The Stereo Advantage
Sound & Vision|February - March 2020
DENON DRA-800H STEREO NETWORK RECEIVER
Rob Sabin
The Stereo Advantage
AS I uncrated the Denon DRA- 800H stereo receiver and set it on my rack for review, I was struck by a powerful wave of nostalgia. Back in my early days of audiophilia, stereo—no wait, stereo and vinyl— was pretty much the game. Buying a basic receiver was a typical rite of passage for a high school or college student back then, and it was staring at rows of them at the local TV/appliance store—with their shiny brushed chrome faceplates, dials and buttons, and backlit tuning displays—that got me hooked on audio in the first place.

It didn’t take more than a few moments of assessing this new Denon model, though, to know that we have come a long way. At $500, Denon’s update of the classic stereo receiver still qualifies as the heart of an awesome starter system for dorm or apartment-dwellers— add bookshelf speakers, or even towers, and maybe a subwoofer, and you’re ready to rock, literally and figuratively. But Denon’s inclusion of network and wireless connectivity has thoroughly modernized the experience of accessing and exploring music, while the thoughtful addition of HDMI inputs guarantees powerful sound for TV and movie viewing. And if you wanna go retro, all the usual analog inputs are there for the asking, just like in the old days. Best of all, Denon has paid attention to the sound quality, too. Let’s have a look and listen.

FEATURES

Denne historien er fra February - March 2020-utgaven av Sound & Vision.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February - March 2020-utgaven av Sound & Vision.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SOUND & VISIONSe alt
The Big Clean
Sound & Vision

The Big Clean

Chances are you probably do not think about the state of your electronic devices too often. Oh, you might think about all the upgrades you would like to make; where you would put those new tower speakers, or how a second or third subwoofer would really tame those bass modes in your room, or how much more cinematic a larger screen would be. Sure, you think about that part of your system. But how often do you think about the well-being of your system?

time-read
5 mins  |
August - September 2024
Planar-Magnetic Attraction
Sound & Vision

Planar-Magnetic Attraction

THE DIPTYQUE DP 115 speakers are a new model 2-way, ribbon, and planar magnetic driver dipole \"isodynamic\" speaker system designed and built in France.

time-read
10 mins  |
August - September 2024
Full-Featured 4K
Sound & Vision

Full-Featured 4K

THE QN95D is one of two televisions we went hands-on with on a recent trip to Samsung's New Jersey QA Lab, the other being the S95D quantum-dot OLED.

time-read
10+ mins  |
August - September 2024
Party Animal
Sound & Vision

Party Animal

FOR ANY party, the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Outdoor Bass Bluetooth Speaker is an essential invite.

time-read
7 mins  |
August - September 2024
It's the End of the World. How About Popcorn and a Movie?
Sound & Vision

It's the End of the World. How About Popcorn and a Movie?

Attention all preppers! Today's column is right up your alley-or, more precisely-your tunnel to your underground bunker.

time-read
3 mins  |
August - September 2024
Bridging the Analog-Digital Gap on a Recliner
Sound & Vision

Bridging the Analog-Digital Gap on a Recliner

When I shopped for a motorized recliner, I rejected models with their own Internet Protocol address and built-in speakers. No need. I had already placed a smart speaker on an étagère beside the space where I had planned to put the chair. I'd have a smartphone in my hand and the room would be bathed in Wi-Fi.

time-read
4 mins  |
August - September 2024
BACK TO THE GARDEN
Sound & Vision

BACK TO THE GARDEN

AN AQUARIAN EXPOSITION in WHITE LAKE, N.Y.

time-read
10+ mins  |
August - September 2024
Big Sound, Small Price
Sound & Vision

Big Sound, Small Price

DOLBY ATMOS, once a costly premium, is enjoying a surge of popularity across a range of new audio gear.

time-read
10+ mins  |
August - September 2024
Classic Sound with Streaming Smarts
Sound & Vision

Classic Sound with Streaming Smarts

THE TWENTIETH century had its Roaring Twenties; welcome to the twenty-first's Streaming Twenties.

time-read
10+ mins  |
August - September 2024
Stand and Deliver
Sound & Vision

Stand and Deliver

IT DOESN'T seem all that long ago that SVS first entered the audio scene.

time-read
9 mins  |
August - September 2024