Surround Receivers

Denon AVR-S760H Overview


Most times, companies announce new products with press releases. In some cases, (I am looking at you Apple) it’s too huge fanfare and spectacle. But if you are Denon, you do none of the above and quietly release the AVR-S760H to Costco. Solid stealth move by Denon – it’s not even listed on their website yet! As this is one of the few receivers on the market that actually has working HDMI 2.1 ports, we felt it was worth a bit more fanfare.

Author’s Note: As there are no official pictures of the Denon AVR-S760H, we’ve included an image at the top of the Denon AVR-S750H. When we get our hands on some pics we can use, we’ll update this article.

Denon AVR-S760H – Under The Hood

  • 7.2 channel, 75w (2 channel driven)
  • Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, DTS Virtual:X
  • 8K UDH, HDCP 2.3, HDR10+, HDR, Dolby Vision, 4k/120 & VRR, eArc
  • 6 HDMI inputs / 1 HDMI 2.1 output
  • 3 dedicated HDMI 2.1 inputs with 8k up scaling on all inputs
  • Phono input
  • Bluetooth, WiFi and AirPlay 2 compatible
  • HEOS multiroom audio built in
  • Support for most voice assistants (Google, Alexa and Siri)
  • Support for Tidal, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora and more via HEOS 
  • Audessy MultEQ with Dynamic Volume and EQ 

Who is the Denon AVR-S760H Aimed At?

  • Those who have devices that can make use of HDMI 2.1 / 4k 120 / VRR (namely owners of the newest Xbox and Playstation consoles)
  • Users who need a simple setup – 7.2 or 5.2.2 – no expandability past this
  • Folks who don’t need extra power for demanding speakers and sit close to their speakers 
  • Need only basic room correction and basic sound codecs

Who this isn’t for?

  • Enthusiast who need to expand past 7.2 or need more power for demanding speakers 
  • People who need to add external amplification to their system  – no preouts 
  • Users who have irregular spaces that need advanced room correction

Our Take 

The Denon AVR-S760H isn’t a revamp, more like a slight refresh of the S750H. The addition of three HDMI 2.1 inputs without the need for an external box is the best and most exciting addition. The S750H is a solid entry-level AVR for those who don’t need or want a particularly feature-rich receiver. If you are a console gamer with a new display, this is one of the better (and least expensive) options for you. As long as you don’t want too many speakers or the latest Audyssey.

What is particularly exciting is that this indicates that Denon may have more releases on the horizon. As the Denon AVR-S760H only costs about $40 more than the S750H it replaced, we could be looking at a whole new line of receivers from them in the near future. We’ll keep our eyes open and let you know.

Currently, the Denon AVR-S760H is only available at Costco, and retails for $439.  


63 Comments on Denon AVR-S760H Overview

  1. Ron Reeves

    I’m looking at the DENON AVR-S760H to replace my outdated AVR. I’m a novice at this kind of stuff, but am looking for a AVR that can provide surround sound for a bose 5.1 system and have an extra channel that I can choose to play music on my outdoor speakers. My current AVR has an A & B channel which allows me to play either one or both at the same time, but is over 23 years old and needs replacing. Thanks in advance for your advice/comment on the DENON!

  2. Jeet

    Between Denon S760H and Denon S960H, is there a huge difference?

    I have a 7.2 speaker system where all 7 speakers are in build and most probably are Sonos if I am not wrong. I don’t know their power yet. Should I spend $300 more and get S960H or spending $300 is not wroth it for my setup?

    This is for my basement and the basement is long. Please suggest.

    Jeet

    • Andrew Thomas

      The big difference is that the 760 has 3 inputs that support full HDMI 2.1 whereas the 960 only has one. I would have the cash and go with the 760W.

  3. Bruski208

    You (and Costco) list the output of the 760 @ 75W with 2 channels driven. When I look at the 750 on Denon’s website (manuals) it lists the 750 @ 110W for each of the 7 channels and calls out the discrete power devices (vs. integrated.) I’m only trying to discern the differences between the two receivers.

    • Andrew Thomas

      The 760W hasn’t been listed on Denon’s website yet. The information I posted was off of the 760W’s box which lists the power as 75wpc.

