Denon DHT-S514 Review

A while ago we published a review on Denon's DHT-T110 Speaker Base and we have noticed that these type of products are becoming increasingly popular. I´m speaking of soundbars, of course, and almost every major manufacturer has at least one or more in their product catalog. This time we take a look at the latest soundbar from Denon, the DHT-S514.

It should be clear by now exactly what a soundbar is, but just to refresh our memories; it is an elongated (wide and narrow) speaker that you put in front of or hang below your TV. This speaker usually has several drivers that can play both stereo and virtual surround sound, thanks to various sound modes (DSP). A soundbar includes most of the features of a 5.1-channel (or larger) home cinema system, but with obvious limitations (more on that later). A lot of soundbars come with a subwoofer (sometimes wireless) that provides the bass, as the soundbar itself has a limited frequency range. The slim speaker is, in other words, too small and compact to play bass convincingly.

Features & Specifications

The DHT-S514 is not one of the cheapest models that you can find, and it is obvious that Denon has paid a lot of attention to optimum audio quality using high quality components. Denon is well known for their good Hi-Fi systems and AV Receivers, and this is of course evident in their soundbars as well.

In terms of connectivity, the Denon has everything the average consumer may expect in an audio system for the TV. The soundbar features one HDMI input for connecting a digital source device (Blu-ray player, gaming console), one HDMI output with ARC support for interfacing with a TV, optical and coaxial audio inputs for other digital audio sources, an analog audio input, and decoders for Dolby Digital and DTS, It also covers Bluetooth with aptX for wireless streaming from Bluetooth devices, and it includes a remote control and an IR repeater.

The more advanced home theater enthusiast will notice that only one HDMI input is available, a drawback if you want to connect multiple devices in your home theater system for digital audio and video in the highest possible quality. Moreover, there is no support for HD audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. This is somewhat understandable since the surround experience does not do these hi-res formats justice anyway, but more on this later.

Installation & Setup

One big advantage of a soundbar system is that the installation is not very time consuming. Unless you mount the soundbar on the wall, of course, but that's a personal choice. The soundbar is light and relatively compact and will normally only require one person to install it. I choose to place the soundbar on the bench in front of the TV, and thanks to the included feet (2 pair with different heights) the IR receiver on the TV didn´t get blocked, and it was no problem placing the speaker right in the middle of the TV. If the soundbar happens to block the infrared sensor, Denon also include an IR repeater. Problem solved.

The wireless subwoofer is pretty much just plug and play. It only needs to be plugged in and automatically connects to the soundbar as soon as it is turned on. No hassle with difficult settings, as is also evident in the very simple instruction manual. If you want to know more of the capabilities and settings options, you´ll find a complete manual on the included CD.

The only thing I really miss is an on-screen display, but that is probably because I am used to having one on all the other devices in my home theater system. Nonetheless, it would be a lot easier to see what is going on when trying to control the soundbar if you at least had some sort of indication. The DHT-S514 is a system without a lot of bells and whistles, with a focus on quality, and this ensures that even a novice user will encounter few problems using it. In terms of connectivity, however, I would still like to see some additional HDMI ports, since this is still the standard today, but this seems to be an issue with most soundbars.

Sound Quality

The most important part of this review is of course the sound quality, I mean, that´s what the DHT-S514 is all about. At least that is the desire of most hi-fi and home theater enthusiasts and the reason you spend a lot of money for such a system. With soundbars, however, it´s important that you know what you're buying. A soundbar is not a 5.1 channel home theater system with speakers all over the room - something that many people often realize too late. This is not just the fault of the consumer because too many manufacturers use marketing terms like 'surround sound', while a soundbar will never deliver true surround sound. A soundbar uses the acoustics of the room and the positioning (and direction) of the speakers to provide a virtual surround sound that gives you a feeling of a wide sound field with depth.

A soundbar is a compact speaker unit that is above all wide. However, a soundbar is, unfortunately, in most cases, not wide enough to create a proper stereo effect. The speaker drivers are placed too close together for this. The Denon DHT-S514 is compact but still sounds relatively convincing, especially when you turn on the dedicated Music mode where more space is created between the left and right channel. It is not as convincing as two big speakers placed at a proper distance to the left and right of your TV, but compared to a lot of other soundbars Denon provide a reasonably good stereo effect. If you want to broaden the sound image further you can switch to the virtual surround mode, something I did many times because it just fills the space in width but without any surround effect. I must mention that it is not made for music listening and can be a hit or miss depending on the music.

Movie may stress the subwoofer a little harder, but it still manages to play a subtle and agile, but not overpowering, deep bass. Dialogues are crisp and clear, and the DHT-S514 also has a special mode for this. However, the virtual surround is the letdown in this test because more than half of a real home theater setup is missing, and it doesn´t come close enough to a having physical surround speakers in the room. The soundstage is wide and dynamic - but I wouldn´t call it surround. Watching movies with this system may be a downer for a true home theater enthusiast, but on the other hand, I consider it unlikely that such enthusiast is looking for a soundbar in the first place. Apart from that the sound effects are quite impressive and have sufficient energy and precision. The movies I've watched using this system were certainly enjoyable, despite the surround disadvantage.