Denon AVR-X3600H AV Receiver Review

[reg19]

If you set it to 11 channel mode, yes. That is how I tested it.

Amir: I am still a bit confused.

Say, my two listening modes are: (1) 2.2 (L/R floorstanders + 2 powered subwoofers) for audio (Tidal / Qobuz / Amazon HD via HEOS) and (2) 5.2 (Apple TV / Chromecast).

So, do you imply, that in speaker setup (from the AVR menu), I indicate that I am running ALL speakers (including the ATMOS ones)? And, if, instead, I indicate that I only use L / R / Center / L Surr / R Surr / 2 powered subwoofers (5.2 setup), then, I'd get more noise?

 

[alain.b007]

Hi folks .
Got an AVR 3600 H few days ago and played around with it for hours .I use it as a preamp (with the fronts internal amps turned off) and I'm here to say that this little gem is astonishing .I can directly compare it with my Transcendent valve preamp , a very good one to my ears , by a switch and it sounds as great in terms of transparency , dynamic and clarity .Quite amazing .
The Denon's ingeneers made an astonishing great work .
This device was tested on a french audio blog where I came from :https://www.homecinema-fr.com/test-...esseur-hc-11-2-canaux-avec-9-amplis-integres/

and the amirm's work was well quoted :
https://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/post180252832.html?hilit=amir#p180252832

Thanks to amirm too for it's work , now famous worldwide , he helped me and several others to find this little gem ...

 

[amirm]

@amirm What about the X4500H? Is it a safe bet that it has the same great measurable audio performance as the X3600H?

Little is a safe bet without testing I am afraid.

 

[jamtinge]

for those who has added 3ch power amp for LCR to expand to 11ch, can you share what power amp was chosen? Is the different voltage out of FR vs C ( in 11ch mode) a considerable factor in making this kind of decision? If i were to add Emotiva XPA3 or Nord 3ch (NC252mp+250mp), is one better suited than the other?

 

[Zoide]

I have a chance to buy an open-box / customer return X3600H online from a large retailer for €758. Is that a good deal? Is there much risk in buying a used/returned AVR?

Thanks

 

[EdTice]

I am new here and about to buy tparms "scratch and dent" receiver. I'm not sure that I understand the "11 channel hack" even though I just spent hours with the manual. I *think* what I'm hearing is that, if using 11 channel mode, since there are only nine amplifiers, the "pre out" for two of the channels is "special" in that it won't clip when any of the internal amplifiers clip even though all nine of them would be running full force (regardless of there maybe not being speakers connected to all channels). Or the amp can be turned off entirely (only in 11 channel mode) and then the unit is just a pre-pro. But if say I wanted to use an external amplifier for the left/right channels but still have the AVR power the front heights and maybe surround speakers, at that point, all nine amps would be running and the pre-outs to the L/R would clip if the surround amplifiers happened to clip. Did I get that right? We listen at fairly pedestrian volumes so I will probably not be affected by this at all. Especially since (if I read the review correctly), having the amps run just wastes electricity (the unit won't thermal shutdown for no good reason). But I'm trying to be sure just in case I have a mid life crisis and decide to go out and decide I want to play 2-channel audio from the 80s at window-rattling volumes. In the mode where there are two "special" pre-outs, what would one do with that? Use them to play high-fidelity audio in a different room? Would we want the best preouts going to the L/R?

 

[ganon]

I am new also and I just set up the x3600h today. I mainly want to use it as a 2-channel system for music listening and 2-channel movie watching. I have a few questions. I need help determining whether I should keep this or not and if this is the right system for me.

1. So far, I set it to 11.1ch in the Speakers/Amp Assign screen. It also says Floor -Layout 5ch. The only other option for that is 5ch & SB. I have it set to "5ch." Under the Height section, I've set them all to None. Is this the right setting to fully get the cleanest sound as suggested in the review?

2. While the typical use case for this is connecting the devices to the receiver, then out to the TV, I originally was thinking that I would connect the TV's optical out to the receiver's optical input. I see a part of the review saying that coax and toslink is slightly less of a clean sound. If I'm okay with that, does the idea of taking the TV's optical out still make it close enough to the review's measurements? Or, does the TV change the quality from the multiple sources that I originally was planning to connect to it (PS4 and laptop mainly.)

