Denon Home 150 is a perfect choice for those who want to have a Wi-Fi smart speaker for listening music. It offers bigger bass to complete your surround sound home theater system.
Pros
- Impressive sound
- Bass performance
- Responsive touch cocntrols
- Easy Wi-Fi set up and integration
- Bluetooth
Cons
- Pricier than Sonos One
- Does not support room tuning
Denon Home 150 is available as a smart speaker with strong audio since it has hi-fi heritage from the company. With the support of HEOS platform, it makes this smart speaker can work for wireless connectivity and streaming.
Even though at this time, Apple HomePod 2 is still one that steals the market’s attention, Denon 150 does not have all the home sparts that you can find in HomePod 2. But, this Wi-Fi speaker integrates with music subscriptions and HEOS speakers along with audio components in your home. Therefore, it can be an impressive alternative to replace Sonos One.
Denon Home 150 Design
The Home 150 has the same look as its siblings, 250 and 350. It is not as minimalist as the Sonos One but it has two class D amplifiers for 89mm woofer and 25mm tweeter.
Denon 150 has fabric as its cover and on its tip, there is a touch panel from hardened glass. The company also designed it with more than three presets, volume and also playback controls.
Check at the bottom of the smart speaker, and you will see a small light. When the light goes blue, it means the device is in operation. But, the color can change based on its performance. Orange light means that the device is updating and green light means the device is on bluetooth pairing mode.
Move onto the back of the device, you will see a screw thread to support wall-mounting. There is a Connect button to join the HEOS network such as USB port, Ethernet socket, and Aux-in or a button to enable Bluetooth.
Even though it is mains-powered smart speaker, but you will get a supplied cable that is long enough so you can plug the cable into a mains outlet. About the weight, Home 150 has 1.7kg of weight which is lighter than Sonos One.
Features
- Native voice assistant
- HEOS app for streaming service access, good for music lovers
- Hi-res audio possible through USB
Denon Home 150 comes out with native voice assistance. This can help you to ask a question if you are using the Amazon Alexa ecosystem. It can respond back your questions.
The presence of HEOS app (Android and iOS) is the gateway for Denon’s interconnected ecosystem. It allows you to rule any HEOS devices in your home.
There is also music streaming services that you can integrate with this smart speaker, such as Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, SoundCloud, Deezer, Napster, and Tidal. You can access EQ settings, bass optimisation, customisation, that can work in the real time, in a recent update.
The support of HEOS app is a tidy interface. You need a HEOS account and set it up to enjoy all the advantages.
Denon Home 150 offers Wi-Fi in range of 2.4 and 5GHz, AirPlay 2, and Bluetooth 4.2. There is a slight lag when this smart speaker uses AirPlay. But this smart speaker can work as a stereo pair or as the rear surrounds for the Denon Home Sound bar 550 and you can create a 5.1 system at home.
Sound Quality
Well, it does not need to be the smart speaker with the wildest soundstage for its dimensions. But, it has better bass performance since the company updated the bass tuning. If you compare it to One SL, it has a bolder design, but the subtlety still belongs to the Sonos. Volume can be a little bit tricky to gauge and need more adjustments.
Denon Home 150 Price and Availability
Denon 150 hit the market at the first time in 2020. its price is still at the same as the first, which is about $249. You can order this smart speaker from the official website. Alternatively, you can buy it at some online retailers such as Amazon, Crutchfield, and Walmart. You can choose black or white variant.
Is it Worth Your Money?
If your plan to buy a smart speaker is to get a fun listening experience, then Denon Home 150 is a perfect choice. But, if you are looking for a more affordable smart speaker, then you should go with Sonos One.