Denon AVR-S960H Review – Worthy Contender

Denon AVR-S960H
Denon AVR-S960H Review

Product Name: Denon AVR-S960H

Overall
90
  • DESIGN - 90
  • FEATURES - 90
  • CONNECTIVITY - 88
  • SOUND QUALITY - 91
  • VALUE - 92

Summary

This is good value for money AV Receiver for starting level home theater setups.

Pros

  • Full 3D audio support and immersive surround sound using the latest technology
  • Superior movie experience with 8K/60Hz pass-through
  • Enjoyable gaming experience
  • Best support for the most advanced HDMI specifications
  • High compatibility with latest voice assistants
  • Multi-source, Multi-room sound processing
  • Hassle-free Bluetooth audio transmission
  • Easy setup using Quick Start Guide

Cons

  • It does not come with front wide channel support
  • Not compatible with IMAX

Denon AVR-S960H Review

When it comes to buying an AV receiver, you need to make an informed decision. Smart buyers assess build and design, sound quality, and other product features, along with the reputation of the manufacturer. What about Denon AVR-S960H? Is it worth buying? Let us explore what exactly this receiver offers for users. This Denon AVR-S960H review analyzes the features, pros, and cons of this product in detail.

Denon AVR-S960H

Denon AVR-S960H – An overview

With an unparalleled reputation that extends beyond a century, Denon offers superior quality AV receivers for its customers. According to the manufacturer, this model is the first 8K-ready AV receiver in the AVR lineup. It is a performance-tuned receiver that can be used to upgrade your home theatre. Supporting the most advanced 3D formats, including DTS Virtual: X, DTS: X, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization Technology, and Dolby Atmos. You can also find this device compatible with refined video technologies like HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HLG.

The built-in HEOS allows you to stream popular music services wirelessly. AVR S960H also works perfectly with popular voice services. You don’t need to worry about voice control. The setup process is also easy and simple. Equipped with Audyssey’s premium room calibration technology, this AV receiver measures and optimizes automatically to deliver an enjoyable audio experience.

Denon AVR-S960H build and design

The design doesn’t look bad at all. On the contrary, this product comes with an elegant and appealing design. With a product dimension of 13 x 17.1 x 6.6 inches, Denon AVR-S960H weighs 21 pounds. The sturdy build makes this AV receiver highly durable.

Though the remote is large, you can find clearly designed and marked buttons. There is also an eco-button available on the remote. You can see the buttons on the front clearly and operate them with effortless ease when you are not using the remote. Overall, this mid-level receiver comes with a neat and organized design. The design and construction easily meet the best standards in the industry.

Denon AVR-S960H Features

Highly functional, discrete 7-Channel Amplifier

Featuring distinct and highly functional power amplifiers on all channels, this AV receiver provides 90W per channel. You can expect excellent performance from this device. It comes with reduced impedance driver capability and compatible with a broad variety of speakers. Depending on the on-screen eco meter and volume level, the Auto Eco Mode feature balances the power output to speakers, which in turn guarantees appreciable energy efficiency.

8K-ready AV receiver for a perfect 4K home theater

The Denon AVR-S960H model offers the best movie experience with an 8K/60Hz pass-through. Providing support for the most advanced HDMI specifications, this receiver lives up to the expectations of the users. It is compatible with all modern 3D audio formats to offer a stunning movie watching experience. With this 8K-ready AV receiver, you can create a wonderful 4K home theater.

Unparalleled picture quality

What makes picture quality highly superior? Three factors play the most important role in making images exceptional, namely contrast, clarity, and color. Various features including BT.2020 pass-through support, 3D, dynamic HDR, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby vision, and 4:4:4 Pure Color sub-sampling blend harmoniously to take the picture quality to unprecedented heights.

Best support 3D audio formats

You can enjoy copy-protected content without any interruption. HDCP 2.3 and 8K upscaling are available on all HDMI ports. It also embraces Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) to offer the best support for 3D audio formats from your smart TV apps.

You can expect outstanding audio accuracy with audio tracks of high resolution. Equipped with AKM 32-bit D/A converters, this AV receiver performs audio decoding up to 192 kHz/24bit with numerous lossless file types such as WAV, FLAC, and ALAC. It also shows admirable compatibility with 2.8/5.6-MHz DSD files. The bottom line is that the AVR-S960H offers an inimitable listening experience for the user.

Outstanding gaming experience

With VRR technology and 4K/120Hz pass-through feature, the Denon AVR-S960H also makes gaming experience enjoyable and entertaining. Further, this AV receiver supports Auto Low Latency Mode, and Quick Frame Support (QFT) to ensure minimal frame tearing and lagging. You can enjoy a log-free and polished movie and gaming experience when you use this AV receiver.

