Heavy metal thunder...

Richard Stevenson enjoys the gung-ho attitude of Denon's 11-channel AV amp

- Richard Stevenson

AV INFO

PRODUCT: 11-channel networked AV amplifier

POSITION: Between the nine-channel AVC-X4700H and 13-channel AVC-X8500H

PEERS: Arcam AVR10; Marantz SR8015; Yamaha RX-A3080

Denon’s X-Series AV receiver lineup tops out this year with the AVC-X6700H. It's not the brand's flagship: the AVC-X8500H remains in the range for its audiophile-buffed internals and 13-channel power plant, while the AVC-A110 is a special edition for the company’s 110th anniversary. But as 'regular' Denons go, this is the best the brand has to offer in 2020.

Its £2,300 price tag is far from eye-watering in this market, and it backs it up with impressive power claims, a bevy of features, and a passion for acronyms.

On the video side it sports a dedicated 8K/60Hz HDMI input and 4K to 8K upscaling, HDR delivery in HDR10+ and Dolby Vision flavours, 4:4:4 colour subsampling, HDCP 2.3 and REC.2020 passthrough. Two of its HDMI outputs are also 8K-enabled, and tote other features of the HDMI 2.1 spec: 4K/120Hz compatibility, Variable Refresh Rate to reduce frame tearing, and Auto Low Latency and Quick Frame Transport modes to reduce imaging lag.

Well, that was the theory. At the time of writing the 4K/120Hz mode has been befuddled by an HDMI chipset bug. Denon, as noted on p10, says it is working on a solution, but quite what that will entail is unclear at present. Still, as it’s a relatively easy workaround and I last bought a gaming console when the original Tomb Raider was the hottest thing in town, it hasn't caused me any sleepless nights.