Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Denon Home 400 is a premium sounding and looking powered speaker. It arrived boxed nicely, and well protected with the formed packing. The quality and build of the Denon “Home” series speakers is evident. The outside of the speaker is wrapped in a charcoal fabric, and the construction of all other parts is excellent. The speaker is quite solid, and has a “hefty” feel. This speaker has a 10MM threaded mounting hole for stand, or wall mounting with a bracket. Keep in mind the speaker is heavy – almost 12 pounds – a sturdy bracket is needed. However, for shelf or table use, the bottom of the speaker has a soft insert on the bottom that will not mar surfaces. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, speaker paring, wireless multi room audio, microphone, Dolby AtmosMusic, are just a few of the features. Some featured “Smart” streaming services include Spotify, TIDAL, TuneIn, Pandora, iHeartRadio. Siri and Google Assistant voice is built in. The speaker incorporates a 6-driver array with 4.5-inch woofers, 0.75-inch tweeters, and up-firing drivers all with individual class D power amplifiers for powerful, clean sound. There are status color LEDs that display inputs, mic mute etc. There are far more features available online... Setup was quite easy – scan the QR code and then download the HEOS app, which allows you to access and customize settings for all your different speakers independently. You can pair speakers for a wider Dolby stereo, use separate speakers in in a home theater setup, or in different rooms to listen to the same, or different music sources in each room. And, each Denon Home speaker delivers stereo and Dolby Atmos Music on its own, so paring two speakers creates an even wider listening experience. Aux, Bluetooth, and USB C inputs are on back panel. Side touch sensitive controls are volume, track selection, Play/Pause, and the “1,2,3 Quick Set” buttons can be used to store internet stations, or inputs. To the listening experience.....Denon’s “Sound Master” tuning gives the Home 400 a full sound. Use the HEOS app to customize bass / treble, volume, width, height, and selected inputs. I listened to different inputs - Bluetooth, AUX and WI-Fi - with streaming radio, movies, and digital music. There is a slight “lag” as is usual using Bluetooth, but Wi-Fi or using AUX inputs eliminated that. Though a single speaker, it had a nice stereo effect. Although I don't know the actual rated frequency response, all I can say is “Wow”! This speaker really responds. The bass is punchy and deep. Using the treble and bass adjustments in the app makes for an awesome sound. Movies come alive. Streaming, listening to radio, or digital music leaves nothing in the background. Although pricey, this speaker exudes quality, has excellent sound, multiple options, as an addition to phone, computer, tablet – and even upgrading TV audio.

Denon has been in the audio game for over a century, building a solid reputation for high quality, precision engineered sound and crafting everything from classic hi-fi components to modern home theater systems. So, when they step into the wireless smart speaker space, expectations are high. The Denon Home 400 doesn’t just meet those expectations, it blows them out of the water. The Denon 400 is the bigger and better version of the Denon 200 Smart Speaker, you can combine both to create the perfect audiophile experience. I have been testing out the Denon 200 and the Denon 400 Smart Speakers for over a week now and every time I turn it on, the experience is anything beyond words can explain. So, lets dive right into this and go over what the Denon 400 has to offer. Just like its little brother, the Denon 400 looks like your typical smart speaker, clean and minimalist design, but just a little bigger. We are talking about 11.73 inches in Height, 14.72 in Width, 8.78 in Depth and coming in at about 12 pounds, compared to the Denon 200 which is about 11.42 in Height and 7.8 in width and depth due to the circular design and 6.4 pounds. Both speakers are solid and have a very premium look and feel to them. The 400 has physical buttons on the side compared to the 200 on the top and both have the same input ports. The key differences between the 200 and 400 is the size, power and sound immersion. The 400 is obviously large and that’s due to the fact that the 400 packs six drivers and dedicated up firing speakers, where as 200 is compact and uses 3 drivers. The Denon 400 offers a wider and more three-dimensional soundstage, so the quality and quantity of audio is much better. The Denon 400 is designed for larger rooms, and it shows. You don’t have to crank it to get immersive sound, it fills the space comfortably even at moderate volume, and when you do turn it up, it stays clean and distortion-free. On the tech side, the Denon 400 also works with the HEOS app and also is also easy to work with and install. It pulls in everything Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, tidal and so much more and even handles high-res audio if you're a bit of an audiophile. Plus, you’ve got Airplay 2, Bluetooth, Aux port and a USB port, so you aren't stuck using just one app. Setting it up is a breeze, the HEOS app walks you through everything step by step, and within minutes you’re up and running. Once connected and if you have other Denon speakers, you can sync them up for a multi-room setup that actually stays in sync. You can get both the Denon 200 + 400 and combine together, place one in the kitchen and the other in the family or living room and enjoy your music or favorite audio throughout your whole home. And just the 200, the Denon 400 can also be integrated in with Google Home, Alexa, or Apple Smart Home. Overall, depending on your need and placement both the Denon 200 or 400 are great options if you are looking for a powerful smart speaker or you can even combine them both for a truly exceptional audiophile experience.

Denon has established a distinguished reputation for producing premium quality receivers and speakers. Denon recently introduced the HOME 400 Wireless Smart Speaker, powered by HEOS (Home Entertainment Operating System). HEOS is a wireless platform that allows sound to be streamed throughout the house in various rooms, each playing the same song, or different songs. I stream Apple Music using Airplay2. The first step is to install the free HEOS app on your smartphone. Setting up HEOS is super easy. You control the streaming source, playlist, volume, speaker grouping, and fine tune the audio directly from the app. Your smartphone connects with the HOME 400 speaker using your home Wi-Fi. Denon HOME 400 totally blew me away by filling the room & placing me in a 3-dimensional soundscape! Two up-firing speakers create immersive Dolby Atmos audio; four additional speakers produce crystal clear high frequencies, strong midrange presence, and substantial bass that is powerful without being boomy. Denon HOME 400 exceeds all expectations & earns my highest recommendation!

