Home Theater Denon AVR X4000 / X 4000

The Denon AVR-X4000 blisters through a film soundtrack with remarkable clarity. The amplifier focuses on the midrange and treble to a great degree, giving the sound a crisp and rather sharp edge. While its a brisk, lively presentation, its not quite authoritative enough in the lower frequencies to deliver a fully engaging performance. Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix is as heavy on dialogue as it is on special effects, and the Denons focus works brilliantly to deliver expressive voices throughout the Blu-ray. That clear treble really does hold your attention. The Weasley twins magical fireworks fizz and spark and whistle across the Great Hall with plenty of impact. Surround effects are delivered with speed, if not with as much power and punch as some rivals, nor with the dynamic subtleties of, say, the Pioneer SC-LX57. Dynamically, the Denon sounds a little restricted in comparison. It might not dip and soar as elegantly as the Pioneer, but it does deliver silences rather well. The soundfield isnt the most expansive, though, and it needs more air at the top end too. The Denons performance keeps us at the edge of our seat but its a little too on edge at times. We think it could be better at rendering the different Audio