VERDICT
SEPTEMBER 2019 HOME CINEMA CHOICEcaptures the drama, unearthing soundmix details and
building an immersive even-handed soundfi eld. The
amplifi er stage is suffi ciently powerful too; it had no
problem powering my relatively sensitive DALI Rubicon/
Alteco combination.Somewhere in-between
Denon's approach to its lower/mid-range AV receivers is
to lay on the features and deliver crowd-pleasing sonics.
It's a winning combination, improved by its attention to
ease-of-use. The Denon AVR-X2600H is an accomplished
all-rounder that's hard to fi nd fault with (beyond its
seven-channel limit and a few streaming omissions),
and is a fi ne option for cinematic audio and music alike.
The diff erences with last year’s model are too limited to
require upgrading, though QSPECIFICATIONS
DOLBY ATMOS: Yes DTS:X: Yes THX: No MULTICHANNEL INPUT: No. MULTICHANNEL
PRE-OUT: No MULTICHANNEL OUTPUT (CLAIMED): 7 x 95W (into 8 ohms)
MULTIROOM: Yes. Second zone plus HEOS AV INPUTS: 2 x digital optical audio
inputs; 4 x analogue inputs HDMI: Yes. 8 x inputs; 2 x outputs COMPONENT VIDEO:
Yes. 2 x inputs; 1 x output VIDEO UPSCALING: Yes DIMENSIONS: 434(w) 167(h) x
329(d)mm WEIGHT: 9.5kgFEATURES: Ethernet; dual-band Wi-Fi; Bluetooth; 2 x subwoofer pre-outs; Dolby
Height Virtualization (via fi rmware); DTS Virtual:X; Apple AirPlay 2; Works with
Amazon Alexa; Google Assistant support; MM phono input; USB; front-mounted
HDMI input; Audyssey MultEQ XT (with supplied mic and fold-out tripod); eARC;
FLAC, ALAC, WAV and DSD hi-res audio playbackFYNE AUDIO F30 0 SERIES 5.1:
The upstart Scottish
brand makes a strong fi rst
impression with this £1,000
fl oorstanding speaker pack.
Styling is a bit staid but the
performance is superb, with
a remarkable bass punch and
cohesive soundfi eld.PARTNER WITH
Denon AVR-X 2600 H
« £600 « http://www.denon.co.uk
WE SAY: Great value-for-money AVR with a commitment to
ease-of-use, streaming music fun, and a detailed and dynamic
multichannel performance.REVIEWS 57
There's no way of judging yet, as Denon – as with Onkyo
and Pioneer – will only be adding the feature via a future
fi rmware update. The same is true for Auto Low Latency
Mode (ALLM), an HDMI 2.1 skill but achievable through
the AVR's HDMI 2.0a connections. Once this arrives, it will
notify your display to automatically switch to a gaming
picture mode when you fi re up your console.
The AVR-X2600H is well-equipped when it comes to
HDMI, with eight inputs (one exposed on the front panel)
and two outputs, one with eARC. Admittedly at this point
eARC doesn’t add much to an AVR, but that might change
if streaming services begin off ering uncompressed
object-based audio. The HDMI ports are HDCP 2.3
compliant, yet more future-proofi ng.
In some parts of Europe the X2600H is available with
a DAB+ tuner, which is quite unusual, but this isn't the case
in the UK. Considering you can easily listen to relatively
high-quality radio streams through the built-in HEOS
platform, it’s not a great loss.
It can often seem that mainstream AVRs possess more
streaming options than channels. Although Denon doesn’t
match some rivals in the amount of choices provided
(there's no Chromecast), it’s still an impressive haul, with
Bluetooth (soon to be boosted by an update providing for
transmission to compatible headphones), DLNA and Apple
AirPlay 2 adding to the HEOS implementation. The latter
is a bit light on integrated services (Qobuz isn't featured,
for instance), but makes up for it with a user-friendly app,
hi-res support and multiroom capabilities (although you
can’t send another stream to the AVR's second zone,
something rival Yamaha manages with MusicCast).
Ready for battle
A run-through of the fi nal episode of Game of Thrones
(HBO) fi nds the Denon AVR-X2600H in good voice. I was
fi rst impressed by the minute detail conveyed, hammering
home the devastation a shell-shocked Tyrion encounters
while searching for his siblings. Crackling fl ames, an icy
wind and footsteps are well placed and realistic, with clean
separation. It's testament to both the receiver's processing
and the fi ne-tuning skills off ered by Audyssey MultEQ XT,
so take the time to implement it.
When Ramin Djawadi’s soundtrack kicks in, this receiver
doesn’t disappoint either, presenting the orchestration
in an engrossing manner. Denon claims the receiver has
received an improved sound tuning over last year’s
X2500H, but without being able to make A/B comparisons
that’s a statement that's hard to judge. In truth, there's
probably not a major diff erence, but that doesn't mean
it doesn't sound alluring.
The manic helicopter pursuit through Kashmir
airspace in Mission Impossible: Fallout (UHD Blu-ray) is a
masterpiece of sound design that thrills through a Dolby
Atmos setup. Even though I'd prefer to sample it in 5.1.4,
the seven-channel AVR-X2600H does an impressive
job of relaying the overhead information through my
two DALI Alteco height speakers. The whooshing blades
and rushing air in shots when August Walker (Henry Cavill)
leans out of the open helicopter doors add a sense of
speed to the scene, and the receiver isn't found sluggish.
Equally, when Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is in the frame,
through details like creaking metal you feel how much
he’s pushing the aircraft to its limits. It’s a credit to the
AVR-X2600H that it handles the dynamics of this scene
(and the earlier car chase through Paris) adroitly. It
3
- Front inputs include
a full-size headphone
jack and USB port - Hit the Eco button
on Denon's handset
to kickstart its power
conserving (and
cool-running) mode - As well as HDMI,
the receiver packs
component and even
composite video
connections