Denon has unveiled a new AV receiver that it claims is “built for listeners who want great sound in the place they spend the most time: Their home,” minus the complicated set up, steep leaning curves and armfuls of cables associated with typical AVRs.

The AVR-S980H recognises that home theatre can now mean anything from family movie nights to playing favourite music playlists and gaming, while also acknowledging that streamed sources have become most household’s most popular way of consuming their content.

The new Denon AVR-S980H can provide 7.2 channels and 90W of power per channel while keeping the complication to a minimum.

Photo: Denon

It supports 7.2 channels of sound, with up to 90W of power available for each channel, and Denon claims that its new AVR has been tuned to deliver the open, spacious sound the brand considers to be a signature of its audio products.

You can either wire a set of cabled speakers into the S980H or, for cable-free convenience, you can use it (following a future firmware update) with the new Denon Home 200, 500 or 600 wireless speaker models.

It’s powered by Denon’s HEOS system, too, delivering easy to set up and use multi-room audio features.

Connections beyond the wired speaker ports include an HDMI loop through system capable of supporting up to 4K/120Hz video game feeds, as well as variable refresh rates all the way up to the 120Hz maximum. The VRR support includes the AMD FreeSync format available from some PCs and the Xbox Series X games console.

The AVR’s HDMI system will also pass through 8K at up to 60Hz if you can find any such sources (which you probably won’t be able to), as well as the HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ high dynamic range formats.

When it comes to ease of use, the AVR-S980H’s OS is designed to guide users through both the initial set up process and subsequent day to day use, with step by step onscreen instructions. The AVR can be controlled via your TV’s on-screen menu or Denon’s remote app, and is compatible with Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, and direct playback via Spotify Connect.

If you don’t already have a speaker system for use with the S980H, you can if you wish start with just a simple two speaker system that you can then expand into, say, 5.1 and then 5.1.2 Dolby Atmos setups as finances allow.

“Denon has always believed that when you make something better, it sounds better, and that ethos has guided every first we’ve brought to the industry,” says Lyle Smith, President of Sound United at HARMAN. “Better sound is powerful and it brings people closer to the stories, music and moments they love. With the AVR-S980H, we’re giving families an easy way to make every day experiences feel more engaging and far more enjoyable.”

The Denon AVR-S980H is available now in the U.S., U.K. and Europe priced at $949, £799 and €899 respectively.

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