      I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Unless you are using wildly inefficient speakers, or sitting a far distance away, 75W should be enough!

  4. Julio

    I saw the 760h at my local Costco, ready to buy it. But I need your help. I have a nice set of speakers and sub connected to an old Kenwood receiver. I also have a Samsung soundbar. I run them separately, ie, Bluray player with my surround sound speakers, or the soundbar connected to an HDMI switch that connects directly to my TV. My goal is to connect the soundbar and the speakers to the Denon 760h and control them separately. It would be either soundbar or speakers. Is this set up possible?

  5. D. Ash

    I have a Polk 5.1 speaker system where the receiver outputs run through the powered sub-woofer and then out to the satellite speakers. Can I run them with the 760?

  6. Ram

    I’m a newbie when it comes to HT setup. Got the Denon S760H AV receiver last week from Costco and looking to get a woofer as part of the HT setup. Could you pls. suggest what would be the maximum woofer capacity that this Denon AVR can support ?

  7. MikeSD

    I saw on both the 750 and 760 at Costco. Should I go with the 750? I am only connecting my Apple TV to the system and and the 5.1 speaker bundle from Klipsch, adding the 2 bookshelf Klipsch speakers as well to make it 7.1
    Will the 760 do anything that the 750 can’t (for my needs)? Thanks in advance

  8. John Ford

    Noob here, just getting into the hobby. Will this provide enough power for the Klipsch R 625 FA speakers. Running a 5.1 2. Setup. Kipsch says that can take 100 wats. This is going in basement with low celings but pretty big basement.

  9. Mark P Lamberty

    Can I use the Denon 760 to select a different music source on zone 2 than I’m playing on zone 1? Can I control this function via a Denon app on my phone?

    • Yes on playback in zone 2 (LINK). Be aware that any Zone 2 content that is different than Zone 1 must be connected via analog.

      It looks like the control app can at the very least select the input and volume level for Zone 2.

  10. Michael

    I have 2 Paradigm Titan Monitor bookshelves and a Paradigm Monitor center channel (details below) that I will use primarily for video and some audio streaming (basic quality – not Tidal) or lossless. As much as I’d like to have an audiophile ear, I can’t easily distinguish subtle differences (and my speakers may not be good enough to produce them). I might add a sub in the future, but surround speakers are probably out of the picture for awhile due to young children and room configuration.
    .
    Should this receiver do the job? When I shop in Best Buy’s Magnolia, they try to upsell me to the Denon 3700, but seems like overkill and much more expensive at $1,500.

    System currently set up in large rectangle room w/ wood floor. System will be in one half of the room rather than being centered in the middle of the room. I don’t know if that makes a difference for the room correction software.

    Speaker specs:
    Bookshelves: Paradigm Titan Monitor v6 : Mid/Bass Frequency Driver 190-mm (7-1/2 in) M-ICP™ cone, 25-mm (1 in) voice coil

    Center: Paradigm Monitor Center 3 v7
    4-driver, 3-way center channel.
    https://www.paradigm.com/en/center/center-3

    • Andrew Thomas

      It absolutely will.

      I owned Paradigm Monitor 9v5’s with a matching center and had a Denon 720W (same model line, but several years older)paired to it and it was perfectly fine in terms of power and output. The only reason I moved to the X3600 was because I wanted 5.2.4, NOT because the 720W was underpowered.

      For your use case, go with the 760H

  11. Michael

    Thanks so much for the feedback.

    Do you think this receiver is overkill for my uses? Is there a cheaper one that would do the job?

    The new/modern functionality w/ apps in the receiver to stream music is appealing, so I’d want something new enough that is easy to use in that capacity. Besides that, wondering if this receiver is still overkill for a basic 3 channel setup with the speakers indicated.

  12. I just purchased the Denon AVR-S760H from Costco. Nice unit, got the setup for the TV but my Sony wireless headphones won’t work. What connection or where on the Denon AVR-S760H do I plug in my Sony HP? I appreciate your feedback.

    • Without knowing what headphones you have, we can’t really say. If they require a cable to connect to the receiver, the headphone output at the front would be the only option. You may need an RCA to 1/4″ adapter to make it work.

