New Denon Systems

Looks good.

Better specs than the new sony 2.1 system.

Bump!

Pardon my ignorance, but what does "Bump" mean?
Many thanks.

Old threads drop down the list w/o any activity. Some one will "bump" a thread because they want more people to look at it, and comment.

Many thanks!
I too am trying to research the DAV-X1 and the Denon - both have not quite yet made landfall in the UK (at least to the extent of there being any reviews available!).

No problem. Welcome to the forum.

In case you didn't see it, there is a thread with a list of the one/few box devices that might lead you to a few others to consider. There are lots of them. Depending on the application, I'd look at the Yamaha and the KEF as other contenders, albiet with slightly higher MSRP's (though street prices may vary).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&&#post5340289

Many thanks!
I'd love the Kef - but the fact my TV and speakers will be in a corner with the sofa at the same end of the room, might not be so great for a system such as this that relies upon "bouncing" sound off equi-distantly located side walls, perhaps?

I have a corner set up with the Binaura. I looked hard at the Yamaha - they recomend the 3 beam configuration for corner set ups. Thus some of the benefits of the tech is muted.

In that set-up the Denon may be the best of the lot, as a pure 2.1 system (and virtual dolby that can be turned on). This is mostly based on reputation and specs, as I haven't seen much in the way of reviews yet.

I could've sworn I saw a Denon 7.1 HTIB at BB last weekend for $1599. Not set up, but in the box. I was in a rush and didn't have time to check it out. Is there such a beast? Mebbe it said 2.1. Regardless, might be something my bro-in-law would be interested in.

On paper, Ipod apart, the Sony DAV-X1 seems to compare v.favourably with the S101 - does anybody know anything about the Sony, please?

Sony DAV-X1: No surround whatsoever! : (

Just bought t and the sound does not even "fill" my small room.

Too expensive system for what it offers

I've just unpacked the S-301, run it through a handful of tests, and made a few observations that I hope people will find helpful.

- The DVD picture quality is flat-out fantastic, and the high point of the system. My wife and I were shocked at the difference in appearance between this system and our previous DVD player. While I can't speak to the quality of the S-101, I've got to believe that the S-301's Faroudja processing is a difference-maker. It handled the frenetic speed of the massive and complicated combat scenes in Return of the King without any hint of artifacting. The lush colors of Amelie were recreated in glorious detail. I can't speak highly enough of the transfer quality.

- Each speaker consists of two mid-ranges and one tweeter. Be aware that the speakers stand a whopping 16 high, which some will find counter-intuitive since many pains were taken to make the main unit compact, like the Bose 3-2-1. My wife would have preferred the smaller Bose-style speakers. The sound is bright and clear. Those that want to hear grungy rock (ala Klipsch) may be disappointed. But, since many listeners will be spending a majority of their time hearing spoken voice from TV and DVD, it's a worthwhile tradeoff.

- When I unpacked the subwoofer, I was pleasantly surprised with its heft. The subwoofer is surprisingly meaty, easily powering through LOTR battle scenes and Beck's new album with solid earthy tones.

- The 2.1 system is designed to simulate surround sound, including DTS. Two front speakers will never equal five speakers, but the system does an adequate job of creating a center-speaker sound field. Rear sounds is fairly non-existent.

- There are three digital audio inputs, two coaxial and one optical. Denon made a major blunder here, because the one optical input cannot be mapped to a video input. In my experience, many more consumer electronics have digital optical outs than coax. This was nearly a deal-breaker to me. Is there such a thing as an optical-to-coaxial cable?

- Also disappointing is the lack of hi-def inputs. Would it have killed Denon to allow video pass through of a component signal?

There you have it. I hope you found this helpful.

It's been a few months since anyone posted on this thread so I'm curious what others think of the S101 system now that it's been out a while. I'm thinking about picking this up.

One quick and easy question (maybe dumb). Can the speakers be turned on it's side to lay flat or do they need to stand up for proper sound? I have limited space in a bookshelf and there is not enough room between shelves to accommodate 16" speakers.

