Denon DHT-S217 Review - Best Soundbar For The Money?

[@eLpELoNdeJaPoN]

I really appreciate this review! Here in Japan there's a great variety of sound bars and different options to improve the quality of your set-up at home but as funny as it could sound there's not much information for the costumers when it comes to technical details!! Definitely a brand and item to take under consideration!

[@Oversurge_]

As a foreigner who lives in Japan. I agree. Plus language barrier

[@joaquimcampillo2392]

I'm impressed, very professional. I'm delighted that you didn't even cut the video once. No linguistic tics and a great cadence. Congrats. I might even buy the thing.

[@MitchManIE]

Super helpful review, thank you so much! I'm picking one up now!

[@yogzm5645]

Good review, thank you

[@MrHiram30]

Does anyone know how this soundbar compare to the VIZIO M-Series All-in-One 2.1 M213ad-K8 (2023)?

[@meowmixes98]

I want to know this too.

[@hungsiu2859]

Thanks for the great review. Considering to get one for Xmas… Could I switch between both optical (for music) and eARC (to TV) inputs? Tried (and refunded) the Sony X8500 which eARC overrides all other inputs

[@fabiosapiento6870]

Very important question, alsojbl earc overwrites everyother input!

[@XRPHordz]

Is this bettee than bose 600?

[@JoanneNorton-k8s]

No it isn’t. I have both and the Bose 600 is in a diff class altogether.

[@Christian-ib1gd]

i wonder if the 217 is better than the 316, because they are both in the same price range.

[@n1knak]

The 316 lacks Dolby atmos support. I think it would be better for music and this is a good all rounder.

[@π.ΣπυρίδωνΣκουτής]

Is this better than 316? And something else,its negative that the subwoofer is built in; and not separate; any difference?

[@LOCKHEARTS8]

Denon DHT-S217 VS Denon DHT-S316 which is better for sports and netflix ?

[@hoboqueen4453]

Thank you for this review. Very helpful. I'm waiting for mine to arrive next Wednesday. I've been trying to find out the best way to connect it to a new Insignia dumb TV that has a Roku Express 4K+ streaming device on it. The tv has an ARC HDMI and 2 other HDMI's, and I have a couple good HDMI cables. When it comes, what's the best way to configure it to use the least remotes? Thanks again for these videos.

[@ps5andstuffhere]

Ordered

[@Nimbex01]

satisfied?

[@krophiquon]

Been looking at a lot of reviews for this soundbar, but nobody seems to have tested it with an external subwoofer plugged in. Might just have to buy one and make my own review video.

[@TheRepublican254]

And? Did you finally test it with a pre-out subwoofer? How was the sound? Where is your review video?

[@krophiquon]

@@TheRepublican254 sound was pretty good. not great. Not sure if it's the best speaker for TV either, it has a pretty rich sound and it doesn't help as much with dialog clarity as I had hoped. Music sounds pretty good, but I was disappointed at the volume levels I could reach when I connected over Bluetooth. I'm not sure if other inputs would work better, or what the problem was, but when I connected from my phone and turned the volumes up all the way, it still wasn't *that* loud. It was pretty loud, but I was hoping for more I guess. At $200 I kind of wish I had gone with something else. I was so dead set on re-using my old sub that i really limited my search range, but I probably could have bought a new 2.1 kit with it's own sub for less that would have worked better for what I wanted.

[@TheRepublican254]

@@krophiquon Oh bummer! Just ordered one yesterday and it should normally arrive tomorrow. Wish i had waited for your reply first 🤧 My sole intention was to be able to use my old subwoofer as well. Did you try pairing it with a Laptop 💻 with a much detailed equalizer? Like the Cross Dj Mixer App for example?

[@user-sh9ui6zd2x]

Atmos doesn't work, is there a setting?

[@Revolver1981]

What do you mean it doesn't work? Make sure you watch films that have Dolby Atmos content. If your TV doesn't have Dolby Atmos encoding you can only get Atmos through the second HDMI port connected to a 4K Blu-ray Player which supports Atmos watching Dolby Atmos content.

