In short, the Denon AVC-S660H of course incorporates all the technical characteristics of the AVR-S650H, modulo some major evolutions. In terms of absences, the DAB + tuner has disappeared, the Denon AVC-S660H is a pure and strict amplifier. On the other hand, the column of additions is rich with the management of HDR10 + signals, HDMI 2.1 connectors, or the possibility of applying all the audio processing available on a Dolby signal.
HDMI 2.1, Ultra HD 8K compatible
To come back to the HDMI connectors, in addition to the output, three out of six inputs are of 2.1 obedience. These support all the features of the standard: VRR, ALLM, eARC, QMS, QFT, Ultra HD 4K 120 fps up to Upscaling in Ultra HD 8K 60 Hz (see our news HDMI 2.1 Standard, additions officials welcome, technical and ergonomic).
For the rest, we therefore find the exclusive Heos multiroom technology, compatibility with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri voice assistants (Denon, with Marantz, is the only brand to have all three protocols in a single device for hands-free control of the amplifier and streaming services, a TI PCM5102 384 kHz / 32-bit Dac, Dolby Height Virtualization processing and the availability of the Bluetooth TX function (wireless transmitter) to broadcast the audio signal to a suitable headphones in addition to the speakers It is thus possible to enjoy music on the living room speakers but also in the kitchen or the bedroom via wireless headphones.
Design, Heos, HDR and multimedia specifications
The design of this S model differs significantly from the X model audio-video amplifiers with in particular the presence of eight buttons on the front for as many associated functions (Quick Select, Sound Mode…).
To Like the brand's AVR-X Home Cinema amplifiers, there is a source selection button on the left side of the amplifier, on the right the volume management and in the center, the display. On the menu of other features, Bluetooth certification to enjoy wireless streaming of content stored on a compatible device (tablet, smartphone, game console, computer, etc.) with storage of eight different pairings for improved ergonomics of use. But the big news concerns the availability of the Bluetooth TX function to broadcast the audio signal to a suitable headset in addition to the speakers. It is thus possible to enjoy your music on the speakers in the living room but also in the kitchen or the bedroom via a wireless headset.
To come back in a few words on the Heos multiroom module, this year it is possible to take advantage of multichannel decoding in the main zone (the living room for example) and simultaneously broadcast the downmixed soundtrack in stereo in the Heos zones 2 and 3.
Also on the menu: Spotify Connect function, AirPlay 2 and Dual Band Wi-Fi functions, TuneIn web radios, UPnP audio gateway (DLNA), Amazon Music, Deezer, Sound Cloud, Tidal compatibility, etc., Audyssey MultEQ automatic calibration, procedures Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Audyssey Dynamic EQ, support for DSD 2.8 / 5.6 MHz, Flac, Wav and Alac codecs up to 192 kHz / 24 bits in addition to MP3, WMA and AAC and output impedance of 4 or 8 ohms. Not to mention the compatibility with the paid application Audyssey MultiEQ Editor and two subwoofer outputs (parallel).
On the HDR side, in addition to the HDR10 + already mentioned, there are HDR10, HDR HLG and HDR Dolby Vision compatibilities, not to mention the management of the BT.2020 gamut. Pass-Throught 4K is also a must.
Optimized manufacturing
Model 5.2, the Denon AVC-S660H displays a power of 5 x 135 W into 6 ohms (5 x 75 W into 8 ohms) and obviously includes Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD decoders. Still on the program, an OSD with large characters to configure / control the amplifier comfortably installed, far away, on a sofa and processing to improve the sound reproduction of compressed audio files. We also notice an optimized manufacturing in order to reduce the signal path the risks of interference.
Connectors
In terms of connectivity, there are therefore six HDMI CEC inputs (three of obedience 2.0b and three 2.1) certified HDCP 2.3 and compatible up to Ultra HD 4 320p / 60. These are transparent to Deep Color, xvYCC and 3D signal.
There are also two Composite inputs / one output, two optical inputs, two stereo RCA, a phono input, a headphone output, a USB Host port on the front, an Ethernet port plus the two subwoofer outputs already mentioned. Of course, control of the Denon AVC-S660H is possible via the free Heos App.
Availability of the Denon AVC-S660H in black only scheduled for late October. Indicative price: 529 euros.
Reminder of the key features of the Denon AVC-S660H:
• Model: 5.2
• Power: 5 x 135 W into 6 ohms, 5 x 75 W into 8 ohms
• Report signal / noise: 98 dB
• Frequency response: 10 Hz - 100 kHz
• Inputs: 3 HDMI 2.1 inputs, 3 HDMI 2.0 inputs, 2 optical, 2 Composite, 2 stereo RCA, 1 Phono input , 1 powered USB port, 1 Ethernet port
• Outputs: 1 HDMI output, 1 Composite, 2 subwoofer outputs, 1 headphone output, 5 pairs of clamp terminals
• OSD functions
• UPnP (DLNA) audio gateway functions
• ALLM functions
• VRR functions
• QFT functions
• QMS functions
• Ultra HD 4K / 120 fps functions
• Ultra HD 8K / 60 fps functions
• Flac compatibility
• Alac compatibility
• DSD compatibility 2.8 / 5.6 MHz
• Wav compatibility
• Alac Compatibility
• MP3 Compatibility
• WMA Compatibility
• AAC Compatibility
• eARC Function
• Dolby TrueHD Audio
• DTS Audio- HD Master Audio
• Cal Audyssey MultEQ automatic ibrage
• Audyssey Dynamic Volume processing
• Audyssey Dynamic EQ processing
• Audio TI PCM5102
Digital-to-analog converter • HDR10 compatibility
• HDR10 + compatibility
• HDR HLG Compatibility
• HDR Dolby Vision Compatibility
• Video BT.2020 Compatibility
• Video Ultra HD Pass-Trought Function
• 3D Video Ready
• Video Upscaling Ultra HD / 8K (24/25/30/60)
• Video Upscaling Ultra HD / 4K (24/25/30/60/120)
• Network Control by IP
• Dual Band Wi-Fi network (2.4 / 5 GHz)
• AirPlay 2 network
• TX Bluetooth network
• Heos Application Network
• Google Assistant Multimedia
• Amazon Alexa Multimedia
• Apple Siri Multimedia
• Hi-Res Audio Streaming via USB / Network: yes
• Webradio (s): TuneIn
• Hi-Res Certification Res Audio
• HDCP 2.3 certification
• Headphone output: yes
• Other (s): integrated Heos multiroom module
• Dimensions (W x H x D, mm): 434 x 1 51 x 339 mm
• Consumption: 340 W (0.5 W in standby)
• Weight: 7.8 kg
