Daniel Kumin

Audio Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
• Very impressive amplifier has the dynamics and quality for serious sonics
• Free Outlaw Audio app is basic but functional Hi-rez streamer
• Fully two-way bass management/sub output
• Well-engineered Loudness function, plus Speaker EQ option
• Solid onboard phono stage has both moving-magnet and -coil settings
• Lots of inputs and outputs, including pre-out/main-in; 12-volt trigger out, IR in/out
Minus
• Supplied remote control’s ergonomics lacking
• No signal-data display from streaming sources
• No on-board Bluetooth, HDMI, or volume-bypass input

THE VERDICT
A classic, thoughtfully designed stereo receiver updated with Wi-Fi, streaming, and an app, but retaining satisfying power and performance.

Is the stereo receiver still relevant? Outlaw Audio certainly believes so: its newly updated RR2160MkII re-thinks a long-running basic design for the streaming age with onboard Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, a free iOS/Android app, and a (very) modest power update.

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
15 x 150 watts of power
Audyssey and Dirac (extra-cost) room correction
Comprehensive surround and up-mixing abilities
Flexible amplifier, channel assignments
HEOS multiroom/streaming ecosystem
Minus
No system-wide user-presets
HEOS streaming omits some services

THE VERDICT
A flagship AV receiver fully worthy of the name.

Remember when cars ran on gasoline, cell phones flipped, and you needed a forklift to get a flagship-model AV receiver onto your equipment rack?

Denon does. Its new pennant-flying model, the AVR-A1H, clocks in at an impressive 71 pounds. And while I managed to hoist our sample onto my rack unaided—mostly because I was too abashed to ask for help—if I’d had a forklift I for damned sure would have used it.

Performance
Build Quality
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Reference-grade sound quality, dynamics
Virtually full-range extension
Simple-as-possible app for setup, control
Subwoofer output

Minus
No easy path to multichannel integration
No music-data or volume display
No phono input

THE VERDICT
The ultimate streaming standalone system.

KEF's LS60 is not just a speaker; it's an acoustic revolution packed into a sleek tower of sound. From its state-of-the-art technology to its jaw-dropping design, prepare to meet the future of high-end audio.

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Audyssey XT32 room correction, with extra-cost Dirac Live option
9 powered channels enable a full Atmos/DTS:X layout
4 discrete subwoofer outputs to integrate and EQ multiple subs
Handy global-preset feature
Minus
HEOS app required for streaming music services
Non-backlit remote

THE VERDICT
All the important features, enough channels for Atmos/X, and enough watts for a large majority of systems, all with top-shelf sonics, and all for a reasonable price.

For at least two decades now, designers have been managing to deliver more and more features, power, and audio/video finesse, for fewer and fewer dollars—or at least, no more—with every passing model year. Denon’s latest lineup ably illustrates the trend and the one in the spotlight here, the $1700 AVR-X3800H, is going to hit a lot of budget sweet-spots.