DENON AVR-S770H

The Denon AVR-S770H is the step up inside Denon’s entry range: 7.2 channels rather than 5.2, which gives you either a pair of rear surrounds or a pair of height speakers for Dolby Atmos.

That choice is the whole reason to buy this over the AVR-S670H. Seven channels means you can start with 5.1 and add Atmos height later without replacing the receiver.

What Apple Home actually does with it

This is an AirPlay 2 device, not a HomeKit accessory, and the difference matters.

• It appears in the Home app as a speaker you can play to, and in Control Centre as an AirPlay target.
• You can put it in a room and group it with HomePods for synchronised multi-room audio.
• Siri can send music to it by room name.
• You can use it as the audio output in a scene or an automation.

What you cannot do is turn it on, change the input or set the volume from the Home app as if it were a smart plug. Power, inputs and surround processing stay on the remote, the front panel and the manufacturer’s own app.

Before you buy

Check the HDMI sockets against your sources, and check that the ones you need support the video standards your television and console use. A receiver that cannot pass the picture is a problem long before it is a sound problem.

Denon’s Audyssey room calibration is worth running properly with the supplied microphone on a tripod rather than held in your hand.

Specifications