Denon Home Sound Bar 550 Review
Verdict
Big sound from a small soundbar, the Denon impresses with its performance and range of features. If y'all're looking to compact system to beef upwardly your Tv set's audio and become a system that doubles upwardly as a music system for the front end room, this is a soundbar worth considering.
Pros
- Dolby Atmos and DTS:X
- Confident 'overhead' functioning
- Entertaining with music
- Lots of connectivity options
Cons
- Book ramping leads to an unbalanced presentation
- Calculation more speakers is pricey
Availability
- Britain RRP: £599
- USA RRP: $599
- Europe RRP: €649
Key Features
- Atmos and DTS:10 Supports playback of both immersive sound soundtracks
- Alexa vocalization assistance Option of Alexa or Google built-in
- HEOS network Admission to music streaming services such equally Tidal and Amazon Music
Introduction
The issue of deriving a proficient quality experience from a Television set has taken on more importance since flatscreen TVs became the norm. With TVs featuring less infinite for some bulky audio performance, it has fallen upon the soundbar to generate the necessary grunt.
Only not everyone wants a giant soundbar. The Denon Domicile Soundbar 550 is another in a long line of pocket-sized confined that look to solve the issue for when there isn't space for a more traditional-sized system.
And information technology can process Dolby Atmos and DTS:X tracks to produce a sound much bigger than its dimensions. There's also integration with music streaming services, besides every bit the long-awaited appearance of born voice assistance.
Withal, Denon has a Sonos Beam Gen 2-shaped problem, a soundbar with a like spec. The Sound Bar 550 has a fight on its hands and it's well specc'd for the battle.
Blueprint
- Tidy and trim appearance
- Compact size
- Broad connectivity options
The Denon shares the same attire equally its Home stablemates, wrapped in a material textile. It looks nice and very well-fabricated but doesn't necessarily mean it'll garner a second glance. Simply a black finish is available, adding to the Denon's discreet tailoring.
At 651 10 75 ten 120mm (WHD), it's around the aforementioned size every bit the Sonos Axle two, so it tin comfortably sit beneath a Boob tube. It makes the Dwelling house Soundbar a expert partner with TVs up to 50-inches, though its audio performance suggests it could exist paired with bigger sets.
Aesthetically speaking there's a flake more to this bar with a motion activated affect panel on the peak surface and Alexa light bar that peaks through the fabric encompass. In a recessed surface area around the rear are the ports: HDMI input, HDMI eARC output, digital optical, USB port, 3.5mm jack and Ethernet cablevision. That gives the Denon more options for plugging devices in than its Sonos rival. The HDMI input, for instance, is helpful if you're short of a few on your TV.
The remote is small and feels insubstantial, the kind you'd lose between the sofa cushions if you're not too careful, with clicky presses that sometimes require a few attempts. There are no playback buttons just sources, sound modes, volume (including bass) and presets all feature.
Features
- Alexa voice control
- HEOS brings the music streaming apps
- Upgrade path with other Dwelling serial products
Alexa vocalisation command – announced before the Home series went on sale – was finally added in September 2021, allowing for hands-costless control of the bar and Alexa fetch quests.
The HEOS platform knits the Home Soundbar 550's online features together, and also brings the option of using Google Assistant as an Alexa alternative. HEOS is built into Denon and sister brand Marantz's products and to proceed the Sonos' comparisons, works similarly to the S2 app by offering access to Internet stations and integrating streaming services such as Amazon Music, TuneIn and Tidal into its interface. Spotify Connect is also supported.
For more options in that location's AirPlay 2 and a lowly form of Bluetooth (3.0), which suggests Denon would prefer you apply the Wi-Fi/HEOS. File formats accepted over network and USB include MP3 and AAC (upwards to 320kbps), WMA (up to 192kbps); FLAC, WAV and ALAC (upwardly to 24-bit/192kHz) along with DSD 2.8 and 5.6kHz, enshrining the Abode Sound Bar'southward high-res audio capabilities.
Every bit an interface HEOS is more than functional than sleek only offers a range of tweakable settings such as Dialogue Enhancer, Night Mode, presets, and an equaliser for treble and bass (-5dB to 5dB); too as multi-room with other HEOS products and accessing music. Visually information technology's a piddling bland, but no stability bug were encountered and operationally it's speedy.
At that place's interesting news for custom installers with back up for software drivers for Control4, Crestron, URC, Elan, and others. Finally, the Home 350, 250 and 150 can be used as rear-channel surround speakers, and for more bass the DSW-1H wireless subwoofer is supported. It won't be a total Atmos system given at that place are no upfiring speakers, but it'll open up up the bar'south surround sound capabilities.