3. Though I'm getting 8-ohm speakers (Revel m105), my current speakers are the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR which are 6-ohm. On the manual, it says:

• 105 W + 105 W (8 Ω/ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz with 0.08 % T.H.D.)
• 135 W + 135 W (6 Ω/ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7 % T.H.D.)

Am I losing quality for now (until I get the m105's) because it jumps to .7 % T.H.D. at 6 Ω/ohms instead of 0.08 % T.H.D. at 8 Ω/ohms?​

​

I was also considering the Outlaw Audio RR2160. Their specifications says:​

• 110 watts/channel (8Ω. 20Hz to 20kHz, <0.05% THD)
• 165 watts/channel (4Ω. 20Hz to 20kHz, <0.05% THD)

Would this be a higher quality receiver given the THD numbers compared to the x3600h?​

​

4. Are there any measurements on Bluetooth, Airplay, MP3 decoding quality for these receivers? Should I stick to output from my SMSL Sanskrit 10th MK II to RCA inputs? Does it matter which one?

5. I was also considering the Outlaw Audio RR2160 because of the HD Radio and general FM radio specifications. (Sorry if the idea of FM radio is so old school and since some of the comments in this thread prefer stripping out FM/AM tuner entirely from AVR's!)

The x3600h's specs shows:​

​

FM​

(Note: μV at 75 Ω/ohms, 0 dBf = 1 x 10 –15 W)​

Reception frequency range: 87.5 MHz – 107.9 MHz​

Effective sensitivity: 1.2 μV (12.8 dBf)​

50 dB sensitivity:​

MONO ― 2.8 μV (20.2 dBf)​

S/N ratio:​

MONO ― 70 dB (IHF–A weighted, Direct mode)​

STEREO ― 67 dB (IHF–A weighted, Direct mode)​

Distortion:​

MONO ― 0.7 % (1 kHz)​

STEREO ― 1.0 % (1 kHz)​

The Outlaw Audio RR2160 specs shows:​

​

FM​

Frequency Range: 87.5 – 108 MHz​

Usable Sensitivity (IHF): 12.8dBf​

S/N Ratio​

Mono 75db​

Stereo 70db​

Stereo Distortion - 0.24%​

Stereo Separation @ 19kHz - 37dB​

Given these numbers, does the RR2160 make for a better tuner (ignoring the HD Radio features).​

​

Thank you all for your help!

 

[frangle]

I am new here and about to buy tparms "scratch and dent" receiver. I'm not sure that I understand the "11 channel hack" even though I just spent hours with the manual. I *think* what I'm hearing is that, if using 11 channel mode, since there are only nine amplifiers, the "pre out" for two of the channels is "special" in that it won't clip when any of the internal amplifiers clip even though all nine of them would be running full force (regardless of there maybe not being speakers connected to all channels). Or the amp can be turned off entirely (only in 11 channel mode) and then the unit is just a pre-pro. But if say I wanted to use an external amplifier for the left/right channels but still have the AVR power the front heights and maybe surround speakers, at that point, all nine amps would be running and the pre-outs to the L/R would clip if the surround amplifiers happened to clip. Did I get that right? We listen at fairly pedestrian volumes so I will probably not be affected by this at all. Especially since (if I read the review correctly), having the amps run just wastes electricity (the unit won't thermal shutdown for no good reason). But I'm trying to be sure just in case I have a mid life crisis and decide to go out and decide I want to play 2-channel audio from the 80s at window-rattling volumes. In the mode where there are two "special" pre-outs, what would one do with that? Use them to play high-fidelity audio in a different room? Would we want the best preouts going to the L/R?

The 11 channel mode is designed to allow you to do 7.1.4 by using the pre-outs for the front L & R. When you select 11.1 in the speaker configuration, it lets you choose the pair to assign to pre-outs, as there are only 9 internal amps. Set this to Front L&R to route the most utilized and power-hungry channels to the off-board amp. There is a YT video here showing this (for 4400 but it is the same). There is less demand on the other channels, so less chance of clipping even though these amps are in use. In terms of the pre-outs clipping, @amirm explained the levels you can run at before this happens. You won't have a problem with most power amps.

 

[EdTice]

Though I'm getting 8-ohm speakers (Revel m105), my current speakers are the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR which are 6-ohm. On the manual, it says:

• 105 W + 105 W (8 Ω/ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz with 0.08 % T.H.D.)
• 135 W + 135 W (6 Ω/ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7 % T.H.D.)

