by Jayden Leggett, Editor

Movies. Music. Television. Videogames. Four things that no modern-day geek should ever be forced to have to live without. Now, we all now that these quintessential components of our geeky lives are at least half of the reason we choose to continue living, but how could one possibly hope to make them any more enjoyable than they already are? As luck would have it, Denon has already provided us with the answer: Crank the sound quality, volume and bass all the way to a previously unattainable 11. Enter the Denon DHT-S514 Sound Bar & Wireless Subwoofer System.

Audio junkies should already be well familiar with the high standards of Denon audio gear, so when I discovered that I had received the DHT-S514 to review, naturally I was incredibly excited. How could I not be? The packaging that was awaiting me was huge, due to the one meter long sound bar and 29x17cm speaker face of the subwoofer. Of course, one’s excitement can only last for so long if it takes forever to set up such a device, but thankfully I had very little issues with putting the DHT-S514 together at all.

For starters, there is the sound bar itself, a two-way speaker system with 2 x 14mm tweeters and two 51 x 127mm mid woofers, which gets placed directly in front of your television, and be can be connected in a variety of ways, including HDMI and digital optical cable. Obviously, the danger of this is that the infrared sensor of your television could be blocked by the sound bar, preventing the television remote from working. Turns out this is an issue that has been foreseen by Denon, as the DHT-S514 comes with an IR blaster cable. Stick this sucker over your TV’s IR receiver, and snap, your television remote now works through the sound bar. Nice one, Denon!

Sound bar installed, and the audio was rocking pretty nicely so far, but I just couldn’t get rid of this nagging feeling that the quality was lacking somewhat. Thankfully, that feeling soon subsided promptly after setting up the kick ass subwoofer, which I should mention was incredibly easy. All I had to do was find a power socket somewhere close to where I was going to sit, as the DHT-S514 speakers communicate wirelessly with each other via Bluetooth. That’s right folks, no more tripping over dangerous cords or fretting that your pets will destroy your priceless gear.

So far, the Denon DHT-S514 Sound Bar System has gotten everything right in terms of setup, but I know you are dying to find out what it sounds like. Put simply, this thing is *@$#!%& amazing! In all seriousness, I could not wipe the smile off my face for my entire first hour of experiencing the DHT-S514 in all of its hi-fidelity glory. My god, the quality! The power! The sheer impact of it all. For the first time in my life, I truly felt I was in audio heaven.

The Denon DHT-S514 Sound Bar & Wireless Subwoofer System is a genuinely versatile beast indeed, particularly due to the adjustable volume button on the subwoofer. Playing some Call of Duty? Crank up the bass to the maximum setting and get ready for your windows to rattle as raging gunfire and booming explosions send your neighbors insane with jealousy… or sleep deprivation. Time for your favorite motion picture? Turn that dial back just a tad and flick off the lights to turn your living room into your own personal cinema, complete with ground-rumbling tremors. My puny words couldn’t possibly do enough to explain just how handy it is to be in complete control of the subwoofer independently of the sound bar, as I honestly had fun playing around to figure out which dial positions worked best in different situations. Pro tip: have it set almost at full volume whenever you are playing a game or watching a show that features Batman. That deep-voiced vigilante has never sounded so masculine.

Of course, thumping bass isn’t the only thing that the DHT-S514 has going for it. In fact, when I first set up the sound bar, I was initially too lazy to even bother setting up the sub. During my pre-woofer test, I was incredibly impressed by the sheer clarity of the sound bar’s speakers. Average, everyday TV shows took on a whole new level of awesomeness, with pitch-perfect sound reproduction that seriously enhanced the sound-scape. The crystal-clear attributes of every single sound, be they high-end or low-end, were nothing short of audible ecstasy. Never have I heard such a dynamic presentation of what used to be a bunch of bland but serviceable sounds. Trust me, it has to be heard to be believed.

In fact, this is one of those rare instances where the product advertisements can not be accused of being misleading. “The Denon DHT-S514 state-of-the-art sound bar is the flat screen solution for big picture sound… it instantaneously transforms a flat screen TV into a home entertainment center – for TV, gaming, or high quality music playback”. Truer product-promoting words have never been spoken.

What’s that? The ads mention “music”, but I haven’t actually written anything about it? Cool your jets my fiery friend, I was getting to that. Yes, the DHT-S514 does indeed play music, and because of its previously mentioned Bluetooth connectivity, listening to your favorite tunes couldn’t possibly be easier. Simply turn on the Bluetooth functionality of your iPod or smartphone, hold down the Bluetooth button on the sound bar, and within moments you will be pumping out your jams in no time. When playing music, I found that for my personal tastes I tended to turn the subwoofer down to about half, so as to not ruin the raw distortion and treble of my beloved punk and metal bands, but I can definitely say that dubstep and techno fans are in for a huge treat. Just be sure to keep that sub cranked to the max, you dig?

Despite my undying love for the Denon DHT-S514, there was just one tiny niggle that I found to be ever-so-mildly irritating. At times, when selecting the TV mode on the sound bar, I occasionally wouldn’t receive a response, forcing me to turn the sound bar off and then on again, which would result in the television’s audio successfully being picked up. Admittedly, this could be due to me not being patient enough to wait and see if the change of input was going to take place, but I feel that having some sort of visual LCD display would have resulted in me not fumbling around in the dark as much. It should be noted however that the manual clearly indicates what each of the different flashing lights means in terms of audio input, so I guess I should really be blaming myself for my impatience and reckless attitude towards reading instruction manuals.

At the end of the day, the Denon DHT-S514 Sound Bar & Wireless Subwoofer System is a sheer audio delight, pure and simple. It’s excellent stereo reproduction of sound location is incredibly immersive, the sheer volume power it puts out is astounding, and the sound quality is so unbelievably crisp and vibrant (yes, I have decided that sound can in fact be considered “vibrant”). If your current slimline television has left you with a void in the sound department, the Denon DHT-S514 Sound Bar & Wireless Subwoofer System is the definitive answer to all of your prayers. I never want to give mine back. NEVER!

ComicsOnline gives the Denon DHT-S514 Sound Bar & Wireless Subwoofer System 5 out of 5 heartbeat-interfering sound waves of pure awesomeness.

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