Denon AVR-S970H 8K Ultra HD 7.2 Channel (90Watt X 7) AV Receiver - Built for Gaming, Music Streaming, 3D Audio & Video, Alexa + HEOS, Black

Denon makes great audio equipment, and this Denon AVR-S570BT is no exception. After 12+ years of daily, faithful use, my Pioneer AV receiver bit the dust. I researched many quality "budget" AV receivers (to make the wife happy...lol), to replace the Pioneer receiver, and a lot of reviews and recommendations came up with the Denon AVR-S570BT. This Denon AV receiver is very intuitive, and easy to setup. It also has a LOT of features in this lower price range. This Denon AV receiver powers all 5 of the passive, original Pioneer Andrew Jones Design speakers (the subwoofer is self-powered) in my 5.1 surround system very well, and with great clarity. No, this Denon AV receiver won't blow the roof off the house, but it does get very loud, even with inefficient speakers, as the Pioneer speakers are, with an 84 db to 87 db sensitivity rating. However, the Pioneer speakers are 6 ohm, so that helps to increase this Denon AV receiver to 90 watts per channel, instead of 70 watts per channel at 8 ohms. This Denon AV receiver also seems to run a lot cooler than the Pioneer receiver it replaced, especially at higher volumes.This Denon AV receiver has just enough "bells and whistles" for my needs, as I really don't need 7.2 surround capability, Dolby Atmos, or WiFi features that come with the more expensive Denon AV receivers. Although, the included Bluetooth connection does come in handy, and it works very well with Samsung Galaxy Smart Phones. The automatic speaker calibration and setup is pretty accurate, but it also allows tweaking to individual sound tastes. There are probably features and modes of this Denon AV receiver that I will never use, but it's nice to know they are included just in case I need them.Overall, I highly recommend this Denon AVR-S570BT for anyone that is looking for a high-quality "budget" AV receiver. Just know that it does not have all of the newest features of some of the more expensive Denon (and other brand) AV receivers. However, this Denon AV receiver serves its purpose for me quite well, and then some. Only time will tell regarding durability and longevity. However, Denon does make quality AV receivers, and if I can get the 12 years out of this Denon AV receiver that I did out of my previous Pioneer AV receiver, I will be a very happy camper. So-far-so-good, though.

This review is for the Denon AVR-S770H. I was apprehensive about buying an AVR for my main TV. I've always used a soundbar and was happy with the results. I assumed that adding an AVR would make things finicky and complicated. I'm happy to say, that is not true. This Denon has been fabulous.My requirements for a home theater receiver were/are the following:1) Ease of use and NO additional remotes to our current set-up (family needs, I'm not a bachelor!)2) I need the ability to connect 2 zones: the TV room and I have a pair of outdoor speakers on the patioFirst, as to the remote situation, I use Directv and I use an Amazon Fire Stick 4k. My old set-up was super simple. I picked up the Directv remote and hit Power. That turned on the TV, the Directv box, and the soundbar (since it was connected to the TV ARC port). Simple. If I wanted to change over to the Fire Stick, I simply used the same Directv remote to change the input and then used the Fire Stick remote from there.I'm happy to say the Denon has made things even simpler. Not only does the Directv remote turn on/off the TV, Direct box, and the Denon receiver but now I don't even have to bother switching inputs. If I pick up the Fire Stick remote and hit the Home button, the Denon senses that and immediately switches over. Likewise, if I pick up the Directv remote and hit a button, the Denon will switch back over to Directv. So that is an actual improvement.By the way, in order to get the Directv remote to turn off the Denon, don't worry about trying to program the remote via the Directv menu (I tried all the codes and failed). Instead, go to the Denon setting menu. Choose Setup> Video> HDMI Setup. Change the "Power Off Control" to "Video" or "All". Now the Denon will turn on/off when the TV does (using the Directv remote).My second concern was operating a second set of speakers via Zone 2. That also works perfectly. Now when I step outside to sit on the patio, I simply hit the Zone 2 button on the front of the Denon. I can use my phone to play music via the Denon's built-in Bluetooth.Some users need to be aware: in order to operate Zone 2, the receiver needs to be switched from 7.2 channel to 5.1 + Zone 2. That's perfectly acceptable for me since my TV has only front L & R speakers and a subwoofer. So I'm not even using the full capabilities of the 5.1. If you need 7.2 and a second zone, you need to find a different AVR.In sum, I bought this Denon with some trepidation and thought maybe I'd have to return it. Instead, it does everything I want and then some. Of course, it sounds great too. I'm so glad I switched from the soundbar.