PROS: Excellent sound quality (the most important aspect) Aesthetically pleasing, which goes with any decor Compatible with Apple HomeKit and Spotify Connect Bluetooth serves as a viable alternative to Wi-Fi Great build quality User-friendly HEOS app Supports Wi-Fi on 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz SO-SO: It would be ideal if the speakers were truly wireless and featured a charging option CONS: Siri is the primary voice assistant, but it lacks integration with Apple Music The price is quite high for a company trying to break into the wireless speaker market Siri doesn't offer the natural conversation experience of other voice assistants like Gemini and Alexa Denon has a long-standing reputation for quality home receivers, speakers, turntables, and headphones. The Denon Home series speakers utilize the HEOS system, which connects via your home Wi-Fi. Although HEOS has been available for several years, it hasn't significantly captured market share from its main competitor, Sonos. However, the launch of these speakers positions Denon as a credible alternative to Sonos. One thing that sets the Denon Home series apart from the competition is the premium and modern aesthetic of these speakers. The attractive fabric gives them a unique look that complements any home decor. The Denon Home 400 is a beast of a speaker. It's not their biggest (600), but it offers a worthy power upgrade from the 200 series. You really get a feel for the bass with the 400 that you don't from the 200 alone. The Home 400 speaker delivers robust sound that can fill the largest space in your home. It's an ideal choice if you're jumping into the ecosystem but can only buy one speaker to start. It includes virtual Dolby Atmos, which simulates Dolby Atmos (up-firing speakers). The built-in amplifiers deliver audio that can fill small to mid-sized rooms. The speakers come with a built-in microphone for voice commands and local control buttons for quick access to your favorites. Setting up the speaker using the HEOS app is straightforward. Simply add the speaker to the app, press the "Connect" button on the back, and it will be ready to use. Once added, you can utilize the HEOS app to play music or control multiple HEOS speakers. The HEOS system facilitates audio sharing and speaker grouping, similar to other well-known multi-room systems. The primary distinction is the level of integration between HEOS and Denon and Marantz AVRs. If you're an old-school home theater enthusiast, you might prefer a traditional AVR setup over a soundbar, as I do. The ability for HEOS to connect to my home receiver is particularly appealing—no more speaker wires! Using the free HEOS app, you can easily group these devices or control them individually from your phone or tablet. HEOS performs surprisingly well; the app is comprehensive, has numerous features, and connects quickly. It works more efficiently than the Sonos app. The sound quality of these units is impressive; as a music lover, you can tell that they're fine-tuned to deliver powerful sound in a compact form. The build quality complements the sound quality well. The bass is noticeable but not overwhelming like many other Bluetooth speakers. They provide clear, crisp audio with an excellent soundstage, especially when set up in stereo mode. There's a light on the bottom front of the speaker that glows white when online and blinks for commands. You can dim or turn off this light through the app. The app also allows you to control content from streaming services and adjust sound settings. Grouping speakers is simple—drag them together and assign names for future reference. Apple's Siri is the primary voice assistant on this system, replacing the previous partnership with Alexa. It would have been great to have the option to choose between Siri, Alexa, and Gemini. Still, speaker manufacturers often select their assistants based on who bids the highest. There's also a tripod screw hole on the bottom for mounting, along with a rubber foot to reduce vibrations at high volumes. This feature is particularly useful if you plan to use stands, which I assume Denon will offer as both first-party and third-party options. Overall, I'm excited to expand my speaker collection. The quality is impressive, and it seems Denon is fully committed to supporting HEOS, which I find encouraging. Competition in the audio market benefits all devices involved and drives improvements.

