Denon AVR-X1300W

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The old adage ‘if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is’ crumbles in the face of in-credit electricity bills and all-you-can-eat buffets for  ₹500, but is still relevant when it comes to the Denon AVR-X1300W, the brand’s entry-level 7.2-channel AV amplifier.

It’s cheaper than its big brother, our Product of the Year AVR- X2300W, yet the two models have much in common. The AVR-X1300W decodes the latest surround-sound formats (Dolby True HD, DTS HD and Dolby Atmos, with DTS:X coming soon via a software update); it can stream popular two-channel formats from DSD 5.6MHz to AIFF and 24-bit/192kHz FLAC and WAV; it’s further equipped with wi-fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, Spotify Connect and multiple 4K-supporting HDMI inputs.

The AVR-X1300W appears to be good value, and it is. Only when the two machines are together in a sonic shoot-out do the differences, and the benefit of spending more for the AVR-X2300W, become apparent. But the 1300W is more than decent as a first buy.

Caught in the crossfire

We play Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the presentation is warm, weighty and articulate – and not without the punch and authority to get your hands rubbing together as the epic symphonic orchestration scores the space-opera’s opening crawl. It surges through our speaker package with a bang, the brass section enthusiastic and the theatrical strings rising as resolutely as the words on the screen.

The village-raid scene is an onslaught of crossfire and commotion, yet, even at the soundtrack’s densest, the Denon never sounds bewildered. It has the space, cohesion and precision to track the trajectory of gunshots as they are fired from one speaker and make contact with a poor soul in another.