Denon AVR-S510BT Review – [Pros & Cons 2023]

Denon AVR-S510BT Review

Denon AVR-S510BT Review – Surround Yourself With The Best Sound


2021 Update:

The Denon AVR-S510BT is becoming increasingly harder to find in stock as newer models are released.

Here are some quick summaries of improved Denon models that we highly recommend instead:

Denon AVR-S750H Receiver, 7.2 Channel (165W x 7) - 4K Ultra HD Home Theater (2019) | Music Streaming | New - eARC, 3D Dolby Surround Sound (Atmos, DTS/Virtual Height Elevation) | Alexa + HEOS

  • Exceptional brightness, contrast & color enriching your movie and gaming experience
  • eARC and heightened sound effects with Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization Technology
  • Full voice control compatibility with Amazon Alexa
  • Measures & dynamically optimizes all speakers in your home theatre for all listening levels
  • Award-winning on-screen setup assistant

Denon Professional DN-200BR | Compact Stereo Bluetooth Audio Receiver

  • Compact stereo Bluetooth receiver adds Bluetooth to any audio system
  • Performance Driven Connectivity
  • Full range frequency response
  • Balanced XLR and ¼-inch audio outputs


Do you have a home theatre? Do you want to watch movies and listen to music with great sound quality? If you answered yes to the above questions then you absolutely need a good AV receiver.

An AV receiver amplifies audio signals that it receives and match it to its corresponding video signal so that you can watch movies with exceptional sound quality on your home theatre. They give you cinematic sound and let you watch movies and more from the comfort of your home.

Today you can find a number of AV receivers in the market with some really cool features. But finding the right one for your requirements can be a daunting task what with the plethora of options out there. But we have simplified the task for you by reviewing one of the best AV receivers that give you more features at a budget-friendly price tag.

The Denon AVR-S510BT is a very affordable AV receiver that you can buy and quench your thirst for an incredible sound quality. From 5 channels to 5 HDMI inputs to Bluetooth to USB connectivity and more, this receiver is chock-full of features that will give cheap receivers a run for their money.

Don’t waste your time and money on top models that may not fit your budget. The AVR-S510BT gives you more for less as you will see in our review below. Staying at home was never this fun.

Denon AVR-S510BT Specs

  • 5-channel amplifier with 70W capacity per channel
  • Built-in Bluetooth connectivity for streaming music from smart devices and PCs
  • DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby True HD for superior sound quality
  • Ability to decode Dolby and surround sound
  • Automatic speaker calibration using the calibration microphone
  • Backed by a 2-year manufacturer’s warranty

Why Is The Denon AVR-S510BT The Best AV Receiver That Money Can Buy?

Denon AVR-S510BT

Today’s AV receivers do more than just amplify the sound. But the very thought of an AV receiver can make you think of a complicated device that is expensive. But nothing can be further from the tooth when it comes to the Denon AVR-S510BT AV receiver.

It is a great entry-level AV receiver that will be perfect for you if you are looking to upgrade to a latest AV receiver.

Surround Sound

Forget boring stereo sounds and bring home the power of surround sound with the Denon AVR-S510BT. It comes with 5 channels for the best in surround sound which translates into one left, one right, surrounds the dual subwoofers.

Bluetooth

With a built-in Bluetooth feature, you can stream your favorite music from any of your Bluetooth enabled devices. Pairing is simple and the receiver can remember up to 8 devices so everyone in the family can use their device for streaming their favorite playlist.

Quick Select Buttons

It can be a pain to select the source every time but the front panel comes with 4 quick select buttons which let you select the source with a push of a button. What’s even better is that not only this lets you quickly choose your most favorite sources but the device also remembers the audio settings for each of the sources. Whoever said using an AV receiver is complicated.

Bluetooth Remote App

You don’t have to go hunting for your remote to operate your AV receiver. Just by simply downloading the Denon Remote app on your Android phone you can control various settings such as on/off, volume up/down, source selection and more.

Handy Charger

We live in an internet age where we want to be connected to the internet at all times. Don’t ever worry about running out of charge on your smart phone or smart devices when you have the Denon AVR-S510BT around. The USB port on the front helps you stream music as well as charge your devices at the same time.

