Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am a 75 year old Audio and Videophile. I remember purchasing Audio Fidelity's Bull Fight Stereophonic Record in the late 1950's. I have owned Sony, Pioneer and Yamaha receivers which all worked flawlessly but as time passed were absent some of the new and developing features common in updated equipment. With the purchase of a new Samsung 4K HDR 65” TV, a receiver having both audio and HDMI video switching capability was needed in addition to the newest surround sound capabilities and online services. I had found the Audio Video Receiver (AVR) with all the features I wanted in the Denon AVR-S930H at a relatively inexpensive price on Amazon. I had remembered Denon as a good company that made solid and reliable audio products and the price on Amazon was unbeatable! In researching this AVR, it was noted that their “protection circuit” was sensitive and would be triggered by several irregularities (overheating, speaker shorts, etc.). However, it generally had good reviews, especially for the price. I decided that because I have years of experience of handling audio and visual equipment with great care, I could avoid reported problems and concerns. My saga begins. Upon receipt of the AVR, I noticed it had the same dimensions and weight of the Pioneer audio receiver it was replacing. I carefully connected my Bose Speaker system (5 double cube speakers connected to a large Acoustimass subwoofer). I connected 6 HDMI cables, a wired Ethernet to my router in my den, an FM antenna and an ARC connection to my TV. After going through the Setup and some minor adjustment, everything worked well. Sound was excellent and the 4K video with HDR was extraordinary (including upscalling). I played and tweaked with it for several days and had no problems. Until... One evening, the receiver clicked off and the Red LED power light started rapidly flashing. I shut system down, rebooted it and it again was working. The next morning however, the AVR shut down again (while still in cool state). But this time, rebooting was unsuccessful no mater how many times I tried. I would unplug unit, try again repeatedly with no success. I unplugged all speakers and cables and checked manual, online reviews, Youtube videos and found this is a common occurrence and a frustration of hundreds, if not thousands, of anguished customers. Known as the “flashing red light of death”, it required a unit tear down and replacing some capacitors and/or resistors. A task outside of my Warranty or my desire to engage. I contacted Amazon Tech Support and a nice lady walked me through some tasks to try but none worked. She then advised she would connect me to Denon Support but would remain on the line. Now the story becomes more incredible... A lady from Denon Support suggested I needed to reboot “both devices”. When asked to elaborate, she said I needed to reboot my router and my AVR. I explained I had rebooted the router earlier in the day and the AVR many times. She again insisted that I follow her instructions and where I was prepared to do so, she said they need to be rebooted at same time. I pointed out that the router was in my den (100 feet away) while the AVR was in my living room and that it was physically impossible for me to reboot both at same time. She became annoyed with me and questioned why my AVR would be in a different room then my router. She sounded as if she was challenging me. I explained that the center of my computer system was in my den while my media centers were in my Living Room and Family Room that were hard wired to my den. She then put me on hold. After a short period, she said something I couldn’t decipher but it was followed by silence. A short period after that, the lady from Amazon returned and explained in disbelief that the Denon Tech hung up on me and she was incredulous. She apologized profusely and explained she was confused not only in the Denon rep's rude and inappropriate response but her requirement of a simutaineous rebooting of the router and AVR. However, in typical excellent Amazon Service approach, she offered me a refund or replacement. I have been doing business with Amazon since the time they started as an online book seller. I have watched them grow and have relied on them for most of my purchases. They stand behind what they sell. My disappointment in Denon notwithstanding, Amazon came through with polite, efficient and sensitive staff with policies which protect and serves the customer. Lesson learned: trust Amazon but if you are going to buy a Denon product, you do so being forewarned that Denon products have built in faults and some of their support staff have even more.