Denon DHT-217 Dolby Atmos Soundbar with Bluetooth connectivity, Dialogue Enhancer, and 4K UHD HDMI Input

Product Information

Are you looking to upgrade your TV sound with an affordable all-in-one that offers Dolby Atmos sound? The new Denon DHT-S217 says it's up to the task. There’s no Wi-Fi, which means no HEOS for music streaming, but users will be able to stream from a mobile device through the soundbar’s Bluetooth connection. Physical ports include HDMI eARC for passing Atmos sound to the soundbar, along with a HDMI input (for plugging any source directly into the bar), digital optical out, a subwoofer output (in case you do want to add more bass) and an analogue input. The DHT-S217 is labeled as Dolby Atmos certified, but with just a single midrange and tweeter for each side of the speaker, I would be hard pressed to believe this without hearing it. Denon says that the DHT-S217 comes with an “unmatched immersive 3D audio experience”. That seems like quite an embellishment to say the least. But there are laptops now claiming Dolby Atmos sound these days so the name has become a bit watered down to broaden product inclusion.

Without even having to touch the soundbar’s EQ adjustments, dialogue was rendered crystal-clear, with gunshots, car engines, and other low-frequency phenomena given the attention needed by the internal woofers. And for our mid-sized apartment living room, the S217 did a great job bouncing sound around the walls and ceiling for surround simulation, while keeping the most crucial audio (particularly dialogue) center stage. The 2022 movie Jurassic World Dominion is full of thundering dinosaur sequences, but a particularly challenging scene is the moment when scientist Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) encounters a Therirzinosaurus after ejecting from an airplane. The scene is almost perfectly quiet as Claire attempts to sneak past the menacing dinosaur, and the few audible effects are appropriately placed in the sound field.To ensure reliable, undamaged delivery of televisions - TVs will now be shipped on a pallet service with DX Freight, TNT, or Epic Logistics, rather than with our standard next working day courier. IV1, IV2, IV3, IV4, IV5, IV6, IV7, IV8, IV9, IV10, IV11, IV12, IV13, IV14, IV15, IV16, IV17, IV18, IV19, IV20, IV21, IV22, IV23, IV24, IV25, IV26, IV27, IV28, IV29, IV30, IV31, IV32, IV33, IV34, IV35, IV36, IV37, IV38, IV39, IV40, IV41, IV42, IV43, IV44, IV45, IV46, IV47, IV48, IV49, IV50, IV51, IV52, IV53, IV54, IV55, IV56, IV57, IV58, IV59, IV60, IV61, IV62, IV63, IV64, IV65, IV66, IV67, IV68, IV69, IV70, IV71, IV72, IV73, IV74, IV75, IV76, IV77, IV78, IV79, IV80, IV81, IV82, IV83, IV84, IV85, IV86, IV87, IV88, IV89, IV90, IV91, IV92, IV93, IV94, IV95, IV96, IV97, IV98, IV99 Overall, I found casual music listening with the Denon to be enjoyable. Its sound was full and reasonably balanced, with enough bass extension to render most music genres with satisfactory depth. The DHT-S217 soundbar’s Dolby Atmos support makes it a perfect choice for streamers who want a low-profile, all-in-one audio option. Streaming Bonnie Raitt’s latest release, Just Like That (via ChromeCast to my Sony TV’s HDMI output), I heard a mostly natural rendition of her familiar voice, and there was enough bass (though still a bit boomy and disconnected) to easily follow the musical thread even through the lower notes. When I compared the Denon to a pair of powered speakers some eight times its modest cost, the contrast was obvious, with the far more expensive speakers sounding deeper, fuller, and more open in the midrange, and also with a sparkle that the Denon only hinted at – but not embarrassingly so.

You can easily control or adjust the bass and the tweeters can be adjusted in three levels. Denon DHT-S217 Review: Sound & Quality

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After hooking up the S217 to our TV’s HDMI ARC connection, it was just a matter of confirming that HDMI CEC was toggled on, and we were up and running. Better yet, thanks to CEC, the S217 was automatically powered when we fired up our TV, and shut down when we turned off the set (although we have a bit more to say about this below). Inside are dual down-firing subwoofers, which look to reduce the need for a separate subwoofer, with a pair of “high-performance” midrange drivers and tweeters designed to deliver an immersive 3D performance. As there’s no mention of any upward-firing drivers, we expect Atmos sound via digital processing. People already familiar with Denon products will appreciate the Denon Dialog Enhancer feature. The dialogue enhancer improves dialogue clarity with three different modes. Denon designed the Dialogue Enhancer for you to adjust the dialogue level without affecting overall program volume. Bluetooth wireless audio streaming is built-in, but since there’s no Wi-Fi compatibility, AirPlay and Chromecast are not on the menu. If this is your budget, and you want to make sure you're getting as much from streaming Dolby Atmos movies online as possible, the Denon DHT-S217 is hard to beat. But if you can stretch to a higher budget, you'll get more from your sound.

To put the audio-pedal to the metal, we decided to give Netflix’s El Camino: A Breaking Bad Moviea spin. Man, what a thrill. The cinematic sequel to the Breaking Badfranchise is a propulsive nail-biter of a film, and the movie’s Dolby Atmos mix was handled beautifully by the S217. Working for Audioholics for the last 16 years has given me an opportunity to see some amazing products. I’ve had very good experiences with Denon receivers and always look forward to their new releases. In 2020, Denon released the industry’s first 8K-ready line of AV receivers including the AVR-X3700H. Based on the successes over their 110+ year span, Denon expanded their offerings to include items like soundbars, like the Denon HEOS soundbar, noise cancelling wireless earbuds, and wireless HEOS speakers. Now, Denon has introduced the Dolby Atmos Enabled DHT-S217 Soundbar with built in subwoofers.Per Denon, there are four different sound modes available on this soundbar: Movie, Night, Music, and Pure. Pure mode offers the option to bypass all surround processing as well as any other alterations, for the listeners who desire unaltered sound. This Soundbar offers 4K HDMI connectivity including support for eARC, which supports high-quality audio from the built-in apps on smart TVs. DHT-S217 remote Any extended warranties offered by Peter Tyson are free. We do not include any form of insurance terms such as accidental damage or loan equipment cover. AB31, AB32, AB33, AB34, AB35, AB36, AB37, AB38, AB41, AB42, AB43, AB44, AB45, AB46, AB47, AB48, AB49, AB50, AB51, AB52, AB53, AB54, AB55, AB56 While the DHT-S217 can’t be upgraded with wireless surround speakers or a wireless sub, it can get a boost from a wired subwoofer thanks to the unit’s analog subwoofer output. That’s a huge plus, given that you can add any wired subwoofer with a wired RCA connection, rather than being tied to the wireless (and often expensive) sub offered by the manufacturer. Denon specifies Dolby Atmos compatibility, though there are no up-firing “height” speakers, nor a dedicated center-channel speaker. Available sound modes include Movies, Music, and a dynamic range-compressing Night, while a three-level Dialog Enhancement feature accentuates voices in the sound mix.