Pure audio with an entry-level AV amplifier!? "X1700H" designed by Denon Yamauchi

New from Denon. Not only does it support Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, but it also perfectly supports 4K/8K video and the new functions of HDMI 2.1, but at 77,000 yen, it's not that expensive. However, so far, it's just a story that "a middle-class AV amp with good cost performance has appeared," and frankly it doesn't have that much of an impact. However, the AVR-X1700H has a super attention point that is known to those in the know. That is the aspect of "the first AV amplifier that sound master Shinichi Yamauchi was deeply involved in from the early stages of development."

Mr. Yamauchi is already familiar to AV Watch readers. In 2015, he became Denon's sound master, the gatekeeper of sound. With a new sound philosophy of "Vivid & Spacious", while inheriting the traditional Denon sound, it develops models that sometimes break out of its shell.

We worked on the new era "New Era" series such as the 2500NE, 1600NE, and 600NE series, and announced the next generation flagship "SX1 LIMITED" series as the culmination and ultimate form. It has become a hot topic in the audio world with its mind-boggling sound quality. Since then, various models have been released to the world, such as the 110th anniversary model, the “DHT-S216” that has pure audio sound even though it is a sound bar, and recently also worked on completely wireless earphones.

Of course, from the time I took office to the present, Denon has introduced a number of new AV amps. Mr. Yamauchi checked the sound, tuned it, and stamped it on the market. However, the AVR-X1700H this time is a little different from them. From the very early stages of development, Mr. Yamauchi was very involved. ...... That's why.

This makes me wonder what kind of sound the AV amp is making. So I went to listen to it. From the conclusion, there was an amplifier there that made me think, "Well, isn't this a middle-class 2ch amplifier anymore?" "No, I went to listen to an AV amplifier, what are you saying?"