Denon AVR-S960H 8K Ultra HD 7.2 Channel (90 Watt X 7) AV Receiver 2020 Model - Built for Gaming, Music Streaming - Black

I've had the S960H for a few weeks now and I love it. I bought it to replace my defective Onkyo TX-NR636 which has a bad DTS chip and rendered it useless.... I even tried re-floating the chip. I have a 5.1.2 setup with Polk TSI 400s, 100s, CS10, klipsch R41-SA Dolby Atmos speakers, Polk subwoofer. Initial setup was super easy, the included mic got most of the parameters right except for some of the speaker sizes and frequency cut offs, which I adjusted myself. Once setup, everything auto identified itself when I hooked it up via HDMI. Once up and running, everything sounded okay... I downloaded the AVR remote app and was able to adjust each speakers sound parameters and everything then sounded great. When it gets loud everything is super clear and the best part is the low distortion at very low volumes. The amp is super clear and there is a noticeable difference between my not so old, yet broke, Onkyo. On screen setup layout is a bit outdated looking but it gets the job done and is mostly straight forward. Download the app.... way easier to adjust settings. HEOS is great too... I use Spotify and it detects it from the app, sound is super clear. Bluetooth is surprisingly clear. I Know it boasts the new Bluetooth technology but I wasn't expecting it to sound that great. Build quality is great. I really like how they have a heat sink on the chips that tend to get hot. The lack there of was the reason the Onkyo died. Also there isn't any noticeable smell when it gets warm where as my Onkyo always made my room smell (probably the overheating DTS chip). Amp is powerful enough for me. I live in a small house right now in Hawaii (military... we move a lot) and it enough for that room and a mid sized room. The sound will overpower my room and has more power to go above that, so I know when I move back to the mainland, this will still work. I really like that when I turn it down it's still clear with subtle surround sound. Great for late night when others are sleeping. Old Onkyo was a no go for that.... it was low and not clear or loud and mostly clear. I haven't used the 8k properties yet but I am loving the variable rate motion as my tv is also capable and use it for gaming. Also the HDMI e arc works great. Originally I wanted to purchase the command series but shortly realized that with 9.2 /11.2 I was taking things a little far for moving so much. I am glad I refrained (for now) and bought this amp. It's super clear and powerful with all the latest technology without having to break the bank.

I read another guys review on this AVR which tipped the scales for me and soooooo glad I bought this AVR. I replaced my older Denon AVR of 15 years service as I massaged my HT into a 7.2 system with a new 60 inch Vizio TV and replaced the old Paradigm subs with 2 awesome Sony subs. This AVR rocks for my 7.2 HT set up. It took no time to hook up with HDMI cables into DirectTV box and Vizio TV, and Paradigm speakers from old Denon plugged right into new Denon AVR. Follow the setup wizard and use the microphone it came with to setup/calibrate your speakers to the room - took about 30 minutes or so to do all that. Then go find your fav action movie, find one with modern Dolby Atmos or DD/Surround sound less than 5 years old (5.1 or better 7.1 sound) and you'll be amazed at how good it all sounds whn you connect, calibrate and set up correctly. Got the AVR, TV and DirecTV box all turning on and off and channel/volume changing with the DirecTV remote only so my wife loves that. Love the WiFi and Bluetooth possibilities and listen to music off my iPhone paired to AVR. Since Covid has forced many of us into our homes this winter and less going out, I figured I'll use Covid to upgrade my home life while smarter people get Covid vaccine and all figured out. This has 4K and 8K capability but since hardly anything is broadcast in 4K and nothing in 8K, I'm good for the future when 4K and 8K become more broadcast and available. I highly recommend this Denon S960 AVR and couldn't be happier with it. It is the brainchild command center of my 7.2 HT setup.

This is my 3rd Denon home theater receiver , and I have been happy with every single one , and this is no exception . The only 2 things that I am not happy about is , 1-There are 2 sub woofer (LFE) outputs , but you can only control it as if it was only one , you can not use the room correction on each sub it just sees it as one sub as if you used a RCA "Y" adapter !!! Even the set up wizard only shows it as 1 sub not 2 . And this is really a big issue !!!! 2- The last receiver I had was 105 watts per channel , and this one is rated at 90 watts per channel , but its more like 50 watts per channel so you will have to go into the set up screen and set every input volume to +12 db , and go into options and raise up the speaker channels up to +6-8 db and then it will sound great . That being said the sound is just great , the build quality is terrific , and it for the money you can not be beat at this price !!! I have it in my home theater with a brand new Samsung 8 series TV , a Sony X-800 MK2 Blu-Ray Player , 2 Paradigm powered sub woofers and Sonus Faber speakers , in a 5.2.2 Dolby Atmos configuration and it continues to blow me away every time I watch a movie . Just wish it was a true dual sub woofer output and that it was a option in the Audysse set up !!!!