Performance
- Big, tall sound
- Lots of ability and attack
- Pretty skilful with music
- Book ramping causes a lack of balance
Inside the enclosure are two 19mm tweeters, 4 55mm full-range drives and three 50X90m passive radiators. Like the Beam 2, at that place are no upfiring drivers, and then the Denon achieves lift-off with immersive soundtracks by using digital processing.
The Home Sound Bar 550 gets terrific mileage out of its minor form with a operation that's large, clear, and detailed. Similar LG'south tiny Éclair speaker, the Denon's sound stretches the surface area of a screen – effects and dialogue positioned where they ought to be. Even partnered with a 65-inch screen the Denon still managed to place effects correct in the corner of the upper frame when it was required.
And even without the assistance of the upfiring speakers in that location'due south a definite sense of verticality to the Denon's sound. A run-through of Blade Runner 2049's opening, and equally the spinner descends at that place's not but splendid definition of the car'south engines only decent heft to it as well.
2049's soundtrack presents issues for virtually soundbars, and information technology reveals the Denon's (expected) lack of bass depth and extension. At that place'southward some slight woofer distortion but the Sound Bar 550 manfully keeps information technology under control.
What bass there is, is impressive for single box system of its size. Powerful, punchy, and weighty, with the right slice of content – like the opening titles of Succession – you can feel the low stop of Nicholas Britell'due south score rumble through the floorboards. It'southward also a soundbar that gets the placidity/loud dynamic with conviction; the moment when Howard loses his temper during the dinner scene in ten Cloverfield Lane genuinely startled me.
The Denon'south sound is sharp and dynamic, but that presents an upshot with volume. It can be tricky the get the right 'loudness' to avert coming across as too aggressive. The Denon'southward book doesn't need turning up that much to take an impact just above that and it becomes a piffling fatiguing. In that location'southward a slight lack of balance in voices when the volume is turned upwards – and in other moments the Denon mistakes loud moments for lots of noise, losing points for subtlety.
Kept within a sure range and dialogue is clearly and cleanly reproduced, though I noticed in busier scenes that dialogue can get lost in the mix. This is probable downwards to the Denon lacking a dedicated centre speaker, but with the Dialogue Enhancer you can tweak this attribute. Using the Enhancer does give dialogue a more processed tone, though.
And the Denon is not a soundbar interested in firing sounds either out broad or towards the listener. While it sounds big, it's a front-heavy soundstage that doesn't spread audio beyond the width of the TV.
I'd rate the soundbar'southward music operation as lively. Transitions from quiet to loud, every bit well every bit highs and lows are ably described, with a top cease that is sharp and articulate and assisted past punchy bass. Rhythmically it'due south an entertaining listen
Voices take priority and there's skillful separation of instruments, so they don't feel clumped together. Yet, its music performance could benefit from more width, the entire soundscape takes place within the centre of the soundbar. A good functioning, but one that could farther benefit from the type of expansiveness a soundbar like the Samsung HW-S61A offers.
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Should you lot buy information technology?
For its punchy, large, and cinematic performance Though its performance isn't necessarily 3D in the truest sense, the Denon can produce a bog sound with plenty of ability and set on
If y'all want a more expansive sound The Sonos Beam Gen 2, JBL Multibeam 5.0 and to a sure extent, the Samsung S61A all produce bigger, wider performances for less
Terminal Thoughts
The Denon Home Soundbar 550 has plenty of brawn to go with its smarts, creating a compelling (and minor) abode cinema package for anyone looking to heave their TV'south functioning. It was more expensive than the Sonos Beam 2, but in the run up to Christmas you can detect it for a lower price.
Denon'south soundbar convinces with immersive audio and music, is well-stocked with smarts and connectivity options to make it the centrepiece of your living room. It is an assured performer and i of the better attempts at small form factor immersive bar.
How we test
We examination every soundbar we review thoroughly over an extended menstruum of time. Nosotros utilise industry standard tests to compare features properly. We'll always tell yous what we detect. We never, always, have money to review a product.
Find out more well-nigh how nosotros examination in our ideals policy.
Tested over several weeks
Tested with Atmos, DTS:X, 5.1 and stereo content
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FAQs
Does the Denon Home Sound Bar 550 support DTS sound?
Yes, DTS:X soundtracks are supported by this soundbar.
Total specs
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Audio Formats
Voice Assistant
Rear Speaker
Multiroom
Connectivity
ARC/eARC
Colours
Driver (s)
ASIN
Release Date
Model Number
Weight
Manufacturer
USA RRP
U.k. RRP
European union RRP
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