Denon Heos Bar: Connectivity is king
28.12.2017
Translation: machine translated
In my last article, user Miklagard asked us to test the Denon Heos Bar. We are happy to fulfil his wish and hear what the soundbar can do.
This is the Denon Heos Bar that I tried out for this article.
As soon as I unpack the soundbar, I notice how well thought-out the packaging is. The first thing that awaits me is a box with minimalist drawings that clearly show what exactly is inside. The scope of delivery includes: Optical Toslink cable, HDMI cable, jack cable, power supply unit, wall bracket, remote control and a quick start guide.
What surprises me very much (and positively) is the paper wall mount template. The Denon Heos Bar is not just a soundbar, but a true designer piece. As the bar has a slightly rounded shape, it is more difficult to mount it straight on the wall. Denon offers a remedy here: a 1:1 scale paper template showing the drill holes shows me exactly where I would have to mark to hang it on the wall.
Since the soundbar hangs upside down, the badge that says "Heos" can be rotated - I'm thrilled.
Setup
I find the Denon Heos setup very simple and intuitive. I download the Heos app and start it. After two minutes, I open my account and indicate that I want to integrate a device.
I realise that I now have to pair the device using WPS. As I've just moved house and the router is hanging in a built-in cupboard on a distribution board, this wouldn't be easy. I'm surprised again: I connect my mobile to the Heos device using the jack cable supplied. The device then recognises which WLAN my mobile is in and asks for the password. However, this is not transmitted wirelessly, but via a jack cable to the soundbar, which then automatically connects to my Wi-Fi. How simple.
Don't have a jack output on your mobile phone? Then an adapter (included as standard with most mobile phones), connecting via a network cable or connecting via WPS will help. After updating to the latest software version, the set-up process can be finalised. What I particularly like here is the wide range of setting options.
- I can choose whether the bar stands or hangs on the wall.
- I can pair two HEOS devices as surround speakers if available. Personally, I don't like the fact that two speakers of the same type are required, as this is not always the case if you have started to equip your home with individual speakers. If I also have the Heos Sub, I have a wireless 5.1 surround system. I set up the additional speakers with four clicks in the app.
- I can set the crossover frequency, the distance to me and the volume per device for the speakers. To make my work easier, I can play a noise test tone.
- I can group the sound from my TV that is playing on the soundbar. This means I can watch football and let the sound continue on the Heos 1 on my balcony during the smoke break. You can even set a delay for this.
- I can configure six sets of presets using the Quick Select buttons. One set saves the input source, volume, sound mode, night mode on/off, dialogue enhancer on/off.
A small but nice extra that I only notice when I take a closer look at the instructions (yes, I read them every time!): If the Heos Bar is in front of your TV and covers the infrared contact to your TV, it picks up the infrared through its front and sends it on to the TV through transmitters on the back.
Whiplash
With music films, it is important that the entire musical spectrum can be heard in all its detail. In Whiplash, you only really hear music when the actors are playing it. The bass of the piano is nice and warm and can be heard and felt well even without a subwoofer. I notice how much low end (bass components) the Heos Bar reproduces. I don't even miss a subwoofer at this moment. During the rehearsal break in the middle, I can hear the students rehearsing in the background of the dialogue between Andrew (Miles Teller) and his mentor (J.K. Simmons). You don't always notice such details. This makes it all the more important that a loudspeaker reproduces them. The Heos Bar does this quite well despite its bulkiness and low end.
The treble could be a little more brilliant in the dialogue. I try the so-called Dialogue Enhancer, which should make the dialogue more present and clearer but leave the rest of the film unchanged. With the "High" setting, Andrew Neeman's snare hits my head so aggressively that I immediately change the setting. The "Low" setting of the enhancer is ideal for me, as I want to hear the voices in the film better.
Stranger Things
I'm amazed at how well the surround mode works (in my case with two Heos 1). When Nancy (Natalia Dyer) shouts for Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) in the "Upside-Down", I can hear Jonathan's response diffusely behind me. The Heos 1s configured as surrounds wirelessly reproduce the rear part of my surround sound image. A dream solution for me, who has just moved house, now has a huge open-plan living room and is still wondering how to wire his 5.1 system.
In Stranger Things, the effects and music are kept to a minimum, so it's all about how the speech and all the original sounds are reproduced. Heos Bar does its job well - I wouldn't need a subwoofer for content like this, the Heos Bar already has a very wide frequency spectrum.
What follows is my all-time favourite intro of a series. The now legendary 1980s synth sound fills my living room and I'm as happy as a child. Netflix recently introduced the "skip intro" button. I normally press it every time, but not with Stranger Things. I can partially satisfy my desire for more sub-bass during the intro with the EQ function in the HEOS app, but a subwoofer would help completely. Fortunately, Denon also offers a wireless solution for this.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
At the time, I couldn't wait to see the now no longer new Star Wars "The Force Awakens" in the cinema. The scene I remember most clearly is when Rey climbs around in a crashed Star Destroyer looking for objects. After leaving the wreckage, she climbs onto her speeder and then speeds through the desert landscape. I found the unique soundtrack by John Williams particularly impressive. "Rey's Theme" is now one of my favourite soundtrack songs. So I've been watching the scene again at home since my one-off visit to the cinema.
When Rey (Daisey Ridley) rappels down in the possibly even shot-down Star Destroyer, I can hear the reverberation disappearing in different directions behind me in the scenery. As she sails down the dune outside the ship and the soundtrack builds up all around her, I realise how cleanly the speakers work with the frequency separation. From the soundbar, I can hear the original sound of Rey sliding and swinging onto her speeder, only to zoom off ten seconds later, while the fine, classic soundtrack plays all around.
The centre, right and left front channels are also well separated on the soundbar itself. In the next scene, the film's villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) interrogates the rebel commander Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac). During the first half of the film, Kylo wears a mask with a distortion device like Darth Vader in the old films. Here, Kylo Ren seems to speak directly into your face with his bassy, distorted voice, while the movement of his hand, set to music afterwards, sends a woozy, fear-inducing shiver through my living room.
The elegant soundbar produces a wonderful sound and I realise once again that the amount of bass here is enormous for a soundbar. I'm thinking about putting the soundbar in my living room with two Heos 5 speakers as a replacement for my current home cinema. If I was just starting out and didn't have a setup at home yet, I would seriously consider the Heos Bar with additional speakers and sub.
Conclusion
The system is super easy to install and operate. It is modular and can be expanded. Heos also offers even more connection options that I have not tested. A special treat is the USB port on each speaker, to which I can connect any data storage device and then stream the music to all the speakers in the system via the app - Multiroom 2.0. The sound quality is also impressive and almost reaches home cinema quality.
Fabio Endrich
CM-ExternalWorker
fabio.endrich@digitecgalaxus.chAs a drummer, enthusiastic visitor of Drum 'n Bass parties, hobby producer of electronic music and record lover I am interested in all imaginable aspects of the audio universe. As a compensation I also enjoy the absolute silence under water while diving or taking pictures in the nature.
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