Denon DHT-S216
It’s the audio that matters with Denon’s budget soundbar.
The Denon DHT-S216 doesn’t look all that striking, but its neutral look allows it to fit right in with any home entertainment center. It measures about 35-inches wide, 2.35-inches high and 4.7-inches deep, making it a good companion for your 55-inch TV, but be careful that it doesn’t block the IR sensor on your TV – it comes with plastic spacers, but no mounts, brackets or screws inside the box.
The back has a decent array of ports, including HDMI ARC, Toslink optical, Aux-In, plus another HDMI input for additional use cases. Rounding it out is a plug for a wired connection to a subwoofer.
That last part should be of particular interest because it applies to third-party subs, too. You don’t have to use a Denon one if you don’t want to, and while a wired sub may limit your options on layout and deployment, it’s a nice perk to have at this price point.
All of this comes with caveats that you have to accept right off the bat. First, surround sound won’t be an option because there’s no way to make it work. Since this isn’t part of Denon’s HEOS lineup, the DHT-S216 doesn’t support it, wired or wireless. That’s a big reason why the third-party sub openness is all the more important.
The sound bar comes with its own remote, and we found we had to reach for it more often than we expected to make adjustments. It’s an old school remote, with no backlit buttons and straightforward layout, but it does the job.
The easiest connection is probably HDMI ARC because it routes all audio for devices connected to the TV through it. This way, if you have a game console, cable box, streaming box or Blu-ray player, you won’t have to do much configuring. As long as the TV is set to HDMI ARC in its own settings, there should be no issue. We should note, however, that DTS-HD Master Audio formats won’t work under this setup
For its limitations and price, the DHT-S216 was a pleasant surprise. We were impressed with how full sound came out despite not having a separate subwoofer. While it naturally couldn’t fully emulate a pair of rear surrounds, it held its own quite well in delivering something that felt like more than just a 2.1 “sweet spot” listening and viewing experience.
However, it takes some time to figure out what the best configuration is for a given content scenario. It really depends on what you’re watching with it. We found it could be pretty good for dialogue-heavy shows or even a concert video, but we leaned toward DTS Virtual:X or Movie mode for movies and TV shows.
If money’s tight and your TV needs an audio boost, the Denon DHT-S216 Home Theater Soundbar is a cheap way to upgrade your audio without breaking the bank.
Ted Kritsonis