Customer Reviews

Denon S-52 Wireless Network Music System with Built-in Speakers and Alarm Clock

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

 

 

Overall, I'm satisfied with my Denon S-52. It's very well-built and feels very solid (it weighs over 14 pounds!) with impressive build quality. The WLAN antenna on the back is detachable so you can use a different Wi-Fi antenna if you need extra range.

For just popping in an iPod or CD and playing it, this thing works like a dream. It supports CD-R's burned with files (like .MP3's or .WMA files) and thumb drives work well. It won't span sub-directories for continuous play so you have to dump all your files in the same directory if you want it to play everything continuously. The CD mechanism is among the quietest I've ever heard, and the loading mechanism is _very_ smooth. I've seen high-dollar CD transports that have done worse.

The large clock display is easily readable. Alarms clearly indicate their wakeup time on the display whenever they are enabled. The separate, push-to-latch buttons for each alarm make switching alarms easy and fool-proof.

The device sounds quite good on its own -- Denon clearly spent time and money designing the speaker enclosures to be relatively free of unwanted resonances, and the speakers have adequate high-frequency response. Denon uses Audyssey bass-boosting technology to increase apparent bass which works relatively well but unfortunately is undefeatable should you hook up a subwoofer. Adding a powered subwoofer is easy because of the mono RCA (phono-jack) output on the back but adjusting it is difficult because the Audyssey technology sounds muddy when accompanied by a subwoofer. I would recommend a subwoofer with variable frequency, volume, and phase controls -- switches won't give you the adjustability you need to blend the subwoofer with the radio.

The Denon only gave me the option to wake to CD (including CD-R) or Internet radio. It didn't even offer me FM or USB thumb drive. It's possible I missed something -- the manual seems complete until you get the thing on your table and start asking detailed questions, and then you realize they left a lot out.

The clock auto-setting feature works well only if you have a local SNMP-enabled device that keeps (or gets) proper time. If you don't, the Denon will "auto-set" to the first one it sees. If the SNMP device it happens to find on the Internet doesn't have its time set properly, your time will also be wrong. It won't tell you or let you tell it where to look for the SNMP server, either. I wound up enabling the SNMP server in my access point solely to auto-set the time on this clock! It would be helpful if it would look for an NTP server instead since it only wants the time. The only way I found to reliably get it to "re-auto-set" the time (if it got it wrong the first time) was to have it look for updated firmware, which seems to cause a total system reset. You do have the option of manually setting the time, which seems to disable the auto-setting (but the manual is silent on this issue).

The only way I've found to play music back from a PC is to use Windows Media Player as a server. I had no luck trying to get it to play directly from a shared drive. I had hoped this would work with my other network music players from [...], but it doesn't seem to recognize SqueezeCenter as a music server.

Setting the S-52 up for a protected wireless network was about as troublesome as I could imagine. It insists on having you enter your network key (for WPA or WEP) one character at a time with a jog wheel, after which it _immediately_ "masks" it with an asterisk. And since the display is only 20 characters or so long, once you're around character 25, you'd better not lose your place! Also, it doesn't give you the ability to enter a space (ASCII 32) (incidentally this tidbit is also missing from the manual), so don't use them in your key. Forget about being able to correct mistakes -- while it's technically possible, you'll never figure out where in the string you are or which asterisk is hiding the character you need to change. They really need to re-think how this works -- WPA keys can be up to 63 characters in length and future revisions will only get longer.

The Denon saves all settings to some sort of non-volatile memory. It has no battery backup if it loses power, but it remembers what time it was when it was lost and it looks for the SNMP server to get the time as soon as power is restored. This makes power failures relatively painless, but it might not be a bad idea to have a backup battery-powered clock if waking up is critical and you live in an area with unreliable power.

Not a bad first try from Denon. All the hardware seems to be there -- most of the problems I had can be attributed to poor firmware design or a lack of flexibility in options. Assuming it's possible to defeat the Audyssey EQ in firmware with a future revision, Denon could address each of these problems in a future update. Until then, this unit is quite usable even if it doesn't live up to its potential.

This product exceeded my expectations. Here are details not highlighted in the product info:

A) Sound quality
I compared it with a friend to his Bose Wave system. We both prefered Denon, which had richer bass and fuller range. Both systems created an impressive stereophonic spread throughout the room if placed in the right position. Denon also compared favorably to Tivoli Radio (but Tivoli is mono). You can add an external subwoofer to this Denon (the external speaker port is for "mono" only so it is only practical for a subwoofer).

