Customer Reviews

Denon AVR-S970H

Good sound. Plenty of ports. I was surpried by the radio. it gets more stations than expected.

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Denon AVR-S970H

Stereo set up was not very user friendly, more complicated then needed. Display screen on stereo is difficult to see/read at times. Power of receiver is very good.

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Denon AVR-S970H

no means to connect to cable provider (Fox) for changing channels on remote. Muddy sound.

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Denon AVR-S970H

Difficult to setup, instructions are not easy, still trying to find out how to set up Audessy

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Plug and play!

Set up easily into existing 5.1 + Zone 2 setup with Def-tec speakers and Rhythmik sub. I replaced an Onkyo TX-NR676 receiver that died after 7 years. The on-screen instructions were straightforward except for assigning zone 2, which took me a while to find. Much easier setup than an older Denon I had. The pdf manual is very detailed and runs about 200 pages; download it to tablet if needed (I didn't). Audessey calibration was very easy but doesn't ask about speaker size or measure freq response. I chose this unit over similarly priced Denon X1800H due to more favorable reviews at Crutchfield, despite a shorter warranty. So far so good after a week.

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Denon AVR-S970H

I replaced a Sony (90w x 2) I bought from you @ 5 years ago. I purchased this Denon (90w x 2) largely because of the very favorable audio results I have gotten with a smaller Denon single disc rcvr/cd player I purchased from Crutchfield a couple of years ago. It also plays music from USB thumb drives as does the 970H. The "little" Denon is teamed with a pair of small Klipsch bookshelf speakers, also from Crutchfield. I was amazed at the sound I hear from that set up. I can now hear music I didn't know was there before! Given the results with the "little" Denon heavily influenced my choice of the 970H, along with various positive reviews I read. As I write this I'm listening to a computer file containing over 800 titles, via Bluetooth thru the Denon and 3 Klipsch speakers. I am very pleased once again with what I am hearing now!

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Solid equipment

Setup seemed to be a pain some of the manual settings should automatically be there. Such as the CD ports. It should also automatically detect the use of the ARC port.

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Denon AVR-S970H

Lots of power, sounds great, easy setup, lots of options . Good value for the money.

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Does exactly what I need it to do.

Upgraded from an older Yamaha to be able to connect all my HMDI devices as well Apple airplay. Currently just running 5 channel audio which sounds great. Apple AirPods work just like they're suppose to.

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Easy Setup, Great Features, Excellent Sound

Have only owned it a couple of weeks, but we are really happy with the purchase. We needed a multi-zone AVR that was shallow enough to fit in a built-in cabinet. Both stereo (music) and surround (movies) have been excellent. Features we've used so far that have worked seamlessly include HEOS, eARC, CEC, phono, and zone2. I like that I can set the startup and max volumes to kid-proof the setup a bit. Also chose to use eARC and CEC because my younger kids are used to the LG TV remote/apps/buttons and I wanted to avoid the learning curve and complications a Harmony remote might introduce. Seems to have plenty of power for our setup and doesn't seem to run overly hot for the volumes that we're listening. I like that I can cast Spotify from my phone and it brings the AVR out of standby and starts playing. I also like that I can control the AVR from the Denon app on my phone. I wasn't crazy about the settings that the Audyssey setup configured, especially the crossovers, so just went with manual settings that I thought were appropriate for our system.

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Great AVR

Sounds amazing, love all the options for connecting and especially the dual HDMI outputs. Made setting up my theater a breeze.

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Denon AVR-S970H

Sounds great still have to connect turntable

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Denon AVR-S970H

Meets all expectations solid unit easy setup. No owners manual provided all online is a huge negative .

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Easy Setup - Very Good Sound

I am very happy with this Denon receiver. The overall sound quality is better than I expected in this price range. The receiver was delivered in perfect condition a day and a half after I ordered it from Crutchfield (ahead of schedule). This unit replaced an older Marantz receiver that had developed issues with 4K video HDCP. Setup and configuration is very easy and fast with onscreen prompts. I ran the Audyssey Setup twice to get the results I wanted with a few manual tweaks. The included Denon App is a nice tool for making minor changes on the fly such as adjusting the rear speaker levels or tweaking the dialog levels for an NFL game broadcast. Overall I'm very satisfied with the unit and great Crutchfield customer service.

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Horrible Inconsistency in speaker naming in Setup

1.) Speaker labels "Surround Back" on the back panel should have the word "Height" as Surround Back terminals can also be used to hook up Height speakers. 2). Audyssey Calibration speaker labels like Surround back should be changed if Surround back is used for Height. 3). Setup screen on TV stops show up, requires to go to Tuner on Remote to reactivate Setup screen on TV.