PROS + Excellent, largely neutral sound profile with great imaging and big presence + Strong bass from a relatively compact chassis + Mirrored driver-array with 6 speakers creates a good stereo profile + Dolby Atmos support with upward firing speakers + Flexible placement (including stereo pairing and as a rear speaker for Denon Home Soundbar 550) + High-Res, uncompressed audio streaming through HEOS with direct Wi-Fi streaming + Bluetooth & Airplay 2 support + Physical controls on the chassis with 3 custom shortcut buttons + Strong aesthetics that don’t draw too much attention - fits nicely in most environments CONS - No automatic room correction - A couple of HEOS connectivity bugs - Only natively supports Siri voice assistant and requires Homepod to use - Definitely comes at a premium price THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT The Denon Home 200 and Home 400 speakers are the first speakers I have owned from the Denon brand, and I have been really impressed. Smart speakers are always a tricky thing, because they offer so much, but also need to do so much. They need to be self-powered and amplified so you can use them with just wall power. They need to be able to support a variety of music streaming options and services. They need multi-room support and to be able to tie into a broader ecosystem. Above all else, they need to sound great on their own. Denon has spent years in this space, and has achieved excellent results in all of these areas, especially with sound quality on the Home 400. The Home 400 is built around HEOS (Home Entertainment Operating System), which is the core software that manages multi-room and home theater speakers under Denon and partner brands. It is largely very good, allowing you to connect your music streaming services (I primarily use Tidal day-to-day) so that you can direct stream to the speaker over your network, which allows for fully uncompressed audio as long as your source supports it. In the case of Tidal, this means I can stream up to 24-bit, 192 kHz FLAC files directly to the speaker, which works consistently great. I did some A/B comparisons vs. streaming using AirPlay 2 (which typically maxes out at 16-bit, 44.1 kHz) to see how noticeable the difference was, and to me as someone who would call themselves an “amateur audiophile”, it was night and day. Detail, instrument separation, vocal mid-range were all noticeably better streaming direct to the speaker, along with no drop-outs or distortion in audio quality. In the HEOS app, you can prioritize Normal or High bitrate quality with multi-room streaming based on your home network capacity, but I never had any issues setting it to High and just letting it run. In terms of the Home 400 hardware itself, it’s excellent. I have both the Home 200 and Home 400, and while both sound great, the 400 definitely takes everything up to another level, particularly in two areas: stereo imaging and bass depth. The Home 400 has a very neutral base audio profile, but you can adjust it to your liking with some very basic EQ. There are two sound modes: “Auto” (which gives you the EQ for Bass, Treble, Width, and Height) and “Pure”, which removes all audio processing to try and give a completely flat and neutral sound. In my experience, with the Home 400, I generally preferred “Auto”, which engaged the upward firing speakers, and gave a more full, spacious sound to fill my kitchen, where I had the speaker placed. With “Pure” on, the sound was very neutral, which I normally love, but definitely lost that sense of stereo separation from the audio processing. If I had 2 of the Home 400s paired as stereo speakers, I might have preferred “Pure” to drive that stereo imaging, but generally, “Auto” is the default and is what I think most people will prefer. Because the Home 400 has 6-speakers in a mirrored configuration (three on the left side and three on the right side), you get a pretty strong stereo presence, which with the upward-firing speakers, means to have a lot of depth to the sound quality. Dolby Atmos music sounds great, with a nice 3-dimensionality and depth to the songs. Again, two Home 400s paired as a stereo pair would still sound much better, but as a single unit, I think most people will be very pleased with the size and detail of the sound. In terms of complaints regarding the Home 400, I really don’t have many. The biggest omission in my view, is no dedicated support for automatic room correction software. You can define if the speaker is placed in an open space, against one wall, or against two walls, which adjusts the bass response a bit to try and capitalize on the location and minimize unnecessary reverberations, but this is about it. The ability to use a microphone to measure audio in your room and apply automatic tuning would be amazing given the flexibility of the placement that the speaker offers. Beyond that, I have had a few bugs using the HEOS app, which have been rare, such as not being able to find the speaker on my network and needing to reboot the app. Another bigger omission is, despite having a built-in microphone, you can also use the speaker with Siri, and to do so you need to have a homepod already to connect with. You can’t use Alexa or Google natively with the speaker, and it does not have its own native assistant, so you are stuck with Siri if you are in the Apple ecosystem, otherwise HEOS does support having other assistants play music on HEOS speakers, but only using those assistants from other devices. It's a bit of an omission given how connected the HEOS ecosystem is to other systems, but is far from a dealbreaker. If the Home 200 is a bit too small/lightweight for you, and the Home 600 is a bit too much, then the Home 400 really is just right. It strikes this balance of great sound performance, connectivity, hardware quality, and features. If you already have devices in the HEOS ecosystem, this is almost a no brainer, but even if you are new to the HEOS ecosystem like I am, this is a great starting point, as long as you are willing to pay a bit of a premium for it.

Highlights: * Sounds great! * Really nice packaging and build quality * Easy to set up in the HEOS app * Apple AirPlay 2 compatible * Apple HomeKit compatible * Bluetooth compatible * Easy to group/ungroup speakers/rooms * Can store up to 3 playlists/stations for easy recall * On-speaker tactile buttons for volume, track and 3 favorites * Slim power cord * Supports 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz amd 6Ghz WiFi (a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Considerations: * Power cord sticks out the back quite a bit * Buttons don’t have tactile markings - have to look at what you’re pressing * Can’t set up, view or edit the speaker’s 3 favorites via the app The Denon Home series of speakers are all powered by HEOS which is the name for their ecosystem of multi-room audio equipment. Anything with the “HEOS” branding connects together through your home’s WiFi and can share audio, group speakers and function together similar to another multi-room system that begins with “S” ;-). I have a HEOS-enabled Denon home theater receiver with normal wired speakers, a Home 200 and a Home 400 speaker all on my home network. With the free HEOS app, I can easily group these three together or control them independently from the HEOS app on my phone. Let’s start with the hardware because no amount of connectivity is going to matter if the speaker doesn’t sound good. The Home 400 speaker is compact yet powerful and sounds amazing when driven with high-quality sources. It has two 4.5” woofers, two 0.75” tweeters and two 1” up firing speakers for Atmos that deliver rich stereo sound with actual Dolby Atmos playback. The 6 built-in amplifiers drive powerful sound that fills larger rooms where great audio is appreciated and you have a bit more space for a larger speaker. The built-in microphone works with various services to allow voice operation (service dependent) and the on-unit buttons provide local control as well as quick access to 3 of your favorite stations or playlists. On the bottom of the speaker is even a tripod screw hole so you can easily mount it to various options. The rubber foot on the bottom will dampen any vibrations and keep things sounding great even at higher volumes, which sound great all the way up to uncomfortable sound levels ;-). Setup was simple with the free HEOS app. Start by adding the speaker to the app, tap the “Connect” button on the back when prompted and in seconds it’s all set up. If your home uses Apple HomeKit, the speaker can also be added to your Apple Home and/or share any content to it over AirPlay or Bluetooth. Everything worked seamlessly for me. Once added, you can use the free HEOS app on your phone to play your compatible music services to one or more HEOS-enabled speakers, group them together in any combination you choose, or just connect locally over AirPlay or Bluetooth. Another benefit of the HEOS ecosystem is that it includes not only speakers but also Home Theater components. My Denon HEOS-enabled home theater receiver has its own wired speakers but can easily route anything from that receiver to my Denon HEOS speakers individually or in groups. You can also set up the receiver to use this speaker as a wireless surround speaker. There’s an ambient light on the bottom front of the speaker that normally glows white when “online” and blinks when receiving commands remotely. In the app, you can dim that light or turn it off completely depending on your needs. I found that the app works well for selecting and controlling content from streaming services. It also has detailed options for adjusting the sound of the speaker remotely. Speakers can be grouped by dragging them together and you can even name and save your groups for later. There were a few small things that I didn’t particularly love, but nothing major. The power cord sticks out of the back quite a bit which limits how close to a wall you can put the speaker. While I appreciate having the buttons on the speaker, and especially love that they are tactile rather than capacitive, the buttons are on the right edge and have no tactile indications or bumps. The only way to know what button you’re pressing is to look at the printed label. It would have been nice for at least the Play/Pause button have a bump you could feel it in lower light or if the speaker is up on a shelf or next to a wall on the right side. Lastly, the speaker has three “Favorite” buttons which is great! You can set each button to your choice of a streaming station or playlist and then just tap that button to play it again without having to go into the app. However; unless I missed it, you have to play the content first and then hold the number button to set it. Once set, there is no way to see what it is or edit it in the app… it’s basically a feature on the speaker only which is odd. In the app you can set a “Quick Select Name
for the intent of each button, but nothing more. Maybe the app will get an update later to let you view and/or change each favorite. Overall, this Denon Home 400 speaker sounds great for its size. It really packs a punch and fills larger rooms with Dolby Atmos sound. The on-speaker controls are super convenient and the flexibility to control it via the app, a HEOS-enabled stereo receiver, or any other compatible phone or device is superb. The HEOS ecosystem works well for multi-room control and there are plenty of choices for speakers to meet your space and sound needs. The number of available music services directly in the app is limited but that will grow over time.

