DENON AVR-X1800H

The Denon AVR-X1800H is where Denon’s X series starts, and the X series is where the build quality and the calibration get more serious than the S range below it.

It is a 7.2-channel receiver, so it supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X with a pair of height speakers, and it carries a better-specified amplifier section than the AVR-S770H at a similar channel count.

What Apple Home actually does with it

This is an AirPlay 2 device, not a HomeKit accessory, and the difference matters.

• It appears in the Home app as a speaker you can play to, and in Control Centre as an AirPlay target.
• You can put it in a room and group it with HomePods for synchronised multi-room audio.
• Siri can send music to it by room name.
• You can use it as the audio output in a scene or an automation.

What you cannot do is turn it on, change the input or set the volume from the Home app as if it were a smart plug. Power, inputs and surround processing stay on the remote, the front panel and the manufacturer’s own app.

Before you buy

The X1800H is the sensible middle of Denon’s range for most living rooms. Going further up the range buys more channels and more power, which only helps if the room is large or you intend to run more than seven speakers.

Set aside time for Audyssey calibration. In a normal furnished room it makes more difference than the step between two adjacent receiver models.

Specifications