B) Music Input
This is its strongest feature. The Denon is more versatile than other shelf-systems (Bose, Polk i-Sonic, Tivoli, Boston Acoustics, Cambridge Soundworks) and even outperforms the expensive Sonos (it does what Sonos does and more... you could spend thousands putting a Sonos port with expensive speakers in each room, or just buy the Denon and move it from room to room - it's portable!).

It will switch between input-sources seamlessly with the push of a button. For toggling to your favorite track or folder, Denon has a highly readable screen which displays 3-lines (e.g. 3 folders, 3 track names). The blue screen has 3-dim levels and can be read from across a small room (because it enlarges the selected text). Toggling this menu is easy either through a button on the remote or a faster dial on the machine. Here's what it can play:

1) Ipod through a dock (better sound quality than an aux line)
2) Other digital media through front-loaded USB port (this works just like the ipod dock, optimizing sound quality and allowing you to control the folders/song titles through Denon's screen. I plugged my Creative Zen in and it instantly recognized all the folders/tracks. Even simpler, you could copy media files to a memory stick and plug the stick in).
3) Your computer's hard drive (If your computer can transmit a wireless signal - which is <$100 to add on - the Denon can pick this up and play any music on your computer's hard drive).
4) CD... including CDs with MP3 files and rewritable CDs. MP3 CDs are easy to create with iTunes or Windows Media Player... an MP2 CD holds 8-12 regular CDs. You can create subfolders on the MP3 CD, which Denon recognizes, and it displays all track names on the MP3 (sadly it does not display track names for regular CDs).
5) Radio... including HD-radio. It comes with a basic, removable, AM and FM antenna and allows you to plug in more expensive antennas.
6) Internet Radio... this is amazing! Push one button and it allows you to display all internet radio stations by category (country, genre, popularity, etc.). Every country seems represented except North Korea. As someone who is constantly foraging for new music, this was an eye-opener. I had never encountered the sounds of Afghanistan's folk music, or Chinese classical music, and Denon brought them to me live with high quality encoding after the push of 3 buttons. Note: sound quality varies by digital encoding of station; generally it's similar to or better than XM-radio.
7) PodCasts... similar to internet radio, Denon stores a huge array of free Podcasts in a folder which you can play. (FYI: podcasts are 15-60 minute talk or interview programs, put out daily to monthly, which focus on specialized topics).
9) XM Radio... this requires a subscription and antennae. Although I use XM in my car, it would require additional money/month to add on the Denon, which doesn't seem worth it given the better selection of tracks on internet radio. Lastly, Rhapsody lets you add Denon on for FREE if you have a rhapsody account on your computer!
10) Aux In (so you can effectly plug any source into Denon, like a TV, but note most MP3 players will sound and function better through the USB port). Note: The aux-in is a single plug, perhaps not as good quality as the right/left jacks on other systems.
9) Rhapsody... This is the real gem! I have used Rhapsody on my computer and mp3 player for 3 years, and hate the system but love the music. On the computer, Rhapsody is slow, breaks down a lot, and is time-consuming to find and download tracks. Not so with Denon. This Rhapsody interface is a joy:

USING RHAPSODY: push one button, and a menu appears allowing you to listen to your personal Rhapsody library, streaming channels by genre, new releases, staff picks, most popular artist/tracks/albums, browse by genre (including dozens of obscure sub-genres) or search for what you want (using a toggle button to insert letters of the artist/song/album name). The Rhapsody feature is $15/month. The menu on Denon works great and toggles faster than the computer does, but it is easiest to first build a library on the computer with Rhapsody, then use Denon to play your library (e.g. by Playlists, by Artist, by Album, etc, just like on an iPod). This means you can access nearly every commercial album available for $15/mth, add endless tracks to your library without using any disc space, and play them anytime with Denon's beautiful sound. Other perks: you can use Rhapsody on your computer and the Denon at the same time (this is unusual... traditionally Rhapsody won't let you log onto multiple machines with one account). Also, as you update your playlists on the computer, the changes show up instantly on Denon... Amazing! Another nice feature... find a Rhapsody-Channel you like; it will play an random selection of tracks that fit your taste. If you like the song, press a button and it's added to your library. Or, press another and it will show you "similar" artists/songs/albums. If you don't like it, press a button and it skips ahead. It's fun to forage for songs to add to your library on the computer while Denon suggests good songs to inspire you through the Channel feature.