Denon Heos Link

This AV receiver is compatible with the Denon Heos Link which is a wireless home system for greater sound quality. You can improve the sound quality of your AVR-S510BT by using the Heos app. Just download the app and follow the set-up process which will take you only a few minutes.

Connectivity

There are a total of 5 HDMI inputs on the S510BT. These have a good frame rate of 60fps give you extremely good images. Out of the 5 inputs, three are HDCP 2.2 compliant. This makes your AV receiver ready for next gen 4K ultra high definition media. So you won’t be stuck with an outdated AV receiver or worry about upgrading to a latest model.

On the front, there is a single headphone input and a USB port for wired connectivity to your smart devices, phones or a USB drive. It can playback a number audio file formats such as MP3, MPEG-4, WMA, and FLAC. The back has two analog inputs, 3 digital inputs and 2 outputs for subwoofers.

Easy Set-Up

If you are new to AV receivers you might feel overwhelmed while trying to set up the AVR-S510BT. But the people at Denon have thought about this and come up with a brilliant solution. This AV receiver comes with a set-up assistant and that will walk you through the set-up process to get you started in no time. The setup even includes an automated speaker configuration.

It comes with colored labels for easy identification of speaker wires and hascor responding color coded terminals on the back for easy set-up. Speaker cables are inserted through the spring clips.

Though spring clips are not comparable to regular input jacks, they do a great job of holding the speaker wires in place. You also don’t have to worry about poor contact with repeated insertion and removal of the jacks.

The only hitch, in this case, is that the space for the wires is small and you will have to work your way through if you are using slightly thicker speaker cables.

Easy Calibration

The receiver also comes with a measuring microphone which can be used to calibrate the sound for optimum performance. When this microphone is connected to the receiver for calibration, the receiver sends out test sounds to the speakers.

What this does is it checks the acoustics of the space around to give the best possible sound configuration for your viewing.This automatically adjusts the volume levels and other settings for the best sound output. The whole process takes only a couple of minutes but is well worth the effort. This saves you a lot of time and effort that is required for manual calibration.

Price

Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is a budget AV receiver because of its under $250 price tag. The sound quality is exceptional and comparable to more expensive AV receivers. Don’t take our word for it as you will know what we mean when you get to hear its sound once. You can also read up customer reviews which will let you confirm this before you decide on your purchase.

Looks

The AVR-S510BT is a good looking AV receiver that will add to the overall looks of your home theatre. Its front panel has a minimalist design with just the necessary buttons for a clean and neat look. This includes the four input selection buttons and those for selecting the sound mode.

But as the AV receiver comes with a remote control and a mobile app with which you can select these same settings, these buttons will probably only rarely be used.

Construction

This receiver is compact and lightweight but is made of durable materials for a long-lasting performance. As it is compact unlike traditional AV receivers you can easily place it on a small table in front of your monitor for quick access and for an organized look

Pros

  • A high-quality sound output with 5 channels
  • Enhanced sound performed through Denon Heos link
  • Automatic calibration of speakers with a calibration microphone
  • Easy to use and install

Cons

  • The spring clips for connecting speaker wire does not accommodate thicker speaker wires easily

Conclusion

Your home theatre speakers might be good enough, but you won’t know what you have been missing until you get a good AV receiver. The Denon AVR- S510BT is a quality AV receiver that packs in quite a number of features for its price point. It has good customer reviews as it comes with a good mix of features, price and performance all in one.

More advanced AV receivers let you connect to an internet network using Wi-Fi. Though this feature is not available on the AVR-S510BT it makes up for it with its Bluetooth feature that lets you stream media directly from your smartphone, tablets and even from computers.

The Denon AVR-S510 BT is perfect for standard home theater rooms measuring up to 15 x 20 feet. Get one yourself and be blown away by its exceptional sound and video capabilities. When you can get cinema-like sound and video just from your home theatre system, you will never want to leave home to watch movies in a theater again.

You might also like our articles on Sony HDR-CX405 reviews, Canon Vixia HF R600 review and Cowin E-7.

Resources

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AV_receiver
  2. http://www.dummies.com/consumer-electronics/home-theater/what-does-an-av-receiver-do/
  3. http://www.hometheatershack.com/forums/home-theater-audio-video-news/124538-denon-s-new-avr-s510bt-offers-good-tech-little-money.html
  4. http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/5-things-to-look-for-when-buying-av-receiver.htm
Updated: — 4:41 am