Overview While pricy, the Denon 400 speaker comes close to replicating my mid tier component home theatre system when playing music. It’s certainly a lot more portable! It connects well with the top streaming services, including their high-fidelity formats. It will natively stream Amazon's Atmos audio or Ultra HD, depending on your preference. Native streaming sounds better than Bluetooth connected as it lacks support for high quality codecs. Voice control is only through a connected smart speaker (i.e. Amazon Echo). Setup and usage was hampered by some bugs in the Android app. Sound Quality and Soundstage The audio performance is where the HOME 400 truly shines. While I could certainly hear a difference between the Home 400 and my $5000 component system, it wasn’t as noticeable as I’d expected. It sounded better than the Harmon Kardon / Samsung sound bar I have in my basement, with with the subwoofer that works with. It delivers a rich and immersive sound that feels significantly more expansive than its physical footprint suggests. The soundstage is notably wider and taller, creating a room-filling experience that brings music to life with impressive depth. I have a home theater system so I did not try it out with any movies or TV. There are a couple of audio modes you can select in the app. I found the pure mode would highlight vocals, which was nice in jazz and most rock music. However it ended up distorting the classical opera pieces that I enjoy. There’s some controls for height and width. I found the wider setting added some nice dimensions to classical music. Rock music was fine with the standard settings. The HEOS App Managing the speaker is handled through the HEOS app, which is commendable for its simplicity. Navigating through different streaming services and adjusting settings is seamless, making the user experience pleasant and efficient. When using with voice control, it can be Cumbersome to express what you want as your command must include modifiers. I..e. "Play Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf using Amazon Music on [Speaker]." I found it easier to use the app instead of remembering all the pieces of the voice command. Unfortunately the app did not always work as expected. A few times I would hit play on an existing stream and nothing would happen. Ease of Setup Setting up the HOME 400 was fairly straightforward. The speaker will only connect to the same network as the device you use for setup. Unlike many IoT devices, it will not let you select a different network during the initial setup. I have separate Wi-Fi networks in my house for low-speed devices and high-speed devices (with my phone defaulting to the high-speed network). You can, however, change networks in the settings menu later on. This too had an issue as when I went to change networks, the device disconnected altogether and I had to connect it hardwired using a USB Ethernet adapter to get it unstuck.Once I got it back online, I was able to connect it to my high-speed network with WiFi 6E. It's nice that Denon made the hardware future-proof. Connecting Amazon music to the HEOS app was also a bit complicated. I tried several times from my Android based phone without success. Fortunately I have an iPad and was able to use that to connect the services. I can't say if the issue was on Denon's side or Amazon but it definitely marred the whole experience. I did find repeatedly the iOS app worked more reliably than the Android version. Once music is connected you then have to add the HEOS skill in the Alexa app in order to activate voice control. You can certainly play music on the Denon 400 without having voice control but that will require using the HEOS app to select songs. With voice control, Amazon will autoplay additional song, just as it does through an Echo smart speaker. With the HEOS app, autoplay is not available. You can select albums, playlists or song, and the app will categorize the items so you can see items in your playlists and your music library more quickly. For Bluetooth connections this speaker only supports the SBC codec. Given the audio specs there is a surprising lack of support for lossless and HD audio using AptX, AAC, or LHDC codecs. I found a notable difference when streaming music natively versus playing via Bluetooth from my nearby Amazon device. You can also plug a line in if you want to use it as a computer speaker with high-quality output. Denon Quality In addition to the Home 400, I also have a Denon Home 200. The app makes it nice to group them so both can play the same set list simultaneously. This is nice to have music flow seamlessly from the family room to the deck. I thought I might be able to have them play in Stereo, but that’s only enabled if both speakers are identical (i.e. 2 Denon 200’s). Given the virtual stereo sound from the 400 on it’s own, I don’t think I’m missing much. If you have a HEOS enabled receiver, it gives more options for multi-room music, but my Denon receiver uses an older app. It still works great after 20 years, so I can’t complain! I hope these new Denon speakers last that long.

