Denon releases two affordable S-series AV Receivers with multiple HDMI 2.1 inputs

Denon AVR-S660 home cinema amp
(Image credit: Denon)

Denon has announced two new additions to its S-Series range of affordable receivers intended for smaller systems and budgets. Despite the low prices, the AVR-S760H and AVR-S660H benefit from some of Denon’s most advanced connectivity, including three HDMI 2.1 inputs each, making them particularly well suited for hardcore next-gen gamers.

Those three HDMI 2.1 inputs are rated to 40Gbps and can handle 8K@60Hz and 4K@120Hz video pass-through. All the HDMI ports (in total there are 6 ins and 1 out on each model) will boast 4:4:4 chroma sub-sampling and HDR pass-through for a wide variety of formats, including HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) and BT.2020. 8K sources may be in short supply at the moment, but the AVRs provide 8K upscaling on all inputs, and there’s also plenty of next-gen gaming technologies, with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Quick Frame Transport (QFT), Quick Media Switching (QMS) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) all supported. eARC is on board too.

Denon AVR-S760H home cinema amp backplate

(Image credit: Denon)

Priced at £599 ($549, around AU$1100), the AVR-S760H home cinema amp will deliver seven channels of amplification rated at 75W per channel in stereo conditions (8 ohms) and has support for 3D surround formats including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. For users unable to reconfigure their set-up to 5.1.2 with ceiling or height speakers, there’s also DTS Virtual:X and Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization onboard.

Meanwhile, the 5.2 channel AVR-S660H home cinema amp costs £499 ($449, around AU$920) and provides 75W of amplifications in stereo conditions (8 ohms), supporting Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding.

Denon AVR-S660H home cinema amp backplate

(Image credit: Denon)

The Denon AVR-S660H and AVR-S760H are compatible with Apple AirPlay 2, while the front-panel USB port offers audio playback of high-resolution audio formats, including WAV, FLAC, ALAC and DSD 2.8/5.6 MHz. Wireless streaming from online music services is available using Bluetooth or Denon’s HEOS software. HEOS, built into both AVRs, lets users stream music wirelessly across compatible products within the home. Both amps will also work with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri for voice control of AVR functions.

The new S-Series AVRs will offer Dialog Enhancer technology to allow users to adjust dialogue levels, while a newly added HDMI signal information feature will let users confirm the signal and format type they are watching.

Audyssey MultEQ technology is included for automatic acoustic calibration of the system. Denon's proprietary audio optimisation technology detects the speakers' size, type, and configuration and measures their response in up to six listening positions. With the AVR-S760H, listeners can also use the Audyssey MultEQ Editor app, available for purchase on iOS and Android, to manually change settings. Additionally, it has a Dual Speaker Presets feature, enabling users to instantly store and switch between two different speaker configurations and Audyssey settings.

The Denon AVR-S660H and AVR-S760H are available now and sit below the AVR-X1700H, announced earlier this week and priced at £599 ($699, AU$1399). Like the AVR-S760H, the AVR-X1700H is also a 7.2 channel amp with three 8K HDMI inputs and support Dolby Atmos, Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization, DTS:X and DTS Virtual:X. It offers more power, outputting 80W in stereo conditions (8ohms) and has a slightly more advanced version of Audyssey (MultEQ XT).

While Denon has released worldwide pricing for all three of its new AVRs announced this week, the products don't appear to be receiving an active launch in the UK at present, which may account for some inconsistency in the GBP price bands.

The new S-series amps replace the AVR-S650H and AVR-S750H released in 2019, which do not have HDMI 2.1 connectivity and are priced at £450 ($399, AU$1000) and £550 ($500, AU$1200) respectively.

MORE

Read about Denon's full lineup of 2021 home cinema amps

The best film scenes to test your Dolby Atmos set-up

Take a look at our pick of the best home cinema amps

Mary is a staff writer at What Hi-Fi? and has over a decade of experience working as a sound engineer mixing live events, music and theatre. Her mixing credits include productions at The National Theatre and in the West End, as well as original musicals composed by Mark Knopfler, Tori Amos, Guy Chambers, Howard Goodall and Dan Gillespie Sells. 

  • hmott
    These are still made?
    Reply
  • tersherry
    On the bluetooth side, I had a look at Denon's site and it appears it only supports SBC. Is that really the case? Disappointing if it is.
    Reply
  • apukdcfc
    I bought a 4K HDMI 2.1 TV last year (a 55" Sony XH92 to be precise) and have been patiently waiting for a successor to Sony's DN1080 AV receiver but since there's no news I'm interested in these new Denons.

    I'm more interested in the AVC 660 as don't need a tuner built in and have the Xbox Series X and PS5 so both need to pass through the amp.

    I don't understand why the AVR 660 and AVC 660 are both £499 though.

    I was hoping to see some in depth review of these affordable amps too but can't find much at all.
    Reply