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Denon offers up 4K-and-Atmos-ready 2016 receivers

Denon has announced two new receivers for 2016 -- the AVR-S720W and the AVR-S920W -- which offer a wide selection of connectivity, but sadly, not the company's own HEOS multiroom system.

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Headshot of Ty Pendlebury
Ty Pendlebury Editor
TV and home video editor Ty Pendlebury joined CNET Australia in 2006, and moved to New York City to be a part of CNET in 2011. He tests, reviews and writes about the latest TVs and audio equipment. When he's not playing Call of Duty he's eating whatever cuisine he can get his hands on. He has a cat named after one of the best TVs ever made.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
Ty Pendlebury
2 min read

Most receiver manufacturers have already shown their hands for their 2016, which just leaves Denon and its sister company Marantz. While we're told Marantz is coming imminently, Denon is teeing off first with its latest S-series receivers.

Denon has announced that two models, the AVR-S720W ($479) and the AVR-S920W ($579), will be available in the coming weeks.

The units share features which are competitive with others in the market, with Atmos (5.2.2) the first item on the checklist. Meanwhile DTS:X is promised in an August update.Next comes 4K compatibility with both HDCP 2.2 and HDR passthrough which will facilitate the upgrade to 4K Blu-ray. The S920W also adds the extra step of 4K upscaling, but really, you don't need it.

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The AVR-S920W rear panel

 Denon

If you are streaming music from a phone, there is both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capability onboard. However, while competitor Yamaha has incorporated its own proprietary MusicCast system into its 2016 receivers, Denon hasn't followed suit with the S720W and S920W. You can't stream using Denon's HEOS app to the receivers without the use of the separate HEOS Link ($349).

Like other receivers in the ranges preceding them, we really appreciate usability features such as the input shortcut buttons on the front panel and speaker cable labels in the box.

The S720 offers six HDMI inputs and a single output, while the S920 adds two more inputs and an extra out. The S720 offers 75 watts per channel (20-20kHz) while the S920 ups this to 90W and adds "upgraded Denon sound engineering design".

Pricing and availability for the UK and Australia are yet to be announced.