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Denon DHT-S416 Soundbar with Wireless Subwoofer, Bluetooth Sound Bar for Surround Sound System, Dolby Digital 5.1, Built-In Google Chromecast, HDMI ARC, Wall Mountable, Including HDMI Cable

£9.9£99Clearance
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That last part should be of particular interest because it applies to third-party subs, too. You don’t have to use a Denon one if you don’t want to, and while a wired sub may limit your options on layout and deployment, it’s a nice perk to have at this price point. By Denon’s standards this is approaching entry-level stuff – but that doesn’t mean it’s without meaningful competition. We’re big fans of Wharfedale’s Vista 200S, for example – and it’s even more affordable than this Denon. The S516H supports Denon’s HEOS multi-room system, which means you can stream music wirelessly to all compatible devices. The system is controlled using the HEOS app (iOS and Android), and allows you to play the same song everywhere, or select different songs on each connected device. If you have two HEOS speakers, you can even use the technology to add them to the soundbar as wireless surround channels. I wanted to simplify my master bedroom tv system and get away from having a reciever, center and side floor speakers taking up so much room. I was excited to see this Denon soundbar go on sale and went for it. I installed it today after removing all the pre-mentioned equipment and I am very impressed. I have a older Sony tv that does not have ARC, so it was required that both optical and hdmi cables be connected in unison to operate through my tv. The sound is fantastic for the size of the soundbar and set up, along with everything synching together, was immediate and without issue. I really like that the controller has 3 different settings to allow adjusting voice dialog while watching movies..it works great. My direct tv controller managed the volume and mute instantly after setup. The wireless subwoofer does very well producing a deep bass while watching movies. I think for the price that this Denon soundbar is a perfect choice for a bedroom environment where the space required for a sound system is not a option. It also comes with a Factory 2 Year Warranty thru Denon.

The subwoofer, too, is capable of being quite eloquent. It’s certainly able to reveal detail of tone and texture where less accomplished designs just go “thump”, but it can summon sufficient drive to give even the biggest Hollywood action set pieces proper body and substance. It controls its output well, describing nice straight edges to bass sounds, and – like the soundbar it accompanies – has plenty of dynamic headroom. The first concerns the way the subwoofer loses its head somewhat at bigger volumes. Denon is coy about how much power drives both the subwoofer and the soundbar, but however much it is, it’s sufficient to let the system perform at fairly oppressive volume levels. If you decide to show it the whip in this respect, though, the subwoofer is liable to abandon control, discipline and careful integration in favour of loads of bass and scant supervision of it. Those straight edges that are apparent at more realistic volume levels become quite blurred, that smooth integration with the soundbar modulates to the sub threatening to swamp the bar, and the rhythmic positivity it previously demonstrated is lost in all of that low-frequency activity.

For its limitations and price, the DHT-S216 was a pleasant surprise. We were impressed with how full sound came out despite not having a separate subwoofer. While it naturally couldn’t fully emulate a pair of rear surrounds, it held its own quite well in delivering something that felt like more than just a 2.1 “sweet spot” listening and viewing experience. In addition to the HDMI ARC port, there’s an HDMI input for connecting consoles and Blu-ray players directly, an optical in, AUX-in and subwoofer out. The soundbar doesn’t have smart functionality or a Wi-Fi connection, which isn’t a surprise given the price but you can stream audio wirelessly to it via Bluetooth 4.2. Measuring 89 x 12 x 6cm (WDH) the DHT-S216 is best suited to use with TVs over 43 inches – I tested it with a 49in Sony and slotted neatly in front of the television without obstructing the remote control sensor. It’s a pretty lightweight bar when compared with some of its rivals, and at 3.4kg, can be easily mounted if your TV is on the wall. How does it sound? There are two main issues with the way the Denon DHT-S316 delivers sound. That’s not many, but they’re each, in their own way, significant.