[@jwamerica84]

By placing the power supply inside the speaker enclosure it is no longer user serviceable. You can source a laptop type power supply with matching specs much more easily than repairing a board mounted inside the speaker.

[@GadgetHero1]

It's a design decision and I've had bad luck with the external charging bricks failing early. The challenge is that they are made by someone else and the company that's using them has little control over the quality. By including it in the design I feel that it's a better design and will last longer.

[@jwamerica84]

@@GadgetHero1 that’s funny because Klipsch is well known for plate amplifiers going bad in subs. The only recourse is a warranty claim. Swapping out a plate amp is a lot easier than opening a soundbar enclosure. Denon is going to have to send out whole soundbars instead of just mailing a power brick.

[@GadgetHero1]

@@jwamerica84 Modern switching power supplies are a ton more reliable than older designs and fail very infrequently. Again, the advantage to it being internal is that Denon has designed it and it's not just an "off the shelf" power supply from China that may fail more often. I guess time will tell.

[@TheRepublican254]

​@@jwamerica84I have had two Klipsch soundbars. The Cinema 600, best sound ever but they didn't last two freakin years! That after spending 💰 800 dollars on each. Klipsch are jokers!!

[@Revolver1981]

It's still annoying having a power brick. That's basically what we're saying pal.

[@elgoogssie3969]

I wonder how much did they pay You for this presentation because i have one right now in front of me and been listening to it since couple od days and never been more pissed od in my life. Cheap chineese speakers (Edifier EB2750) for half it's price will eat htis bar alive. The sound is lacking of details, there is no mid range and the sound is flat. It is the exact oposite of what You are saying here. I'm thinking about returning the product. It's really, rally poor quality. The sound is similar to Creative Stage, but a bit better.

[@GadgetHero1]

Thanks for the post but I can't agree. I'm not paid for these reviews and bought this soundbar myself. I have been using it for a long while and have a few others I'm comparing it to and it sounds great to me. I know that quality of sound is subjective but it sounds amazing to me and the specs for the frequency response are better than most of the soundbars in this price range. Of course you can find better sounding soundbars that cost 3X or more but I stand by the review. Having said that, I'm a fan of folks using the gear they like so I hope you find a soundbar that works for you.

[@elgoogssie3969]

@@GadgetHero1 in this case the quality is not subjective. This bar is just one grade higher than build in tv speakers. Like i said, rhere is no mid range. It sounds like someone put a rug on your ears...

[@Its_A_London_Thing]

@@elgoogssie3969 - I'd ask for an exchange if I was you. Sounds like you have a faulty soundbar. Just one quick Google for reviews on this product will make you think differently. Also, check your sound settings on your TV. Sometimes you need to change a setting or 2 to make the soundbar fully active. Also check the source setting, and sound modes on the bar itself. Definitely use Hdmi if poss, and if none of that helps, I'd definitely exchange it for another one as yours could well be faulty.

[@elgoogssie3969]

@@Its_A_London_Thing I think soudbar itself is technically ok. It's just a poor product. I've connected it to different devices and always got the same result. I though to give it some time to "satle" but nothing helped. Almost all speakers i've heard sounds better then this.

[@montazownianr1]

@@elgoogssie3969 But what is better in this price?

[@Hrochnick]

More of a salespitch than a review...

[@GadgetHero1]

Thanks for the post but I'm always honest with these reviews. I gave you all the information you needed to understand the benefits. I hope you enjoyed it.

[@Hrochnick]

@@GadgetHero1 I did and you did a great job at explaining it's features and what you liked about it, but nothing about any potential issues, or downsides. No opinions on what it actually sounds like and where it might struggle. Is it really that perfect? I doubt it.

[@Serandi1987]

Is the S217 better than the S216?? Or is it the same just added Dolby Atmos to S217??

[@GadgetHero1]

Thanks for the post and the S217 is an updated version of the original S216 (great product too) with Dolby Atmos added. It's a great soundbar for the cost.

[@Serandi1987]

@@GadgetHero1 thank you!!! I've just bought it today for 150))