Out of the box, I was set up and playing music within 5 minutes. Without question, the ease of setup is one of the most notable features of the Denon Home 400. Not only was the connection easy, but I have not lost connection since. Moving the speaker from room to room, once I plug it in, I am reconnected within seconds without any hiccups or loss of signal. This also includes streaming from a Bluetooth device. The antennas used in these speakers are excellent. If connectivity is one of your main concerns, you won’t find an issue here—this is an area of excellence. The speaker is aesthetically pleasing and fits into my home decor without becoming an eyesore. The contoured shape and customizable sound based on position allow me to place it wherever I like without it drawing too much attention or standing out. It has a nice weight to it, and the buttons and switches feel very sturdy. Also, the sensor near the top that lights up when your hand comes close is a nice touch. The sound profile is very particular, but if you enjoy this type of sound reproduction, this speaker will exceed your expectations. The sound is clean and true to the source, especially when playing high-definition audio from Tidal or Amazon Music. Subtle nuances of each instrument come through clearly, including reverb and frequency attenuation. If you’re looking for thumping bass, this is not the speaker for you—the bass is complementary, not overpowering. When you connect the speaker to the app, it asks for placement, and I did notice the sound profile changes depending on positioning. Placing it in a corner may give slightly more bass, but again, it complements rather than dominates. Think of this speaker like sitting in a concert hall versus listening to a DJ in a small room. Denon claims to understand sound, and this speaker reflects that with its accuracy and fidelity. Moving on to the HEOS app: it’s clear Denon aimed to make it both user-friendly and feature-rich. From the app, you can control EQ, add music services like Pandora and Amazon Music, and even manage Bluetooth playback if you prefer using the app instead of your device. It also supports playing music from local servers, which is a great feature if you store audio on external drives. There are many options for playback across different sources. If you’re invested in this ecosystem and comfortable using the app, you’ll have plenty of customization options to fine-tune your experience. My major issue with the speaker and app is the lack of Google integration. YouTube Music—easily one of the top services—is not supported within the app, nor can it be streamed via Google Home. That’s a significant omission. If your home is built around Google devices, this speaker will feel disconnected unless you’re willing to use it separately. While it does offer limited smart controls like play, pause, and volume, these features feel incomplete and shouldn’t be heavily marketed as smart home compatibility. Since YouTube Music is my primary service, I have no seamless way to use it here outside of Bluetooth or workarounds like Chromecast Audio. It does appear to have better integration with Alexa and Siri, though I wasn’t able to test those. Amazon Music and Tidal do take full advantage of the speaker’s Hi-Fi capabilities, which makes the lack of broader integration even more disappointing. This system works best if you’re starting fresh, but since it relies heavily on the HEOS app, I’m cautious about fully committing to a proprietary ecosystem that may not age well. Another positive worth mentioning is the integration with other Denon Home speakers. I paired the 400 with a Home 200, and they sync flawlessly from room to room. When used together in the same space, you can further refine the sound profile. If you’re planning to invest in multiple speakers, I have no concerns recommending the system for whole-home audio—it has been seamless in my experience. However, note that Bluetooth playback cannot be streamed to multiple speakers, at least based on my testing so far. In summary, the Home 400 delivers excellent sound if you value accurate, high-fidelity reproduction. If you’re buying into the Denon ecosystem, you’ll likely be very satisfied with both the sound quality and connectivity. Just be aware that you’ll need to rely on the HEOS app to unlock its full potential. I would recommend it—with that caveat in mind.

While Denon is best known for its receivers and amplifiers, several of which I’ve owned, along with my current Marantz receiver, I have to say I’m genuinely impressed with the build and sound quality of the Home 400 wireless speaker. It has 6 drivers (speakers), two of them up-firing for Dolby Atmos Music. This speaker has a round rectangular design a bit large but not to the extreme. It has control buttons on the side and the USB-C, auxiliary, Bluetooth pairing, mic mute and connect button are on the back. Although it supports wired connections, its primary function is wireless streaming over Wi-Fi using the dedicated HEOS app. It supports high-resolution and lossless audio, as well as Dolby Atmos Music. It can also be used with voice assistants but limited to Apple Siri. Setup was quick and straightforward using the HEOS app, taking about five minutes. The app detected the speaker immediately, making the process seamless. Right after setup, the speaker required an update, which forced me to close and reopen the app before I could regain control. For some reason I had a little bit of an connectivity issue with this speaker after the update, especially when trying to group it. After several reboots I was able to get it to function the way it was intended to. To fully use the speaker, you’ll need the HEOS app. Fortunately, it’s user-friendly with a clean, visually appealing interface. One feature I really liked is the ability to adjust speaker placement settings, near a wall or open space, which noticeably affects the sound, especially the bass. The app supports most major streaming services, including TuneIn Radio, Tidal, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, Apple AirPlay 2, Pandora, Deezer, SiriusXM, Qobuz and Amazon Music. However, Google Cast is not supported, so Android users are somewhat limited to using supported apps within HEOS, Bluetooth, or locally stored music which isn’t very common these days. Keep in mind that most of these apps require either an account or subscription, especially those that offer high-resolution or lossless audio. If you already have an account for some of the streaming apps and typically sign in using Google, it may not work with certain services like SoundCloud and iHeartRadio. With Spotify and Apple Music, you can stream directly to the speaker from their apps without needing to use HEOS. Streaming to the speaker is nearly instant, and pairing it with other HEOS devices is simple with intuitive pinch-to-group and ungrouped gestures. I was even able to pair it with the Home 200 speaker and my older Marantz SR7011 receiver, and it worked flawlessly. The app allows full control over individual speakers or grouped playback, giving you flexibility in how and where you stream your music. Although the HEOS app is easy to use it does need some polishing. Sometimes I encountered issues grouping the speakers specially if one was already in use. The speaker in some instances stops playing music when my phone screen turns off requiring me to reopen the app for it to resume. I’m confident that it can be fixed with some firmware or app updates. As for the speaker functionality and sound quality, it performs exceptionally well. The audio is loud, clear, and distortion-free even at higher volumes, with impressively deep bass. Those two up-firing speakers make a big difference with the sound as it’s noticeable when switching between sound modes. Thanks to its size it can easily fill a large sized room. It is that good. Overall, this Denon Home 400 delivers a premium experience. It combines premium construction quality with exceptional premium sound, though its streaming ecosystem is somewhat limited and the HOES app needs some connectivity work. It’s very easy to use, surprisingly powerful, and versatile in placement that can easily fill a large room with phenomenal sound. If you are in the HEOS or Apple eco system you will definitely love this speaker. In the box you get the Denon Home speaker, power cable and manuals.

