ReviewFinder Sound Bars

Denon Home 550

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16 Verified Hands-On Reviews

To combat fake reviews we only accept video reviews from verified channels. Each review must show the product and the face of the reviewer.

Expert reviews [16]

85
Total expert reviews: 16
  • with a score: 12
  • without a score: 4
Highest score by Sound and Vision
100
Average score based on 16 reviews
85
Lowest score by Rtings.com
70

Score distribution:

80-100
60-80
40-60
20-40
0-20
ReviewFinder: authentic product reviews summarized by a powerful AI engine.

Expert consensus

The Denon Home 550 Sound Bar is a versatile and stylish soundbar with decent sound quality, suitable for larger screen sizes and rooms, and provides more connectivity options than some rival soundbars.

The Denon Home 550 Sound Bar is a versatile and stylish soundbar that offers a range of features to enhance your audio experience. It has a decent sound quality for dialogue-centric content and a slightly boomy sound profile that can please fans of bass-heavy music genres. The soundbar is suitable for larger screen sizes and larger rooms with high ceilings, and it can handle hi-res audio files up to DSD5.

6 and 24bot/192kHz standard. The Denon Home 550 provides more connectivity options than some rival soundbars, making it a good choice for those who want flexibility in their audio setup. It is compatible with a wide range of devices, including modern TVs that support ARC or eARC via HDMI, smartphones via Bluetooth, and various streaming services.

The soundbar has a compact and low-profile design, with a matte black finish and a wrap-around black fabric grille, giving it a simple but elegant look that blends well with most home decor styles. The Denon Home 550 is a great choice for anyone looking for a discreet and stylish soundbar that blends well with their home decor and who prioritizes clear dialogue and a slightly boomy sound profile.

Sound quality

The Denon Home 550 Sound Bar has a balanced mid-range for clear dialogue and a slightly boomy sound profile, suitable for larger rooms and screen sizes, but struggles with deep low-bass.

The Denon Home 550 Sound Bar has a decent sound quality for dialogue-centric content like TV shows, thanks to its balanced mid-range that reproduces voices clearly and with detail. It also has a slightly boomy sound profile with a little extra boom in the bass range, which can please fans of bass-heavy music genres like EDM.

However, it struggles to reproduce a deep low-bass, so you don't feel the thump and rumble in bass-heavy music or action-packed movies. The soundstage of the Denon Home 550 is decent and perceived to be wider than the bar itself, making it suitable for larger screen sizes and larger rooms with high ceilings.

It can handle hi-res audio files up to DSD5. 6 and 24bot/192kHz standard, and has a decent stereo soundstage performance. The Home 550 can also project a sound field that has width and height, thus creating the illusion of greater immersion. It even manages to produce solid and responsive bass, which is a surprise considering it's not assisted by a sub.

Overall, the Denon Home 550 is a good option for those who prioritize clear dialogue and a slightly boomy sound profile, and who want a soundbar that can handle larger rooms and screen sizes.

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Connectivity

The Denon Home 550 Sound Bar offers a wide range of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI, optical digital input, and more, making it a versatile choice for those who want flexibility in their audio setup.

The Denon Home 550 Sound Bar offers a variety of connectivity options, including dual-band Wi-Fi, Apple AirPlay 2, Bluetooth 3. 0, HDMI input and output, optical digital input, 3. 5mm jack, USB port, and Ethernet port. The HEOS app allows for integration into a wireless surround sound and/or multi-room system, and streaming from services such as Spotify, Tidal, and Amazon Music HD over Wi-Fi.

While Bluetooth connectivity is available, Denon recommends using Wi-Fi/HEOS for better connectivity. The additional HDMI input is useful for those with limited inputs on their TV. Overall, the Denon Home 550 provides more connectivity options than some rival soundbars, making it a good choice for those who want flexibility in their audio setup.

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Compatibility

The Denon Home 550 Sound Bar is a versatile device that is compatible with a wide range of devices and services, and can be integrated into a wireless surround sound and/or multi-room system using the Denon HEOS app.

The Denon Home 550 Sound Bar is a versatile device that is compatible with a wide range of devices, including modern TVs that support ARC or eARC via HDMI, smartphones via Bluetooth, and various streaming services such as Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, Amazon Music HD, and Tune-In. It also supports voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and can be integrated into a wireless surround sound and/or multi-room system with other Denon Home speakers or HEOS-enabled devices using the Denon HEOS app.

This makes it an ideal choice for users who want a high-quality audio experience that is easy to set up and use with their existing devices.

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Design

The Denon Home 550 soundbar has a compact and stylish design with a fabric covering that blends well with most home decor styles.

The Denon Home 550 soundbar has a compact and low-profile design, with dimensions of 65 x 7. 5 x 12 cm, making it suitable for TVs between 40 and 55 inches. It is made mostly of plastic, with a fabric covering the front and sides of the bar, which has a tight fit and feels solid and durable.

The soundbar has a matte black finish and a wrap-around black fabric grille, giving it a simple but elegant look that blends well with most home decor styles. The fabric covering is dark grey acoustic cloth, which looks good and disappears well in a darkened room. The soundbar's design features a control panel that allows you to control basic functions such as volume levels, power, mute, skip, and activate voice assistant.

The soundbar's grey-black fabric covering is also a great feature that makes it suitable for modern living rooms with a minimalist or industrial decor style. Overall, the Denon Home 550 soundbar is a great choice for anyone looking for a discreet and stylish soundbar that blends well with their home decor.

