Denon AVR-S660H AV Receiver - 5.2 Channel

Upon setting up this AVR for the first time the main thing that struck me was how WIMPY the phono stage output was. I say "was" because I discovered how to fix that annoying problem.BEHOLD!1) Select your input. In this case "Phono".2) Now select "Setup".3) Now select "Inputs".4) Now select "Source Level".5) Adjust level via remote for up to 12db of gain.Exit. Repeat if you wish another input selection to have its level increased or decreased. Each input MUST be selected on the remote and shown on the receiver display prior to making the other selections I have outlined above. It is individual for each input. I raised my Phono all the way and now it works a whole LOT better!I bought this because SiriusXM in their ignorant "wisdom" have chosen not to ... MoreUpon setting up this AVR for the first time the main thing that struck me was how WIMPY the phono stage output was. I say "was" because I discovered how to fix that annoying problem.BEHOLD!1) Select your input. In this case "Phono".2) Now select "Setup".3) Now select "Inputs".4) Now select "Source Level".5) Adjust level via remote for up to 12db of gain.Exit. Repeat if you wish another input selection to have its level increased or decreased. Each input MUST be selected on the remote and shown on the receiver display prior to making the other selections I have outlined above. It is individual for each input. I raised my Phono all the way and now it works a whole LOT better!I bought this because SiriusXM in their ignorant "wisdom" have chosen not to support the Pioneer Elite SX-N30 I have owned for several years now and I was looking at the Denon DRA-800H but it was a bit overpriced for what you get and so for $200 less...I bought the Denon AVR-S660H.Outside of less power, it does have 5 channels of said power vs the 800H having 2. Otherwise, they seem equally matched feature-wise. I own a Denon AVR-X4300H and that is an excellent 9.2 system that I primarily use for movies and music. This 660 is currently running at 2.1 channels and I will be installing a very nice Klipsch center channel speaker soon.But...Back to what I think of the 660. I think, not feeeeeeeeel that it is an excellent value and a fine performer. Once I found out how to fix the terrible phono output (with no help from "AHEM!" anyone else, I can now heartily recommend this device to any and all that want primarily stereo for music and are fine with up to 5.2 channels for film.It doesn't disappoint believe me. It DELIVERS. I have been running it for several days now, 24 hours a day, non-stop with vinyl, with CD and with the wonder that is HEOS providing me with Pandora, Amazon UHD and SiriusXM along with my favorite internet station out of the Netherlands, "The Great American Songbook" station and this receiver works superbly!My JBL 4-Way towers have a sensitivity rating of 91db and the work just fine with this new Denon! In truth, my only disappontment was with the phono section and now that that has been rectified, I have zero complaints and can 100% recommend the AVR-S660H.I forwarded my findings on the phono stage to Denon and they are looking at (hopefully) updating the manual that comes with the unit to include my solution to the problem.Now then. The BEST part of this Denon is HEOS. I have 10 HEOS speakers throughout our home and via the 660H or my 4300H, I can send internet radio, Amazon UHD, Pandora, SiriusXM my CD collection and even my VINYL throughout my entire home via WiFi!It just flat works and I have tried Bose, Sonos and Bluesound but for my hard earned money, HEOS is the best there is bar none! The app for Android and iOS work on superbly on our phones. They also work on our iPads. And our Amazon Fire Tablet 10.They just flat out WORK. They are transparent and neither add to nor take away from your music. They are there to provide access and control of your music and the do so with ease.Highly recommended? Yup! HEOS is ex cellent. Home Entertainment Operating System...HEOS. I can play my over 500 CDs via one of my 300 and 200 disc Sony CD changers via HEOS to any room in our home that has a HEOS wireless speaker in it. And I do.I can play my records in any room over WiFi via HEOS. Any station on Pandora, Amazon UHD, SiriusXM whatever station I choose from the literally thousands available on the internet. HEOS does that and does it easily.I recommend Denon, Marantz and HEOS without hesitation or reservation. When it comes time to send my brother and his wonderful wife a Christmas present, you can bet it will have HEOS in it and be from Denon or Marantz. I trust those two brands completely. And speaking of "trust"......Trust me. I know what I'm doin' when I'm reviewin'.

