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Denon AVR-X3800H vs Marantz Cinema 50
Same platform, $600 apart — which should you buy?
These are corporate siblings built on the same platform: both 9.4 designs with eleven processing channels, four sub pre-outs, and Audyssey MultEQ XT32. The Marantz tracks at $2,000, the Denon at $1,399.
Reading the numbers honestly
The power figures are perfectly like-for-like — 105W (Denon) vs 110W (Marantz), both at 8Ω, two channels driven, 0.08% THD. That's a 0.2 dB difference; no one has ever heard 0.2 dB. Everything our normalized data can measure is effectively identical, which is itself the finding: the extra $600 buys industrial design, brand voicing, and finish — real things, but not things that appear on a spec sheet. One stated difference: the Denon lists a 4–16Ω impedance rating; the Marantz publishes none in our data.
Specifications · side by side · per-field provenance● SOURCE-TRACKED
| Spec | Denon AVR-X3800H | Marantz Cinema 50 |
|---|
| Price | $1,399 | $2,000 |
| Brand | Denon | Marantz |
| Channel Config | 9.4 | 9.4 |
| Main Channels | 9 | 9 |
| Processing Channels | 11 | 11 |
| Sub Pre Outs | 4 | 4 |
| Height Channels | 4 | not stated |
| Watts Per Channel 8ohm | 105 | 110 |
| THD Percent | 0.08 | 0.08 |
| Power Measurement Channels Driven | two channels driven | two channels driven |
| Impedance Range | 4-16 Ω/ohms | not stated |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
| Dts X | Yes | Yes |
| Auro 3d | Yes | Yes |
| Imax Enhanced | Yes | Yes |
| Room Correction System | Audyssey MultEQ XT32 | Audyssey MultEQ XT32 |
| Measurement Mic Included | Yes | Yes |
| HDMI Inputs | 6 | 6 |
| HDMI Outputs | 3 | 3 |
| HDMI Version | 2.1 | not stated |
| HDMI Max Bandwidth Gbps | 40 | not stated |
| HDMI 21 Port Count | 6 | not stated |
| HDMI Earc Port Count | 1 | not stated |
| Max Passthrough Resolution | 8K 60 | not stated |
| HDR Support | HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dynamic HDR |
| VRR Passthrough | Yes | not stated |
| ALLM Support | Yes | Yes |
| Phono Input | Yes | Yes |
| Wifi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Airplay2 | Yes | Yes |
| Heos | Yes | Yes |
| Form Factor | full size | full size |
| Width Inches | 17.1 | 17.4 |
| Height Inches | 6.6 | 6.5 |
| Depth Inches | 14.9 | 15.5 |
| Weight Lbs | 16.8 | 24 |
| Power Consumption W | 660 | 680 |
| Zone2 Capable | not stated | Yes |
| Zone3 Capable | not stated | No |
| Ip Control | not stated | Yes |
| Streaming Services | not stated | Spotify Connect, TuneIn, Pandora, Deezer, Amazon Music HD |
| Trigger Outputs Count | not stated | 1 |
Shaded rows differ · green dot = lab-measured · amber = manufacturer-verified · blue = retailer/community-reported · grey = estimated · “not stated” means exactly that
Compatibility · computed, not written
Checked against a bookshelf that dips to a stated 3.7Ω like the KEF Q150: KEF Q150
Denon AVR-X3800H states a 4Ω-minimum rating; the KEF Q150 dips to a stated 3.7Ω minimum, a little below that floor. Most receivers handle a marginal dip at normal volumes — it's worth watching only at very high output on an entry-level unit.
Marantz Cinema 50 publishes no rated impedance range, so the pairing with the KEF Q150 (which dips to a stated 3.7Ω minimum) can't be verified from its spec sheet — we treat that as "can't check", not a pass.
Computed from the catalog's normalized fields — the same fields the builder's compatibility engine reads. A missing field reads as "can't check", never as a pass.
Check either one against your own build →The verdict
Buy the Denon AVR-X3800H unless you specifically want the Marantz look and voicing — on every normalized spec we track the two are near-identical, and the Denon is $601 cheaper as tracked.
Spec-per-dollarDenon AVR-X3800H — Identical platform specs at $1,399 vs $2,000.
Living-room aesthetics / brand preferenceMarantz Cinema 50 — The Marantz design language is the one thing the spec table can't capture — we won't pretend the data decides this.
What our normalized data addsNOT ON THE SPEC SHEETS
- A rare fully like-for-like power comparison: 105W vs 110W under the identical 8Ω/2ch/0.08% THD context — a 0.2 dB difference, i.e. nothing.
- Platform parity is verified field-by-field: both 9.4, 11 processing channels, 4 sub pre-outs, Audyssey MultEQ XT32.
- The Denon states a 4–16Ω impedance rating; the Marantz publishes none in our normalized data.
- The $600 tracked gap ($1,399 vs $2,000) buys nothing measurable in our spec fields — we say so instead of inventing a difference.
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