Soundbars Vs AV Receivers: Which Is Right For Me?
When it comes to home entertainment, we’ve really never had it so good. From discs to streaming, TV shows to films, there’s a never-ending supply of brilliant content to enjoy from the comfort of your armchair. It’s being delivered in a sound and picture quality that’s better than ever, and, thanks to a premium manufacturer like Denon, seeing and hearing it in all its glory is refreshingly simple.
As flatscreen TVs have become thinner, the quality of the internal speakers has drastically dropped. This means it’s crucial you enhance your TV’s sound, not just for those explosive, edge-of-the-seat action scenes but also for those vital moments of delicate dialogue. Nobody wants the crucial moment ruined by lackluster sound. With sound playing such an important role in our enjoyment of TV and movies, how can you maximize your home cinema experience?
Thankfully, there’s an easy choice. You can choose form and function with a slim but powerful Denon soundbar, which won’t fill your room with speakers but will fill it with high-quality sound. Or you can opt for the ultimate audio quality with a feature-packed Denon AV (Audio Video) receiver. The good news is there are options for everyone, whatever your requirements.
A Soundbar For Design-Conscious Folks
Choose a Denon soundbar and you’ll benefit from an all-in-one audio system, complete with amplifier, speakers, and more – just plug and play to upgrade your TV’s sound. If space is at a premium, a soundbar is a room-saving choice, while still offering a significant upgrade on your home audio. And thanks to features such as Bluetooth, AirPlay, HEOS Built-in, multi-room, HDMI connectivity, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and more, a Denon soundbar is much more than just a TV speaker.
Immersive surround sound, in a slimline design
The Denon DHT-S316 delivers a soundbar and wireless subwoofer at a budget-friendly price (RRP $699). This slim system still packs in Bluetooth audio, HDMI with ARC (audio return channel) connectivity, Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound decoding, and Denon’s Dialogue Enhance, which allows you to turn up the dialogue without having to adjust the overall volume. Simple set-up means you’ll be enjoying theatre-quality sound in no time.
Outstanding dimension, clarity and power
Step up to the more powerful Denon DHT-S516H (RRP $1,699) soundbar and wireless sub and you benefit from the addition of Airplay 2 for seamless Apple streaming and HEOS connectivity for wireless, whole-home audio across compatible AV receivers, systems and speakers. There’s also Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri voice control, support for hi-res audio and the ability to connect up to two devices with 4K HDMI and digital optical and coaxial inputs..
Premium sound with four 4K HDMI inputs
For the ultimate streamlined sound, the Denon DHT-S716H is a compact soundbar with 9 drivers delivering 3-channel sound, with the option of a wireless subwoofer. Four 4K HDMI inputs, alongside digital optical and coaxial inputs, gives you a wealth of connectivity. All the features of Denon’s soundbar range are here in a sleek, stylish package, making this the flagship model in the range. The stand-alone Soundbar is $1,699 RRP, plus you can add the wireless Denon DSW-1H subwoofer for an extra $1,099 RRP. But there is another way…
The Ultimate Sound: Denon AV Receivers
If you’ll settle for only the best, you need to upgrade to a Denon AV receiver. Connect all of your home entertainment products for the best sound quality in stereo, surround and 3D sound, all completely customizable to your room. If you take your movie nights seriously, you need to hear true surround sound the way only an AV receiver and speaker system can deliver. All Denon AV Receivers are powerful hubs for a variety of audio, video and music streaming sources. You have to choose your model based on your room size, number of speakers for surround and/or 3D audio, and necessary inputs and outputs.
Your entrance to the world of high quality home cinema
The Denon AVR-X1600H ($1,399 RRP) offers 145 watts of power to a maximum of seven speakers, powering a medium sized room. with connectivity for up to six devices over HDMI. You can stream through Bluetooth, AirPlay 2 or the HEOS app, and there’s support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X 3D surround sound. The receiver supports 4K video, hi-res audio, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Siri, and there’s unique Audyssey room correction for calibrating the sound perfectly to your individual room. Oh, and it has a built-in phono equalizer as well for directly connecting your beloved turntable.
The digital octopus
Upgrade with the multi award-winning Denon AVR-X2600H (RRP $1,899) and as well as all the features of the previous model, you get more power and more connectivity, with 150 watts of power and eight HDMI inputs. The addition of a second HDMI output is ideal for running a TV and projector or two screens in the same room, or for sending audio and video to a second room.
High powered home cinema
While for the ultimate AV performance, there’s the Denon AVR-X3600H (RRP $2,599). On top of all the previous specifications, you’ll feel the power of 180 watts through up to nine speakers. There’s support for the latest IMAX Enhanced specification, 4K video upscaling even for analogue sources like older game consoles for better pictures and a choice of three HDMI outputs. The premium Audyssey MultEQ XT32 room calibration technology from Audyssey ensures the AV receiver’s performance is perfectly optimized to your room.
Conclusion
Whether you want compact convenience or no-holds-barred surround sound thrills, Denon has a soundbar or AV receiver to fit the bill. And thanks to five-star reviews and What Hi-Fi? Awards, you can be assured you’re getting class-leading picture and sound performance.