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This Denon AV amp is seriously hi-tech – without the high price

Denon has unveiled its latest AV receiver, the AVR-X540BT. It’s a budget option at £299, but it can deliver a full fat home cinema experience with proper surround sound and the latest picture specifications.

On the sound front, it has five channels adding up to 130W of power, plus provision for two subwoofers. There’s auto-calibration software to make sure your speakers play nicely with your room, while Bluetooth lets you stream as well as use your phone or tablet for control.

The amp is compatible with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, although there’s no mention of Dolby Atmos.

Denon AVR-X540BTDenon AVR-X540BT

As for video, the AVR-X540BT can handle the video standards of the latest 4K UHD Blu-ray players and games consoles such as the PS4 Pro. There are five HDMI sockets, three of support HDCP 2.2. They will pass through a full 4K/60p picture with 4:4:4 colour subsampling.

The Denon AVR-X540BT will be available in May 2017, and in the UK it is sold exclusively through Richer Sounds. Sadly, it is only available in black.

Related: Best headphones

What do you think of Denon’s new AV amp? Let us know in the comments.

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