Am I losing quality for now (until I get the m105's) because it jumps to .7 % T.H.D. at 6 Ω/ohms instead of 0.08 % T.H.D. at 8 Ω/ohms?

You are not losing any significant quality here. Reading amplifier specs is like a magic art. The higher you crank the volume, the more *total* distortion, but the less *percentage* distortion (the volume goes up faster than distortion) until such time as you start clipping the amplifier. A theoretical curve for 8 ohms might be say 0.15% at 1 watt, 0.1% at 80 watts, 0.08% at 105@watts. So if you are listening at 80 watts, you have a 0.1% distortion. For 6 ohms the curve might be say 0.18% at 1 watt, 0.11% at 80 watts, and 0.09% at 105 watts. So for 80 watt listening you have some trivial amount of additional distortion. Probably not audible. Its so much not an issue that providing a 6 ohm spec isn't even meaningful. So why do it? The amp manufacturer wants to put a big number on the box (135 is 30% better than 100 to uninformed buyers). Normally to do this, you can provide a 4 ohm spec (which in ideal cases could be double the 8 ohm wattage). But what if the amp can't deliver enough current for a 4 ohm load? Well then you can't provide that spec. But marketing wants a bigger number. So run a spec for 6 ohms, but this time don't stop the measurement at the point that would be the most useful. Instead ask marketing what number they want (135 watts). Just let the amp clip as much as necessary in order to put out that much wattage and now you have a 6 ohm rating at the target wattage. Probably at 125 or 115 watts, the amp would be at 0.09 or 0.10% THD. You will see amps rated at 10% THD 6 ohms just to say they have 35 watts! But that doesn't mean that they have high distortion at a more reasonable 25 watts. Just means that, for marketing purposes, they wanted to find a higher-wattage spec. if you pushed 115 watts into an 8 ohm load with this amp, you would probably bet at 0.7% too. Here's a more thorough explanation. https://www.planetanalog.com/unders...-amplitude-in-operational-amplifiers-part-1/#. Stay in the "moderate distortion region" and life is good.

 

[ganon]

Though I'm getting 8-ohm speakers (Revel m105), my current speakers are the Pioneer SP-BS22-LR which are 6-ohm. On the manual, it says:

• 105 W + 105 W (8 Ω/ohms, 20 Hz – 20 kHz with 0.08 % T.H.D.)
• 135 W + 135 W (6 Ω/ohms, 1 kHz with 0.7 % T.H.D.)

Am I losing quality for now (until I get the m105's) because it jumps to .7 % T.H.D. at 6 Ω/ohms instead of 0.08 % T.H.D. at 8 Ω/ohms?

You are not losing any significant quality here. Reading amplifier specs is like a magic art. The higher you crank the volume, the more *total* distortion, but the less *percentage* distortion (the volume goes up faster than distortion) until such time as you start clipping the amplifier. A theoretical curve for 8 ohms might be say 0.15% at 1 watt, 0.1% at 80 watts, 0.08% at 105@watts. So if you are listening at 80 watts, you have a 0.1% distortion. For 6 ohms the curve might be say 0.18% at 1 watt, 0.11% at 80 watts, and 0.09% at 105 watts. So for 80 watt listening you have some trivial amount of additional distortion. Probably not audible. Its so much not an issue that providing a 6 ohm spec isn't even meaningful. So why do it? The amp manufacturer wants to put a big number on the box (135 is 30% better than 100 to uninformed buyers). Normally to do this, you can provide a 4 ohm spec (which in ideal cases could be double the 8 ohm wattage). But what if the amp can't deliver enough current for a 4 ohm load? Well then you can't provide that spec. But marketing wants a bigger number. So run a spec for 6 ohms, but this time don't stop the measurement at the point that would be the most useful. Instead ask marketing what number they want (135 watts). Just let the amp clip as much as necessary in order to put out that much wattage and now you have a 6 ohm rating at the target wattage. Probably at 125 or 115 watts, the amp would be at 0.09 or 0.10% THD. You will see amps rated at 10% THD 6 ohms just to say they have 35 watts! But that doesn't mean that they have high distortion at a more reasonable 25 watts. Just means that, for marketing purposes, they wanted to find a higher-wattage spec. if you pushed 115 watts into an 8 ohm load with this amp, you would probably bet at 0.7% too. Here's a more thorough explanation. https://www.planetanalog.com/unders...-amplitude-in-operational-amplifiers-part-1/#. Stay in the "moderate distortion region" and life is good.

