Denon Home 200, 400 and 600 review: Taking on Sonos

Billy Steele for Engadget

RATING : 8.2 / 10

Billy Steele for Engadget

The Denon Home statement isn't new. The institution already has nan Home 150, Home 250 and Home 350 speakers connected its roster, successful summation to nan Home 550 soundbar and Home Subwoofer. In different words, nan institution is nary alien to multiroom audio devices. To power each of those speakers, and nan 3 caller models, you usage nan HEOS app that useful pinch compatible products from some Denon and Marantz (both companies are owned by Samsung subsidiary Harman).

Like nan Sonos app, nan HEOS app is wherever you do nan first setup and relationship for nan Home speakers. Once you sync your euphony streaming services, you tin beam tunes to immoderate of nan Home speakers you own. The app besides ports successful section power for free via TuneIn, truthful I was capable to watercourse my location NPR position pinch a azygous tap. The HEOS app will fto you entree immoderate connected media servers arsenic good arsenic wired audio sources via USB and 3.5mm aux. Of course, there's besides Bluetooth and AirPlay support if you want to bypass nan app completely.

From nan Rooms paper successful nan HEOS app, you person nan action to play euphony everyplace pinch a azygous pat of nan "All Rooms" button. To region 1 aliases much rooms from nan group, you simply resistance them retired of nan list. You tin build group presets for immoderate often utilized configurations too. What's more, you person nan action to power each room individually present arsenic selecting a room will springiness you its media subordinate and controls on nan bottommost of nan UI.

The HEOS app doesn't connection a room calibration instrumentality for illustration Sonos' Trueplay, but nan package does relationship for speaker placement earlier adjusting nan sound. During nan first setup, nan app will inquire if a speaker is placed "away from walls," "near 1 wall" aliases "near 2 walls." Based connected your answer, nan audio is optimized for "accurate, balanced sound." And yes, you tin set this if you relocate nan Home speakers later.

The app will fto you prime multiroom audio value arsenic well, pinch Normal and High options for accrued reliability and accrued fidelity (16-bit/44.1kHz) respectively. The second mounting is only recommended if your Home devices are wired pinch Ethernet aliases erstwhile they each person fantabulous Wi-Fi signals. Multiroom connectivity betwixt nan Home speakers is reliable and offers a seamless soundtrack arsenic I move from room to room. Sometimes utilizing aggregate speakers passim my location produces flimsy lag that comes crossed arsenic a spot of reverb. With nan Home 600, 400 and 200, I honestly couldn't show location were 3 different speakers playing euphony arsenic I moved from my agency to nan room and bedroom.

All 3 of these Denon Home speakers tin beryllium utilized successful stereo pairs, though nan Home 200's smaller stature makes it best-suited for that. You would request a batch of support abstraction successful bid to usage 2 Home 400s aliases 600s for illustration this. The trio each athletics programmable Quick Select buttons connected their power panels, putting commonly utilized contented and settings conscionable 1 property away. These fundamentally activity for illustration nan buttons connected a car stereo: Press and clasp to shop nan existent playback source, sound mode and audio settings. There's besides an Action Button connected each 3 that summons a connected sound adjunct without reaching for your phone.

Billy Steele for Engadget

The Home 600 ($799) reminds maine of an oversized Beats Pill. Let's blasted it connected each of nan rounded edges. This is nan largest of nan caller Home speakers, lodging 8 drivers and 8 Class-D amplifiers. More specifically, there's 2 of each of nan pursuing inside: 0.75-inch tweeters, 2.6-inch midrange, 2.6-inch up-firing and 6.5-inch woofers. To fresh each of that, Denon opted for a curved building that measures 17.7 inches x 9.9 inches x 8.9 inches. In different words, you'll request ample support abstraction to accommodate 1 of these beasts.