I bought the 301 last month. It is used as a bedroom surround sound system so there hasn't been the hardcore tweaking and critiquing as I normally would do. As far as sound goes, I thought the yamaha ysp-1 was better at the "creation" of surround sound and overall sounded better. But I wanted a dvd player integrated system with upconversion and the denon looked and sounded better than the sony.

I had the same question about lying the speakers on their side in another thread and didn't get much of a response. I didn't know if that would screw up the "physics" of dolby virtual speaker and make a big difference. Well, it didn't make a huge audible difference. Visually, you can tell since the speakers are like 16 inches tall and they are sitting on top of a 6 ft armoire, that leaves them close to 7 1/2 ft. off the ground which you can hear on the soundstage. Best set up is to mount them to the wall at eye/ear level I think but then you have to figure out what to do with the speaker wires if you don't want to cut holes. That's a project for me for after the holidays.

I know this is an old thread, but I would like to bump it, especially since some more Denon users will probably be out there as a result of today's sale at an unnamed one-day sales site.

Anyway, I just got my in a nice deal at BB for an open-box unit. The NIB units are already $200 off (at least in the DC/Balto. area), but with a further 15% off for open-box, I bit. I'd like to know about any other Denon setup experiences (especially the S-301).

I'm using a 32-inch Panasonic tube, but really got the Denon to connect to my new Panasonic HDTV 600 model (whenever they decide to start selling them!) with the HDMI.

Anybody else have strong opinions on the S-301?

I've decided that the price/performance ratios of flat-panel HDTVs (which are really my only options given space limitations) haven't quite reached levels I find acceptable. So I'm going to invest in an audio setup first.

Initially, it'll just be a music system. But in 6-12 months, I expect to have an HDTV and an Xbox 360 as well.

I'm in a very small room now, but I can foresee myself moving to a larger space within 2 years. I'd like whatever system I invest in now to serve as a music system in my current small bedroom, then as an HTIB setup when I get an HDTV, then as a bridge until I build a real 5.1 system down the road.

Given its simplicity, performance, versatility, and style, the Denon S-301 seems like my best option. Any thoughts?

If you're looking for a two speaker HT system, KEF (KIT 100) gets great reviews and is comparatively priced with Denon.

I got my S-301 a week or so ago, and have just been setting up the features, and cables to my old TV. The reasons I got it were because of its GREAT reviews (see CNET), and because I could only have a 2.1 system in my room. I, too, am getting an HDTV, but don't have it yet -- waiting for the Panny 600 series to come out. It sounds great, so far, but I'm really looking forward to using it for HD - audio and video. Should be a while until I get that chance, though, since the 600s may not be out until late April.

mcgurgd: I was looking at that too, but haven't seen reviews as favorable as those of the S-301.

JKirkmd: Have you had a chance to test the system with music?

Is this an exclusive forum for 2.1 setups? If not, is there one? I apologize if this has been asked before.

The music is great! But, frankly, I think it will really shine in the Dolby 5.1, since it's virtual surround, even on 2-channel, sounds fantastic. Watching analog TV, using the setup with the virtual surround gives such a good experience. I can't wait to have HD, and and HDTV, to watch! DVDs sound beautiful, too I'm not a real audiophile, so what I hear is more "beauty in the ears of the beholder," rather than and technical details.

There are plenty of threads talking about 5.1 systems, but I'm glad there is so much discussion about 2.1 systems, here. I would have liked the Bose small speakers, but the Denon had so much better reviews, that I had to get it. Tried to get it on a well-known auction site, but ended up getting it at BB as an open-box item. No problems in that regard, though.

I saw it at BB the other day. I wonder whether they have any open boxes, or how much wiggle room there is if not.

Keith...see my PM.

If anyone is looking to justify buying the Denon S-301, I recommend checking out CNET's review, here.
They are not liberal with their ratings, but this one gets an "Excellent" with the bottom line: "With its abundant feature set, great sound quality, eye-catching design, and superlative ease of use, iPod-friendly Denon S-301 2.1 home-theater system is the best we've reviewed so far."

Anyone with the Denon S-301 experiencing problems with video via HDMI? The user reviews at Cnet suggest that this is a relatively widespread problem.

If I had more space, I would just build a component system--but my room is so small that I can't imagine a setup with more than 2.1 speakers.