Denon is in all probability the very first title that comes to head when you imagine of AV receivers, and with superior motive. The manufacturer has been pumping out exceptional models with terrific seem top quality for a long time. Its competitors are slowing their receiver release schedules — Sony hasn’t created a new product due to the fact 2017, and Onkyo won’t have a follow-up to its 2019 goods till mid-2021 — but not Denon. The AVR-S960H is a new clean that provides up-to-date characteristics, including HDMI two.one connectivity with eARC and 8K video compatibility, though protecting the performance Denon is recognised for.

Like

  • Balanced seem with new music and flicks
  • Up-to-date characteristic established and connections

Never Like

  • Style is obtaining quite extended in the tooth.
  • Yamaha RX-V6A delivers much more for less.
  • No Chromecast

While Yamaha seemingly went back to the drawing board for its futuristic RX-V6A, the Denon AVR-S960’s updates are much more incremental. Evaluating the two receivers head-to-head, the Denon sounded smoother and however it also lacked some of the dynamic heft. I found myself achieving for the Yamaha distant much more often than the Denon, and it was as a great deal for the sleek new design as for the seem top quality. General the Yamaha is simply just much more pleasurable, and that, additionally its decrease price, make it a much better option all round. 

With their new releases, Denon and Yamaha have proven they are focused to the classification, and both equally of the goods I’ve analyzed have been pretty sturdy. If you never care for the Yamaha’s whizz-bangery and ahead seem, the Denon AVR-S960H is a strong option.

What is actually in the big black box?

The Denon AVR-S960H seems to be quite a great deal the similar as just about every other receiver: black coloration plan, LED show, selection/volume knobs and a handful of shortcut buttons for the most-utilized inputs. It truly is fantastic, but it pales in comparison to the sleek futurism of the Yamaha RX-V6A.

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Ty Pendlebury/CNET

The Denon is a Dolby Atmos receiver whose primary upgrade is the 8K-completely ready, HDMI two.one specification. Presented that mainstream 8K TVs are continue to a handful of a long time off, the receiver also provides a bunch of things which is really valuable now. The very first is eARC, which is the capacity to transmit significant-top quality audio streams (Atmos in unique) from your Television to the receiver. The other HDMI two.one characteristics of take note are the gaming-linked Variable Refresh Level (to minimize body tearing) and Vehicle Low Latency Mode, both equally valuable for players who want to get the most out of the PS5 and Xbox Collection X

The receiver has 6 HDMI inputs (such as a single with 8K capacity) and two outputs (a single with eARC). The Denon is equipped to decode Dolby Atmos and DTS:X in addition to upscaling technologies like Dolby Atmos Top Virtualization Technologies and DTS Digital:X. On the movie aspect it also supports Dolby Vision and HDR Plus movie codecs.

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Ty Pendlebury/CNET

7 channels of amplification are on tap. The formal ranking is ninety watts for every channel (stereo, 20Hz-20KHz) which can make it somewhat less potent than the Yamaha RX-V6A (one hundred watts for every channel) while the variance is indistinguishable in authentic conditions. Doubling the electric power will only get you an extra 3db of volume, which is barely noticeable. The receiver delivers the firm’s own HEOS multiroom process (but no Chromecast designed-in) and a 32-bit AKM DAC. There’s also AirPlay two, Spotify Join and Bluetooth streaming and the receiver can be voice-controlled with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Josh.ai and Apple Siri.

The distant control is much more or less similar to the a single Marantz and Denon have utilized for a long time. It truly is a jolly minimal clicker with straightforward-to-study buttons and useful shortcuts to all of your inputs at the major.

What does it seem like?

Denon and its stablemate Marantz have a “household seem” when it comes to receivers, which tends to be much more relaxed than the Yamahas and Pioneers of the world. While this typically signifies they carry out much better with new music, I found the Yamaha RX-V6A was much more commonly equipped to get the pulse racing devoid of tipping into harshness. In comparison the Denon available a workmanlike tactic to whatsoever I was listening to — it didn’t gloss above some particulars or hoopla others. It simply just offered me with my new music or movie, which would make it a terrific match for brighter speakers. 

I commenced with the relatively laid-back He Lays In the Reins from Iron and Wine and Calexico. The Denon available a pleasingly balanced seem, but with the Yamaha I was equipped to decide up on much more hidden particulars in the tune this sort of as the percussive, clicking tongue noises in the course of the bridge. With the much more challenging, tambourine-focused You Acquired Yr Cherry Bomb, the Yamaha once more sounded fuller than the Denon, but the Denon arranged the areas in a much more sensible purchase — reining in the thrashiness of the tambourine and firming down the bass to established my toes tapping.

It was with flicks that the Denon’s knack for placing a scene seriously came to the fore. Observing Avatar, It offered the jungles of Pandora with a good deal of spaciousness — just about every bug and breath of wind brought the dense environment alive. The footfalls of the monstrous fauna were felt instead than listened to, and the bark of Jake’s gun reverberated about the listening room. The Yamaha was not as keen with the particulars, favoring a much more bass-weighty blend but it was just as (justification the pun) impactful. It truly is tougher to individual these two models on flicks by yourself, as both equally did a sterling job. 

Ought to you obtain it?

Yamaha went for a thing new, leaving Denon as the reliable solution. Pretty minimal has adjusted from earlier a long time, but as the saying goes “if it ain’t broke, never fix it.” The Denon delivers gutsy property theater seem, delicate musicality and chunky, big receiver electricity. 

In the conclusion, even so, which is not adequate. The Yamaha is not only cheaper than the Denon, but it delivers much better specification — much more electric power and much more HDMI inputs — and sounded much more pleasant as a full. If you never have HEOS multiroom or have some other motive to obtain Denon, the Yamaha is a much better bet for a present day 8K receiver.