Denon S-101 DVD Home Entertainment System
October 12th, 2009
The Denon S-101 is a rock-solid DVD home-theater system that’s easy to set up, easy to use, and easy on the eyes. But what really sets it apart from other systems in its class is its ability to bring a very big sound — and even big pictures — out of Apple’s tiny iPod. The attractive S-101 home-theater DVD system delivers big sound and big pictures — even from a tiny iPod. View larger. Shoebox-sized DVD player takes up very little room. View larger. Back panel includes plenty of inputs and outputs for all your home-theater component needs. View larger. Handy, well-designed remote control. View larger. The first thing you’ll see upon opening the box is Denon’s language-free quick-start guide, which breaks set-up into seven easy, illustrated steps. We were able to get to a DVD menu within about 10 minutes of cracking the tape seal on our box. The system is comprised of two speaker panels (including hardware for table or wall mounting), a desktop PC-sized subwoofer, the player, a remote, and all the connections you’ll need for a basic video set-up. The player itself is about the size of a shoebox (15-by-4-by-10 inches) and includes inputs and outputs for composite, S-video, component, and optical connections. Three auxiliary ports allow you to add game systems, disc writers, or other home-theater components. To finish the set-up, the remote’s help button summons an awesome on-screen guide to help with everything from switching between DVD and audio functions to positioning the speakers. The remote is well designed; the most frequently used buttons sit in uncluttered arrangement while specialty buttons and a number pad hide behind an access door underneath. Play, pause, track, search, and volume buttons glow in the dark and are easy to feel–a must-have while watching movies in a darkened home theater. The most interesting feature of this system, however, is its connectivity to the Apple iPod. More than just playing music, the S-101 can actually control the device through the system’s remote and allow you to browse music files or watch iPod photos on your TV — all while recharging your iPod’s battery. The system even includes a stereo miniplug port for connecting other digital music players. Audio from the unit is outstanding. The system puts out a crisp sound, even at ear-splitting volume, thanks largely to the 100-watt subwoofer. Denon eschewed the myriad cords of satellite speakers in favor of Dolby’s Virtual Speaker technology, which was designed to create a virtual sound field using only two front speakers. The effect is quite nice once it’s fine-tuned with the on-screen audio set-up, but we found it lacking the fine spatial details of 5.1 surround-sound systems. Note that it also lacks the complicated set-up and wiring of those systems, which makes for a more even trade off. The S-101 has at its heart a progressive-scan DVD player that loads commercial DVDs in about 19 seconds and recordable DVDs in about 21 seconds. A little bit of DVD spin noise leaks out of the top air vent, but placing the unit in a cabinet or a bookshelf could easily baffle the sound. The unit’s ability to tune radio and play Kodak picture CDs makes the S-101 a bit like the Swiss Army knife of digital entertainment. It’s not without some faults, however. We were able to play MP3 and Windows Media (WMA) files from a data CD-R that was burned through Windows Media 9, but another data CD-R burned with Roxio software was unrecognizable to the system–even though the disc had been verified in Windows XP, Macintosh OS X, and an older, low-end KLH disc player. We were pleased to see the system’s FM tuner supports Radio Data System (RDS)–a way of sending station identification and other snippets of information over standard FM waves–in its front panel display, but it neglects to use that same display to convey song IDs from digital music files being played. To see song titles, you must turn on the TV. –Porter B. Hall What’s in the Box Player, left and right front speakers, subwoofer, remote control unit, iPod cable, AM and FM radio antennae, speaker stands, speaker wall brackets, instructions, warranty, system cables, RCA-type component video cable. The S-101 is one of the most innovative and stylish home theater systems that merges the latest technology for dynamic sound, vivid picture quality, the simplest connectivity and operation available, and elegant design to integrate into any room decor. With the S-101, you can experience a new and exciting way to enjoy the most diverse variety of home entertainment, including direct connectivity to your portable players – such as iPod or Rio MP3 players.The S-101 uses the critically-acclaimed Dolby Virtual Speaker technology to produce the most accurate virtualized surround sound listening experience ever achieved with only two speakers. In addition, with innovative AL24 Processing technology incorporated into the S-101 in order to provide the most natural sound reproduction from any digitized audio source – from DVDs, CDs or music from portable players.Easy and smart set-up and operation is the primary foundation of the S-101 – simply connect the main unit, the two speakers and a subwoofer with the included cords to your television with absolutely no complicated procedures, and you are ready to enjoy any type of entertainment source available. Features and functions can be easily accessed via the remote, the front panel controls or by using the intuitively-designed onscreen interface.
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Posted in DVD Home Theater | Tags: Apple Ipod, Audio Functions, Big Pictures, Denon Dvd, Dvd Home Entertainment System, DVD Home Theater, Game Systems, Hide Behind, Home Entertainment System, Home Theater Components, Home Theater System, Number Pad, Optical Connections, Pause Track, Play Pause, Playing Music, Speaker Panels, Track Search, Video Component, Volume Buttons