I dont normally leave reviews, but on this one i decided i wouldAfter choosing between this and the yamaha 8k receiver, i decided on this one. Honestly, visually it looks nicer to my eye. Also, its 8k ready where as the yamaha 8k is a future update.Now dont get me wrong, i have a yamaha 4k receiver in my bedroom and i love it to death, but if im dropping $$ for a 8k receiver, i want it 8k out of the boxSetup was pretty basic and an easy step by step walkthru. I seen other reviews saying it was a nightmare. i dont know why, it was just very easy. asked you everything bit by bit.Connecting the wires was also easy, everything was labled, didnt need instructions to figure it out.I love that i can plug everything into the 8k ports, such as my cable box and 4k ... MoreI dont normally leave reviews, but on this one i decided i wouldAfter choosing between this and the yamaha 8k receiver, i decided on this one. Honestly, visually it looks nicer to my eye. Also, its 8k ready where as the yamaha 8k is a future update.Now dont get me wrong, i have a yamaha 4k receiver in my bedroom and i love it to death, but if im dropping $$ for a 8k receiver, i want it 8k out of the boxSetup was pretty basic and an easy step by step walkthru. I seen other reviews saying it was a nightmare. i dont know why, it was just very easy. asked you everything bit by bit.Connecting the wires was also easy, everything was labled, didnt need instructions to figure it out.I love that i can plug everything into the 8k ports, such as my cable box and 4k player and that i can change the program in settings so when i hit the cable button on remote, it goes to the alternate cable hdmi connection.Sound is great, had to mess around with it a little to find the right settings for the surround sound and subwoofer.My only real gripe is the phono. I have a vinyl player, i have it connected to the phono port, on my yamaha it was connected into a/v2. The issue i have is the volume when playing is low, like REALLLLLLL low. I had to turn up the volume to 50 to start to hear sound from it. i dont know why, i tried using a preamp, but then the sound was low and very staticy no matter how i changed hte settings. Seems odd to me that my tv will be blaring at vol 50 but i can barely hear my record playerOther then that, no issues with the system at all. for 500 its deff worth it. The sound is amazing, i dont need all the bells and whistles the $700 systems have, this seems to have everything i need. So if your looking for an easy system for a 8k beginner, go for this. you wont be disappointedif u plan on listening to vinyls tho, well i dont know, maybe someone can figure that issue out

1st off, it's a nice looking receiver. The basic set up is fairly easy, being able to do most of it on the T.V. screen with the walk-thru. Calibration microphone is awesome, plug it in the front, follow instructions and the reciever does the rest..calibrates the sound for your room and listening position, really awesome stuff. So like I said, the basic set up was kinda easy..but if you wanna tweak some things I find it to be a pain. No manual came in the box, so off to the internet to find the manual, which is long, and to slowly figure out what this reciever is really capable of. Like finding out I needed to switch it from 8ohm to 6ohm to match my speakers. Didn't seem like it did that automatically because my speakers where already playing and when I was able to ... More1st off, it's a nice looking receiver. The basic set up is fairly easy, being able to do most of it on the T.V. screen with the walk-thru. Calibration microphone is awesome, plug it in the front, follow instructions and the reciever does the rest..calibrates the sound for your room and listening position, really awesome stuff. So like I said, the basic set up was kinda easy..but if you wanna tweak some things I find it to be a pain. No manual came in the box, so off to the internet to find the manual, which is long, and to slowly figure out what this reciever is really capable of. Like finding out I needed to switch it from 8ohm to 6ohm to match my speakers. Didn't seem like it did that automatically because my speakers where already playing and when I was able to figure out how to locate this function on my receiver it was in 8ohm mode. I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate this thing thru the receiver, not all the goodies pop up on the T.V. setup. Unless I'm doing something wrong?? All that said, with just doing the basic walkthru set up and setting up the Phone remote control app, it sounds great right out of the box. I purchased this model cause the S760h was out of stock, but both models have the new updated 4k/8k 2.2 HDMI ports. Which is what I wanted. Can hook up all the newer products like 4k Firestick, quality gaming systems, etc..and not lose any video or sound quality. Not to mention it should still be compatible with higher end T.V.'s in the future. These AV receivers, along with the s960H model should be relevant for a long time with these updated HDMI ports. The sound is extremely clean on the model I purchased, I would love more power output but you get what you pay for, and honestly it is enough for my living room area. I really enjoy the 2 channel stereo mode as well as my 3.1 (L/R/Center/Subwoofer) set up. I have yet to try it with surround speakers but this unit is capable. If this receiver has all the options you are looking for I would definitely recommend it. It does not have dual zone, no out puts to add stronger amplification in the future if you wished, and even though the specs say Dolby Atmos, (which I thought meant I could add "height" speakers) it does not have this function. Denon's reputation should also help this AVR to be a good choice. I gave it 4 stars cause it's great for what it is...but there is always something better if you have the cash.