When looking for wireless smzart speaker sound there are a variety of speakers to choose from home theater options and pure music options usually the Bose or the Sonos that connect to your smart phone or tablet and its plug and play. However a few devices are emerging to compete with the larger players omn the market and this one is no exception. Denon HOME 400 wireless smart speaker is true pure plug and play wireless sound. From the ease of set up and a quick download of their app on your smart device, to the pure treble and bass that emerge from this powerhouse small in size speaker, the space it can fill is incredible and I like that you are able to easily connect any music source to the app like Spotify and Apple music with ease. Other smart speakers of similar type, the app is constantly updating with features that make no sense and the apps are hard to comprehend. Not Denon, they make it simple, easy to use, the app is a joy to move around in and you arent scratching your head trying to figure it out. This speaker size is perfecrt for a book shelf or to add to a home theater set up. Highly recommended!

It is truly amazing how speakers have really gotten so much better in terms of convenience, set up and audio quality when you consider the size of this Denon Home 400. Set up is straight forward and took a minimal amount of time to download the Heos app on my iPhone, connect to Wi-Fi and finally connect the two Denon wireless, speakers we have to the Heos app. The app seems pretty intuitive, and it didn’t take too long to familiarize ourselves with the controls, options and various streaming services. As an Apple Music user we figured out pretty quickly that it is not native to the Heos app as some others are, but it is easy to just use the Apple Music app and connect with the Denon speakers via Airplay 2. From then on, we just go to the Apple Music app, and we can pick to play one Denon speaker or play from a preset group of speakers. If you want to listen to a Heos favorite station in one room on the Home 400 and stream from Apple Music in another room on the Home 200, well that is easily done too. The flexibility is really nice and the expansion options for this system give one some future fun for home theatre or expanded wireless speakers in other rooms. Speaking to the build quality of the speakers themselves they have a very nice, solid feel and the mix of nice quality fabric and aluminum with curved ends just projects a very high-end image. It’s a nice feature that the speakers have buttons to access favorite station presets or iPhone users can use Siri voice controls and integration with Apple Home. The best feature of this Home 400 speaker is the quality of the sound. We’ve played a variety of music genres and have been really impressed with the sound this speaker produces. Even at higher volumes the sound was still impressive. A new enhancement to this new series of speakers is the support for Dolby Atmos Music for a more spatial sound. Sound can also be customized with different modes for Auto or Pure, depending on if one wants an enhanced or more unprocessed sound, and add another linked speaker for stereo, hi-fi sound. True audiophiles will likely appreciate the high-resolution streaming too and the additional connectivity options the Home 400 supports such as aux, Bluetooth or USB ethernet. It’s nice to have connectivity options to be able to access local music libraries or plug in a turntable to hear some favorite old vinyl. The Denon Home series of speakers may be a bit of an investment, but you’re getting a well-built product that provides so much convenience with quality, wireless sound that has crazy expansion capabilities and a proven app that provides great controls and customization. We are enjoying this addition to our home and appreciate the ability to listen to music throughout.

I have always been a fan of Denon products. The seem to be one of those brands that was really popular in the 90s and was regarded as a high-end company, but you don’t hear a lot about them lately. I was excited to give this speaker a try. Out of the box it’s a very solid product. It feels like its make with quality components and plastics and doesn’t feel cheap at all. This speaker is basically a square from the front, it has the cool charcoal colored fabric that covers most of it, so it won’t show fingerprints or dust at all. I think in most homes this will fit in to the decor very easily and you probably wont even notice its there. All the controls are on the side. There is volume up and down, a play pause and then 3 presets. Getting it set up was about as easy as it can get. From the time I opened the box to the time I was playing music was probably less than 5 minutes. You just download the app and connect it via Bluetooth and you are ready to go. I am someone who has a very large music library in the flac format, most are hi-res audio files. Last check I was at about 70,000 songs and counting. So, I don’t usually use a lot of streaming services, I prefer to own my music rather than rent it. This will connect to all of the major streaming platforms like Spotify, Tidal, Pandora, and even radio ones like iHeartRadio. So, no matter how you listen to music, you’ll most likely be covered. I have all of my music on a Plex server and I was easily able to stream from that app through this speaker. Using Denon’s HEOS app you can connect to your other streaming services as well as make adjustments to tune the speaker with placement and EQ and things like that. This speaker does also support Dolby Atmos music so you can get a more immersive experience Now lets get to how this speaker sounds, cause that’s what is really important. I have to say I found the sound to be quite pleasing, but I don’t know if everyone will love it. If you are someone that loves thumping bass, this is probably not the speaker for you. I would say this kind of sounds like a reference speaker but the sound is a little bit fuller because you can tune the EQ to your liking. There is good separation of the high’s mid’s and low frequencies and you are able to hear a lot of the details and intricacies of the music. I have the smaller version of this speaker as well, and this one definitely has a lot more bass. Denon also offers one step larger, and id assume that one would even have more bass. I find this one to be a perfect balance though and I find it quite pleasing to listen to. I mostly listen to rock, metal, grunge, and some old school hip-hop and rap type music. Even a little country when the mood strikes me. Just to do a true test I did set up Spotify as well as the iHeartRadio on this as well to see how more compressed audio would sound. I think it still sounded very good, but you do lose a little crispness of the sound that you get with the higher resolution audio files. These speakers will also sync with Denon’s other speakers the Denon home 200 and 600. So, if you have these set throughout your house, they can all sync together providing a whole-home music experience that you can listen to as you travel from room to room. I always wanted to have a system like that with the speakers in the ceiling that I could listen to from any room, and now with this system, I can have that. I also like the different size options because for smaller rooms you can definitely get away with a smaller speaker, and larger open rooms like a living room will definitely benefit from the larger 400 or 600 speakers. This is also a smart speaker that uses the Siri voice control, so you are out of luck if you prefer google. I found it worked great as a smart home device and it easily answered voice questions and was able to turn on lights and other devices that I have set up in my home. Overall, I think this is a great speaker ecosystem that Denon has put together. Definitely give it a listen if you are in the market for a whole home speaker system, or even if you just need one.

