Japanese audio giant Denon (originally known as ‘DENki ONkyo Kabushikigaisha…) has announced the earlier than planned release of an update to their latest audio product, the Denon Home Sound Bar 550, which was originally slated for a late May release but came out just two days ago, according to Japanese website Robotstart.
The new speaker contains a ton of features, including Dolby Atmos, DTSx, built-in HEOS for streaming directly from the likes of Spotify, Amazon Music D, Tidal, TuneIn, Deezer, Pandora etc, as well as Bluetooth connectivity, and more importantly, Airplay 2, via the aforementioned update.
The 550 also features eARC via a 4K HDMI out, a 4K HDMI in port, Digital Optical audio in, 3.5mm Aux in, an ethernet port, and USB for expanded storage options. On top of all that, it’s capable of connecting to either 2.4GHz (11b/g/n) or 5.0GHz (11a/n/c) WiFi networks. It also comes with a convenient IR remote, as well as built-in controls on top of the device itself.
The Denon Smat Home Bar 550 retails for US$599.00 and is available to purchase now via the company’s website or Amazon.com. With the announcement of the much cheaper Roku Streambar Pro, which also has HomeKit functionality (albeit very basic), will the Denon stand a chance? Or will it’s almost guaranteed superior sound quality go in its favour…