Denon S650H AV Receiver, 5.2 Channel (150W X 5) 4K UHD Home Theater Surround Sound (2019) | Music Streaming | HEOS Built-in | eARC and Upgraded HDCP

I picked this unit up as an outgoing model for a good price. The modern DAC was an immediate improvement over my 10+yr old receiver. I use it in 3.2 mode for movies and 2.2 for music. It's got plenty of power for my listening space. The S650H pairs well with my Pioneer SP-FS51 + matching center channel speakers, capable of driving them at well beyond noise complaint levels for extended periods without listening fatigue with one caveat. It will reveal lower quality source material when you play it loud and you'll get listening fatigue, which is to be expected. If you've got high quality digital files & are using digital inputs or if you are using a quality record player via analog input, it'll sound great for hours on end.I did run the Audyssey room correction, and liked the results. There have been several times when listening to a stereo source that I've had to get up and check to make sure the center channel isn't on because the stereo imaging is so good that it sounds like it is on. Audyssey doesn't work for everyone or for every room, but it worked great for my setup & room. There are other controls to manually adjust the sound if you'd rather do things that way.It's a great deal as an outgoing model if you care most about sound. The unit has its share of bells and whistles, some of which are implemented better than others, but I give it 5 stars since it gets what I care about most right - the sound.

I've had 4 high end Yamaha's that were second to none musically but seem to blow/short circuit amps very easily (went through 4 in 3 years). Finally decided my time was better spent not dealing w/the headache and had always "heard" Denon made great AVRs. I'd tried one Denon in between all of the Yamaha's but didn't like the musical tone...not as bright or clear as Yamaha. Decided to give D another shot and what do you know, for movies and home theater applications, the Denon beats Yamaha. The surround has better presence at lower volumes and the Denon just flat does surround sound better. I still haven't played music through it but b/c of how little I listen to music now, it's more than worth whatever tradeoff there might be. Hope it holds up!UPDATE: This unit is still working great but have noticed it will randomly power on. Updated firmware but it didn't fix the problem. Not worth changing the rating since it doesn't affect the performance. Will continue to look for a solution.UPDATE: I think the random on/off is the unit checking for firmware updates b/c I have it set to do so, just didn't realize it would turn itself on to check for them. Still the best unit I've ever had, and the music turned out to be fantastic, also. If it ever dies, I'll be looking for another Denon.

I have no idea why people were complaining about the 90's Nintendo style user interface (UI). Is that what makes a good receiver? I was actually happy to have a screen interface because I'm used to programming off the front receiver screens that show a total of 15 characters. The point of this is that I saw those reviews and thought they were dumb... but nonetheless, one day I got a notification for an update from Denon. After the update the UI was more modern and higher resolution. The company listened and delivered for the cry babies.For the actual receiver. My friend gifted me two tower front speakers. When I found the specs on them, I realized my receiver was too weak for the RMS to power them. They still sound just fine and I watch whatever I want with good quality, but I really have to crank it to get my loud movies loud... or to overpower a crowd when playing music. I'm used to cranking a receiver to 33% before having to stop, because they're too loud... but I do push this one to 66-75% on a regular basis. There's no problem in this, I guess. I just know that the RMS of what the receiver puts out is way underpowered for any type of tower speakers... unless they're those super skinny towers with dual-2" speakers. If your tower has anything more than one 6.5" speaker... you can already start looking for a more powerful receiver. Think the ideal front speakers for this are a good set of bookshelf speakers.Besides that, all the other features are great. I use ONE remote (my AppleTV remote) and this syncs with the TV and AppleTV. Powers off by itself when everything turns off. Make sure your stuff is CEC/ARC compliant beforehand.I do have one nuance, but I can't ding this just yet. Randomly my receiver turns on when no one is in the living room (ghost?). I think it is because my AppleTV turns on to update or something... or because it started a screensaver commercial, which has video. It eventually turns off... but I think it's the Apple TV. *shrugs*

This receiver is freaking AWESOME!I set it up using the on screen menus after hooking up my 4k tv to the earc output.Very self explanatory! Put the set up mic in the 6 different positions as required and it did the rest!Set up the inputs for my ps4, my fire stick and even my analog VCR!The sound is amazing when streaming music and i get DD+ from my TVs VUDU app!The earc works great and the systems EQ settings are in perfect harmony without the need to manually adjust. The set up mic works great!There is ample power for all of my speakers and nice tight bass because I have subs on a crossover circuit connected to my 3 way towers! Amazing how the amp pumps them!Even the surrounds get loud and clear!My speaker setup is a 20yr old technics setup with 2 Optimus subs!My android phone connects seamlessly and I can stream music over wifi effortlessly! Simply amazing for a measly $400!!!! Love it!!!!