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At CEDIA 2022 Masimo Consumer Audio (formerly Sound United) took the wraps off of the new Denon AVR-A1H home theater receiver and the Marantz AV10 and AMP10 home theater separates. These new components both support up to 15.4 channels of operation and have been designed from the ground up to feature all sorts of advanced technologies and increased flexibility.

I got to spend a few days in Carlsbad California at Masimo Consumer Audio headquarters where we got to experience these components, among others, firsthand. So, as a bit of a “first course” please check out this video I shot with Gary Dayton from Marantz. Gary graciously gave me a pretty serious deep dive into the design and construction of the Marantz separates.

 

And while I wasn’t able to get a similar video on the Denon AVR-A1H, the Denon reps did present I and the 11 other journalists at this gathering with a similarly detailed presentation. The key takeaways are:

1) Functionally, the Denon AVR-AH1 and the Marantz separates have similar capabilities with the 15.4 output channels, directional bass control, processing modes, Audyssey and DIRAC capabilities, HEOS integration, video capabilities, fully upgraded GUI, etc.

2) The differences lie mainly in the amplifier design, amplifier features/flexibility, power output, sound tuning, aesthetics, etc.

Denon AVR-AH1 Front View.

Denon AVR-AH1 Front View.

Denon AVR-AH1 Back View.

Denon AVR-AH1 Back View.

Denon AVR-AH1 Exploded View.

Denon AVR-AH1 Exploded View.

Denon AVR-AH1 Transformer and Power Section View.

Denon AVR-AH1 Transformer and Power Section View.

Denon AVR-AH1 Transformer and Power Section View.

Denon AVR-AH1 Transformer and Power Section View.

Denon AVR-AH1 Amplifier Channel Cards.

Denon AVR-AH1 Amplifier Channel Cards.

Denon AVR-AH1 HDMI Board.

Denon AVR-AH1 HDMI Board.

Sample of revised Denon GUI.

Sample of revised Denon GUI.

Sample of revised Denon GUI.

Sample of revised Denon GUI.

The presentation left no doubt that both these Denon and Marantz components were truly meant for the AV enthusiast. One that cares for ultimate performance but doesn’t quite have the pocketbook for Trinnov, StormAudio, Datasat, and the like. And while the ultimate availability of DIRAC Active Room Treatment and Bass Control remains an open question on either of these components, we are nonetheless incredibly excited to get our mitts on this gear and put them though their paces! Exciting times are afoot!

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A native of Toronto Canada, Carlo's interest in audio began at a young age when, unbeknownst to his mother, he started taking apart her numerous transistor radios to see how they worked. This desire for “knowledge through deconstruction” continued through to the family’s 8-track tape player, turntable, headphones, and speakers. Carlo subsequently spent a lot of time in his room. Toronto was a fertile ground for Hi-Fi in the 1970s and 80s and Carlo spent much of his wayward youth hanging out in downtown Toronto stereo shops, listening to all manner of gear and picking the brains of the various store owners. Through that formative experience, Carlo developed an appreciation for good music and good sound reproduction. Also, as a budding graphic artist, the aesthetic aspects of a given piece of gear became increasingly of interest to his eyes. It was at about that time as well that Carlo began purchasing “Audio Magazine” on a regular basis and came to appreciate, in particular, the writing and reviewing of the late Leonard Feldman. Later on, he was also influenced by the writing and observations of the staff at Sound and Vision Canada, helmed at the time by Alan Loft. Carlo graduated from Sheridan College with a degree in Classical Animation and was subsequently employed by Walt Disney Consumer Products for 10 years as a Character Artist and Art Director. Having become disenchanted with Los Angeles, he then decided to strike out on his own. Carlo started his own company and has been freelancing artwork, from his home studio, primarily for the toy and publishing industries since 2001. In 2013, on a bit of a lark, Carlo answered a “Call for Writers” ad from an AV website that he had been regularly reading for about 5 years called Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity. He had come to appreciate the website’s combination of subjective impressions along with the objective bench-testing available in several of the reviews. The “B-Team” must have been working that day because by some miracle he was hired as a writer and his first review for the site was published early in 2014. Carlo has been continually writing, editing, traveling, listening, and learning on the company’s behalf ever since. Carlo currently lives in Granville, Ohio with his wife, two sons, and a very old, but chill dachshund.

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