Denon DHT-590BA 5.1 Channel Home Theater System with AV Receiver and Boston Acoustics

by Denon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14.8 x 17.1 x 6.7 inches ; 20.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 78 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B002GE5A3K
• Item model number: DHT-590BA
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,717 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Combining Denon’s high performance AVR-590 A/V receiver with Boston Acoustics’ MCS 90 5.1 speaker system, the DHT-590BA home theater system features carefully matched components to provide thrilling surround sound for music and movies. Equipped with the latest high resolution surround sound decoders including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, the AVR-590 features three HDMI 1080p compatible inputs (repeater function), along with analog video conversion to HDMI, allowing a single HDMI cable run to the TV. System calibration is accomplished with Audyssey MultEQ to optimize the Boston speaker system performance for any room. Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Dynamic EQ help deliver smooth tonal balance at any volume level, while eliminating annoying jumps in volume that typically accompany television commercials. The five channel discrete power amplifier is rated at a robust 75 watts per channel, a perfect match for Boston speaker package. The MCS90 speaker system features four identical satellite speakers using 3" mid-bass driver sand 1/2" dome tweeter's and the matching center channel speaker uses dual 3" drivers flanking a 1/2' soft dome tweeter. All five speakers can be bookshelf or table-top mounted, and have an integrated "keyhole" bracket for wall-mounting. The powerful 100 watt subwoofer features a long-throw, Deep Channel Design 8” woofer that reaches all the way down to the lowest deep bass notes. The DHT90BA is a feature and performance packed system that delivers exceptional value.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DHT-590BA Home system, January 11, 2010

By 

D. Grundmann (Mass.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Denon DHT-590BA 5.1 Channel Home Theater System with AV Receiver and Boston Acoustics (Electronics)

Background - I previously had a simple 5.1 system-in-a-box setup. It was not horribly impressive and with limited features. I also had a Harmon/Karden receiver (very old) for music.
Ownership duration at time of review: ~2 weeks
Experience level: I consider myself pro-enthusiast -- I control church sound (16ch band), musical background (so I know what to listen for), Electrical experience in almost all categories, rarely need to touch the manual.

I bought the DHT-590BA after doing a lot of research for the price range (At the time I purchased it was on Amazon Prime). I compared the specs against other systems that had many more inputs or many more 'features' (I.E. Ipod/DVD combo/etc.) but found this does exactly what I need and wanted. I was just about to get FIOS from Verizon and wanted a system that didn't put it to shame. Only reason I didn't upgrade earlier was that I couldn't find a system that was in the price range and with the correct features I required.

Since this is a A/V receiver I wanted to use it as my primary switch instead of the TV. The bonus of having an upconvert to HDMI allowed me to have only one cable running to the TV. With that said the components I have connected are a PS3, Fios HD set-top, a secondary DVR and a mp3 player. All (except mp3 player) are now running via HDMI so I reduced the mass tangle of wires :) The switching capability is fantastic, there are 3 programmable buttons on the front to select the "scene", for instance 1->TV, 2->PS3, 3->Radio. The programming saves seems to save all aspects of the setup, basically the sound level and any other settings are saved.

The speakers that come with this system match very well. After letting the receiver do the auto-setup, with provided setup mic, the sound is well balanced with no delay or echos. The room used is a 15x19 size room. The calibration is dead accurate, when competed it gives a summary of the calculations (distance measurement) which is spot on down to the inch. The provided sub is just right but can bring out unwanted effects. This design with the cone facing downward doesn't work well on carpet -- I used a plywood board under it so the tone isn't muffled or selective like a bandpass box. If placed badly in a room this will give a very loud and uneven sound. I'm sure the calibration would have fixed it but I found a good location before that happened.
The satellite speakers are more of book-shelf type, they are heavy and larger than you expect! The 3" mid-tone cone has much to do with that size/weight but the compromise of this is great sound. I had some issues with the middle speaker since it was bigger than expected so location was more complicated.

Pros:
The best feature about this receiver is that it as up-converting to HDMI. This is a great bonus for standard def or typical Ypbr connections (3-plug video).
Scene programming
AWESOME sound - well balanced after calibration. Can get loud and yet remain in an even tone with minimal distortion.
Auto EQ/volume - Main reason for those loud TV shows. It will attempt to keep the volume the same (compression) if a loud show comes on or if you don't particularly like explosions after cranking the volume to hear what people are saying in a movie.
Keeps its cool (literally) -- After hours being on it is very cold.
Switch ability - toggle between inputs easily though one device.
Calibration - works very well to balance the sound.
Very easy setup - especially with HDMI, I think it took me an hour or two for setup (that includes taking down the older system and wires)
Long enough wires for rear speakers.
Cons:
(small) Bigger than expected speakers
Volume is a bit tricky. It has a predictive volume changer (goes faster the more you press the volume button).
Massive/heavy box (83lbs) -- be warned for those with a small car and not a lot of strength
Not for those 'state of the art' setups -- then again you'll probably be looking at the 4-digit range.
Supplied remote is a joke for controlling all components -- keep it only for the receiver.
Some what on the large side for the receiver -- could be smaller
Must (but understandable) go though setup procedure to get auto eq/volume working
No THX (but DTS works just as well)

Would I recommend this? For anyone who doesn't have good speakers and wants to consolidate the mess of wires YES! Have I recommended this - Already did :)

In summary this works very well for me. The quality and controls are almost perfect (minus volume control). I think that it is well priced and well designed. I feel it works very well and complements Fios and Blue-Ray movies.

Tips:
*If you see those "1000W" systems be warned, that statement is not well founded -- it's like saying a car can go from 0-30 in .5 seconds but has trouble hitting 70. If you read carefully that '1000W' is for a specific tone range which is generally a high pitch. Basically a real 300W system can put that to shame.
*Think about what you currently have and what will be removed by getting this system. Are you going to use all HDMI (if so how many and compare that to the # of HDMI inputs). Are you using a mix of HDMI/component - Make sure the system can up-convert for you. Are you wanting new speakers (if no match the speakers to the receiver -- bigger = more of a receiver).

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I like it!, December 21, 2009

By 

Francois Charland "Frank" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Denon DHT-590BA 5.1 Channel Home Theater System with AV Receiver and Boston Acoustics (Electronics)

The best feature on this product must be the auto programming mic that comes with it.

The sound was good at best before we used the microphone. After the amp has done it's test, compared it with what the microphone told it, now the sound is AMAZING :)

I highly recommend.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excelent, January 15, 2010

By 

Real Home Theaters "Professional Installer" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Denon DHT-590BA 5.1 Channel Home Theater System with AV Receiver and Boston Acoustics (Electronics)

If you find this review, pat yourself on the back, because for this price, there is no better on the market. (right now)

This package can be beaten, but you have to triple the price. I have used many htib packages before. This one surpasses all of them.

pros:

Sound quality: The speakers are enough to fill a 225 sq/ft space with above normal volume, and top to bottom freq. response to make all but audio files happy.

HDMI conversion-You can use any analog input (composite, or s-vid) and it will upconvert it to HDMI.

Rename inputs, set delays, audyssey, and multiple inputs. You can use this system with a projector and have a realhometheaters.

Cons:
For the price there are none, but an activity based remote would be useful.