Denon AVRX2600H?

ClairET · Dec 28, 2019

Hi all. Looking to upgrade from my Onkyo TX-SR608 and considering a Denon AVRX2600H, currently at $550 US. Anyone have this receiver? While the receiver is currently at a $250 savings, is there a better one I should consider?

Currently running 5.1 (NHT 3.1, Super Zero and VT-1C) with no room for more speakers, so staying at 5.1...maybe 5.2 if I can swing two new subs at some point.

My Onkyo has developed a low frequency static on the LFE channel, which seems to be internal to the receiver AND it doesn’t support newer HDMI formats. ARC has also been a hit or miss. Was working with the TV for a while, turning on/off/volume, etc, but that’s a hit and miss now.

The only secondary source which will be connected will be a 4K Blu-Ray. The Denon seems a bit overkill, but I’m looking for ease of use , clean sound and future proofing as much as possible.

Budget is right in the $500 range. What do you all think?

Pogre · Dec 28, 2019

The Denon X3500H has been going for $549 on Amazon for a little while now. It's a 2018 model, but a clear step up from the 2600 for close to the same price.

ryanosaur · Dec 28, 2019

I second that... if you can step up a notch to the 3500, you get the better version of Audyssey for room correction, and the privilege of purchasing their App as well. Though not necessary, it does put more control in your hands.

William Lemmerhirt · Dec 28, 2019

And a THIRD!(dramatic British accent)

ClairET · Dec 28, 2019

Thanks. Wasn’t aware of the 3500 on Amazon. Definitely changed my plan!

PENG · Dec 28, 2019

ClairET said:
Thanks. Wasn’t aware of the 3500 on Amazon. Definitely changed my plan!

Definitely, no doubt about it.. The biggest advantage of the 3500 over the 2600 is the 7.1 pre-out, aside from Audyssey XT32. With the 7.1 pre-out, you have the option to add external power amp(s), should the need arise.

ClairET · Dec 28, 2019

On order. Should arrive Tuesday. Thanks all for the recommendation.

ClairET · Dec 31, 2019

Receiver arrived today. The unit is stout and appears very well made. Remote could be better. Feels a bit cheap, but I’ve definitely seen worse. Seems to have all the right buttons and only the required ones, which is excellent. Setup was an absolute breeze. Really happy to have OSD again. eARC works great. It even turns off all attached components. Odyssey setup was much more detailed than what I’ve seen before.

None of this matters though. The big success story is my wife instantly noticed a big difference in sound quality. She’s not an audiophile. I think that says it all right there. Thanks for helping spend my money. At least one if not two SVS subs will be next.

ryanosaur · Dec 31, 2019

Two.
I have spoken.

ClairET · Dec 31, 2019

Any recommendations with settings, etc, anyone has found useful, I pad appreciate the guidance. The online manual seems pretty extensive!

lovinthehd · Jan 1, 2020

ClairET said:
Any recommendations with settings, etc, anyone has found useful, I pad appreciate the guidance. The online manual seems pretty extensive!

Since you ran Audyssey one thing some avrs do is turn on Audyssey's Dynamic Volume (a dynamic compression routine) automatically and I'd just turn that off as that's my preference not to have that running (might be handy for late nite listening and keeping things a little more tolerable for others in the house). Audyssey's Dynamic EQ is also usually turned on automatically; this I personally find very handy but is mainly setup for movies to start, with music I think you might prefer to use it in conjunction with the Reference Level Offset settings. Some will change particular speaker levels after running Audyssey to suit, sub is the most frequently cited one (many bump it up 2-4 dB). If you're using a sub and any speakers were set to "large" I'd change them to small and probably start with an 80hz crossover and experiment from there.

Here are some comments by Audyssey on the subject of crossover and dynamic eq/RLO.