Lucky Number Thirteen

SOME PEOPLE get weird about anything with a 13 in it. Fear of this seemingly innocuous number, otherwise known as Triskaidekaphobia, has brought us buildings with no 13th floor, and even the renaming of the 13th Space Shuttle mission. But Denon has shown us they don’t have time for silly superstitions by delivering the world’s first A/V receiver with 13 channels of onboard amplification.

Physically, the AVR-X8500H marks a return to the monster receivers Denon was known for in the past, such as 2008’s massive AVR-5308CI. You won’t find any class-D amplifier modules or wimpy switched-mode power supplies here. A glance through the perforated cover of this 52-pound beast reveals that two-thirds of the real estate is dedicated to the huge transformer and 13 individual class-AB amplifier cards. Four fans are mounted under the heat sinks to keep things cool when the going gets loud.

Up front, the AVR-X8500H has Denon’s familiar front-panel layout with two large knobs, one for volume and the other for source selection, flanking a large display that indicates the status of various functions. A drop-down door directly under it conceals a multi-function cursor for menu navigation and zone and source selection