Hi! Thank you for your reply. I think I get it now. Also, I think I missed the part in the spec where the 8 ohm part was for 20 Hz to 20 kHz while the 6 ohm was for 1kHz. I think I’m starting to get it though. There’s a lot more to these numbers. I’ll read more about it. Thank you for your write-up and the links you provided.

 

[ganon]

The 11 channel mode is designed to allow you to do 7.1.4 by using the pre-outs for the front L & R. When you select 11.1 in the speaker configuration, it lets you choose the pair to assign to pre-outs, as there are only 9 internal amps. Set this to Front L&R to route the most utilized and power-hungry channels to the off-board amp. There is a YT video here showing this (for 4400 but it is the same). There is less demand on the other channels, so less chance of clipping even though these amps are in use. In terms of the pre-outs clipping, @amirm explained the levels you can run at before this happens. You won't have a problem with most power amps.

Hi! Thank you @frangle. My main goal was to use the internal map for 2-channel music and 2-channel audio while keeping it at or close to the performance @amirm got for the amplifier section of the review. @amirm, what are the specific settings I need for 2-channel listening to match your measurements? Do I still need to set it to 11.1 channel? Right now, I have it set to that, Floor -Layout to 5ch, Height -Sp None and -Dolby Sp None. In Speaker Config, I have Front set to Large, Center -None, Subwoofer -1 spkr, Surround -None. With those settings, “Front Speaker” under ”Speakers/Manual Setup“ section is grayed out. What are the settings that I need to match or get close to your measurements in your amplifier review? Thank you for all the contributions you’ve done to this website. It is helpful, very much. Thank you for your help!

 

[EdTice]

Hi! Thank you for your reply. I think I get it now. Also, I think I missed the part in the spec where the 8 ohm part was for 20 Hz to 20 kHz while the 6 ohm was for 1kHz. I think I’m starting to get it though. There’s a lot more to these numbers. I’ll read more about it. Thank you for your write-up and the links you provided.

Also note that if you use an optical cable (rather than HDMI ARC), you can't carry more than two channels over PCM but you said are only interested in stereo. As far as whether the TV "changes" the signal, it depends on whether the TV sends PCM or bitstream data. With a good receiver, you will likely prefer bitstream (non-decoded) and let the receiver do the decoding. But if your sources are all two channels and you are only using two speakers, I'm not sure it would matter. If some of the sources are 5.1 that you want to play in stereo you may be happier with bitstream. Guess it would depend on the audio processor in the TV. This part of the discussion isn't specific to this AVR

 

[frangle]

Hi! Thank you @frangle. My main goal was to use the internal map for 2-channel music and 2-channel audio while keeping it at or close to the performance @amirm got for the amplifier section of the review. @amirm, what are the specific settings I need for 2-channel listening to match your measurements? Do I still need to set it to 11.1 channel? Right now, I have it set to that, Floor -Layout to 5ch, Height -Sp None and -Dolby Sp None. In Speaker Config, I have Front set to Large, Center -None, Subwoofer -1 spkr, Surround -None. With those settings, “Front Speaker” under ”Speakers/Manual Setup“ section is grayed out. What are the settings that I need to match or get close to your measurements in your amplifier review? Thank you for all the contributions you’ve done to this website. It is helpful, very much. Thank you for your help!

Keep the volume below the point where the pre-amp section outputs 1.5V, if I remember correctly this was about 85.

 

[EdTice]

Hi! Thank you @frangle. My main goal was to use the internal map for 2-channel music and 2-channel audio while keeping it at or close to the performance @amirm got for the amplifier section of the review. @amirm, what are the specific settings I need for 2-channel listening to match your measurements? Do I still need to set it to 11.1 channel? Right now, I have it set to that, Floor -Layout to 5ch, Height -Sp None and -Dolby Sp None. In Speaker Config, I have Front set to Large, Center -None, Subwoofer -1 spkr, Surround -None. With those settings, “Front Speaker” under ”Speakers/Manual Setup“ section is grayed out. What are the settings that I need to match or get close to your measurements in your amplifier review? Thank you for all the contributions you’ve done to this website. It is helpful, very much. Thank you for your help!

