Denon AVR-X5200W and AVR-X4100W AV Receiver Preview

Update: Check out our Full Denon AVR-X5200W Receiver Review with Bench Tests and Dolby Atmos Listening Tests

About a month ago, we received news from the folks at D&M that they would be rolling out new A/V receivers with Dolby Atmos. Unfortunately at that time, information on these new models was somewhat sparse. Fast forward to today, and the folks at Denon are ready to officially unveil their latest AVR models, the AVR-X4100W and the flagship AVR-X5200W. Priced at $1,399 and $1,999 respectively, both models are expected to be available in October. What are Denon’s latest and greatest receivers bringing to the table? Keep reading to find out!

AVR-X4100W

Buy Now

Priced $400 above the previously covered Denon AVR-X3100W, the AVR-X4100W packs a heck of a lot of technology within the confines of its chassis. Obviously goodies like integrated wireless antennas and HDMI 2.0 (8 inputs plus three outputs) seen on the lesser X3100 are on board. A host of streaming options is also available, including Airplay, Spotify Connect, Pandora, and SiriusXM. Like its predecessor, the X4100 also boasts Audyssey MultEQ XT32 with SubEQ for the best possible sound. All fine and good you say, but this is nothing unexpected or revolutionary.

Enter Dolby Atmos. For those who have been living under a rock, Atmos is a new object oriented audio format about to take the A/V world by storm. In the home market, Atmos can be scaled up to 24 speakers on the floor plus 10 overhead speakers to achieve pure audio immersion. Needless to say, receivers taking full advantage of that many speakers are still a ways off. However, the AVR-X4100W is a 7.2 channel receiver (125W/channel, 8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.05% THD, 2ch driven) which is expandable to 9.2 channels via its preamplifier outputs. This opens up three possible Atmos configurations: 5.1.2, 5.1.4, and 7.1.2. These configurations are based on conventional 5.1 and 7.1 surround setups, but add either 2 or 4 in-ceiling/ceiling mounted or Atmos Enabled speakers to the mix.

AVR-X5200

Buy Now

So what could the AVR-X5200W possibly offer over the X4100? In a word: more. To be specific, the X5200 offers more power, now up to 140W/channel (8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, 0.05% THD, 2ch driven) courtesy of Denon’s monolithic amplifier design and custom high current transistors. You also get more channels of audio, with 9 discrete amplifier channels on board, processing for up to 11.2 channels of audio, and 13.2 channels worth of preamplifier outputs. Relative to the X4100, this opens up two new Atmos configurations: 9.1.2 (utilizing front wide channels) and 7.1.4.

Analysis & Summary

Relative to its predecessor, the AVR-X4100W costs an additional $100, but it adds some “nice to have” features including integrated wireless and HDMI 2.0. That alone would be worth the price hike in our book. However, the folks at Denon also added in Dolby Atmos processing as well, with the ability to run a 9.2 channel setup. When you consider the cost of adding the DSP power needed to handle Atmos without skimping on room correction, we feel that it makes the X4100’s $1,399 price point even more impressive.

So what about the AVR-X5200W? Ultimately you have a simple question to ask yourself: are two extra channels of processing and amplification worth $600? If your room is large enough to take advantage of a 7.1.4 or 9.1.2 setup, the answer may well be yes. On the other hand, if you’re running a 5.1 setup now, and you don’t see a need for front wide or rear surround channels, you’re probably better served spending your cash elsewhere, i.e. a good quality two (or more) channel amplifier to take full advantage of the X4100’s full 9.2 channel processing ability.

Regardless of which route is right for you, one thing we can say is that both the AVR-X4100W and AVR-X5200W are feature packed, high tech pieces of equipment. With support for Dolby Atmos and HDMI 2.0 in the mix, these receivers are ready for what the future might bring.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.