The Audio quality and hardware are amazing, but the software is challenged. So this really is a 5 star for the hardware, and 1 star for the software. But since you can use the speaker without the software, and software can be fixed... instead of a 3, this is a 4. Let's start with the really good. The physical appearance of these speaker is stunning. A lot of attention to detail (except one small thing, but you can fix it). The soft material is tight, and the light in the front is not too much (can be turned off too). Easy to access buttons, and this piece will be fantastic in most rooms. This is the larger size speaker, so this will be for your main rooms, or basement. May be a bit big for bedrooms or offices.. The small detail, for me.. the actual cord/plug. Should have been a 90 degree plug, so that it can be plugged into tight spaces. Easy fix with an adapter, or replacing the cord since it is a standard connector into the speaker. No bulky adapters (YAH!) Setup with the HEOS app, was pretty straight forward after you setup your account. Walks you through the few steps to get it connected to your WiFi network. So, first nit-pick... it doesnt' allow you to chose your WiFi network with the setup wizard, it takes what ever network your phone is connected to. You can change this later, after you set it up... but know this when you are setting up if you have multiple networks. Also there is a LONG pause after the setup. the Software does tell you it can take 3 minutes (very specific). But there is no progress indicator or anything. It also doesn't directly prompt you to update the firmware of the speaker, that happens the next time you go into the application (which again, the setup process should handle that). Now for the REALLY good.. the audio is stellar. Really Really good. If there is any nit-pick, is the base may be too much at default and you have to tweak it down. I tested 2 different streaming services (setup from the app), I tried two apps from my phone (using Airplay). Also connected bluetooth to a record player. All audio sources were really really good. Love the audio, love that I don't need a separate sub-woofer... spectacular. I also added a Home 200 series speaker as well to the network. This is when things really got interesting (both good and bad). Using Airplay, I was seamlessly able to send my audio from my phone to both Denon speakers, as well as a couple others that I have on the network... and the audio was PERFECTLY insync. And that is great, when you are trying to create that whole home audio experience. When focusing on just the Denon speakers, I could use the HEOS app, and create a group so that I can send the selected audio to both of them... again, perfectly in sync. This can become a very powerful feature if I had 4,5,6, 10 Denon items, which I may in the future... as you can then create zones and groupings, very easily. So here are some of the flaws here.. It took a while for me to find the area to do the grouping (and I do mobile apps professionally, hence a lot of my criticism here). The icon wasn't appearing, I had to quit the app, and come back, and then find it in the bottom bar. It wasn't in any of the menus. The grouping I created, disappeared the next time I came back into the app... not sure if that was a glitch or a bug, or design.. but it was gone. Adding Audio services... I was able to add Sirius and Amazon.. but there were a lot of glitches.. Amazon look like it failed, but it in fact did work and was added. I still can not get iHeartRadio to add, despite me checking everything. The HEOS software is using its own portal to authenticate, not the iHeartRadio. There is no support for Apple Music or Audacy. To use either of those, I have to use Airplay, and use the iOS app. There is a warning when adding music services, that it could slow down the main page and loading, as it is attempting to pull your favorites and show you a dashboard. There are other ways this could be solved, that would not impact the dashboard. So far, I don't see a lot of slowness, but can see where it will happen... especially if they start to add more support for other services. Volume... so my two speakers were at different audio volumes (due to my trying things out). When I group them... it was "more than simple" to figure out how to change the volume on them independently. As if I was in group mode, the volume buttons on my phone, changed them both at the same time... took a moment to identify how to change each one solo. Now for my biggest issue, and for me it is almost border line return till fixed (I am not), as I hope this can be addressed. Previous models of Denon speakers has direct native support for Alexa. So a google search, actually was saying it was supported on the 400. (obviously this is where Google AI is failing). After trying to setup for over 2 hours (installing skills, thinking I solved it, and finding out no).. .Redit thread finally told me that it was dropped in this model. So the listing that "Virtual Assistants" are supported... right now that just means Siri. Which I can't readily use, as I have too many devices that respond to "Siri". Not being able to talk to the speaker to start playing music, is actually a challenge for our home. As everyone now has to have the app installed, and then take out the phone, start the music, etc.. For over 5 years, we just speak to our smart home and we can play music. Yes, this is a "first world" issue, but this is a "first world" speaker. Since I know this can be fixed via software, I hope this can be fixed... really really quickly. Overall.. This is a fantastic speaker, really good.. But the software... needs a lot of help.

