I’m looking at this list of receivers, and the specs are:
| Receiver | Price | Channels | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVR-X2800H | $1,146 | 7.2 | 95W | |
| AVR-X3800H | $1,689 | 9.4 | 105W |
Is the power divided among all channels? So 105 watts driving 9.4 speakers actually is going to deliver less power to each speaker than the 95 watts driving 7.2 speakers?
I have a 5.1 speaker system now.
Those look to be ‘per channel’ specs.
Also, 105 W is only 0.4 dB higher than 95 W. It’s doubtful you can hear a 0.4 dB difference in SPL at full volume, therefore I wouldn’t conclude the AVR-X3800H is “louder” or “better” than the AVR-X2800H based strictly on this. OTOH, the AVR-X3800H might have slightly better thermal management vs. the AVR-X2800H, which (all else being equal) might improve its reliability.
Those power output numbers are for two channels output into 8 ohm loads.
If you are driving more channels typically the power per channel drops, as it becomes limited by the power supply of the amp. These units still run conventional transformer power supplies and class AB power amps.
The AVR-X3800H specs show 215 W into 6 ohms with a single channel driven albeit with 10% distortion. That tells you a bit about the power amp and power supply design, even if it is an unrealistic scenario.
In a realistic home theatre the surround channels don’t need as much power as the mains. However the centre channel counts as a main.
You are more likely to run into thermal limitations if you were running the amp hard. These home theatre systems pack a lot into the box and managing the heat is always an issue. In some ways, you get a miraculous amount of technology in the box. But at the price point everything is built down to that price.
The difference in mass 21lb vs 27lb is going to reflect the slightly larger power supply of the AVR-X3800H. But you will likely find that other than the additional channels, the designs are based off the same basic modules. I would not be surprised to find that the amplifier modules were essentially identical. The main difference coming from slightly lower power rail voltages.
The X3800H seems to be on sale right now at Denon for about the same price as the X2800H, for what it’s worth.
Looking at the spec sheet , @Francis_Vaughan has it exactly right.
Crafter_Man is correct about the very negligible difference between the nominal outputs as far as final sound pressure level. Your speaker efficiency (usually stated as the SPL produced by a 1 watt input to the speaker) is much more of a factor. Efficient speakers may produce an SPL of 94 dB with 1 watt, while a less efficient speaker may produce only 86 dB using that same 1 watt of output.
Decades ago, high power outputs were necessary to achieve “desirable” volume levels, as well as the “punchiness” of well-recorded bass. (Got to move those woofers fast and hard!) In modern systems, most subwoofers are self-powered, so the receiver/amp has less work to do.
Yea, the X3800H is only $160 more than the X2800H. I would probably go with the former. Power difference is negligible, but (as mentioned previously) the thermal management design is probably better in the X3800H.
FYI, here’s a comparison of the output power for each:
