Denon S-301 Home Theater System

Just what I needed

Strengths: Quality of audio and video, features, ease of setup and use

Weaknesses: None

Summary: Purchased the '301 to replace a 15 year old Kenwood component system, and wanted to dip my toe into the world of home theater. Did not have the room or layout for a full 5:1 (or better) HT system. Use more for music (CDs, FM and now iPod) than HT. Connecting to a 36" Sony Vega digital (not HD) TV.

From box to listening / viewing very quickly. Very solid cables and connections. Placed fronts on 2' high stands approximately 7' apart; sub placed just inside of right front. Remote was very easy to use, and setting FM stations was simple. Attaching iPod was easy, although I don't know why a monitor is required by this function.

For music, the sound seemed somewhat bright, but exceptionally clear (as compared to the Kenwood system, which was no slouch it its day). For movies, the '301 is awesome. The picture is flawless (to these eyes) with incredible color and contrast and the sound is just phenomenal. My reference set of discs included Saving Private Ryan, The Incredibles, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Batman Returns, and Star Wars Episode III.

Only problem is that the '301 makes my TV seem like very old technology. That is, viewing 1.85:1, 2.35:1 and the like seems really out of place on a 36" screen (albeit a very fine 36" screen, but nonetheless).

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Denon S-301 Home Theater System

Strengths: Phenomenal sound, Easy assembly, HDMI upconverting DVD has excellent picture quality, Compatibility with Ipod is awesome

Weaknesses: Possiblility of DVD playback problems noted in numerous reviews, Pricey

Summary: I searched for a long time in deciding what type of home theater system to go with my Toshiba 62 inch HDTV. I did not want to run wires under my hardwood floors and could not run them over my cathedral ceiling therefore I was interested in 2.1 systems. I really liked the sound quality of the Bose 321 system displays at electronics stores, however was disappointed in the fact that it had no DVD upconversion to 1080i and it had no ability to link to MP3 players for playback. I also looked at the Sony DAV-X1 system which does have DVD upconversion but felt that its sound quality just did not match the Bose system. I was then able to listen the the Denon S-101 system at an electronics store (they did not have the S-301 on display) and thought the sound quality was outstanding, comparable to the Bose. Also the ability to link to my Ipod and scroll through music on the TV screen with the remote was just what I was looking for. I thought the S-301 would be even better with its DVD 1080i upconversion and its more powerful speakers and subwoofer than the S-101. When I finally set the S-301 up in my livingroom I was not disappointed. The hookup is fairly easy and straight forward. Make sure and use a HDMI cable (not included) from the unit to your HDTV for maximum picture quality. I also recommend using an optical cable (not included) for audio output from the TV to the unit when listening to TV broadcasts through the S-301. I have read some reviews stating that the S-301 sounds flat with little bass presence during movie playback. That is true when it comes out of the box. The factory settings are flat. It takes a little tweeking of the individual speaker/subwoofer volumes and treble and bass settings. Once I changed the settings the movie audio blew me away. My family watched King Kong on the unit. It was phenomenal with the room shaking with every step and scream Kong did. My 2 year old wanted to watch The Polar Express and when we did if you closed your eyes you could really believe that a train was running through your livingroom. The 1080i upconversion is wonderful. I could really tell that the picture quality was more clear when comparing it to the image of my regular DVD player that had been hooked to the TV before. My wife even commented on the improved picture quality and she was skeptical when I was researching the home theater units. The sound quality of the S-301 when listening to music from my Ipod is also outstanding. The house really shakes with the bass. I really like the fact that the unit remembers the treble/bass settings that you set for the DVD player, Ipod music, and TV broadcast audio separately therefore you don't have to adjust all the settings everytime you go from listening from one to the other. I have noticed no hissing in the background when listening to movies, MP3s, and particularly TV broadcasts that I have observed with other surround sound systems. I have watched many HD broadcasted football and basketball games and the sound is incredible, it really sounds as if you are in the stadium/coliseum. Being a 2.1 system the surround sound effect may not be quite as good as true 5.1 systems, however I often feel as if sounds are coming from behind me and I did not have to deal with the difficulties of running all that speaker wire. The unit itself is very sleek in design. The speakers are very thin and look great next to my HDTV. The remote controller is very well done with commonly used buttons on the front and less commonly used buttons on the back covered by a door. I have read some reviews stating some DVD playback problems with episodes where the picture turns black for approximately 2 seconds then comes back to normal with no change in audio output. I have not noticed this yet. I hope I don't. If so the unit is covered with a 1 year warranty. So far I really love the S-301. It is a little pricey (I got mine for $1200.00), however the sound quality and the DVD 1080i upconverted image quality are truly incredible.

