As an experienced home theater geek, I know the dilemmas you face when receiver shopping on a budget. You want an immersive surround sound system with today‘s latest audio formats, but don‘t want to break the bank. Enter the Denon AVR-S760H – this mid-range 7.2 channel receiver packs a punch with its feature set and performance.
In this buyer‘s guide, we‘ll tour everything the S760H has to offer. I‘ll explain all the nitty gritty specs in plain terms and help determine if it‘s the right fit for your needs. Whether you‘re looking for your first serious AV receiver or upgrading an existing system, the S760H deserves a close look.
A Trusted Brand Making Audio Dreams Affordable
Denon has delivered amplifiers, receivers, and elite hi-fi equipment since 1910. Today they engineer premium home theater gear to bring the cinematic experience into your living room. The S760H sits in their lower cost lineup, but inherits much of the technology that powers their top-end offerings costing over $2,000.
For under $600, the S760H doesn‘t cut many corners. You still get Denon‘s renowned amplification section for dynamic surround sound, their exclusive Auto Room Calibration software for dialed-in settings, the latest Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support, multi-room HEOS streaming, and even HDMI 2.1 readiness for gaming or 8K. This is realistically a $1,000 receiver being offered for budget buyers.
Key Specs:
- 75 Watts Per Channel
- 7.2 Channel Support + Dolby Atmos
- 6 HDMI Inputs (3 HDMI 2.1)
- HDR, Dolby Vision, HLG passthrough
- Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri control
Now let‘s explore why this receiver should be on your short list…
Unwrap the Layered Surround Sound
The AVR-S760H delivers 75 watts per channel to drive seven speakers plus dual subwoofers in a 7.2 configuration:
Front: Standard left, center, and right channels handle the majority of audio anchored by the center dialog channel.
Surrounds: Side left and right channels immerse you in sound from the side and rear. They bring action scenes to life and cues sweep through the room.
Heights: Top middle left and right speakers fire sound overhead for Dolby Atmos effects like helicopters circling or rain falling around you.
Subwoofer: Adds chest thumping bass and LFE (low frequency effects) channel that enhances the experience. The S760H supports two powered subs.
With this speaker layout, audio objects can move all around with pinpoint precision. The soundstage feels lifelike as if you‘re inside the movie scene or standing center stage at a concert. While you may start with a 5.1 system, it‘s nice having two channels ready for Atmos heights or rear surrounds when you upgrade.
HDMI Ready for Your Digital Devices
HDMI ports are the vital connections that route video and audio signals from your media components. The receiver acts as the central hub to distribute video to your TV and audio to your speakers from these devices:
- 4K/Blu-ray player
- Gaming console
- Streaming stick
The AVR-S760H gives you six total HDMI inputs for all those devices, plus one HDMI monitor output to your television. Three of the inputs even support the latest HDMI 2.1 specification available on next-gen game consoles and future 8K sources:
Why do you need HDMI 2.1? For starters, it enables:
- 8K video passthrough at 60 fps
- 4K gaming at 120 fps
- Variable refresh rate (VRR)
- Auto low latency mode (ALLM)
In other words, buttery smooth images free of stutter and tearing. Gamers will appreciate the lag reduction too. So even budget receivers need HDMI 2.1 to keep pace with what game consoles and media components output today…and tomorrow. That‘s some nice future-proofing!
The older HDMI 2.0 ports have you covered as well for standard 4K 60Hz video and audio. Physical media like Blu-ray offers the best sound quality too which this Denon handles beautifully.
Built-in HEOS Keeps Music Streaming
When you’re not watching movies, the AVR-S760H pulls double duty as a music streamer. Built-in HEOS technology lets you:
- Access streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn Radio, and Amazon Music natively through the receiver
- Play music from your phone/tablet over WiFi streaming
- Stream audio wirelessly to other HEOS speakers throughout your home
That means volume fills multiple rooms, not just where your receiver lives. Or beam tunes outside to the patio for a BBQ session. All without needing a separate streamer box or app thanks to HEOS.
One Touch Setup Gets You Right to Enjoyment
calibration microphone.
I know tinkering with audio settings appeals only to a select breed of home theater geek. For those that want to skip the phD in equalization and crossover management, Denon gives you Audyssey.
Audyssey MultEQ measures your room’s acoustics through a calibration microphone. It tunes output perfectly across all connected speakers so content sounds balanced. You simply:
- Place the included microphone at ear level in your main listening position
- Follow the on-screen prompts emitting test tones
- Let Audyssey work its innovative magic tuning your levels
This one-touch process removes all guesswork so you hear content as the director intended. Settings like speaker distances and crossovers are set automatically. No need for tape measures, test tones, or messing around in confusing menus. It‘s almost not fair how effortless fine tuning your system can be.
Of course, those that wish can still manually adjust any parameter down to precise 1 dB increments. But Audyssey gets newbies spin-up quickly with accurate presets.
Ready to Level Up Movie Nights and Gaming Sessions
After taking this exclusive tour through its inner-workings, it should be clear the Denon AVR-S760H receiver offers tremendous next-generation expansion at a budget cost. You receive 75 watts of clean accurate power to all channels, the latest Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding, HDMI 2.1 inputs for 8K/4K video and gaming, HEOS streaming capabilities, and one-touch audio calibration.
If you‘re looking for an easy-to-use hub to anchor a mid-tier surround system with room to add speakers, subs, and sources down the road, put this Denon on your shortlist. Its balance of usability and performance punches well above its modest price tag. Just be sure to budget another $300-600 for a 5.1/7.1 speaker system to let it sing.
I hope mapping out the S760H‘s wealth of functions was helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions as you shop for the perfect AV receiver solution!
