Yes and no. Looks like HDMI protocol differentiates between stereo input and multi-channel input with content only in two channels. The issue is with the latter but not the former.
But the latter can happen at the source for many reasons even for playing 2 channel content. Some uses I have encountered in my long audio journey - use of DTS Connect or Dolby Live at the source where everything goes out as 5.1. Not wanting to configure every source as stereo when they play mixed sources but use the AVR downmixing instead, especially on a PC to avoid Windows Media Engine to come in the way which would make it worse, etc. There are a lots more scenarios like that. Collectively, they may or may not be significant. We don't have statistics to show one way or the other.
I really wish people would quit posting "most people do or do not.." unless they are involved in the marketing arm of a company measuring usage metrics t have first hand knowledge of the exact target audience. Otherwise, it will just be confirmation bias at best and blind partisanship at worst and settles nothing.
A bug is a bug is a bug. It has been encountered and Denon will hopefully fix it.
I wish this could be more of a technical discussion than whether Denon is good or bad seen through partisan/biased eyes.
I agreed with you on most everything you said, but I got the feeling that the way people (some members, not Amir) might have led to believe that if they use this AVR for two channels and in the speaker configuration menu they configure it for front left/right, with others selected "none), then they are affected by this bug if they use the HDMI input and play two channel media contents. Reality is, not necessarily, it depends.
Based on Amir's responses in the posts below, to questions related to the 2 channel scenario:
Post#11 Question by MZKM:
If you set the HDMI output to 2ch and you set the amp to 2ch, is the performance equally as good
Post#14 Replied by Amir
Correct. I should have noted in that in the review.
Amir
Post#29 Question by RichB:
Is there still a possible issue for folks that buy this AVR and use it for 2-channel with an HDMI input?
I have done that in the past to get the features.
- Rich
Post#39 replied by Amir
It is fine if your source device advertises itself as 2 channel. I tested streaming using Roon for example to AVR-X4700 and it was fine.
Amir
So yes a bug is a bug and need to be fixed. The thread is getting long really quickly so I just want to highlight the fact that while waiting for the fix, the user can avoid the bad effects of this bug by paying attention to post#11, 14, and 39. And I am posting on this topic only because I got the sense that at least some users seem to think using this AVR for 2 channel with an HDMI input will suffer from this issue, as post#29 indicated.
It would have been better if Amir mentioned this on page one, as part of the review.