If you’re looking at the Denon Home 200 and 400 speakers, the first thing you notice right out of the box is just how premium they feel. The build quality is legit—soft-touch finish on the top and bottom, a really clean, high-end grille, and a solid weight that makes them feel like serious pieces of equipment, not just another wireless speaker. Denon definitely nailed the design and materials here. The Denon 200 is a nice size cylindrical design and the Denon 400 is essentially two of the 200s molded into one speaker design. Getting started is mostly straightforward. Plug them in and they power right up with a subtle light strip at the bottom showing status. From there, you download the HEOS app and follow the setup. QR codes in the quick start guide make it easy to jump in. If you don’t already have a HEOS account, creating one is quick, and the app does a good job finding the speakers on your network. That said, setup wasn’t perfect for me. The first attempt completely failed right at the Bluetooth/network connection step—even though everything looked connected on my end. I ended up restarting the speakers and trying again, and the second time was smooth. Everything connected instantly and showed up in the HEOS app without issues. Apple HomeKit, though, was another story. I couldn’t get them to show up there at all. Quick heads up if you’re in the Apple ecosystem: you can’t add these directly into Apple Home unless you have a HomePod or HomePod mini acting as a hub. Even with an Apple TV 4K, they wouldn’t show up for me. So while they support AirPlay 2, full Home integration isn’t as seamless as you might expect. Now to the part that really matters—sound. The sound quality on the Denon Home 200 and 400 is… a bit of a rollercoaster. When everything is dialed in—placement, EQ settings in the HEOS app, and the right type of music—they can sound outstanding. There’s great clarity in the mids and highs, and you can really pick apart different layers in a track. But getting there takes work. Out of the box, I was honestly underwhelmed. The speakers leaned heavily toward the mids and highs, which came across a little harsh, while the low end felt lacking—even with the bass turned up. At times, the bass sounded muddy instead of punchy, and it didn’t have that depth I expected, especially compared to similar Sonos speakers I’ve used (even smaller ones). After spending time tweaking settings and physically moving the speakers around, things improved a lot. Once I found the right placement relative to where I was sitting, the sound opened up. The bass became cleaner (though still not class-leading), and the overall balance felt much better. At higher volumes, they do a solid job filling a room. The app lets you dial in the spatial audio configuration, which is nice. You can dial in different parameters for the width and the height of the sound which gives you a very immersive sound especially running two of the speakers at the same time. The biggest thing to know is that these speakers have a very specific sweet spot. Sit in the right position, and they sound great. Move outside of it, and the sound can quickly become harsh and less enjoyable. That makes them feel a bit unforgiving depending on your setup. Where Denon really shines is the HEOS app. Controlling audio—whether it’s a single speaker, a stereo pair, or multiple rooms—is super intuitive. You can group speakers, move music around your home, and everything just works. Plus, with AirPlay 2, you can still control playback directly from your iPhone and even select multiple speakers at once. You can also connect your own high definition audio services directly through the app like Tidal, Deezer or Amazon Music and stream lossless or Dolby Atmos content. Overall, I’m in a bit of a mixed spot with these. The build quality is top-tier, and the HEOS ecosystem is genuinely impressive and easy to use. When the speakers are set up just right, they can sound really, really good. But the low-end performance doesn’t quite match competitors in this price range, and the narrow sweet spot means you have to put in some effort to get the best experience. If you’re willing to tweak placement and settings, you’ll likely be happy. If you want something that sounds great right out of the box with minimal effort, these might leave you a little frustrated.

As a long-time Sonos user with speakers scattered across pretty much every room, I went into the Denon Home 400 expecting “good, but not Sonos-good.” I was wrong. The Denon Home Ecosystem is a serious contender in multi room audio. Let’s start with the obvious: sound. The Denon Home 400 delivers rich, room-filling audio that immediately grabs your attention. We’re talking a six-driver setup with dedicated amps and upward-firing speakers, which means you’re not just hearing music…you’re sitting inside it. The bass is deep and snappy, mids are full and natural, and highs stay crisp even when you crank it. There’s real separation between instruments, which is something a lot of wireless speakers claim but don’t actually deliver. This one does. The Dolby Atmos capability isn’t just a gimmic…it actually adds dimension. You get height and width that makes the soundstage feel way bigger than the speaker itself. It’s not replacing a full home theater, but for a single unit, it’s seriously impressive. Setup and ecosystem integration are where the Denon Home system really shines. The HEOS platform makes adding speakers painless, and pairing this with other Denon gear..especially something like the Denon Home 200 or stepping up to another Home 400 as part of a multi-room setup, is seamless. You can group rooms, sync audio, and control everything without fighting the app. Its a very well thought out functional ecosystem. Design-wise, it’s clean and understated, nothing flashy, but it looks premium and fits anywhere. Controls are intuitive, and thankfully there are physical touch controls so you’re not 100% dependent on your phone. Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: Sonos. As I mentioned, I’ve been in that ecosystem for years, and it’s still the benchmark as far as Im concerned. But Denon is no longer playing catch up. The Home 400, especially, feels like a legit rival. The sound quality might actually be better than Sonos in some cases, especially if you care about richer, more detailed audio. Bottom line: if you’re already deep in Sonos, you’re probably not ripping everything out tomorrow. But if you’re building a system…or even just adding a serious speaker to your home setup, the Denon Home lineup, led by the 400, deserves a hard look. This isn’t a “budget alternative.” It’s a real contender and I didnt think I’d be saying that. Highly Reccomended!

I've used other smart wireless speakers before and this by far is the best experience from my experience at least. I have been using 2 speakers in this ecosystem this and the smaller 200 speaker as well. This brand is well known high end. You can connect these with Bluetooth as a secondary way but you primarily want to use this with WiFi so you can easily switch between speakers if you have multiple ones. You can use popular music services with the exception of Apple music although I have no idea if it's Denon's fault or Apple. But Apple doesn't work with other smart systems either so I have no clue. But you can use Spotify, tidal and some more as well. I've been using this with Spotify mostly although I have tried this with Apple music when connecting it to Bluetooth to try that out. With it connected by Bluetooth it works like any other Bluetooth speaker. It's fine. But when you're using this with the HEOS app you can use your desired app and connect it with whichever speaker you want all connected by WiFi. No need to manually switch connections. As far as sound quality this is amazing. It's high fidelity and quite loud