The present review is aimed to compare two AV receivers - Denon AVR-X8500H vs Marantz NR1510 that are meant to satisfy the needs of cinema and music lovers.
A significant difference between the receivers in the number of channels, Denon AVR-X8500H has 13.2 versus 5.2 for Marantz NR1510. Regarding power, then AVR-X8500H has such a W/Ohm ratio - 150/8, 250/6 when NR1510 has a power of 50/8, 60/6. The THD is 0.05% for the AVR-X8500H but 0.08% for the NR1510.
Characteristics of digital to analog converter (DAC) are different, AK4490EQ 768 KHz/32-bit for AVR-X8500H and 192 KHz/32-bit for the NR1510. Only the AVR-X8500H supports Bi-amping feature. Each of the AV receivers can transmit an audio signal directly to the amplifier and bypasses any DSP processing. Rivals from our review have Bluetooth support. The Apple Music service is implemented on considered devices: AirPlay, AirPlay 2. Spotify can be used on each receiver. The AVR-X8500H can work with the audio stream from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio, iHeart Radio, Sound Cloud, and the NR1510 can receive a content from Deezer, TIDAL, Pandora, Napster, SiriusXM, TuneIn Radio. Compared AV receivers retain the quality of 4K/60Hz signal when transmitting from a source to a TV or projector. HDMI signal transmission in standby mode is implemented in each of the devices. The AVR-X8500H can scale the input HDMI signal, unlike the NR1510. The HDR standard - Dolby Vision is supported by these receivers.
The Denon AVR-X8500H has 8/3 HDMI inputs/outputs versus 8/1 HDMI connectors of the Marantz NR1510. The HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature supports both devices. HDMI eARC is available in each model. The Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) feature is present in most modern AV receivers and the models in our comparison are no exception. The AVR-X8500H supports the protection of digital content of the standard HDCP 2.2, versus HDCP 2.3 in the NR1510. These compared receivers have a built-in phono stage for connecting a vinyl player. Supported voice control technologies are identical - Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri, Josh.AI. It is also worth noting that the ECO mode is presented in each of the receivers. Both AVR-X8500H and NR1510 can be configured using the Setup assistant.
Only the AVR-X8500H has a Dolby Atmos multichannel audio format support. A surround technology DTS:X is supported only by the AVR-X8500H.