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A reputable brand with many features for the price

This receiver is very flexible and has many features for the price point. Additionally, set up is very easy with the program which walks one through each step of the way on the TV. There is only one issue, but it bugs me. There is no way to directly adjust the bass and treble either via the unit or using the remote. To be honest, I totally missed it when reviewing the specs, and I guess, I just took it for granted that such a basic feature would be present. However and unfortunately, the only way to adjust the bass and treble for this Denon and some Marantz units is through a $20 app which has a 2.7 rating and some very scathing reviews, so I won't be buying it. However, that aside, this IS otherwise a very nice receiver, while the absence of the ability to control bass and treble on receivers appears to be a common trend or practice nowadays -- so it's far from unique to this unit. (Less expensive units do have bass and treble control, however, the lack many of the features and ports of this unit.) Overall, it's truly a good to great unit -- especially for the price point. There are obviously better, but at much higher prices.

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Speaker setup

This S970H A/V receiver is connected to my LG OLED C3 TV via HDMI eARC cable with 7.1 speaker configuration. My review focuses on Setup process: The worst aspect of this receiver is its totally Out-of-Date speaker labels, my main complain and shortcoming: In the Dolby Atom Front Height channel era, Denon still INCORRECTLY uses "Surround Back" label on its speaker terminals on the back panel to represent Dolby Atom Front Height channels. Surround Back is NOT Height in a plain English language as Surround back means speakers behind the listeners, NOT FRONT HEIGHT as specified by Dolby Atom specification. How could Denon still use such an extremely poor English speaker labels to mislead users is beyond my imagination, while many other brands like Sony, Onkyl, Pioneer, Yamaha have always included the word "Height" on its speaker terminals on its back panel to clearly help user connect front height speakers. I have to contact Crutchfield tech support to solve this basic commonsense Front height speakers setup. The Audyssey calibration program doesn't recognize the revised Front Height speakers from the original Surround Back speaker labels, and still present Front Height speakers as the WRONG Surround Back speakers. Horrible, Horrible. Won't have time to review its sound quality and video images until later.

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Denon AVR-S970H

I think I'll love it, but I'm still learning how to set it up.

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Amazing

This receiver is bad a$$. Powers every sub-woofer I have and super easy to use and integrate with my apple tv. Love it. Great choice.

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Great unit, great price better than the 1800 for 5.2

After years of only owning Denon and Marantz I tried the Onkyo RZ70 first. It is a flagship model and I wanted the ability to stream in 3 zones and be Sonos port ready.Onkyo and Sony are the only options that don't require more external amps. The flagship Onkyo arrived and had software issues so Crutchfield shipped me a 2nd unit. Even more problems with the 2nd unit so Crutchfield offered to ship me a 3rd. I decided to go back to Denon or Marantz and just add another Sonos amp for the 3rd zone. I only run 5.2 in my home theatre and stereo in my 2nd zone and this Denon had everything I needed and the price was 1/3 the Onkyo and just a little more than half after I added the Sonos amp for zone 3. Setup was much easier than the Onkyo. Almost everything worked as I hoped right off the bat. Plenty of power to drive all 7 Martin Logan speakers in both room simultaneously in the 4 ohm setting. I can play the system louder than my neighbors could ever handle and the sound is crisp and clear. The Denon app is easy to use and while a little slow I don't have any complaints with it. The only issue I've experienced with the Denon is that it won't pass my Sonos signal to zo s 2 if I'm hooked up to the digital coax, I have to use the analog inputs. Crutchfield tech support helped me to troubleshoot but we couldn't find a work around. I haven't reached out to Sonos or Denon yet to see if they have a fix for this. Zone 2 is my office and I can live with this if there isn't a workaround.

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Denon AVR-S970H

Sent back to crutchfeild

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Great value once set-up is complete.

This model meets all performance expectations. The set-up process was not as smooth as I would have liked, but Crutchfield's tech support helped me problem solve. It is easy to use once it is set up properly.

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Denon AVR-S970H

The added watts above my previous receiver are quite noticeable. I like the number of hdmi inputs. It drives my new klipsch 8000 speakers well and even my old Bose acoustimass speakers. And it supports my Samsung oled tv also. I am very pleased. I also benefited from Crutchfield's price guarantee a few days later when they reduced the price. Very happy.

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Excellent Receiver

Simple to use and configure. Thanks to the people of Crutchfield for their kindly help. Initially I ordered an Onkyo NR6100 and I decided to return it. They sent me a Return Authorization very fast and refunded me. The ONKYO Not bad receiver but I decided to get the DENON that has a better Bluetooth reception. Both deliver excellent sound options but for me the DENON has better cable management and simpler configuration.