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Features

The Denon Home Sound Bar 550 is a versatile soundbar with DTS Virtual:X technology, EQ presets, and support for 3D surround sound standards, HDR10, and Dolby Vision, as well as built-in HEOS and Amazon Alexa, and versatile connection options.

The Denon Home Sound Bar 550 is a versatile soundbar that offers a range of features to enhance your audio experience. It comes with DTS Virtual:X technology that simulates a surround sound experience without dedicated up-firing drivers for Atmos effects. The soundbar also has several EQ presets, including 'Stereo', 'Dolby Audio', 'Dolby Surround', 'DTS Virtual:X', and 'Pure', along with bass and treble adjustments to customize its sound.

The soundbar has a compact design that saves space and delivers balanced sound everywhere. It supports 3D surround sound standards like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, which deliver immersive 3D surround sound in hi-res audio formats. It also supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, providing an extraordinary cinematic experience on your 4K HD TV.

With built-in HEOS, the Denon Home Sound Bar 550 allows you to access millions of hi-res audio tracks from popular streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn, TIDAL, and play them on all your Denon connected devices. Additionally, it comes with Amazon Alexa built-in, so you can use voice commands to change tracks, adjust volume, switch inputs, audio levels, and modes.

The Denon HEOS app lets you control the soundbar and integrate it into a wireless surround sound and/or multi-room system. The soundbar also features versatile connection options, including one 4K HDMI Input, one HDMI eARC Output, one Optical Input, one AUX Input, and one USB to play music from various sources.

HDMI and optical cables are included for quick, hassle-free setup. You can also build a wireless home theater setup by pairing optional Denon Home 150, 250, or 350 speakers to create a seamless Denon Home ecosystem or connect any HEOS speaker for a multi-room HEOS synchronized audio system. Overall, the Denon Home Sound Bar 550 is a great choice for those looking for a versatile soundbar with a range of features to enhance their audio experience.

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Brand reputation

The Denon Home 550 Sound Bar is a stylish and modern option from a reputable brand, but has received mixed reviews due to a lack of deep bass and aggressive sound quality at higher volumes.

Denon is a well-known and reputable brand in the audio industry, recognized for its high-quality audio products like AV receivers and amplifiers. The Denon Home 550 Sound Bar is their latest addition to the Home range of products, which has received mixed reviews from experts and customers.

While Denon typically offers a 1-2 year warranty for most of their products, the length of the warranty may vary depending on where you purchase the product from. Denon has a reputation for providing excellent customer service, with online and phone support available.

Some common complaints and issues with the Denon Home 550 soundbar include a lack of deep bass, aggressive sound quality at higher volumes, limited EQ presets, and compression at maximum volume. However, some users may still find the Denon Home 550 to be a good option for their audio needs.

Overall, the Denon Home 550 Sound Bar is a decent option for those looking for a stylish and modern soundbar from a reputable brand. It may be suitable for use in smaller rooms or for those who prioritize design over deep bass and high volume levels.

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Position in ranking

We maintain a monthly ranking that sums up expert recommendations for all sound bars.

Rank Change Price Sound Bar
Rtings.com
Tom's Guide
TechRadar
PCMag
What Hi-Fi
TechHive
World Wide Stereo
WIRED
SoundGuys
Digital Trends
1
- $490
Sonos Beam Gen 2
The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a compact and stylish soundbar that delivers excellent audio quality for both music and movies, with versatile connectivity options and compatibility with Dolby Atmos, making it a recommended choice for Sonos fans and those seeking high-quality audio enjoyment.
6
-
8
7
3
4
4
3
2
-
2
- $848
Sonos Arc
The Sonos Arc is a high-end soundbar with impressive sound quality, expansive soundstage, and modern design, ideal for those seeking an immersive surround sound experience for movies and music.
-
5
7
4
4
-
2
10
-
2
3
- Check price
Sony HT-A7000
The Sony HT-A7000 is a high-end soundbar with a neutral sound profile, wide and immersive soundstage, comprehensive connectivity options, and advanced features such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, making it a great choice for enhancing the listening experience.
-
6
6
-
1
-
-
4
-
-
4
- $1179
Samsung HW-Q990C
The Samsung HW-Q990C soundbar is highly praised for its exceptional sound quality, immersive experience, and extensive connectivity options, making it a top choice for enhancing TV audio and creating a cinematic home theater experience.
-
-
-
6
-
5
-
5
-
1
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Denon Home 550 did not receive any endorsements this month.

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The Sonos Beam Gen 2 is a compact and stylish soundbar that delivers excellent audio quality for both music and movies, with versatile connectivity options and compatibility with Dolby Atmos, making it a recommended choice for Sonos fans and those seeking high-quality audio enjoyment. The Sonos Arc is a high-end soundbar with impressive sound quality, expansive soundstage, and modern design, ideal for those seeking an immersive surround sound experience for movies and music. The Sony HT-A7000 is a high-end soundbar with a neutral sound profile, wide and immersive soundstage, comprehensive connectivity options, and advanced features such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, making it a great choice for enhancing the listening experience. The Samsung HW-Q990C soundbar is highly praised for its exceptional sound quality, immersive experience, and extensive connectivity options, making it a top choice for enhancing TV audio and creating a cinematic home theater experience.
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