As nan largest of nan caller Home speakers, nan 600 is nan loudest and astir powerful, but that doesn't travel astatine nan disbursal of clarity. There's an evident accent connected vocal precision successful nan mix, which intends nan words intelligibly trim done moreover nan astir chaotic of genres. Johnny Franck's cleanable choruses float supra nan drums, guitars and different instruments connected Bilmuri's "TWICE," for example. The bass doesn't get mislaid either arsenic those dual 6.5-inch woofers connection ample oomph without overpowering everything else. The speaker besides exhibits subtle specifications that mightiness different beryllium mislaid connected support speakers. Things for illustration nan banjo connected Bilmuri's "EMPTYHANDED" are still plainly heard, moreover astatine little volumes.

While this is nan astir robust of nan 3 Home speakers, I recovered nan 600 to beryllium a spot excessively overmuch for my needs. If you person a ample abstraction and for illustration to perceive loud, this could beryllium a awesome speaker for you. However, astatine 50 percent volume, nan 600 was almost excessively large for casual listening, and utilizing it astatine a little level that felt due for my agency conscionable felt for illustration a waste. There's nary uncertainty it's an fantabulous speaker pinch awesome clarity and reliable connectivity, but it besides mightiness beryllium overkill for immoderate users.

Engadget reappraisal score: 8.3/10

Billy Steele for Engadget

To me, nan Home 400 ($599) is nan saccharine spot successful Denon's latest location audio trio. It's not truthful large you person to scheme cautiously wherever you're going to put it. It besides has plentifulness of punch successful position of some powerfulness and wide audio quality. Six drivers supply nan sound here, pinch 2 0.75-inch tweeters, 2 0.95-inch up-firing and 2 4.5-inch woofers, each powered by six Class-D amplifiers.

The creation of nan Home 400 is besides a operation of nan 600 and 200. If you took a 600, shrunk it and turned it up connected its backside, you'd fundamentally person nan Home 400. Or, you could picture it arsenic a horizontally stretched Home 200. Another quality successful creation connected nan 400 is that Denon moved nan controls to nan correct broadside from nan apical panel. This was apt to springiness nan up-firing drivers ample room to task their sound. I do for illustration that nan institution opted to put nan measurement controls astatine nan apical of nan vertical sheet and nan Quick Access buttons astatine nan bottom, pinch play/pause and sound adjunct buttons successful between. Volume is apt to beryllium nan astir utilized (at least, it was for me), truthful this placement is very intuitive.

Just for illustration nan 400 is nan mediate of nan roadworthy betwixt nan 600 and 200 successful position of size, it besides bridges nan spread erstwhile it comes to sound. There's still ample dedication to vocal clarity and there's plentifulness of low-end reside from nan dual-woofer setup. But dissimilar what I recovered connected nan 200, nan wide operation doesn't ever consciousness compressed compared to nan larger Home 600. There's still plentifulness of detail, moreover erstwhile songs get analyzable for illustration Nine Inch Noize's synth-laiden "Vessel." The biggest downgrade from nan 600 is nan little important bass tone, which isn't a dealbreaker for maine since nan Home 400 is nary low-end slouch by immoderate means.

Engadget reappraisal score: 8.6/10

Billy Steele for Engadget

The Denon Home 200 ($399) whitethorn beryllium nan smallest of nan bunch, but don't correction this speaker's size for a deficiency of performance. Inside, 2 0.98-inch tweeters and a azygous 4-inch woofer are powered by 3 Class-D amplifiers. While each 3 of these Home speakers tin beryllium utilized arsenic rear situation speakers for nan Home 550 soundbar, nan 200 is astir apt nan champion action location owed to its size. I'm not judge galore folks would want 2 Home 600s flanking their surviving room. Personally, I liked putting nan 200 successful nan kitchen. I often perceive to euphony and podcasts while cooking aliases doing nan dishes, but I don't person a ton of other antagonistic abstraction for thing bigger.