The front of the soundbar features a small amount of branding and an equally little row of four LEDs. The number that are illuminated, and the color they display, will give you details of source, audio format and volume level. The top is where you’ll find five control buttons, covering power on/off, Bluetooth pairing, input selection and volume up/down. The rear of the soundbar, meanwhile, is where the physical inputs live. There are also a couple of keyhole cutouts in case you’d like to wall-mount the soundbar – at 2.5kg it’s not much of a threat even to partition walls.In fact, I’d go so far as to say that, with the port stuffed, this is one of the best-sounding soundbars I’ve ever heard at this price. It’s musical and very detailed, and there’s plenty of scale. Even the bar’s virtual surround-sound mode, designed to add width to non-surround-sound material, works quite well, adding a sense of space and depth that wasn’t there before. Behind each grille on the top of the soundbar there’s a 66mm full-range driver, carefully angled to give it the best chance of reflecting sound from your ceiling for that overhead Dolby Atmos effect.

Set up was reasonably straightforward once I'd figured out how to get into the tv's menu and switch the output to ARC. Once done the TV remote controls the soundbar fine. Like most soundbars, the DHT-S217 includes a remote-learning feature that lets it “map” its remote’s commands to the keys of another controller – typically, your TV’s. Control-over-HDMI is also enabled, which will achieve the same purpose with most modern TVs without the “learning” process – most people will use this, since it means you'll have control of the soundbar from your TV's remote the moment it's plugged in. Its midrange reproduction is nicely detailed, projects well and keeps dialogue distinct even if all is mayhem on either side. The dynamic variations it’s asked to deal with during Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri are handled without alarms, and it retains its composure even when asked to perform at significant volume.With over 100 years of firsts in audio technology, Japan’s first audio electronics manufacturer has an unrivalled reputation for audio quality. Fitted with two-way, stereo speakers and a punchy amplifier, the DHT-S416 delivers the smooth, detailed sound you’d expect from Denon. Not surprisingly, the Music preset works well with music, but it also proves effective when it comes to watching TV. The mode ensures a well-defined and clear delivery, and for most shows the Denon can handle the audio with great skill. Watching Masterchef, the soundbar delivers the voice-over, music and effects with accuracy and precision. The DHT-S316 can handle PCM, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 audio information, although naturally it has to downscale the multichannel stuff to fit its native configuration. You can find out what’s what as regards incoming signal, volume level and input selection via four multicoloured LEDs behind the acoustic cloth at the front of the soundbar. Or, rather, you can once you’ve memorised what the different colours mean… All soundbars are, by definition, designed with function rather than form in mind (unless you’re Bang & Olufsen, of course) – and the DHT-S316 is about as functional as they come. Its dimensions mean it’s happy to accompany TVs as small as 43-inch without looking daft, though, which is handy – and it’s compact enough to sit below all but the lowest-slung screens without getting in the way.

And thanks to its wireless connectivity, the subwoofer can be positioned more-or-less anywhere you fancy – as long as it has access to mains power, obviously. Features But – and with soundbars there are always “buts”– though the Denon’s sound was clear and intelligible, male voices took on a very mild “honky” cast. More significant was the disconnect between the bar’s bass and its reproduction of mid-range and treble frequencies.

A fantastically capable soundbar that sounds great, but isn’t perfect out of the box

Learning the remote also means learning the LED array on the sound bar itself. The top has physical buttons for power, input, Bluetooth and volume. The LEDs on the front correspond with the input or the audio source. So, for example, orange lights will indicate a DTS audio source, whereas green will be for Dolby, and blue for Bluetooth. White LEDs will line up with the input you’re using, meaning one would be for HDMI output, two for HDMI ARC, three for optical and four for Aux. Five will flash when you mute sound. The Denon DHT-S516H is a 2.1-channel system, and it decodes lossy Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS. If you want lossless decoding of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, you’ll need to choose the S716H instead. Neither soundbar supports immersive audio formats such as Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, but there are pre-set EQ modes for movie, music and night-time listening. As far as the soundbar is concerned, the only realistic criticisms concern its treble reproduction. The top end is a little rolled-off and restricted here – so when the going gets toppy, the Denon can’t give full expression to that shattering glass or those bullet-shells tinkling to the floor during any recent action movie you care to mention.

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