  13. Tom

    I’m interested in the speaker protection mode. Turning on the unit at a low to moderate setting of 40 everything seems to be okay. Increasing the volume to around 60 triggers the speaker protection mode which shuts down the unit to a flashing indicator light. Turning the unit back on displays the speaker protection mode indicator and then turns on the volume to the approximately 40 level. I’m also interested in knowing why the 8″ minimum clearance above the unit? Thanks.

    • The 8″ is because of ventilation. Your receiver going into speaker protection mode sounds like a loose speaker wire. Check your connections at the receiver and at each speaker. One loose strand can cause a short that puts your receiver into protection mode.

  14. Elliot

    I ordered this AVR from costco.com and and was so excited to get it set up with my Klipsch Reference set also from Costco. I am brand new to this and after spending an hour and a half with Denon CS returned it because of intermittent audio cut-out (PCM DIGL light would flash and I would not hear anything coming through that wasnt Atmos or Dolby digital) I was told it could be a TV issue (I have ARC set up but none of the inputs go through the TV) Any ideas for why this is giving me so much trouble? I feel like it should be plug and play and as much as I want to buy this receiver again I don’t want to go through this problem. Any help would be appreciated.

    • Without more information, it is impossible to say. The flashing light means that the receiver was either switching inputs or decoding solutions. Why it would do that, I can’t say. Now that it has been returned, I’m not sure how much we can help.

  15. Michael

    Is a full 8″ required?

    I was talking to a salesman at Magnolia Store in Best Buy and they said 2-3″ would be sufficient.

    I just bought the 760 and only have 2-3″ in the entertainment center where it sits. I’m running a 3.0 setup without cranking the volume very high, so it seems like it’d be enough. Am I running a risk?

    My experience is mixed so far. It works fine in that it outputs sound from all 3 channels, but the box didn’t include an Audyssey Microphone so I haven’t been able to calibrate the setup yet (Denon is sending one after a long customer service call).

    More importantly, I don’t find the functionality to stream music very reliable. I want to stream from Spotify directly to the receiver without turning on the connected TV. That doesn’t work reliably. Normally I have to cast to the TV, which is then connected via eARC to the receiver. And often the track I’m playing will stop after a couple of minutes and restart at the beginning. I’ve downloaded the Heos app, but when I open it, it just takes me back to Spotify.

    I haven’t had time to research a solution online, but the ease-of-use is one of the selling points for Denon and I don’t want to go digging around to figure it out.

    • Giving less than the recommended clearance around your receiver can risk overheating the unit. This will, over the long term, shorten its lifespan. There are many factors to consider but I’d give it as much room as you could.

  16. Finally had an opportunity to check on your suggestions. The speaker wiring seems to be okay. The only input that seems to have my described problem is the satellite Directv HR24 input. It still shuts everyhiing down above 60/100. I checked a Roku streaming input and was able to go about 83/100 before it became painful. It did not trip the speaker protection warning and shut down the unit. Checked the Directv input using the Game input
    and received the same protection result. Also got the Tuner to go above 80 without any speaker protection message problems. I also have a Directv HR 34 unit which I hooked up to the Denon. It let me go beyond 75 without any speaker protection problems. The output from the Directv HR24 seems to trigger the protection message.

  17. Dave

    I am happy with my current receiver but just got a 4K TV. My current one does not support 4K. Does that mean that the 4k signal I am feeding through it is being converted to 1080P? If so, I guess I will need to upgrade to this one. Thanks!

    • No. If your receiver cannot pass a 4k signal, it tells that to any device connected to it. Those devices will then send out the 1080p version rather than 4k. While, effectively, this results in the same thing, the receiver isn’t “downconverting” anything. Depending on the devices you are using and your display, you could either plug everything into the display to get the 4k video and then use eARC to send audio down to the receiver, or just upgrade your receiver.

  18. Glen

    Will my less than 8k devices work if I connect them to the 8k hdmi in the back of the 760 receiver?
    Are there any disadvantages of getting the 760 instead of the 750?

    • Yes they will work. HDMI will default to the lowest common denominator for both video and audio. The 760 has access to all the HDMI 2.1 features (VRR and ALLM primarily) and greater bandwidth. If you are not gaming on a high-end PC or the latest PC or Xbox console, you don’t need those features.