I originally owned a Denon AVR-E300 which worked flawlessly and sounded great for many years, but it only had 1080p HDMI inputs. I needed 4k HDMI inputs so I purchased a Denon AVR-S950H. As fate would have it, the AVR-S950H had major video compatibility issues with my peripheral equipment. With the AVR-S950H hooked up to my Xfinity Box, the television would randomly flicker at times, or randomly go to a black screen, or lock up in a screen full of grey static and remain there until I either restarted the receiver, or unplugged then replugged the HDMI cable from the television. I also ran an Apple Mac Mini with a 4k HDMI output into it, but the receiver would only output the Mac into the television at 1080p. I tried everything I could to attempt to fix these problems, but nothing worked. I even ran the built-in HDMI analyzer, and everything including the cables passed. The receiver also ran VERY hot, even when it wasn't pushed hard, and even when the "ECO" mode was on. I sadly returned the AVR-S950H after having high hopes of enjoying the features, and got a refund. I was rather disappointed, after owning the AVR-E300 for so many years without a hitch. A couple of days later, Best Buy posted on their website that they had received a shipment of Denon AVR-S960H receivers in and they were selling them online. I pulled the trigger after reading the reviews and specs and ordered one. The video specs appeared to be MUCH more robust than the previous model, plus with 8k capabilities it is future-proof. I made a good decision. After hooking everything up and doing all the setup procedures, I can say that the AVR-S960H has worked FLAWLESSLY, and all the issues I had with the AVR-S950H are gone. The new one also runs at least 50% cooler. I am completely satisfied with the Denon AVR-S960H. The sound quality is phenomenal, the video is tack-sharp with zero glitches, and the plethora of features are great. It is a superior receiver, especially for the price. My suggestion to you is, buy the Denon AVR-S960H (2020) instead of the Denon AVR-S950H (2019) for the extra $30. It's worth it, IMHO. It gets my 5-star rating... EASILY. You'll thank me later.

This is a good AVR for most things. Mine does not get hot like some reports, and it sounds great with my 5.1.2 setup. Sometimes i have to cycle inputs to get it to display, but that seems like an issue with any AV equipment. However, there's a caveat that has been discovered a few months ago and doesn't seem to have a current solution. Apparently, the new nvidia 3000 series and xbox series x 4k120hz functionality through the receiver is broken due to a faulty chip. Denon, Marantz, and other companies who have 8k/4k120 receivers will probably have to replace everyone's AVR when there's a solution available, which may be several more months as of December 2020. Reports are that the xbox series x and nvidia 3000 series graphics cards are affected, and can't display 4k120 through this AVR, which is the entire reason I bought it with my CX OLED tv. Yes, you can pass the video through the TV, but that defeats some of the purpose of having an AV receiver. Hopefully the solution is coming very soon. I can't yet recommend upgrading to a new receiver until this is rectified.

A replacement for a Denon AVR-2313 setup was extremely easy and quick. Works great with plenty of function! The documentation is extremely sparse, covered setup, but it took me a while to figure out how to access the additional music sources. No good description about Heos and how that is the source for all the supported music services. I finally found it in an online search. Able to easily access a variety of music sources from my porch using the mobile app. I find that the mobile app is sometimes inconsistent in its reliability and I have to spend time restarting. Sound is great!

I'm not an "audiophile". I appreciate good sound but also keep things within a practical limit. Coming from a low cost soundbar, this is a major upgrade. It's been flawless from a sound perspective. It's easy to set up and use. I checked the online manual just in case there was anything I couldn't find in the UI but it isn't necessary. For ease of use, this is a great receiver. I purchased it because I wanted something that hopefully is future proof for years to come. I don't need 8k now but the support of VRR and other features that will be part of the next gaming console generation was important to have. Paired with nice speakers I can now hear dialogue in movies again. It's a great receiver. Maybe overpriced but I purchased it on sale, which helped. Cons/Issues: Occasional on-screen graphics corruption. Sometimes it glitches when switching inputs and will refuse to select the proper input without a restart. That's only happened a couple times though and hasn't been an issue in the past week. One other issue was with the Audyssey setup. The first time was flawless. I tried running again to see if I got the same results and it started giving an error 1/2 way through saying missing speaker or microphone (neither was true). It wasn't a big deal because I'd already setup the system but I'm concerned about what happens when I add more speakers.

It’s a great receiver with a lot of potential but it’s so new I’m thinking the software needs some work because it sometimes won’t switch to the proper source and you have to go through and manually select what you want or have to restart the receiver to get it to switch.