receiver capable of handling multiple HDMI 2.0 / HDCP 2.2 inputs with passthrough capabilities for various HDR formats. Based on my budget, I narrowed down the options to one of the models from Denon, Onkyo, Pioneer, and Yamaha. They are all in the same ball park in terms of pricing for a given feature set. We deferred to our friends at Wirecutter, who recommended the Denon AVR S730H.
I had been in touch with Denon regarding HEOS (their whole home audio solution) when the decision to go with a Denon AVR for our HTPC testing setup was taken. Upon discussing our project with them, Denon graciously agreed to sponsor the more advanced AVR X3400H for use in our testing.
The AVR X3400H targets the custom integrator channel. It has a number of additional features such as support for high end DSD audio, 4Kp60 upconversion for analog sources, multi-zone video outputs, higher power output, and support for eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) to justify its higher price over the S730H. The presence of eARC makes it a bit more future-proof, as it allows for HD audio (including the new ones like Dolby Atmos and DTS-X) from the display sink to be returned to the AVR for decode and playback.
In the course of our testing, we found that the AVR received frequent firmware updates to add new features such as HLG passthrough. These point to a well-supported product. Even though the web control feature present in the previous generation Denon AVRs was missed, the Denon AVR Android app made up for it to some extent. None of the issues encountered in the course of the evaluation presented in this piece could be attributed to the Denon AVR X3400H.
If we had to give some suggestions to Denon for the improvement of the AVR X3400H, it would be to bring back the web control feature and shorten the time taken for firmware updates (though there is a facility to enable auto-updates that tries to install the new firmware when the AVR is not being used).
Speakers
Most readers upgrading their HTPC can opt to retain their existing speakers. In fact, I had the Boston Acoustics Horizon Series MCS100MDNT 5.1-channel speaker system from a 2008 purchase, along with a Jamo A306 HCS 5.1 speaker system from my 2011 home theater components upgrade. However, due to the remodel, I had to go in for in-ceiling speakers. I opted for a couple of the Polk Audio RC80i in-ceiling pairs for the rear and surround channel speakers. I bundled them along with ceiling speaker protective covers. The choice of speakers depends on the home theater size and other requirements. Currently, I am using the Jamo A306 speakers for the front, center, and subwoofer, with the Polk Audio RC80i for the other channels.
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ganeshts - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
I would love to get a rundown of the budget for that PR server backend. Still too limited IMO and not enough flexibility.Aspernari - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
"On a budget", then recommends and links a receiver over twice the cost of the TV!Come on. Seriously.
Aspernari - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
Replying to myself to further comment: His actual recommendation, the Denon AVRS730H is merely JUST AS EXPENSIVE as the TV.And then there's no actual speakers, or mention of speakers on the entire AVR page... So why are we getting a receiver?
At the price of the receiver alone, you can start getting into entry level Atmos-enabled soundbars.
ganeshts - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
How is $349 / $429 as expensive as a $700 TV? Maybe you are seeing some other numbers?ddrіver - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
Ganesh, are you actively trying to not understand the point multiple people are making? DO NOT PUT "BUDGET"-ANYTHING IN THE TITLE. Especially if you're going to use a $2000 HTPC with a GTX1080, or a $1000 receiver (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072Z9ZGSZ ). Did I already say it? This is not budget!Do you get your Christmas bonus for clicks? I clicked because I'm looking for a receiver recommendation on a budget and expected some good but cheap options. And I find you're actually using a $1000 model and just mentioning another almost $500 model (https://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVRS730H-Receiver-wir... ) once without detailing much on alternatives or what similar models I could go for. You went on to talk about the $1000 model for the rest of the receiver section.
Aspernari - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
Whoops, I was thinking about the S405. Sorry, the receiver is only nearly as expensive as the TV when the TV is on a good sale. Now, let's get back to the absurdity of this article.This article lacks direction and focus. It misses the mark for both its stated purpose, and as any sort of reasonable guide or reference.
- Assume the reader is recycling speakers, but not any other components - Going all the way down to HDMI cables.
- Clearly a sponsored deal with Denon. It's disclosed but still awful since no other receiver is mentioned, alternatives like soundbars (again, low end Atmos is available for less than the recommended receiver) are never mentioned, and anyone looking for help unpacking the current audio tech is left on their own.
- $2000 HTPC, even as a joke option, is more than the entire rest of the recommended kit combined.
- Recommending all sorts of hardware that doesn't support features that should have been seen as requirements (Tegra and the $2000 HTPC failing to provide full HDR support, etc).
- Recommending a $200 Android device in an article about budget setups featuring a Roku TV.
- $200 more in Bluray playback equipment to the HTPCs, but no consideration for UHD bluray players or the Xbox One S - The recommendation is to deal with the minefield of compatibility issues rather than spend the same sum on a standalone solution that doesn't suffer from those problems - and plays games!
- I'm going to harp on the Denon sponsorship and the clear bias there again. There are two products named in the article subsections. The TV, and the receiver. And it's not even the recommended receiver! No other single product gets an entire page to itself. The section about the receiver is even longer than the TV. There's no info provided about the S730H, not even basic specs. Congrats on your free $1000 receiver, but it doesn't belong in a budget article.
I get that you wrote this as a "this is what I did" article, not a comprehensive guide, but come on. No alternatives suggested for the Denon is... Really galling.
we - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
Apparently Ultra HD Blue-ray video and sound quality from the Xbox One S is somewhat disappointing.https://www.whathifi.com/news/no-xbox-one-s-isnt-v...
Aspernari - Tuesday, December 26, 2017 - link
There've been some patches since that article was published which, as I understand it, addressed most of the quality issues.I have an X, and have no complaints - but I also don't have another UHD disk player to compare against.
Aikouka - Wednesday, December 27, 2017 - link
I've mentioned this before, but the Xbox One's greatest flaw is that it's too noisy. Disc noise pushed me away from using the player after playing only a single movie (Sicario). I also ran into problems with the disc freezing in random spots, but not always in the same spot. (Do note that other players had no problems with the disc at all.) If you want a basic UHD player, I'd probably go with the Sony X800. I've had the best luck with mine so far with only a few hiccups in the beginning. I did replace it simply because I wanted a unit with Dolby Vision, which the only decent (but not cheap) option there was the Oppo 203.Galid - Wednesday, December 27, 2017 - link
There must be a lot of kids in here, this is not SUPER budget but it sure is budget in my mind. My home theater setup without the PC is worth 6k$ and it is considered cheap by many standards. The best budget and worthy contender for around 600$ would be the Onkyo NR727. I myself would not consider anything below but that's only 200$ cheaper. ONE of my speakers costs freaking 400$ and I'm really considered on the OK/cheap side. Do you guys ever go out in stores, you know, not those internet websites where you click and wait, ACTUAL audio video stores? WAW you guys need to see the light outside, it's made by the SUN! WAW!!! Any respectable audio video store will have AVR + speakers setups from 1k to 50k$++, so I would consider 1 to 5k pretty cheap.Wanna go ultra budget, buy used and freaking leave this website alone. What do you want, website full of used audio video pieces of equipment just leave this place. Sure this article could be better but it sure look budget friendly to me and I'm FAR from being a rich guy.
When I see people complaining about a 800$ receiver, I cannot help but wonder who's reading these articles. You work for mcdonalds 24h a week? Don't look at buying a home theater, get a BETTER JOB then come back ffs.