Denon has announced its latest soundbar, which offers Dolby Atmos surround sound and comes with a built-in wireless subwoofer, and is much cheaper than the flagship model, the Sonos Arc.
The Sonos Arc is our pick for the best soundbar you can buy today, but its $899 / £899 / AU$1,499 price tag makes it a very expensive way to upgrade your home theater.
Meanwhile, the Denon DHT-S517 costs €379. Global pricing hasn't been announced yet, but it's around $500 / AU$700, and since it comes with a subwoofer, you don't need to fork out more to make sure your home theater is rich in bass.
Cheaper Dolby Atmos soundbars don't always come with the speakers you need for 'real' Atmos sound, but instead rely on digital signal processing and psychoacoustic techniques to trick your brain into making it seem like the sound is coming to you. comes from all angles.
However, the new Denon soundbar contains two upward drivers to bounce sound up to your ceiling and back to your ears, making you feel like you're in the thick of the action when watching movies and music. Television programs.
These powerful speakers are part of a seven-speaker array, including left/right channel tweeters, midrange drivers, and a dedicated center channel, which Denon says delivers "unmatched clarity, cinematic dynamics, and dimensionality."
If the Denon DHT-S517 is anything like its more expensive predecessor, the DHT-S716H, you can expect a wide soundstage, balanced frequencies, and impressive volume levels, although this older model has a 3.0 speaker setup and is not compatible. with Dolby Atmos, so the listening experience will be a bit different.
Like the S716H, though, the new soundbar comes with a range of sound modes to suit different listening situations, as well as a dialogue enhancement feature that should make actors' mumble a bit clearer.
HDMI eARC, optical and HDMI 4K UHD inputs mean the Denon DHT-S517 should work with just about any TV, while Bluetooth connectivity means you can use the soundbar to wirelessly stream music from your smartphone.
Can Denon compete with Sonos Arc?
One of the best things about Sonos' line of wireless speakers and sound bars is their full multi-room audio support, something the Denon DHT-S517 lacks.
While many Denon products are compatible with the HEOS ecosystem, which allows you to create an audio system with the need for many coiled cables in your home, the brand's latest soundbar lacks this feature. .
Although the DHT-S517 has many of the same features as the Sonos Arc (plus a built-in wireless subwoofer), the lack of multi-room support could put potential buyers off.
All Sonos speakers work within the company's larger ecosystem, so buying the Sonos Arc, or the cheaper Sonos Beam (Gen 2) if you don't mind improved drivers, makes sense if you already have Sonos devices. you brand at home and want to create a simple hi-fi setup that you can add and remove as you like.
Which soundbar you choose really depends on what you want from your home theater setup. If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive option that still gives you Dolby Atmos sound, the Denon DHT-S517 might be the answer, but if it's unrivaled connectivity you crave, Sonos soundbars are still top of mind for us.