The compact and stylishly finished Denon DHT-S517 is the latest soundbar that tries to deliver Dolby Atmos at a lower price. Can you manage that? We tested that for this Denon DHT-S517 review.
Denon DHT-S517
Recommended retail price € 399,-
Connections HDMI eARC, HDMI-in, optical, aux-in
wireless Bluetooth
Dimensions 105 x 6 x 9.5 centimeters
Weight 2.5kg
Website www.denon.com
8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Strong at movies and games
- Nicely finished
- Compact
- Dialogs view
- Negatives
- No WiFi streaming
- Less convincing for music
- Not for very large rooms
The DHT-S517 is a brand new 3.1.2 soundbar from Denon that is equipped with a wireless subwoofer. This is also a device that wants to take advantage of the Dolby Atmos hype, fueled by the popularity of movies and TV series with Atmos soundtracks on streaming services such as Netflix and Disney +.
What is special is that the DHT-S517 is not very large and does not cost that much. Not if you compare it with the hefty Dolby Atmos-compatible top models that often cost 1,000 euros or more. The Denon is clearly a soundbar intended for people who still want to enjoy better TV sound in a smaller living room or hobby room.
Thanks to the modest width of 105 cm and the solid, minimalist appearance, the Denon combines well with smaller televisions (min 55 inch)†
more with less
Dolby Atmos in theory requires a lot of speakers to sound correct. At least seven, while nine or even eleven are considered optimal to create enveloping 3D sound. So you end up with a very wide soundbar, such as the Philips Fidelio B97 or Samsung HW-Q950A. And not everyone is waiting for that.
Manufacturers have therefore devised an alternative, in which a limited number of speakers are controlled via a smart algorithm in order to reproduce the different sound channels (more or less) correctly. That’s how the DHT-S517 does too.
Behind the hip loudspeaker cloth at the front are three loudspeaker groups that take on the role of left-center-right. At the far left and right is a tweeter and a wide-radiating woofer, in the middle a tweeter. There are two drivers on top of the soundbar. They provide the height channels that distinguish Dolby Atmos from regular surround.
The idea is that these two speakers emit sound that bounces off the ceiling and onto the sofa. Sound effects therefore seem to rise above the TV, which can be very effective for both action moments and atmospheric scenes.
It is important that you do not cover those upper speakers. You may not slide the DHT-S517 under your TV or place it in a recess in your TV cabinet. The Denon is easy to hang on a wall. Unusual at this price point: the sub is just as beautifully finished as the soundbar.
Installed very quickly
Installing the DHT-S517 is very easy. You connect the surround soundbar to your TV via the HDMI-ARC port. An optical cable is another option, but HDMI is the better choice in terms of sound quality and control. Less common in this price range is the presence of an additional HDMI input for a media player or console.
Where more expensive Denons, such as the Home 550 Soundbar, are equipped with streaming via HEOS and AirPlay 2, the DHT-S517 comes with the absolute minimum in terms of streaming. You can only stream music via Bluetooth. On the plus side, you don’t have to mess with WiFi passwords or apps.
That minimalism is also there in terms of design. You will not find a display on this Denon soundbar, but a series of meaningless LEDs on the front. The remote control is also small, but it is packed with useful buttons. It is practical that you can quickly make the subwoofer quieter or louder. Even more useful is the Dialogue Enhancer, with which you can make voices louder very effectively. If you sometimes don’t understand dialogues well, then this is a real plus.
Good to a point
For a middle class car, the Denon does well. Strong is how wide the sound at the front of the TV is, wider than the screen. This means that sound effects move noticeably in space, which is nice for action films. The sung opening theme of ‘Book of Bobba Fett’ also sounds quite epic. What you don’t get is a real enclosure, simply because this soundbar is not equipped with separate speakers at the back.
The DHT-S517 puts action movies such as ‘Eternals’ or ‘Ready Player One’ powerfully in our living room. Much better than the TV speakers, especially at normal listening volumes. Sound effects move convincingly and the soundbar supports the on-screen action appropriately. This also works very well in games. The rendering is large enough to also convey the atmosphere in an arthouse film like ‘Roma’.
If we turn up the volume on busy soundtracks, the sound is compressed and the clarity partly disappears. We get the impression that the Denon is better suited for smaller rooms. When it comes to music, the DHT-S517 does best with pop and genres with vocals and not too much dynamics. Classic is not his thing, Bastille is.
Conclusion
Simplicity in installation, operation and options is what makes the stylishly finished Denon DHT-S517 attractive. You don’t choose this compact soundbar because of its streaming options – there are hardly any – but because you want a fast and effective sound upgrade for movies and casual gaming.
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