If you are using the internal amps, the speaker setup settings don't matter. It only matters when using external amplifiers on the pre-outs

 

[EdTice]

If you are using the internal amps, the speaker setup settings don't matter. It only matters when using external amplifiers on the pre-outs

But this is much different than your original question where you wanted to use the external amp. If you are only using two channels with the external amp you can just put the Denon into preprocessor only mode! Did you mean to say internal or was that a typo?

 

[ganon]

But this is much different than your original question where you wanted to use the external amp. If you are only using two channels with the external amp you can just put the Denon into preprocessor only mode! Did you mean to say internal or was that a typo?

Hi. Thank you for your replies. In my original question, I actually didn’t want to use the external amp. I should probably edit that post. I really just wanted a decent quality stereo system for music and sometimes movies. After looking through this website, I was led to the X3600H based on the measurements in the review, price and maybe the all-in-one aspect. In that review, there were mentions of things like the 11 channel mode that affected quality. I understand it was maybe ”only” meant for external amp use, but I wasn’t sure if it also had something to do with how good it handled the sound for internal amp use.

Even now, I’m still wondering about things like the sample rate setting. I can’t seem to find it on the AVR. On the review, @amirm said in the AVR DAC Audio Measurements section, “When I first ran this test, I had set the sample rate to 48 kHz by accident and SINAD, for the first time in any video product, went up to 103 dB! Sadly and for unknown reason, setting it to 44.1 kHz increased second harmonic causing SINAD to drop to 99 dB. Still excellent though for an AVR:” I haven’t seen this setting yet. Does it also mean that when I play through Airplay and other 44.1 kHz sources, that it will be that slightly lower 99 dB performance?

Do I have to put it in at least Direct mode since Pure Direct didn’t seem to matter in the review? But, is there a measurable difference in Auto mode? When going through Airplay, it doesn’t seem like any sound goes through the subwoofer in Direct and Pure Indirect mode. While from other input sources, there seem to be sound through the subwoofer in those two modes. What about using Audyssey? Does it affect measurements like SINAD and THD? I’m starting to like the features of this X3600H, but now I’m wondering if I should just go for a straight stereo only DAC, pre-amp, amp setup with real full range speakers. @amirm influenced me greatly in purchasing Revel M105’s and the Denon X3600H. I was considering the Outlaw Audio RR2160 before stumbling upon this website. I still have to learn about all this. I wish there was some guide for the settings to maximize the quality and at least get close to the measurements of the reviews.

 

[frangle]

Even now, I’m still wondering about things like the sample rate setting. I can’t seem to find it on the AVR. On the review, @amirm said in the AVR DAC Audio Measurements section, “When I first ran this test, I had set the sample rate to 48 kHz by accident

He is referring to his source / test equipment not the AVR.

 

[ganon]

He is referring to his source / test equipment not the AVR.

Oh okay, I see. That makes sense. Thank you.

 

[EdTice]

Hi. Thank you for your replies. In my original question, I actually didn’t want to use the external amp. I should probably edit that post. I really just wanted a decent quality stereo system for music and sometimes movies. After looking through this website, I was led to the X3600H based on the measurements in the review, price and maybe the all-in-one aspect. In that review, there were mentions of things like the 11 channel mode that affected quality. I understand it was maybe ”only” meant for external amp use, but I wasn’t sure if it also had something to do with how good it handled the sound for internal amp use.

Even now, I’m still wondering about things like the sample rate setting. I can’t seem to find it on the AVR. On the review, @amirm said in the AVR DAC Audio Measurements section, “When I first ran this test, I had set the sample rate to 48 kHz by accident and SINAD, for the first time in any video product, went up to 103 dB! Sadly and for unknown reason, setting it to 44.1 kHz increased second harmonic causing SINAD to drop to 99 dB. Still excellent though for an AVR:” I haven’t seen this setting yet. Does it also mean that when I play through Airplay and other 44.1 kHz sources, that it will be that slightly lower 99 dB performance?

Do I have to put it in at least Direct mode since Pure Direct didn’t seem to matter in the review? But, is there a measurable difference in Auto mode? When going through Airplay, it doesn’t seem like any sound goes through the subwoofer in Direct and Pure Indirect mode. While from other input sources, there seem to be sound through the subwoofer in those two modes. What about using Audyssey? Does it affect measurements like SINAD and THD? I’m starting to like the features of this X3600H, but now I’m wondering if I should just go for a straight stereo only DAC, pre-amp, amp setup with real full range speakers. @amirm influenced me greatly in purchasing Revel M105’s and the Denon X3600H. I was also considering the Outlaw Audio RR2160. I still have to learn about all this. I wish there was some guide for the settings to maximize the quality and at least get close to the measurements of the reviews.