Lastly, Rhapsody plays with no detectable loss of digital quality.

C) Ease of Use
Set up was NOT COMPLEX because my LinkSys WiFi automatically sends the network code to Denon. Some internet sources may require you to enter this manually which may require a phone call to Denon and/or your ISP provider. The only technical prep I had to do was enter my Rhapsody id/password. The other prep is optional: you can set internet-radio preferences by logging into Denon's web site.

I can carry my Denon from room to room and it picks up internet just like a laptop, using its 2-inch WiFi antenna. If you don't have WiFi you will need to plug Denon into an ethernet cable, just like a desktop computer, so the internet functions won't be portable. The remote control and screen interface are outstandingly simple and effective.

D) Downsides
- When playing Rhasody or Internet Radio, you can't pause the track, you can only stop it (or mute it). After stopping, Rhapsody will start from the beginning of the track if you then press play. This is probably because it "streams" the track.
- When turning Denon on, there is 5-7 sec warm-up phase before you hear the music. When switching internet sources (eg a new internet station, a new Rhapsody channel) there is a similar delay in loading up the new source from the internet (but once you stick with a source there's no delay).

E) Other perks
1) If you have wireless internet, it automatically adjusts the clock if you unplug it (including daylight savings).
2) It has good clock/alarm features, including 2 alarms, automatic shut-off after selected time, and dimmer control for brightness.
3) It has a "remember last setting" feature so that if it's turned off, or you switch between inputs, it will remember what you were listening to before switching/shutting off. However, I found this didn't work for Rhapsody... you still have to toggle to the folder you want everytime you switch to Rhapsody.
4) If left unplugged, it will remember your settings for up to a week. Also, there is a method to restore the factory settings.
5) It has a "firmware update" feature which, hopefully, will allow the system to be updated and improved in the future.

I am definitely not an early adopter of new technologies. I purchased an IPod only a few months ago. However, what attracted me to the new Denon S52 is the idea of being able to listen to radio stations from around the world. As a young man, I loved staying up all night trying to pull in shortwave tropical band broadcasts. The second reason why I found the Denon to be so attractive is that I could dock my IPod to the receiver. I cannot think of anything more that I can ask of a radio.

I am replacing a Bose Wave Radio with the Denon S52. The beauty of the Bose Radio is that I plugged it in and it was ready to go. Starting the Denon S52up was a lot more complicated and well beyond my technical abilities. I am using the Radio at work and we have secure WiFi Network. I had to use the services of the company's System Administrator to set the radio up. In order to access the WiFi System, the radio needs the System's security code. Unfortunately, there was no way to download that information straight into the radio. The poor System's Administrator had to enter the 30+ characters by hand. It was a text messaging nightmare. With some distractions, it took him 15 minutes to load the characters into the radio.

Once it was set up, the radio turned out to do everything promised. The sound quality is as good as the Bose Radio. With the IPod sticking out of the receiver and the antenna protruding from the back, the Denon does not look nearly as attractive as the Bose. However, what I lost in style, I picked up in being able to listen to radio stations from around the world. If you are going to take the Denon to work, be prepared to do some favors for the System Administrator.

If you are reading about this product you are likely shopping for a nice table top radio. I don't usually write reviews but I this time I want to share a few comments about this product. I'll try to be as objective as possible in hopes that my comments will help someone make an informed decision.
I have owned a Denon S-52 for more than a year and I'm very happy with it. After reading many negative comments about this unit from users here in Amazon and other places, I see that most of the complaints follow a pattern. I will go over these points in the order that I see people are complaining, and I will add my own comments.
...but before I want to say that I don't accept the notion that there's anything that you can buy that is going to be 100% what you want nor there's any gadget perfect for everyone. My approach towards any device that own is that if I'm 80% happy with it, that's as perfect as it can get for me, so my advice is don't expect anything perfect for you because you will not find it, unless you design it yourself, maybe?

1. PRICE: Yes it was very steep. When it first came out the price tag was $699 + tax, but now you can get one for about $500 from most retailers, which is the same price of a comparable radio but you'll get much more with the S-52.