Works perfectly with popular voice assistants

No matter where you are using Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri, or Josh.AI, Denon AVR-S960H works perfectly with all these virtual assistants. It guarantees easy voice control and complete flexibility. You can even switch between different voice services.

Seamless Bluetooth audio transmission

Audio transmission from the receiver to your Bluetooth headphones can be done with effortless ease. No need to disturb anyone at home. You can also play the audio on Bluetooth, as well as connected speakers, at the same time. This feature is highly beneficial for hearing impaired people.

Built-In Bluetooth and HEOS Compatibility

The Denon AVR-S960H comes with a dual-antenna transceiver system. It allows you to enjoy powerful and uninterrupted Bluetooth and dual-band Wi-Fi streaming. You don’t need to worry about the environment. It works perfectly even in overcrowded or noisy urban environments. Using your smart devices, you can listen to your preferred audio content wirelessly.

HEOS Built-in technology offers you a lot of freedom and flexibility. No matter whether you are interested in playing the same song in every room or a different song in different rooms, you can do it with ease and comfort. HEOS supports all popular voice services including, SiriusXM, Amazon Music HD, SoundCloud, Pandora, and Spotify, and more. AirPlay 2 lets you enjoy all your favorite songs from Apple Music.

Roon-Tested and Hi-Res Playback

If you want to make the most of your music library, you can use this AV receiver model. Being a Roon Tested and certified device, it provides searchable information about various artists and songs. That is to say, you can take maximum advantage of the music library using the refined Roon music interface on the smart devices.

You can discover Denon Roon Tested AVRs easily. With the help of Roon via AirPlay 2, you can install it into a Roon Core device. It can also be hardwired with minimal fuss. Equipped with a front-panel USB port, this receiver provides a trouble-free audio playback of high-resolution audio formats.

Easy setup or installation

You don’t need to bother about the setup process when you buy the Denon AVR-S960H. The Quick Start Guide makes everything amazingly easy. It puts forward easy, clear, and simple instructions to make the setup process effortless. When you connect your TV to this AV receiver using HDMI, you can find the Denon Setup Assistant on your TV screen. Step-by-step instructions are provided to make the installation task extremely simple.

Denon AVR-S960H Sound quality or performance

This AV receiver stands taller in terms of sound quality compared to many other products available on the market. You can expect exceptional sound quality from music, as well as movies. It offers a multi-source, multi-room sound system for the users.

How does this device create a balanced sound? The latest 3D immersive audio codecs make the sound quality highly superior. Two unique features, namely reduced impedance driver capability and 7 channels of amplification make a high-quality and balanced sound. This device powers a 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos or DTS: X system to deliver a three-dimensional listening experience.

At 90 watts per channel into 8 ohms, the Denon AVR-S960H pairs harmoniously with floor-standing and bookshelf speakers. This AV receiver worked perfectly with Klipsch Reference and Polk Audio Signature home theater systems. Equipped with an enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC) feature, the Denon AVR-S960H provides object-specific and uncompressed audio from the TV to the receiver. In other words, the eARC function passes full-resolution sound from your TV to the receiver using a single HDMI cable.

The Audyssey speaker calibration and system optimization offer several benefits to enhance the sound quality and listening experience. When you hear loud music, the Dynamic Volume feature foresees loud sounds to maintain even volume levels. The Dynamic EQ function enhances surround channel levels, bass response, and dialogue at lower volumes. With the auto setup and room calibration, you can expect a balanced, clear, and dynamic sound with improved surround performance.

All these features eliminate sound distortion and produce a loud, dynamic, and balanced sound. When you listen to different genres or types of music, the sound output stays perfectly stable. You can even watch the most demanding movie scenes without worrying about any sound issues. Measuring and optimizing sound automatically, AVR-S960H delivers an amazing audio experience.

Verdict

Pros

  • Full 3D audio support and immersive surround sound using the latest technology
  • Superior movie experience with 8K/60Hz pass-through
  • Enjoyable gaming experience
  • Best support for the most advanced HDMI specifications
  • High compatibility with latest voice assistants
  • Multi-source, Multi-room sound processing
  • Hassle-free Bluetooth audio transmission
  • Easy setup using Quick Start Guide

Cons

  • It does not come with front wide channel support
  • Not compatible with IMAX

Final Words

In conclusion, the Denon AVR-S960H is a high-power amplifier that fulfills the most demanding entertainment requirements using the most advanced technology available. This mid-range product is certainly worth buying. With all the up-converting and immersive codecs, this receiver lives up to the expectations of users. You can also check Denon AVR-S950H, which may see some price reduction, or you can check out Denon AVR-X2700H, which costs little more but belong to a premium series. The 8k video upscaling and 3D audio experience, along with many other features, and benefits make this product one of the most sought-after AV receivers in the market today.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING:

Vivek Sehgal

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