Cheap Denon AVR-886S 7.1-Channel XM-Ready Home Theater Receiver (Electronics) Price

The word "muscular" was the first thing that came to mind as we unpacked the Denon AVR-886S XM-Ready 7.1-Channel Home Theater A/V Receiver. It wasn't its hefty 29-pound mass that gave us that impression, but rather it was its overall build. This Denon is one solid receiver. Fortunately, the AVR-886S offers sound that lives up to its physical attributes. Overall we found it to be an agile mid-range receiver that's priced and built to please any home-theater enthusiast.

Twin Drive Rectifier design reproduces deep basses as well as sudden bursts of sound from percussion or other musical instruments.

A large extruded aluminum heatsink dissipates temperatures uniformly and ensures optimum channel performance.

The included microphone makes the speaker configuration a breeze.

The optional XM Connect and Play antenna turns the AVR-886S into a satellite receiver.

Solid to the Core
Denon has designed the chassis that supports the AVR-886S's transformer to absorb any vibration its 700 total watts of power generates. The highly rigid frame houses and secures the unit's extra-large transformer solidly to the chassis. A thick layer of cushioning material surrounding the transformer's core minimizes any interference and helps to produce a faithful reproduction of the original sound source. Denon has also thrown in a large aluminum extruded heatsink that's designed to dissipate the receiver's heat uniformly, ensuring that all seven channels respond with equal performance. Add to this the unit's serious, but still sleek-looking, brushed-aluminum casing and controls, and one can easily see why "muscular" is the operative word here.

Agility at its Best
But having muscles doesn't mean that the AVR-886S can't move with the best of them. We set up the receiver in a relatively small room and connected a full range of audio and video sources. The AVR-886S is equipped with a fairly straightforward auto setup function that's designed to customize the sound levels for optimum performance in any room. With the included microphone placed at listening level, and with the system's 32-bit floating point digital signal processor automatically analyzing and adjusting the speaker configuration to the room, we were able to scroll through and complete our set-up in just a few minutes. And the option of letting us adjust the settings on our TV display made it even easier.

Take a closer look at the AVR-886S's back panel.

While the AVR-886S processes all the popular formats you'd expect (Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Digital, and more) as well as the standard DTS modes (6.1 DTS-ES Discrete, DTS-ES Matrix, DTS Neo:6, Cinema 6.1/5.1, and DTS 96/24 5.1 for DVD-Video Processing), Denon has added a few of its own sound-mode touches. The unit's on-board processing offers several creative algorithms customized for specific sources. We tested several rock CDs with the "rock arena" mode, for instance, a jazz CD with the "jazz club" mode, and even a home-made VHS tape we had laying around in the system's "mono movie" mode. Each mode can be quickly accessed through the remote.

The "rock mode," in particular, added new depth to CDs we've been listening to for years. While the AVR-886S has a "personal memory plus" feature that automatically activates the mode you've previously used for each source, so that you don't have to constantly readjust the settings, it doesn't distinguish between, say, a Miles Davis and Rolling Stones CD, making the feature only partially useful. But it was nice not to have to reset the modes every time we dropped in a DVD.

Other features included in the processing package are Wide-Range Play Capability for DVD-audio and super audio CD, and Denon's Cinema Equalizer processing. These features contributed to a fabulous sonic experience as we cranked up the volume during the battle scenes in the last two Star Wars installments. The fact that the unit's power amp circuits are designed for a wide frequency response from 10 Hz to 100 kHz didn't hurt, either.

Satellite Radio: The Future is Here
Another feature that sets the AVR-886S apart from others in its class is its XM Satellite Radio capability. By connecting the optional XM Connect and Play antenna and activating an XM Satellite Radio subscription (both sold separately), the receiver suddenly becomes a conduit for truly incredible, commercial-free radio. And of course, if you really need those commercials, the AVR-886S also offers AM/FM bands with manual and automatic tuning, along with 56 AM/FM/XM memory presets that make finding your favorite station a breeze.

Any criticism we had of the AVR-886S fell more into the category of quibbles than complaints. The receiver features a pair of rear-panel AC power outlets for additional components, but turning the receiver into standby-by mode shuts off the power to the components, which means that whenever we left our disk in the DVD carousel after our movie was over (which was just about every time!), we had to power up the entire system the next morning just to eject the disc. And while the multi-function remote is designed to work seamlessly with the receiver, it loses some functionality with our other non-Denon components.

Other nice touches that are worth mentioning include the digitally regulated volume control that offers .5 dB increment adjustments; three sets of component video inputs, each with RCA terminals; and Denon's "5 Channel/7 Channel Stereo Mode," which allowed for a "surround sound experience" from standard two-channel sources, such as CDs or stereo radio.

Pros:

• Solid engineering and design for robust, vibration-free sound
• Easy speaker and room customization set up
• Several unique sound modes

Cons:

• Standby mode shuts off power to rear-panel AC power outlets
• Multi-function remote has limited capability as a universal
• Personal memory plus feature offers limited functionality with CD listening

What's in the Box
AVR-886S receiver, remote control unit (RC-1004), 2 AA batteries, AM antenna, FM antenna, omnidirectional microphone, operating instructions, warranty, and service station list.

CATEGORY:	Electronics
MANUFACTURER:	Denon
FEATURES:	7.1-channel XM-satellite-radio-ready audio/video receiver with high-bandwidth A/V inputs and switching, Processes all major surround formats, including Dolby Digital EX, Pro Logic IIx, DTS-ES Discrete 6.1, and DTS Neo:6, True 2-source, 2-zone functionality with discrete power, source select, and volume control for each zone, Includes microphone for automatic room configuration; 6 digital audio inputs (4 optical, 2 coaxial), 100 watts per channel x 7; measures 17.1 x 6.7 x 16.9 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 29 pounds; 2-year warranty
MEDIA:	Electronics
MPN:	AVR-886S
ACCESSORIES:
UPC:	081757506540