Customer Reviews

Denon S-301 DVD Home Entertainment System

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Just bought mine last night and was blown away by the sound from the speakers. I did a lot of research prior to buying this Denon S-301 and glad I did. Almost went with a Bose AM10 system. I'm convinced the Bose are crap compared to the Denon. The system can be tweaked to anyones liking. It has a pretty comprehensive manuel to show you how to tweak the sound and setup to your room and tastes. If you want home theater and don't want to hassel with running surround speakers then this is BY FAR the best out there to do the job. Don't even consider Bose 3-2-1 or the Sony equivalent. About the only bad is maybe on HDMI input to run a HD SAT reciever through it. No problem if your TV has two HDMI connections though.

Don't count this one out if your looking for ANY home theater setup. I read every review I could find on this and glad I did, cause they were all correct!!!

I bought the Denon S-301 to connect to a Sony Bravia 40". I wanted an all-in-one system that looks good, sound great and plays DVDs well. I am quite happy with my decision to purchase this system.

Playing DVDs. The picture quality is excellent. No complaints there. I use HDMI to hook up to my TV and occasionally the picture blanks. I think its because the Monster HDMI cable is not seating well in the S-301. It does not happen enough for me to worry about. I also have a Sony DAV X-1 connected to the same Sony model TV and they are both comparable. The sound is awesome!! Better than the DAV X-1. Though the bass is a bit "loose", when the .1 of the 5.1 channels kicks in you can feel it! However, I cannot discern the virtual surround sound projection - perhaps its just the position I watch TV from - I don't sit exactly in the middle of the speakers.

Playing CDs. OK this is tough to review as I own an audiophile hifi set and it will be an unfair comparison. The high and mid range is excellent. Comparable to my hifi set. However the bass was very dissappointing at first. After a bit of time and wear in, it got better but nowhere as solid as my hifi set. I also agree with the previous reviewer that the music sounds a little lethargic, no rhythm nor pace - but that is comparing it to a very expensive hifi set so it's hard to say.

Playing iPod. Its good! It charges your iPod too. You see the controls on TV and use the remote to play your songs. There is a little 1s delay between pressing the remote button and the iPod responding so you can't really surf through your iPod.

The manual is not well organized and if you are connecting using HDMI you actually have to read the manual to figure out how to do it.

For what I need the S-301 is a great little system. It is loud enough to fill a big room. The sound quality is good. And the price range is OK for the features and the quality.

Overall, I am pleased with the S301. The DVD picture quality is excellent, as is the sound. However, you would need to have a head full of strange and terrible drugs to believe that 2 speakers can generate "virtual surround sound". Don't misunderstand me, the speakers sound GOOD. The sound is clear and crisp with excellent stereo imaging. The subwoofer does provide some sense of "surround" (due mostly to the omnidirectional nature of low frequencies), but again anyone who thinks 2 speakers can equal 5 or 6 is really, really high.

The S301 is pretty expensive, but easily outclasses the Bose 3-2-1 system in picture quality. Don't forget the S301's ability to connect with iPods (another key reason for my purchase). If you are an iPod owner looking for a good home theatre package and have a limited amount of space this is system is worth looking into.

Maybe the other reviewers are denon employees. That's the only way I can explain the high ratings, and the absence of complaints about an issue that is reported on many other websites. When using hdmi, the screen will occasionally go black for about three seconds. When you're watching a movie, that's really annoying. And if you hope to have it fixed, better clear a week on your calendar, because denon repair is impossible to reach.

I made my decision to purchase the Denon S-301 through the reviews on CNET.com (THE authority on anything electronic!). It got rave reviews and I have been unimpressed with overpriced and underperforming BOSE systems. NEVER waste your money on Bose!

I was impressed with this system the moment I picked up the box. It is quality built and very solid; heavy would be a good description. Each component was nicely finished and did not feel "cheap" as other systems do. It was easy to set-up and the HDMI output made hooking it up to the HDTV a snap (try www.monoprice.com for excellent cables on par with WAY overpriced Monster Cables for a fraction of the price).

After setting it all up I watched King Kong and I was very happy with the upconversion process. I set it at 1080i and could barely tell the difference in the picture quality as compared to bonafide HD broadcasts. I have read some people had problems with the HDMI output on this device, but I have yet to experience it (knock on wood).

Everything sounds great on this little system. From standard FM radio to CD's it all sounds excellent! I love the fact I can plug my USB "thumb" drive directly into the front of this system and play my MP3's! Obviously, this system has a phantom 5.1 surround sound and does not sound AS good as a true 5.1 system, but I do not miss all the clutter around my room at all. The difference, to me, was not all that great to justify the additional room clutter.