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Gtreat Receiver, Terrible Documentation

This receiver replaced an older Denon AVR 1910 unit. I replaced it because it lacked HDMI eARC HDMI inputs and the 2nd zone stopped working. I opted for an open box unit which was >$100 cheaper after consulting with Crutchfield staff. I was unable to get zone 2 to operate with the new receiver, following the Denon manual. After contacting tech support, the receiver was replaced. Unfortunately, zone 2 of the replacement unit would also not turn on. I decided to go through the manual in detail and look online for help. The manual and receiver menu is perhaps the most unintuitive thing I've encountered. Many references are made for assigning the unused amp as a 2nd zone, but nowhere is it stated how that's done. I would have expected tech support to have that knowledge, but they decided to replace the unit. Not what I expect from Crutchfield. Rather, I would think tech support staff would be subject matter experts for the products they sell. After more frustration and trial and error navigating the menu, I came upon amp assignment options to try, and was finally able to use zone 2. Once over that hurdle, the receiver works great.

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Great AVR.

So far, I'm very pleased with this AVR. Exceeded my expectations. Certainly much better than Yanaha I had.

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Very Nice so far

I am not using this receiver to its full capacity yet. I actually purchased this to replace a two channel 80s Yamaha that finally failed. This receiver was the same cost as a DRA-900H with room to grow albeit slightly less power. However, I have no complaints so far. The only reason for the 4 star review is the fact that I am not using it to its full capacity and do not think it is fair to give it a full 5 yet. I am currently using this S970H to run four outdoor speakers and will shift this receiver to another location using it exactly the way I am now, which will give the new location space to grow into a full home theater. I will be slowly introducing new components to this S970H but am learning the Denon APP along with the HEOS APP to remotely control the All Zone Stereo feature from outside.

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Denon AVR-S970H

We are thoroughly enjoying the purchase of the Denon AVR-970H Receiver. It was easy to install and setup for both video and audio. It provides the audio punch that was needed for watching TV shows, sports, and movies. Love the HEOS app for playing music from anywhere in the house.

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Straightforward Setup - Sounds Great

Although I've seen reviews of people complaining about the setup process, I found the UI and process was very straightforward. Tuning it to the room was simple, but thorough. Sounds great pushing my Klipsch speakers & sub.

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More Than Satisfied

As much as I have been into components from growing up in the 1970's, by no means do I consider myself an expert on systems. I have my vintage Technics SL-6 along with JBL 4311's hooked up to the AVR-S970H. I had originally purchased and installed the 770. I liked it, but I felt it was missing a bit of "punch" to the streaming of Deezer as well as the playing of vinyl. The 970 gives that "little extra" of what I was looking for. As far as the surround, it is on spot for me. I'm not using any technical measurements. I set it up with Audyessy and I'm more than satisfied. I am still playing with all the settings as well as saving the settings to the quick select buttons. It takes time, but it's actually fun as you get to learn the receiver. Did need firmware update to fix a HDMI passthru problem. Not a big deal. I suggest having an in depth conversation with a Crutchfield expert. I went with Larry as he specializes in home audio. In addition the delivery came a day early on both the 770 as well as the 970. I will be using Crutchfield again.

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Performing as expected

Purchased this as an upgrade for my 10+ year old Denon 1912 receiver so that I could take advantage of the newer HDMI specs/sounds formats. I'm still just running a 5.1 set-up, but the current slate of audio formats rounds great and I'm sure I'll spend far too much time trying to figure out which sounds best for a particular source. All other aspects of this receiver are exactly what I would expect of Denon and nothing much further to report. Set-up was easy and the GUI is a welcomed update from what the 1912 had (though that is not saying much).

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Denon AVR-S970H

Easy to use. Looks good

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Denon AVR-S970H

Only a 4 because I've only had it a week. East to set up. Sounds more powerful than listed. Very clean, dynamic sound with many inputs provided. Very nice.

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Denon AVR-S970H

Would love to give a 5 star rating but I am afraid I can't. Followed the Quick Start guide to the letter but I had sound but no picture. Tried to get a picture for over an hour but no luck. By the way, I had all new HDMI cables for this install. Worked with a Crutchfield technician to try to reslove the problem. No luck. After I got off the phone with technician I tried to reinstall the DENON unit again. Still had the same problem, sound but no picture. The unit is being returned

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Denon AVR

This receiver has the most easy set up going through step by step from the TV

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