Customer Ratings & Reviews

May 2021 - Tampa Bay, Florida. An excellent Denon audio video receiver in every aspect. The video quality upscaling actually works on this one.

Sounds great the tuner has great reception for am fm radio sounds live

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.

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.

My older receiver died and I finally needed a new one. I had a Best Buy Consultant come to my home to show me some options. He recommended the Dennon AVR S960S 7.2 8K Ultra HD Receiver. I also burchased a new subwoofer to go along with it. Once the Geek Squad Techs hooked everything up, it sounded FANTASTIC! This unit automatically turns on when I turn on the TV which is a Samsung 65" 4K Ultra HD TV. This unit is really easy to use. I am not saying this so someone will buy the receiver. I am saying this because I am mostly blind and after memorizing the controls I was in business. I am using this receiver in a 5.2 configuration with subwoofer. This is the best receiver I have ever owned. It hocks up to my blutooth on my iphone to play my iTunes music, or my FM station apps on my iphone. The two antennas that come with the receiver aren't the best but, let's face it, the newer receivers work better with smartphone station apps and sound better. I do enjoy listening to action movies so watching a movie through either my blu-ray player or on one of my internet streaming apps sounds great. My new subwoofer makes the entire system shake, rattle, and roll!

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.

Great receiver. Very simple setup that walks you through every step. Works well with Xbox series X at 120hz if you select 8k enhanced in the video setup menu. By default it is 4k enhanced. It will require 8k ultra high speed HDMI cables. I came to Denon from Onkyo and the sound difference is amazing. Love the streaming options on this model. There aren't many units out right now that will handle 120hz HDMI signals without some sort of an update, or bug work around. This one does it well. The only negative is, it only has one 120hz input.

The good: I like the app Heos with this receiver and you cant go wrong with Denon. For the price and reliability i think its worth. I feel like its easier to use than Yamaha Music cast. The bad: be prepared for a dollar store remote control and a design from the 80’s. Its gets hot too.

Not being an audiophile at this point in my life, I was looking for a better than average A/V receiver that would not degrade the performance of our Sony A90J TV and provide very good sound to our Klipsch 5.1 In-Ceiling speakers. And… provide a second zone for the patio speakers. The Denon S960H hit all of the targets. We have great sound without distortion, the beautiful Sony picture is unaffected, and the jazz on the patio is so nice. It was easy to setup, although the mike for analyzing sound in the room was a mystery to me. May have to recalibrate after my wife stops moving furniture. I use the Denon AVR remote app mainly for remotely going to Zone 2 or the Mains or both when spending time outdoors. Can get baseball, football or other sports programs sound outdoors while being with friends. The HEOS app lets me stream Spotify, Music Library, or other sources of music and works pretty simply. Overall, a very respectable AVR for the money.

I bought this receiver to replace an older Denon model because I wanted some of the newer features (such as eARC and 4k/120Hz). There's a reason I stuck with the brand. They make rock-solid equipment, and in the case of this little beast, they're punching far above their weight in the price class. I'm driving a 7.1 system with no complaints (the front towers, surrounds, and center are JBL Studio 5 series, which are mildly tougher to drive). Setup is easy to follow. The room correction was just alright, and a bit basic - but if you want better room correction from a Denon, you really need to step up to a much more expensive model that uses the Audyssey MultEQ XT32 processing. The receiver has ample HDMI inputs, and I've had no handshake or passthrough issues with any of my other devices. If you don't need to shake the walls with an enormous speaker array, this system is a total steal at the price. Highly recommended.

I was looking for something to replace an old Onkyo receiver. I already have an AVR-x3500 and love it. This is for upstairs and I needed dual zones with 2 HDMI Monitor Outputs and HEOS. This did the trick. So far it's working great. Good sound easy to use and ample power for my use. Can't go wrong with Denon.