I did wish this system had additional HDMI inputs instead of just a single output. It would have made hooking up future devices a little bit easier. In addition, it has only one TOSlink input (optical audio) along with several digital coaxial inputs. Most of the devices I use have optical, so I do not know why they only included one.

While setting up this system is fairly easy, "tweaking" it for maximum performance is not. The manual is not very descriptive of all the settings and functions the S-301 offers. Not many of the settings are "common sense" and do need some explanation. One of the things I figured out early on was without using the HDMI cable and using Component video cables the device would not upconvert to 720p or 1080i, which is important to any HDTV owner. I researched some of the functions online and was able to navigate it after some time. These are minor complaints as I would probably have with any system, but I thought it would be fair to voice them.

This is an expensive Home Theater in a Box, but I think it was worth the additional money. The other systems do not compare to this one, so try to scrape some extra cash up and take the plunge with the Denon S-301 as it does not get any better than this!

I bought this home theater system from Crutchfield--not Amazon (because although Amazon is my overall favorite online store, the bad experience I had with a television purchase has made me vow to never buy another big-ticket item from Amazon ever again). Nevertheless, here's the deal with the video problem associated with the Denon S-301. According the Crutchfield tech support, any unit manufactured prior to June, 2006 will have a chance of producing the video error. The error I speak of is the random dropping of the video signal when viewing a DVD movie while connected to your television via HDMI. It took me a total of three returns before I found this out, but fortunately, Crutchfield picked up the tab all three times. Whether Amazon will do this for their customers, I do not know.

It's small, attractive, and feature-laden. But: as some people have mentioned, DVD playback occasionally drops out when connected via HDMI. From what I've read, this is a problem for units manufactured prior to September 2006 (check the date label on the bottom of the main unit). I recently had my newly-purchased July 2006-manufactured unit "fixed" by the Denon USA Factory Service Center in New Jersey to correct the problem under warranty, and I am very pleased that DVD playback now works as expected. The repair reports says:

upgraded software, reset C.P.U., replaced listed parts (p/n S301KIT1 - HDMI MOD KIT S301), checked/cleaned/tested all functions.

So you may want to go the warranty route if you can. Getting through to Denon on the phone isn't that easy, my typical wait time was about 40 minutes, and the CSR tried to tell me that the problem was the HDMI cable I was using. Be polite and persistent!

I recently purchased the s-301 to change from a much larger stereo system. I am happy I did, the s-301 is excellent in quality and ease of use. It does not take up a lot of space, however delivers a big sound. Granted it does not deliver the sound of an equivalent 5 or 6 speaker system, however it is still excellent. I paid $1,299 rather than the $1,599 quoted above, it is easy to negotiate on the price.

I looked hard at the equivalent Bose 3.2.1 systems, however the technology seems a bit dated now in comparison to the Denon and I personally thought the Denon delivered better sound.

The MP3/iPod connection is great and very easy to use.

Recommended.

I just received this system last week after ordering it off of Amazon and couldn't be more pleased. For people with space constraints I can't imagine a better small system for both home theatre usage and as a music stereo.

The "equivalent" Bose system is more expensive and doesn't sound anywhere nearly as good as this system--the depth and richness of music is unreal. And the iPod hookup is awesome; unlike other reviewers, I've found no lag time with the remote and the selection of my music. Everyone who comes over is stunned when my 50" plasma becomes my iPod screen--it's great for parties and such.

I never typically take time to write reviews, but this system has exceeded my expectations and I'd like everyone else to see what they're missing. On a side note, the other review I now plan on writing is for the Pioneer 5071-HD 50" plasma TV which is about $600 cheaper here than on best buy. An amazing buy as well and well worth it.

I've owned this system since April 2006

Recently, I had the pleasure of viewing Star Wars, Episode 3, Return of the Sith; Digital cable/HBOHD/Cablevision I.O.

Picture quality was perfect; the best HD, I've seen in 2 plus yrs.

What most impressed me was the Surround sound, coming from my SA8300HD, STB; hooked into the S-301, through toslink cable, connected to my Sony KD34XBR960.

In a word INCREDIBLE!

My DVD Audio, & Super Audio/Hybrid/Multichannel, collection, sounds just as good.

Dolby Headphone, is a useful secondary feature

Anyone contemplating HTIB, MUST buy this system; it ROCKS!

Pricy, but well worth it.

You won't believe, how great it sounds

Highly recommended

P.S. HTIB, is (Home Theatre in a Box)