Adding a soundbar to your television is the least expensive way to bring room-filling sound and dynamic audio experiences to your home entertainment system. Denon is known as one of the world’s premier developers of home audio equipment, and the DHT-S217 provides consumers with an affordable entry into better sound. This Denon DHT-S217 review will explain the features and functions of this soundbar design and let you know why it stands out from other products on the market (>>>Find on Amazon).
Denon DHT-S217 Review of Specifications:
| Denon DHT-S217 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Item model number | DHT-S217 |
| Connectivity Options | HDMI, Bluetooth |
| Subwoofer | No |
| Dimensions (inches) | 35 x 2.6 x 4.7 |
| Price | Find on Amazon B&HPhotoVideo |
The Denon DHT-S217 is a dedicated soundbar developed for use by the average consumer looking to improve audio quality over weak and inaccurate television speakers. It features a total of six speakers that include woofers, tweeters, and subwoofers to give you all-in-one results in a sleek package.
Appearance and Installation Options
The soundbar is slim and takes advantage of clean design elements to prevent it from looking out of place. It is designed to rest on a shelf or it can be mounted to a wall or even to a television using optional brackets. It measures 35-inches long and a little more than 2.5-inches tall.
Speakers
The soundbar design uses two side-firing woofers, two forward-firing domed tweeters, and two down-firing subwoofers. This combination allows for the most comprehensive soundstage possible from a soundbar. Each of the speakers is specifically tuned by Denon to provide a warm, rich, full sound that is both natural and clean.
Pros
- This is an excellent option for buyers looking for high-end sound at a mid-range price point
- Bass is more pronounced than anticipated given the small size of the speakers
Cons
- Lacks the ability to provide on-screen menu settings
Technology
Denon incorporates several unique and interesting technologies into this soundbar to ensure that it can outperform many bookshelf-style speaker systems. The DHS-S217 has Dolby Atmos technology built in and can generate a digital three-dimensional sound field to create an immersive environment.
The sound bar has four sound modes to help quickly tune it for the type of music environment you are wanting. The modes include audio enhanced mode that makes movies and television shows more enjoyable, night mode that prevents the soundbar from being annoying to people not watching television, a music mode geared for streaming audio files, and Denon’s pure setting that lets you hear audio as it was meant to be heard.
Connectivity
The Denon DHT-S217 is designed to hook up to the latest entertainment options and provide the best sound environment possible. It offers a connection to pass through 4k content for use with Blu-Ray players and it allows for seamless integration of gaming consoles directly through the soundbar to prevent issues with getting the most sound from gaming. An HDMI eARC connector lets the soundbar work flawlessly with 4k-compatible televisions.
The soundbar also features Bluetooth built-in. Bluetooth makes it simple to stream your favorite content directly to the soundbar, by-passing inconvenient hook ups and auxiliary devices.
While it has built-in subs, the soundbar also includes a line-out to provide a signal to a powered subwoofer to further enhance your listening experience.
How it Sounds
Considering that this soundbar uses very small three-inch subwoofers, it produces a surprising amount of bass. The midrange and tweeters are phenomenal and are everything you expect from Denon. The sound is warm and rich, with the unique Denon sound that makes it easy to forget that you are listening to a recording not watching live.
In comparison with some other soundbar designs such as the Sonos Arc, the Denon DHT-S217 is at least as good and tends to be more affordable. With an MSRP that is around the price of a pair of mid-grade bookshelf speakers, we think most buyers are going to appreciate the value this impressive sounding soundbar provides.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an affordable way to significantly improve the audio in your home but aren’t ready to invest the considerable amount of time, money, and energy required of a more complex system, a soundbar is the logical choice. The Denon DHT-S217 is an excellent choice because of the high-quality audio playback it offers and the sleek, integrated appearance (>>> Check on Bhphotovideo). This soundbar is simple to use, easy to tune and is an ideal companion for a gaming system setup.