The Denon AVR-X3800H. Masimo leans on flexible 8K home cinema

The Denon AVR-X3800H squats in the TV rack with its large volume knob, softly glowing display and a forest of speaker cables fanning out behind it. One press on the metal power button and the room shifts from quiet to concert hall, courtesy of nine power amps and Dolby Atmos.

Flexible 9.4-channel 8K receiver

Masimo bought Sound United, including Denon, to deepen its consumer audio footprint, and the AVR-X3800H is one of the midrange AV receivers carrying that strategy into living rooms worldwide. On Denon’s own product page, the AVR-X3800H is clearly positioned as a 9.4-channel 8K device with HEOS multiroom streaming.

Under the hood, the AVR-X3800H offers nine amplified channels with up to four independent subwoofer outputs, allowing 5.4.4 or 7.4.2 Atmos layouts without external amps. Eight HDMI inputs, of which three support 8K/60 and 4K/120, aim squarely at both film fans and console gamers who own current PlayStation or Xbox hardware.

Room correction and streaming comfort

In conversation, Denon brand director Jake Mendel said recently that midrange receivers like the X3800H “have to be both easy enough for a Saturday setup and deep enough for enthusiasts who obsess over room curves”. He pointed to the integration of Audyssey MultEQ XT32 and optional Dirac Live as evidence.

The AVR-X3800H ships with Audyssey room calibration via the included microphone, guiding users through pink-noise sweeps on the TV screen to balance levels and correct timing. For those wanting more control, a paid Dirac Live license unlocks advanced filtering, something specialist reviewers at sites such as Audioholics have highlighted as a major differentiator in this price band.

Formats, power and connectivity

On the format side, the X3800H decodes Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, IMAX Enhanced and Auro-3D, covering nearly all modern immersive audio formats used on Blu-ray and streaming platforms. That breadth makes the black box attractive for buyers who don’t want to worry about future content compatibility.

Denon specifies 105 watts per channel into 8 ohms with two channels driven, a typical rating for this class. In practice, tests by specialist magazine AVForums measured sufficient current delivery to handle common 5.1.4 setups at realistic living room levels, though not at the brutal volumes needed to fill a large, dedicated cinema room.

HEOS, voice and gaming

Masimo keeps Denon within its HEOS ecosystem, and the AVR-X3800H functions as a HEOS streaming endpoint for services like Spotify, Tidal and Amazon Music without extra boxes. Smartphone control is concentrated in the Denon AVR Remote and HEOS apps, which received solid marks for usability in several recent user reviews.

Gamers benefit from ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and QFT support on the HDMI 2.1 inputs, allowing smoother 4K/120 play on compatible consoles and PCs. Tech sites focused on console performance, such as Rtings, have confirmed the receiver’s ability to pass 4K/120 HDR from current-generation machines without handshake issues in their test setups.

Masimo’s audio strategy and stock

For Masimo, which still earns most of its revenue from medical monitoring devices and hospital software, the Denon AVR-X3800H illustrates the ambition to maintain a serious presence in enthusiast audio hardware alongside brands like Marantz and Polk. Portfolio breadth matters when negotiating shelf space with retailers and mind share with home cinema installers.

The Masimo Corp. (Sound United) share (ISIN US5747951003) trades on Nasdaq in US dollars; AV receivers such as the Denon AVR-X3800H form part of the company’s consumer audio segment that investors watch as a diversification factor.