The direct/pure direct question isn't very specific to this receiver. The AVR can process signals in three ways. I'm going to use Yamaha's terms since they are a bit clearer. The first is "standard" where the AVR uses the DSP to take the input source and transform it into what sounds best with your setup. So if it is a 5.1 source and you only have 3 channels, the AVR will attempt to down-mix. If you have a 7.2.4 setup and feed a stereo source, it will try to "up-mix" to make it sound better. This is the default setting and what most people will use/prefer. The second is "straight" In this mode, the AVR does minimal processing to get the best sound but it won't change the number of channels. So if the source is 2.1, you get output in 2.1 channels. If its 5.1, you get output in 5.1 channels. et cetera. If the source is more channels than you have, I'm not sure what happens. My guess is you just don't get that audio but it might down mix. For each mode, there are subwoofer settings. The choices are LFE and LFE+Main. In LFE mode, the subwoofer receives the .1 signal mixed with the low-frequency of any "small" speakers (ones that can't play bass). If all of your speakers are "large", there will be no subwoofer output for a 2 channel input. In LFE+main, the subwoofer is always used for low frequencies.</p>

The manual is very vague about what "pure direct" does for this AVR other than turn off the display. For other AVRs, "pure direct" has a big effect on *analog* input sources (things you hook up with an RCA cable) in that it saves converting those sources from analog to digital in order to process them. If the ADC/DAC aren't very good, you might get better sound even though that gives up all of the equalization, et cetera. Makes sense not to have this on the X3600H because the ADC/DAC are nearly transparent and aren't affecting audio quality. </p>

There is a a measurable difference. Auto mode should sound significantly better unless you happen to know more about audio than the engineering team at Denon! You should be spending your time enjoying the receiver not posting on here!

 

[ganon]

The direct/pure direct question isn't very specific to this receiver. The AVR can process signals in three ways. I'm going to use Yamaha's terms since they are a bit clearer. The first is "standard" where the AVR uses the DSP to take the input source and transform it into what sounds best with your setup. So if it is a 5.1 source and you only have 3 channels, the AVR will attempt to down-mix. If you have a 7.2.4 setup and feed a stereo source, it will try to "up-mix" to make it sound better. This is the default setting and what most people will use/prefer. The second is "straight" In this mode, the AVR does minimal processing to get the best sound but it won't change the number of channels. So if the source is 2.1, you get output in 2.1 channels. If its 5.1, you get output in 5.1 channels. et cetera. If the source is more channels than you have, I'm not sure what happens. My guess is you just don't get that audio but it might down mix. For each mode, there are subwoofer settings. The choices are LFE and LFE+Main. In LFE mode, the subwoofer receives the .1 signal mixed with the low-frequency of any "small" speakers (ones that can't play bass). If all of your speakers are "large", there will be no subwoofer output for a 2 channel input. In LFE+main, the subwoofer is always used for low frequencies.</p>

The manual is very vague about what "pure direct" does for this AVR other than turn off the display. For other AVRs, "pure direct" has a big effect on *analog* input sources (things you hook up with an RCA cable) in that it saves converting those sources from analog to digital in order to process them. If the ADC/DAC aren't very good, you might get better sound even though that gives up all of the equalization, et cetera. Makes sense not to have this on the X3600H because the ADC/DAC are nearly transparent and aren't affecting audio quality. </p>

There is a a measurable difference. Auto mode should sound significantly better unless you happen to know more about audio than the engineering team at Denon! You should be spending your time enjoying the receiver not posting on here!

I think I get it now. Sometimes there aren’t subwoofer sounds in “direct” modes as I’ve noticed with a few receivers before also. Thank you for your explanation. Wondering why Airplay with only music doesn’t have subwoofer sound though in Direct and Pure Direct. That’s okay. I’lll just leave it on Auto. I’ve just finished following through the Audyssey setup. I also set up the HDMI features. I really like how controls like power on/off, volume and switching between AVR and TV speakers all work through HDMI with my 12-year old TV which I didn’t know about before. Yes, I should probably at least sit back and enjoy the receiver a bit. Thank you!