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Denon S-301

Strengths: Awesome low's and an excellent surround feel. Super easy to setup. The iPod direct hookup feature is slick. A better product than the Bose 321 overall!

Weaknesses: Missing HDMI input

Summary: If you're looking for a 2.1 home theater system you should really take a look at this setup. The clean three speaker look and superior sound quality work well in my family room. I hooked this to a wireless streaming media server through the S-video and composite sound, stepped back and all I can say is WOW! The upconvert capability on the component output is pretty cool too.

It's missing HDMI input but there's enough standard inputs for 3 Aux devices.

Overall - I'd highly recommend this system.

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so far so good

Strengths: 1. Superb sound quality; 2. Simple and sleek design; 3. easy set-up.

Weaknesses: Poor AM signals?

Summary: I bought this Denon S301 after months of research online and in stores. Had focused on the relatively cheaper Sony Dav, Panasonic and Samsung systems but when tested in stores, they (especially the weak subwoofers) were no comparison to, say, Onkyo, Bose and Denon. Denon's 2 speakers sounded not so powerful as Onkyo's or Bose's 5 or 7 speakers, but the music they produced was particularly crystal, clear and elegant, which made Denon stand out instantly among all other systems heard. Plus it had a sleek silver outlook. Plus it received the highest HTiB (home theatre in a box) rating from CNet. Plus the price is coming down about $200 on Christmas sale (from $1200 to $1000). Received it from Amazon in 3 days, set up quickly and enjoyed as expected. An additional pleasure when I found it can also be hooked up to a cassette deck to play my hundreds of favorite tapes - I know some systems like Bose cannot play from other media sources than its own. No problem so far with DVD play - will report if there's any. Only thing that's baffling me is I cannot hear AM radio stations clearly unless I put the antenna out of the window. Not a big problem, for sure, for one hardly listens to AM. But would otherwise be perfect.

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Great sound, incredible features

Strengths: sound quality, video clarity, ease of setup

Weaknesses: very small display on the unit, complex remote

Summary: I was blown away by the quality of this unit, even though all of the reviews were stellar. I had the unit all set up within 20 minutes and was totally amazed. It took me another hour and a half to get the unit set up the way I wanted it, and another few days to get accustomed to the controls. I highly recommend a fiber optic cable for your digital TV box and an HDMI cable from the unit to your TV, it makes the biggest difference for quality purposes.

I was dissapointed in the IPOD controls though, you can't scroll through the music very fast, so if you have a large music collection it becomes very time consuming to find the songs you want. Also, you can't make an on-the-go playlist while using the remote control, which is something I wish was available.

Other than that, this unit is worth every penny spent!

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***Best HTIB to Date***

Strengths: Excellent build quality, very modern appearance, high-quality performance

Weaknesses: Only 1 HDMI connection, only one TOSlink audio in, system very expensive when compared to other HTIB.

Summary: I chose the S-301 after an expansive review process. I was replacing my 6-year old Kenwood 5.1 surround system along with my old projection television. I was tired of looking at all the speakers around my room and decided to look at the newer 2.1 phantom surround systems.

The Denon was the top choice according to www.CNET.com. I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised. The intial thing I noticed was the sheer weight of the array. It was a much higher quality than the low-end Bose 3-2-1 systems. After setting it up I was really pleased with the upconverting DVD player on my new Sony LCD projection television. It was almost as good of a picture as true Hi-Def channels. The audio was very good too, but it was not quite to the level of a true 5.1. However, the room looked much cleaner with only 2 speakers and a sub...plus the sound was only a tad below what I was used to.

The only problem I experienced with this unit was an HDMI flaw. The unit would draw a black screen approximately every 55-minutes of DVD playback, but only for about 2 seconds. I contacted Denon after it kept occurring. They were very helpful and fixed it after I shipped it out to them. This was a flaw in the earlier units and was reportedly fixed in newer releases.

For such a compact system this really kicks butt and I think you'll be surprised too!

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Best 2.1 system on the market!!

Strengths: 1.Unbelievable sound quality with large power. The sound has more body than the BOSE 3-2-1 GS system. 2. Superb vidio quality with HDMI input. 3. Connects to iPod.

Weaknesses: 1. Relatively larger speaker than competiters (Bose and Sony). 2. Pricy.

Summary: Before I purchased Denon 301, I also looked at the Bose 321 systems and the SONY DAV-X1 . I think the Denon has better features and a more natural sound than the Bose. The SONY just not come even close. The picture quality is excellent. It's comparible to the SONY DAV-X1. Moreover, the integration to iPod is nice.

So I would highly recommend this system to anyone looking for a 2.1 home theater setup - it was well the relatively steep price..

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