  19. Steve

    I’m upgrading from an 11 year old Pioneer receiver primarily for the 4K TV. If people think that 2.1 is future-proofing them, you’ll have to wait until next year, unless you really don’t need that 4k @ 120 hZ. Due to compatibility issues, especially so with the latest Xbox and PS5, you’ll need to bypass th receiver and plug the consoles directly to the TV to avoid that Black Screen issue. There were horrendous issues with many of last year’s AVRs and 2.1, as many Yamaha and Onkyo owners know about. But this HDMI 2.1 issue goes to all brands, and likely won’t be resolved until 2022.

  20. Gordy

    Should I move from a Denon AVR 3808ci to the new S760H?
    I am driving a M&K 4 Ohm 5.1 THX speaker system.
    Looking for feedback before I pull the trigger.. Thank you for your input.

    • Andrew Thomas

      Hi Gordy. How far away do you sit from the speakers? Your 3808 had 130wpc into 2 channels, while the 760 is 75wpc into 2 channels.

      If you aren’t sitting a massive distance away, I wouldn’t be too concerned with the 760.

  21. Tam

    I bought Denon S750H from Costco 3 months ago. It is set up with Klipsch 5.1.2 setup with Samsung Projector. Samsung project eARC connects with Denon eARC HDMI. Suddenly no sound is coming from TV. (It was working fine until yesterday. PCM DIGL light would flash on the Denon front screen. I tried with DVD player /FireTV Stick ..none of these work. When I play a song from Heos, it is perfectly working with 5.1.4 speakers. I have done “Denon –>Settings Reset” as well as Hard reset using power button. I have unplugged all cables and replugged in. Nothing worked! Any help would be highly appreciated.

    • I don’t know why you’d be using eARC with a projector. You should just plug everything into the AV receiver and send the video to the projector.

      One thing to remember is that each input on your receiver remembers your sound mode choices. If you changed something on accident that somehow disabled the sound, it would remember it. If it was working before, and it isn’t now, it should be a setting somewhere in the AV receiver or projector.

      If you can see an image but no sound, try hitting the “Game” button (check out this link for more info). You should see a menu pop up with a number of different sound options. Try each one. That’s my best guess given the limited information you’ve provided.

  22. Brett

    Hello,
    I have a setup with a zone 2 powered by a older sonance amp. Without a proper pre out is there any other way to use this 760 to power my zone 2? How does the zone 2 work on this receiver? Thanks

    • There is no way to connect your amp to this receiver. That’s pretty common at this price point. I glanced at the specs and it does say it has Zone 2 support but it appears to be solely through their Heos wireless solution.

  23. Horacio

    I purchased a pair of klipsch reference dual 8” floor speakers, center speaker, 2 rear surround speakers ( all klipsch). Will the Denon S760H be able to power them? Thank you in advance for your response.

  24. J. Brawn

    I bought this at Costco and have lived with it for a few days. I’m very happy with the 5.1 sound in my primary room, but the zone 2 speaker outputs are connected to very good quality full range speakers, and they sound like there is nothing happening below 80 hz. I’ve set the Front L&R speakers to “Large” and set the subwoofer to LFE instead of LFE+Main, and I still don’t have any bass coming to the speakers in zone 2. They sound horrible, and there doesn’t look like there is any work around because there is no line level or optical output for zone 2. I’m really dissapointed!

  25. Mike

    I’m a very newbee at this and have a very basic question. I’m looking for a receiver that will receive input from my turntable, a blue-ray player, and wi-fi streams, and push video to my SMART TV and audio to the TV and to Bluetooth speakers around the room. I’m considering the AVR-S760H but can’t find anywhere that says it will broadcast to the Bluetooth speakers. Is that an obvious feature that doesn’t need to be stated or is that something this device doesn’t support. Thanks

    • Most AV receivers do not wirelessly connect to speakers. With Denon, the feature you are looking for is HEOS. Yamaha’s system is a little better and it is called MusicCast. I’m not sure exactly what you are trying to do, so research those two and see if they work for you. Otherwise, check out this article.

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