In a very basic nutshell, quality home audio comes down to three things: a receiver, speakers, and technology all working together to create an immersive sound experience.
Audiophiles take a deep breath, we know you can easily add 10 things to that list, but this is the 101 class.
The Receiver: Denon AVR-X2700H 7.2 Channel 8K AV Receiver With 3D Audio and Voice
$1,099
With 95W per channel (8 ohms, 20Hz-20kHz, THD: 0.08%, 2 ch. driven), this Denon AV receiver provides a truly immersive 3D audio experience. The AVR-X2700H also supports the latest video technologies such as 8K and a whole bunch of other stuff that’s made to keep the sound crisp and clear while you Netflix and chill.
Speakers
We went big and are happy we did. Here’s what we hooked up to the Denon receiver:
Definitive Technology High-Performance BP9060 Bipolar Tower Speaker – $1,199 (each)
Definitive Technology High-Performance Center Channel Speaker – $549
Definitive Technology High-Performance A90 Height Speaker Modules – $549 (pair)
Definitive Technology Descend DN12 Subwoofer – $1,199
And then regular in-wall back-channel speakers because somebody’s wife didn’t want “more things hanging from the ceiling!”
Working together with the Denon receiver, all of these speakers, even my crummy ones in the back, work together, sending sound all over the room at the proper levels. The subwoofer shakes the room and brings bass to life.
A center channel speaker is the most important speaker in a surround sound setup because it does the most work. Most of the action, and conversation in a movie, happens front and center on your screen, meaning that the center channel is the speaker. This one takes it to another level in a crisp, clear way.
The BP9060 Bipolar speakers and the A90 height speaker modules, they are the super team that blows everything else we tested away and are the real tech in this sound dynamic-duo.
The BP9060 tower speaker is your answer for remarkable, immersive, room-filling sound so you can experience every detail of pure home theater. Forward Focused Bipolar Array expands your room’s entire soundstage. Aluminum dome tweeters, high-performance drivers, an integrated powered subwoofer, and Intelligent Bass Control let you hear and feel every note as the artist intended, all integrated into the speaker.
But wait, there’s more — the A90 and Atmos. The A90 supports Dolby Atmos/DTS:X and sits on top of the BP9060 speakers, like a high-tech hat. It connects in seconds and fires the sound up, which is then reflected off the ceiling and back down to your viewing area.
Atmos
As you have read, all of this tech works with Atmos. Think of it like Surround Sound’s Type A cousin, always taking things up a notch.
With everything connected, we decided Pacific Rim would be the crash test dummy for the new setup. A rep from Denon recommended playing the movie at 70 out of 100 for a true theater experience. It was 1:30 in the afternoon, and we were ready.
They weren’t wrong. As the Kaiju and Gypsy Danger went to battle, the sound was intense — strong but not overbearing. The bass kicked in, and you could feel the battle in your bones it was all around us as the war raged on. Clear, crisp, fantastic. Then “it” happened.
My phone began to vibrate, I paused the movie, and it was “the neighbor who complains about everything.” Mind you, I live in a single-family home with brick walls and insulation. That being said, the “mean lady next door” was yelling on the other end of the phone to “turn down your movie, it’s shaking her house!” Amazing …