I did a lot of research before buying this receiver and most of the reviews were positive, and frankly, pretty accurate. The good points - sounds great, easy to set up and operate, looks great and is easy to use. Dolby Atmos sounds great and the receiver does a good job of decoding other multichannel audio sources. The available app works well (iOS) and makes configuring and changing settings easy to do. On the downside, the receiver’s support of Apple AirPlay requires the use of Denon’s HEOS, which is clunky and not very useful. In my case that wasn’t a factor as I use an Apple TV as media player. Still, it’s worth considering. The other issue mentioned, which is also accurate, is the delay in switching the video when changing sources, and yeah, it’s slower than I’d like and slower than it needs to be. Still, on balance, this had the best combination of features of all of the other receivers in its class and after owning it for a month now, I’m still happy with my choice.

I am probably in a different position than most people shopping for this price point of receiver. I needed to downgrade from a Yamaha Aventage receiver as it was too big for my storage solution. I landed on this receiver because it not only fit in my cabinet but also has all the correct pass-throughs for next generation video that I want. 4k/120hz passthrough for each HDMI input is pretty tough to find, and getting an 8k/60hz pass through is a nice future proofing feature. It sounds very good, though it's a noticeable step down from the audio quality of the Aventage receiver it's replacing. That's to be expected. As a home theater enthusiast it had one of the best setup experiences I've seen. Very satisfied.

Receiver was very easy to set up with on screen set up instructions. Receiver looks and sounds great. Using in a relatively large room and it provides plenty of power for great sound even at loud volumes. Very happy with purchase.

This system has great sound quality. It was relatively easy to hook up to our existing speakers. I LOVE the Bluetooth feature that allows us to stream playlists from our phones!

This receiver is exactly what I was looking for an so much more! The sound and picture quality is outstanding! I have the following connected: Cox Contour 2, Nintendo Switch, Chromecast Ultra, LG Bluray. The picture from the Contour and the Chromecast is spectacular! So much better than my old receiver. The 8K support and picture enhancement is brilliant! Setup was a snap! I also have more hdmi ports for future possible devices. It was a bit tricky to figure out how to enable ARC with my Samsung Smart TV, but I finally figured that out. Also, I had to enable passthrough when standy/off to go to my Chromecast to prevent it from blinking orange every day. Chromecast blinking orange indicates a loss of hdmi signal. This is often confused with pulsing orange which indicates an issue with the Chromecast performing an update, which makes it a particularly troublesome issue to track down. Also the Airplay feature is quite nice as well, I use it all the time now. The HEOS app for the iphone is limited in how it can interact with certain Music providers, so I normally use the individual app on my phone for the music service and connect it to airplay. The AVR remote app however, is quite nice, allowing adjustment of volume verify the proper surround sound is coming from the source, etc... You can even alter your setup via the app and update your firmware. I'm a big fan of updating firmware! All in all, this is a wonderful receiver! Sound and Audio quality are outstanding.

Bought the Denon to replace my Sony receiver of 5 years. I have been a loyal Sony owner for 30 years or more, but the Denon offered more for the same price. It works great and does everything it says. Easy to set up, easy to use, and great sound with my 7.1 Klipsch speaker arrangement! I especially like the speaker out jack arrangement. They are side by side vs. above and below which makes it much easier for hookup. Lots of great HDM| connections that are programmable, too! Switching between sound modes with buttons on the remote is also a plus. I would recommend it to anyone wanting high quality surround sound or simple stereo output.

Very nice receiver. So easy to hookup and the Denon on screen setup is the best. FAST and easy, sounds FANTASTIC. The speakers auto tune microphone is so easy to use. It does have a Optical output if needed.

Upgraded my 10 year old Denon receiver with this beauty. So easy to connect, and the Audessy device has set this unit up perfectly for my living room. The sound is very clear, powering a set of B&W bookshelf speakers on stands, a B&W center, and an SVS 800W sub. The sub could overpower, but the Denon tuned it perfectly. I run an outdoor set of speakers on one of the channels. I also run an Xbox One through the unit to my LG GX series 65" with no lag and a sharp picture. Finally, I run a Firestick with Kodi and a great picture for sports feeds.

Love it. easy to set up. Clean sound. Pass through for 8k if it ever comes around. Lots of features for the dollar. Wont drive super high end speakers but the sound blew away my Integra receiver it is replacing.