You're unlikely to find a better overall AV receiver at this price. That said, for most folks the Denon AVR-S500BT and a decent 5.1 speaker/subwoofer system will provide very satisfying sound for not a lot of money. If you have a very large room, hard-to-drive speakers, and/or a taste for very loud music or home theater, a significantly more powerful receiver or amplifier would be a wise investment. Again, no matter how heavy-handed we were with the volume control, the AVR-S500BT never faltered. Jack White's string-screeching guitar flash perfectly complemented Meg White's massive drum sound. Once we stopped comparing the two receivers, the AVR-S500BT's sound kicked butt on The White Stripes' "Under Blackpool Lights" concert DVD from 2004. That receiver also produced a smoother meshing of the front and surround speakers than the AVR-S500BT. We weren't playing either receiver at anywhere close to their maximum output volume levels, the STR-DN850 just had a more substantial sound character. The Pioneer speakers actually sounded a little bigger, so we checked that both receivers had the same subwoofer-to-speaker crossover settings, and they did. The pounding bass drum thwacks were more viscerally presented over the STR-DN850. Ah, but when we played the scenes again on the Sony STR-DN850 receiver ($400), the drums sounded fuller and bigger. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up.
This dramatic film depicts marching band competitions that bring together talented student players, and the soundtrack faithfully delivered the sounds of the snare, tenor, and bass drums' wide dynamics. Shop Denon AVR-S540BT Receiver, 5.2 channel, 4K Ultra HD Audio and Video, Home Theater System, built-in Bluetooth and USB Black at Best Buy. So yes, this receiver can dish out home-theater hijinks, no problem.
No sound bar or sound base at any price can rock our world like that, or fill a home theater as well as the AVR-S500BT did with those aforementioned speakers and sub. The AVR-S500BT didn't seem to mind: it played our Pioneer SP-PK52FS speaker system (with an Aperion Bravus 8D subwoofer thrown in) as loud as we could stand. While spacecraft crashes in orbit in real life would be completely silent they get really loud in movies. The "Gravity" Blu-ray's ominous low bass rumble was suitably deep and menacing, and the nimble surround mix that pans the astronauts voices as they tumble through space swirled around the CNET listening room. Buy Denon AVR-S540BT 5.2-Channel A/V Receiver featuring Up to 70W per Channel at 8 Ohms, Mic-Assisted Sound Calibration, HDMI with 3D and Audio Return Channel, HDR UHD Pass-Through, 5 x HDMI In / 1 x HDMI Out, Bluetooth Connectivity, Front-Panel USB Connectivity, GUI On-Screen Display. We wasted no time before cranking up the volume to see how the Denon AVR-S500BT fared dishing out home theater muscle. It's worth noting that the receiver features spring clips on its speaker connections rather than the ubiquitous, higher-quality binding posts.