2. DIFFICULT TO SET UP/HARD TO USE: Yes and no, if you are not at all a techie person you might need someone who understands basic networking to help you set it up the first time, but after that I don't see any difficulties using this unit. Most if not all of the functions can be accessed without a remote control. I agree that the initial Wi-Fi set up could be more user friendly for the non-techie person, but not a big deal.

3. BUGGY FIRMWARE: yes, this was the biggest issue for me, but despite all the problems, I still decided to keep it instead of a Bose Wave music system which I had before the S-52 and mainly because of all its features. I did experience the freezing and the problem with the Wi-Fi connection dropping every few minutes; it was frustrating at times. In my case I had good days when it didn't freeze and the Wi-Fi stayed on for hours, but some days it just made me want to kick it. But the good news is that it has been Fixed, after the latest firmware update in January 2009, it hasn't frozen once and the Wi-Fi stays on; sometimes maybe once a month I need to turn it off and back on to refresh the connection, but other than that, no problem whatsoever.

4. SOUND QUALITY: yes and no. I had the S-52 side by side with a Bose wave music system for about a month before I gave up the Bose. I tested both of them with different types of music and different volume levels and my non-expert conclusion was that with some types of music and at high volume levels the Bose seemed to maintain a bold undistorted sound, but at lower volume levels they sounded about the same. But the S-52 has an option to connect an external subwoofer, so in my tests at high volume levels and with the subwoofer attached, the Denon performed better. If you are switching from another high end table top radio or Hi-Fi sound system you're probably not going to be impressed much, but if you don't own any other Hi-fi sound systems, you are going to be impressed and happy with it. In my opinion this radio has great sound, perfectly adequate for a medium size bed room or office, or an apartment living room.

5. WEAK WIFI RECEPTION: maybe, not in my case. I haven't had any problem with reception. I move it around the house and I have used with different brands of routers and I always get a strong signal. If you have problems, download the latest firmware update.

6. NO SUPPORT FOR ITUNES: True, I miss that option but Denon could work on that and include it in their next firmware update. But I don't think that is a negative at all considering that you are provided with better options to play your favorite music.

7. NO SUPPORT FOR REAL AUDIO STREAMS: True, but you probably won't miss it unless you want to listen to specific radio stations that broadcast in that format. The S-52 supports streams in mp3, wma, and acc.

Those I believe are the most negative issues that I have read from other user so I wanted to focus on them. For me it has been a very enjoyable experience having this radio. If you are musically adventurous this radio is definitely for you.
The S-52 is truly a MUSIC SYSTEM because it is packed with features that you will enjoy for many years to come. I just can't understand why Bose would call their radio a "music system" when it actually only plays CDs. After all who wants to listen to lame AM/FM stations when you can listen to the same stations in HD radio on the S-52, who wants to attach other gadgets to connect your iPod when you can just dock it directly on the S-52 and control it with the radio buttons or remote control - but why if you don't have an IPod? Well just copy your music files in any common format, mp3, wma, acc, flac, wave onto a thumb drive and plug it the USB connection on the S-52 and you are ready to start enjoying your music, or just pop in your favorite CD, or tune in to any of the 15,000 online radio stations from around the world, can't find anything that you like? Sing in to your rhapsody account, or maybe plug in your Sirius/XM compatible receiver.
Until something better comes out, I believe this radio gives you more for your money.

I found the Denon S-52 easy and straight forward to set-up and use.

The sound is 1st class, in a class on its own - TOP OF THE CLASS.

The unit is packed with many great and helpful functions.

This is a must for anyone serious about Radio.

However.............

Please be aware of three considerations when buying a Denon S-52.

Consideration 1
---------------

Do not loose/damage the remote or wifi aerial - very expensive to replace.

Consideration 2
---------------
This applies when buying a second-hand Denon S-52.

Make sure your Denon S-52 purchase comes with the Userid/e-Mail and password that was that was allocated on the Denon Radio Web page to access Internet Radio.

Let me explain why......

The Denon S-52 Internet Radio function makes use of the Denon Radio Web page to access Radio stations. This access is achieved by the unique mac address of your Denon S-52. Details of this can be found in the Owner's Manual on page 15.

When you first go onto the Denon Radio Web page to set up your Internet Radio on your Denon S-52, you will be asked to supply the unique mac address of your Denon S-52. A userid/e-Mail and password will then be created based on this unique mac address of your Denon S-52 unit.

This Userid/eMail allows to you manage, maintain and update your Internet Radio preferences for your Denon S-52. This also enhances your listening experience and helps make navigation easier through tens of thousands of Radio Stations on the Internet.

