AV receivers have become the norm, and they are a basic requirement for anyone looking to have an enjoyable and lively surround sound experience. Considering the improvement in modern technology, getting a receiver that easily satisfies your requirements is easier than ever before.
The most commonly used home theater setups are 5.1 and 7.1 configurations. However, if you have some extra coins to spend or planning to build your audio system over time, you can always go for one with the capability of powering up to nine channels or more.
Instead of going for the standard 5.1 home theatre setup, most people prefer to go with a 5.2 setup since it gives the option of adding a second subwoofer. The additional subwoofer helps to boost the low frequencies for a deeper bass effect, but this implies a higher price.
Luckily, Denon offers tons of high-quality 5.2 receivers for all budgets. Today, we’ll be reviewing Denon AVR-S650H comprehensively and help you decide whether it is right for your sound system.
The AVR-S650H is a well-packaged home theater receiver with an intuitive and user-friendly interface. Setup takes less than 5 minutes, and it comes with everything you need to build your system.
Ready for an in-depth review of this receiver? Keep reading
Denon AVR-S650H Specifications
Number of Power Amps: 5
Rated Power Output (8 ohm, 20 Hz – 20 kHz): 75 watts per channel
Frequency response: 10 Hz – 100 kHz — +1, –3 Db
Number of HDMI Inputs: 5
Subwoofer Out: 2
Analog Inputs: 2
Dolby Atmos/ DTS: Enabled
Denon AVR-S650H 5.2 Receiver Review
The AVR-S650H is committed to delivering an unmatched entertainment experience. Its attention to detail and feature-packed design ensures that this compact AV receiver will be a perfect match for any home theater setup. So, whatever you’re looking for in a home entertainment system, Denon AVR-S650H is an excellent choice.
Key Features
Power you can count on: The AVR-S650H is rated at 75 watts per channel, which is more than enough power for small to medium-size rooms.
Wireless streaming: The AVR-S650H allows you to expand your music coverage to other rooms using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Apple’s Airplay 2. You can use these features to stream high-resolution music in your living room without any extra hardware. What’s more, the receiver is compatible with Amazon Music HD, making it a worthy upgrade to any sound system.
Denon HEOS wireless system: Other than the streaming options mentioned above, the AVR-S650H comes with Denon’s exclusive inbuilt wireless HEOS system. This technology provides a platform for streaming music from different audio sources, including personal music collections and internet radio.
It also provides an app that you can use to integrate a multi-room audio system and control the speakers using the app wirelessly. Better yet, you can control the volume or the music being played in each room separately.
You can also use the app to access top-rated online streaming services such as Pandora, TIDAL, or even Spotify.
Setup assistant: Just like other Denon receivers, this value-packed device comes with a simplified and convenient setup assistant that helps you connect your components via HDMI inputs. The guide also helps you change your device settings as well as customize your settings for optimal surround sound.
The front panel is also equipped with four easily accessible buttons to allow the operator to customize different audio settings for TV, Blu-Ray, among others, at the touch of a button.
The back panel houses connections for all five channels. The speakers’ ports are color-coded to help clear any confusion when connecting your speakers.
Voice control for added convenience: The AVR-S650H is fully compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, which makes it even easier to control the device. The receiver lets you incorporate voice control into your system and use voice prompts to adjust the volume or switch between different tracks hands-free.
You can also integrate voice control in a multi-room setup to let you manage and control what music to listen to in each room.
Additional features
eARC: Other than the standard HDMI specifications, this receiver has incorporated the latest eARC formatting. Among other benefits, the user gets to enjoy the highest quality audio and video through the HDMI that connects to your TV. This design is also compatible with complex surround sound setups such as Dolby Atmos or DTS: X systems.
Up to 5 HDMI inputs: With a total of five HDMI inputs, you’ll finally have an AV receiver that can do what you need it to do. Whether you need to connect your smart TV, gaming console, DVD player, or any other audio output, there is room for just anything.
4K Ultra HD: The AVR-S650H is compatible with 4K UHD video, which offers exceptional resolution to improve your overall movie experience. The unit is also compatible with the HLG, HDR, HDR10, and BT 2020 video formats.
Compressed Audio Restorer: The design of this receiver also incorporates a Compressed Audio Restorer, which helps to restore and improve the quality of compressed music files.
What we like
- Immersive audio from a compact unit
- Easy step-by-step setup guide
- It includes a turntable input
- Two subwoofers mean better sound quality around your home
- Convenient hands-free operation
- Rich and full sound that fills the room
- Small footprint
- HEOS works like a charm
What we don’t like
- Average power output—It is best suited for small rooms
- Supports 4K video format only
Conclusion
When you look at the above features, it is relatively easy to see why the AVR-S650H is one of the best 5.2 AV receivers. There is no more one can ask for in a home theater than the rich features packed in this receiver. The receiver is designed to give you extensive connection options to let you customize the system to your liking. In addition, the AVR-S650H is fairly priced compared to other Denon’s receiver line-up. We believe that this in-depth analysis has equipped you with enough information to help you decide if it is worth trying.