Design-wise, nan Home 200 looks rather akin to Sonos' Move speakers. Of course, this Denon portion isn't portable, and it's much cylindrical than nan Move 2's much ovular shape. Still, some speakers person top-mounted controls and a segmented, tone-on-tone look. Like nan different 2 Home speakers successful this caller group, Denon installed a position ray astatine nan guidelines of nan 200 that's overmuch larger than nan 1 you'll spot connected nan Move 2.

In position of sound, nan 200 still has that trademark Denon vocal emphasis, which, again, really helps pinch metal, stone and different bombastic philharmonic styles. I did announcement that nan bass and mids are much compressed connected this speaker, but not overly so. You tin still perceive nan sparkle of Bilmuri's Stratocaster riffs without those conscionable becoming crisp treble. There's overmuch little bassy roar overall, but that's understandable fixed nan truth that nan 200 has only 1 woofer, and that it's smaller than nan ones successful nan different 2 speakers. Still, for a smaller bookshelf speaker, each areas of nan EQ are good accounted for here.

Engadget reappraisal score: 8.2/10

Billy Steele for Engadget

As I've already mentioned, whenever you're discussing multiroom location audio aliases connected speakers, Sonos is typically nan first sanction that comes to mind. You won't needfully find 1:1 counterparts betwixt nan 2 companies, but you tin get beautiful adjacent for 2 of nan Home speakers. For instance, Sonos' Era 300 is nan astir comparable replacement to nan Home 400. It's nan largest Sonos support speaker and houses six Class-D amps that powerfulness 4 tweeters and 2 woofers, positive you get nan use of nan company's Trueplay room calibration for $479. The Era 300 is closest successful size to nan Home 600, but successful position of audio output, it's much akin to nan Home 400.

If you're looking for thing to pit against nan Home 200, nan Era 100 is your champion stake successful nan Sonos lineup. Inside, 2 angled tweeters and 1 midwoofer powerfulness nan sound, backed by 3 Class-D amplifiers. And erstwhile again, Trueplay calibration is disposable here, arsenic is nan expertise to easy create a stereo brace aliases usage nan Era 100 arsenic rear speakers pinch a Sonos soundbar. The Era 100 is conscionable $219, which leads maine to different point.

Sonos' alternatives to these Denon Home speakers will each prevention you immoderate money, if you're consenting to contend pinch the company's frustrating app. During my testing, nan HEOS app was much reliable and responsive than nan Sonos app, though different overhaul for nan second is successful nan works.

I should besides mention that Bose has new location audio speakers that are owed to get this month. Two of those — a soundbar and a subwoofer — are much suited for nan surviving room, but nan Lifestyle Ultra Speaker ($299) could springiness prospective Home 200 buyers immoderate pause. Its 2 front-facing drivers and 1 up-firing driver activity pinch a CleanBass setup that employs QuietPort acoustics for nan audio configuration. The speaker is besides compatible pinch Alexa+ and has a 3.5mm aux jack for wired use, successful summation to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Plus, nan limited-edition Driftwood Sand colorway is simply a existent looker pinch its wood-grain base.

Billy Steele for Engadget

There's nary denying that nan caller Denon speakers springiness Sonos a tally for its money successful position of audio capacity and multiroom reliability. The HEOS app is simply a batch much coagulated than nan existent Sonos app that's still recovering; I didn't brushwood immoderate delays aliases nan request to repetition commands successful bid for them to take. Sure, nan Home 200 and Home 400 are much costly than their closest Sonos rivals, but I'd reason they sound amended than nan Era 100 and Era 300 respectively. And of course, nan Home 600 takes that up a full different level pinch its adjacent ace spot audio power.

No matter which 1 of these Home speakers you choose, you'll beryllium pleased pinch nan vocal clarity and elaborate sound they produce. For smaller rooms aliases places wherever you're tight connected space, spell for nan Home 200. For a location agency aliases surviving room, I'd urge nan Home 400, and if you've sewage a ample abstraction aliases an insatiable desire to beryllium bombarded by sound, nan Home 600 tin fulfill both. And astir importantly, you won't beryllium fto down by a surgery app that's basal to usage nan speakers to their afloat potential.