Examples of key functions you will not be able to do without this Userid/e-Mail:

1) no access to new Internet Radio stations you identify
2) no access to new Podcasts you identify
3) no use of the Add Station function
4) no use of the Favourite function.

Having this Userid/e-Mail and password will make your listening experience so much better.

Consideration 3
---------------

The Denon S-52 does not support Real Media streaming format (RAM).

This means most of the UK BBC Internet radio broadcasts cannot be received on this unit as they only use Real Media streaming format (RAM).

This is documented in the General Help section on the Denon Radio WEB page as follows:

Why are some stations (such as the BBC) not available?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Certain stations, like the BBC, broadcast in a format that the DENON Products do not support. The DENON Products play MP3 stations only, of which there are many available. However, it does not play stations that are in RealMedia or Windows Media format. AVP-A1HD,AVR-5308,AVC-A1HD,AVR-4308,AVR-3808,AVC-3808,S-302,S-52,S-32,ASD-3W and ASD-3N support Windows Media format.

BBC stations that cannot be received on the Denon S-52 Internet Radio function.

BBC London
BBC Radio Berkshire
BBC Radio Bristol
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
BBC Radio Cornwall
BBC Radio Cumbria
BBC Radio Derby
BBC Radio Devon
BBC Essex
BBC Radio Gloucestershire
BBC Radio Guernsey
BBC Hereford/Worcester
BBC Radio Humberside
BBC Radio Jersey
BBC Radio Kent
BBC Radio Lancashire
BBC Radio Leeds
BBC Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Lincolnshire
BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Merseyside
BBC Radio Newcastle
BBC Radio Norfolk
BBC Radio Northampton
BBC Radio Nottingham
BBC Radio Oxford
BBC Radio Sheffield
BBC Radio Shropshire
BBC Radio Solent
BBC Somerset Sound
BBC Southern
BBC Radio Stoke
BBC Radio Suffolk
BBC Radio Swindon
BBC Three Counties Radio
BBC Radio Wiltshire
BBC Radio York
BBC WM
BBC WM Coventry/Warks
BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Foyle
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio nan Gaidheal
BBC Radio Ulster
BBC Radio Wales
BBC Tees

We bought this because we needed a new clock/radio/alarm and decided to go a little overboard. We really needed CD and iPod integration with a dual alarm clock. This isn't the only unit with those features, but it was one of the few. This thing has HD Radio, XM, streaming internet radio, stream MP3s from your computer... all wow! So feature set is definitely this unit's strength.

However, right when I turned it on I was a little disappointed. The noise floor on this thing (the amount of hiss you hear when you turn it almost all the way down) is pretty poor. Our old $30 cd/clock/radio had a better noise floor. The hiss is constant, so you can't hear it at higher volumes, but when this is meant to be on your nightstand while going to sleep, it can be distracting.

But, now, on to the *big problem* with these units. You can upgrade the firmware over the internet. Out of the box, my unit (manufactured in March 2008) did not have the latest firmware. So I downloaded the firmware over the internet and upgraded the unit. After this upgrade, the unit began to randomly lock up. When it locks up, an annoying buzzing tone comes out of the speakers and you have to unplug the unit to reset it. Needless to say, I was a little miffed when it locked up after I had set it to sleep mode and had just fell asleep. There is no way to downgrade back to the old firmware - heck, there isn't even a version number to know which firmware you have! The timing on this lockup was random - anywhere from 5 minutes after I turned it on, all the way up to 5 hours. I never saw it last longer than 5 hours over the two weeks I had it.

To make sure I hadn't just gotten a lemon, I ordered a second unit. I let it play *before* I did the firmware upgrade. It appeared to have no lock ups, although you really do need the firmware upgrade because it fixes some issues with Rhapsody (can't access some tracks) and the wireless internet connectivity (much more flaky with older firmware). So, I then upgraded the firmware on the second unit, and lo and behold, it started locking up again. Denon really needs to fix the firmware, or ask the manufacturers of the innards (BridgeCo) to fix their software. Hard to say where the blame is. I believe the original firmware doesn't lock up, but Denon didn't apply the same quality controls on the firmware upgrades. Shameful.

So, I ended up returning both units. Nothing I can do, and I can't have it locking up randomly requiring me to unplug it. Customer service told me to take it in to service, but that was a 2-3 week wait and I think my experiment pretty much proved the problem is with their firmware.

