Denon AVR-S500BT: 4K Receiver With Bluetooth

The present model from Denon is a 5.2-channel receiver that has 140W per channel. The Denon AVR-S500BT specs focus on providing basic features for better video quality and improved audio listening experience, like 4K video support and AM/FM tuner.

Design

Generally, the receiver looks sleek and modern. It has quite a standard size of 13 x 10.4 x 13 inches and weighs 17 pounds. Since the Denon AVR-S500BT doesn’t feature multi-zone, there are not too many controls on its body. This way, it does look minimalist even without a flip-down panel. It features a source select knob and a knob to control the volume level, and four dedicated buttons to quickly select the needed input source which I find very convenient. The display is quite simple, with white text on a black background with blue highlight. On the front panel of the unit, you can also find 3 ports: USB, headphones jack, and setup mic. The USB port is capable of decoding MP3, WMA, WAV formats but not AIFF.

Features

The Denon AVR-S500BT AV receiver supports 4K Ultra HD and 4:4:4 Pure Color video pass-through. It also works with TVs that support the 3D format. The Compressed Audio Restorer improves sound quality of MP3 and other digital music files. The HDMI standby pass-through gives the opportunity to switch HDMI without powering up the unit. The provided remote control is multifunctional and offers dedicated source buttons. The ECO mode contributes to the reduction of power consumption.

Performance

Despite being the receiver from the budget segment, this model from Denon works well. Both video and audio performance of this unit are quite satisfying, however, they may seem lackluster in comparison with some other similar receivers.

Sound Quality

In this Denon AVR-S500BT review, I would like to say that this receiver from Denon provides a volumetric, three-dimensional sound for a cinematic experience. It supports DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD decoding. Plus, you can play high-resolution FLAC files from connected USB memory devices (up to 24-bit/96 kHz).

Connectivity

The rear panel of the unit offers a small number of connectivity options. You can find there 5 HDMI (ver.2.0) inputs and 1 output. You will also get composite video switching (2 in, 1 out), digital audio inputs (2 optical and 1 coaxial), 2 analog inputs, 2 outputs for subwoofers, and outputs for 5 speakers (front L/R, center, surround L/R).

Note that the Denon AVR-S500BT stereo receiver doesn’t offer phono input, so to connect a vinyl player to the receiver you will need to add a phono preamp.

The Bluetooth connectivity is provided for a wireless connection.

Setup

The Denon Setup Assistant with an intuitive on-screen guide makes it simple to connect your acoustic system to the receiver. With the color-coded speaker terminals, even the newbies will not get confused when hooking up the receiver to the speaker system. The AVR-S500BT also goes with a microphone to calibrate your sound system, ensuring that your subs and speakers are properly tuned.Conclusion

Conclusion

The AVR-S500BT is a simple unit without bells and whistles that is offered for a budget-friendly price, and accordingly offers a minimal set of connectors. However, you will still be able to connect the satellite box, Blu-ray player, gaming console, and other sources to this receiver. The built-in Bluetooth technology turns out to be a pleasant addiction for listening to music from apps using your smartphone or tablet. It does offer some important features to provide high-quality video and audio and can be a decent addition to a home theater.