Denon AVR-X1600H - bluetooth headphone volume

[Gorlash]

We just purchased this receiver, and mostly are quite happy with it... but there is one very disappointing aspect to this; although it is extremely easy to get bluetooth headphones to pair with the receiver, there seems to be a maximum volume with bluetooth, which is frankly quite inadequate!! In all cases here, we are using the headphones' volume control to set volume.

We initially tried to use her existing bluetooth headphones, including Anker Soundcore Life Q20+, but were simply not satisfied at all.
So after researching online, we got a set of Marshall Major IV headphones, which were recommended on a couple of sites as having super high volume, but frankly, they sound exactly the same at max settings as the other headphones do....

however ... if she plugs in the Marshall headphones as wired headphones, the volume is superb!!
So what options do we have here, other than abandoning bluetooth entirely?? I've read several online discussions about this issue with bluetooth and Denon receivers, but would like to get some inputs from folks here??

And on a related topic, if we switch to wifi headphones, will we still have the same issue??

 

[Gorlash]

Here's some more recent data... we connected the Marshall headphones to milady's Galaxy Tab A tablet, and they have a devastating max volume, and full volume-control capability...

So clearly this volume limitation is a function of the Denon receiver...
I called Denon support, and they basically just said "sorry, can't help you with that"...

So what other options do we have??

1. We are still within the return period for this receiver, so if there is some other brand which handles bluetooth output more effectively, we can consider that.

Does anyone have any recommendations for such a receiver?

2. Is there anything available, along the line of a bluetooth repeater or amplifier, which could act as an intermediate receiver, to amplify the weak bluetooth signal from the Denon and connect to our headphones?

3. We also are looking into wifi headphones, will those provide any advantage over the bluetooth connection on this receiver?

 

[dante01]

You'd be ill advised to override any volume limitation applied to headphones. THe limitations are imposed to project your hearing. Whether you like this or not, you will damage your hearing if you play audio at louder levels than the limiy imposed by many if not most manufacturers.

 

[Gorlash]

You'd be ill advised to override ant volume limitation applied to headphones. THe limitations are imposed to project your hearing. Whether you like this or not, you will damage your hearing if you play audio at louder levels than the limiy imposed by many if not most manufacturers.

Well... however, that is rather irrelevant to the current topic... if I plug the headphones into the receiver with a cable, we have full volume control, so the receiver is not actually trying to limit volume... it is only bluetooth that is truncating volume to a level that makes it essentially useless.

And btw, when we use the same headphones to either of our mobile phones, they are capable of playing audio at much more satisfactory volumes, with no punitive limitations...

So no, this is not a 'safe hearing' issue, it is a 'Denon bluetooth crippled volume' issue...

 

[dante01]

You are not accessing audio via the headphone jack, you are streaming it to the headphones via Bluetooth. THe ability to stream audio to the headphones or Bluetooth speakers has nothing at all to do with the AV receiver's headphone jack.

The volume or rlevel of the audio cannot be adjusted by the AV receiver if and when using the AV receiver's Bluetooth transmitter and it would be the headphones, their amplification and volume control that determine the volume level:

Bluetooth device volume adjustment while connected to Denon AVR's Bluetooth Transmitter feature

support.denon.com

 

[Gorlash]

You are not accessing audio via the headphone jack, you are streaming it to the headphones via Bluetooth. THe ability to stream audio to the headphones or Bluetooth speakers has nothing at all to do with the AV receiver's headphone jack.

The volume or rlevel of the audio cannot be adjusted by the AV receiver if and when using the AV receiver's Bluetooth transmitter and it would be the headphones, their amplification and volume control that determine the volume level:

Bluetooth device volume adjustment while connected to Denon AVR's Bluetooth Transmitter feature

support.denon.com

Yep, I understand all of that... doesn't change the fact that the volume level that is output by Denon bluetooth is inadequate for usability, unlike all other bluetooth devices that we have used... there's no way to be confused about this... the Denon is the only device that does not permit us to get adequate volume from music via bluetooth... it's just not usable... there's no point in blaming the headphones, they are fantastic on bluetooth with either of our mobile phones, with my wife's laptop, with my desktop... only the Denon is inadequate...

 

[dante01]

A don't own a Denon AVR so cannot comment of their Bluetooth performance. Not too sure what to suggest apart from complaining to Denon and or attempting to return the unit to the retailer who sold you it? The latter may not be an option if you've had this AVR in your possession for some time?

The only thing I can think of is to try use an external Bluetooth transmitter hooked up the the AV receiver's headphone jack.

 

[Gorlash]

A don't own a Denon AVR so cannot comment of their Bluetooth performance. Not too sure what to suggest apart from complaining to Denon and or attempting to return the unit to the retailer who sold you it? The latter may not be an option if you've had this AVR in your possession for some time?

The only thing I can think of is to try use an external Bluetooth transmitter hooked up the the AV receiver's headphone jack.

Well, we briefly considered returning the unit over this, but then we considered the other facts:

1. Other than this one issue, we love this receiver!! Compared to our old receiver, this is soooo easy to use; even though we were initially a little confused by all the changes, the reality is that it is very intuitive to configure; no menu trees go down more than about two levels, and there are only about three menu trees to deal with... once we learned what those three menus were, everything is heavenly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Milady's current view about returning it, is "over my dead body!!"
2. I've tried to do some research on other AV receiver options, but frankly there is nothing that is obviously superior (especially in the under-$1000 range of this device)... and frankly, when I try to specifically find out if any other receiver will provide a more satisfactory bluetooth experience, it's not at all obvious that anything else would make us any happier!! ... which, of course, brings us back to item 1 !!
3a. I was trying to find some kind of "bluetooth repeater", which would lock to the signal from the AVR (as a receiver), and would re-broadcast the signal as a bluetooth TX, but providing the volume-control capabilities that all other bluetooth music sources provide... but so far, it is not obvious that any such solution exists...
3b. in the meantime, she got a wifi headphone set (Artiste brand), and they work fantastic !!!!!!!! The AVR audio controls work fine, the headphones sound magnificent!! The only issue is that she has to go to the receiver and unplug the headphones, to switch back to speakers, but after a day or two of doing that, she's accustomed to it, and is happy...

So basically, we've accepted that the Bluetooth interface on this receiver is just not usable, and are working around it. We can live with that!!

but in the meantime, if anyone knows about a bluetooth-repeater option that is workable, we would love to know about it!!