Pro:
- Feature set is unparalleled
- Sounds amazing at higher volumes

Cons:
- Most recent firmware is buggy (as of 8/1/08), random freezes (*show stopper*)
- High noise floor
- Wireless network is finicky (better with latest firmware, but still intermittent)

I agree with the other user who said that the S-52 is difficult to set up. It requires some patience in entering the Network information (e.g. WPA password), and a few times of saying, "Stink, I hit the wrong button again." But, once you get past the initial setup, the listening options are fantastic. I was surprised that the S-52 doesn't have any tone or bass and treble adjustments, but that's because it uses electronics to adjust the tone dynamically based on volume. The result is that sound quality is very good, and I'm pleased with my purchase.

I selected the Denon S-52 because of its extraordinarily broad feature set and despite its relatively high price. It offers AM, FM, and HD radio, CD capability, wired or wireless internet radio, Rhapsody, and playback from a PC or USB storage device, as well as satellite radio compatibility. This range of inputs in a tabletop system is unique in the American marketplace at this time.

Let me address a couple of the most discussed issues related to the S-52 and then wrap up with a quick summary. I'll try not to repeat too much of the material covered by other reviewers.

First, sound quality. I note for the record that I am a professional musician with excellent ears and a very high quality home sound system. Judged by that standard, the S-52 does not produce sound of extraordinary quality. It has substantial bass boost and the mid and upper ranges are forward and brilliant, tending toward harsh in a few instances. This choice was made, I suspect, to increase competitiveness with the various Bose systems that many consider to represent audio excellence. Those who hold the Bose sound in high esteem will likely find the S-52 sound familiar and satisfying. Those who adhere to a higher standard of reproduction will be disappointed if they compare the S-52 to a quality audiophile system.

But...how many people listen to a table radio with the critical attention that they bring to their music room or to the concert hall? If this is your sole music source, and you are a discriminating listener, you may want to invest in better sonic performance. But if you will use the S-52 in your kitchen or office or out on your deck, as I suspect most will, the sound is just fine. As noted above, if Bose defines audio excellence in your ears, you may be pleased with the S-52 in any setting.

Second, ease of connection to the internet/general software usability. In this area, I align myself with those who conclude that Denon has stumbled in their software design. This is not the easiest system to set up, especially for routers that require manual entry of addresses. Persons lacking experience and/or intrepitude (Is there such a word? If not, there should be.) may find the setup process frustrating and tedious. My advice is to take a few deep breaths, read the manual closely, and follow the steps carefully. If that fails, consult the nearest teenage gamer, who will efficiently, if perhaps patronizingly, take the necessary steps on your behalf. I do not say this in a condescending manner; those of us who have earned some gray hairs did not grow up with this stuff and we do not take it for granted as our children and grandchildren do.

Now the summary. This is a quality product from a solid mid-range audio manufacturer. Appearance is unobtrusive and attractive without being trendy. Materials are substantial and build quality is excellent. Feature range is extraordinary. Everything works as described. Subject to the caveats above, the sound quality should satisfy most users. Those who are unsatisfied probably need to consider a different level of hardware altogether. Software setup can be challenging for the inexperienced. The price is high but, if you insist on the full range of inputs, there is nothing out there that is cheaper and all-in-one-box. You could cobble something together that would do all these things but the price would likely be just as high, the aesthetics less pleasing, and the overall quality no better.

I give the Denon S-52 a qualified positive recommendation. As always, you should look before you leap. I think most buyers will be well pleased.

I have had this unit for a few months now and it provides very good sound quality even on internet radio. I also have a Rhapsody subscription and it works great. Initially I had problems getting the wireless to work until I finally gave up and connected a CAT 5 cable directly to my router and updated the units firmware. I was then able to get wireless working within a few minutes after hours of trying. A great product, but sometimes hard to setup. It also takes a bit of getting used to the units sometimes quirky software menu design. iPod playback quality is excellent. If you get this be sure and perform a firmware update.

The Denon-S52 packs a lot of features in one box. The sound is very good. Being able to listen to Internet radios is a great feature. However this product is not user-friendly... My wife is not comfortable using it. The menus/controls are not intuitive; it takes a while to get the unit configured after power-up and the wifi often has trouble finding the access point.

I still think it is a product worth owning but would only recommend it to technology savvy people.