Twin Drive Rectifier design reproduces deep basses as well as sudden bursts of sound from percussion or other musical instruments.

A large extruded aluminum heatsink dissipates temperatures uniformly and ensures optimum channel performance.

The included microphone makes the speaker configuration a breeze.

The optional XM Connect and Play antenna turns the AVR-886S into a satellite receiver.

Solid
to the Core
Denon has designed the chassis that supports the AVR-886S's
transformer to absorb any vibration its 700 total watts of power
generates. The highly rigid frame houses and secures the unit's
extra-large transformer solidly to the chassis. A thick layer of
cushioning material surrounding the transformer's core minimizes any
interference and helps to produce a faithful reproduction of the
original sound source. Denon has also thrown in a large aluminum
extruded heatsink that's designed to dissipate the receiver's heat
uniformly, ensuring that all seven channels respond with equal
performance. Add to this the unit's serious, but still sleek-looking,
brushed-aluminum casing and controls, and one can easily see why
"muscular" is the operative word here.

Agility at its Best
But having muscles doesn't mean that the AVR-886S
can't move with the best of them. We set up the receiver in a relatively
small room and connected a full range of audio and video sources. The
AVR-886S is equipped with a fairly straightforward auto setup function
that's designed to customize the sound levels for optimum performance in
any room. With the included microphone placed at listening level, and
with the system's 32-bit floating point digital signal processor
automatically analyzing and adjusting the speaker configuration to the
room, we were able to scroll through and complete our set-up in just a
few minutes. And the option of letting us adjust the settings on our TV
display made it even easier.

Take a closer look at the AVR-886S's back panel.

While the
AVR-886S processes all the popular formats you'd expect (Dolby Digital,
Dolby Pro Logic IIx, Dolby Digital, and more) as well as the standard
DTS modes (6.1 DTS-ES Discrete, DTS-ES Matrix, DTS Neo:6, Cinema 6.1/5.1,
and DTS 96/24 5.1 for DVD-Video Processing), Denon has added a few of
its own sound-mode touches. The unit's on-board processing offers
several creative algorithms customized for specific sources. We tested
several rock CDs with the "rock arena" mode, for instance, a jazz CD
with the "jazz club" mode, and even a home-made VHS tape we had laying
around in the system's "mono movie" mode. Each mode can be quickly
accessed through the remote.

The "rock mode," in particular, added new depth to CDs we've been
listening to for years. While the AVR-886S has a "personal memory plus"
feature that automatically activates the mode you've previously used for
each source, so that you don't have to constantly readjust the settings,
it doesn't distinguish between, say, a Miles Davis and Rolling Stones CD,
making the feature only partially useful. But it was nice not to have
to reset the modes every time we dropped in a DVD.

Other features included in the processing package are Wide-Range Play
Capability for DVD-audio and super audio CD, and Denon's Cinema
Equalizer processing. These features contributed to a fabulous sonic
experience as we cranked up the volume during the battle scenes in the
last two Star Wars installments. The fact that the unit's power amp
circuits are designed for a wide frequency response from 10 Hz to 100
kHz didn't hurt, either.

Satellite Radio: The Future is Here
Another feature that sets the
AVR-886S apart from others in its class is its XM Satellite Radio
capability. By connecting the optional XM Connect and Play antenna and
activating an XM Satellite Radio subscription (both sold separately),
the receiver suddenly becomes a conduit for truly incredible,
commercial-free radio. And of course, if you really need those
commercials, the AVR-886S also offers AM/FM bands with manual and
automatic tuning, along with 56 AM/FM/XM memory presets that make
finding your favorite station a breeze.

Any criticism we had of the AVR-886S fell more into the category of
quibbles than complaints. The receiver features a pair of rear-panel AC
power outlets for additional components, but turning the receiver into
standby-by mode shuts off the power to the components, which means that
whenever we left our disk in the DVD carousel after our movie was over
(which was just about every time!), we had to power up the entire system
the next morning just to eject the disc. And while the multi-function
remote is designed to work seamlessly with the receiver, it loses some
functionality with our other non-Denon components.

Other nice touches that are worth mentioning include the digitally
regulated volume control that offers .5 dB increment adjustments; three
sets of component video inputs, each with RCA terminals; and Denon's "5
Channel/7 Channel Stereo Mode," which allowed for a "surround sound
experience" from standard two-channel sources, such as CDs or stereo
radio.

Pros:

• Solid engineering and design for robust, vibration-free sound
  
• Easy speaker and room customization set up
• Several unique sound modes

• Standby mode shuts off power to rear-panel AC power outlets
  
• Multi-function remote has limited capability as a universal
• Personal
  memory plus feature offers limited functionality with CD listening