

Denon Heos Bar: Connectivity is king

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.
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.
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
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.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
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.


As 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.