Denon AVR-5600 (1996–1997)
HiFI-Stereo (October 1996, p.19) introduced it as a serious piece: Dolby Digital (AC-3) and Pro Logic decoding, THX 5.1 certification, ten surround modes for movies and music, five discrete amplifiers rated at 130 watts each for the main, center, and surround speakers, a preamp output for an externally powered subwoofer, and an AM/FM tuner with forty station presets and RDS. A programmable remote was included. The original price: $2,800.
Audio ran a full equipment profile by Edward J. Foster in March 1997. Foster described how the receiver analyzed the incoming bitstream to decide whether it was standard PCM or needed to be routed through the AC-3 decoder — a notable step in the early days of Dolby Digital, and one that let the AVR-5600 handle all current or soon-to-exist audio program sources (p.36). His tuner measurements put the FM 50-dB quieting point at 18.6 dBf in mono and 41.1 dBf in stereo (p.42). On the sound side, Foster found the AVR-5600 handled digital movie soundtracks well, but he could hear something amiss on well-recorded stereo, and he preferred the DAC in his Sony CDP-XA7ES player (p.59).
That is largely the extent of the documented record — no service manual, no firm production dates beyond the 1996–1997 window, no lineup positioning. But the two period reviews give a clear picture of a costly, capable THX receiver from the first generation of Dolby Digital.
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