» Denon S-301 DVD Home Entertainment System

Denon S-301 DVD Home Entertainment System Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Avoid this system
Comment: This system is no longer manufactured, but I was very interested in getting the HDCD capability in addition to the other features, and when I saw that it was available as a cut-price refurb, I bought it. This was a mistake. I now find that the S-301 has numerous reports of video dropout problems, and I'm getting the same thing. Refurbished does not mean fixed. Do not buy it.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great system... after 3 returns.
Comment: I believe for the price its worth the money, but buyer beware it took me 3 returns to Crutchfield to find the perfect one. The first two systems kept on going black when playing back DVD movies.
I recommend sending it back right away if you start to see this happening.
I went with Crutchfield and not Amazon because Crutchfield return policy is great. All it took was a phone call to them and they right away sent me out a brand new system with prepaid postage with UPS.
I must say the box is heavy, and living on a 3rd floor was quite a workout to get it up the my living room. But luckily all you need to replace is the main component.
The sound is great and fills the room nicely. Also the quality via the HDMI cable is excellent.
If you are looking for a FULL 5.1 effect don't expect this system to deliver. I didn't notice a real distinction between 5 channels. The quality of the sound makes up for the absence of that affect.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Good - BUT...
Comment: It's small, attractive, and feature-laden. But: as some people have mentioned, DVD playback occasionally drops out when connected via HDMI. From what I've read, this is a problem for units manufactured prior to September 2006 (check the date label on the bottom of the main unit). I recently had my newly-purchased July 2006-manufactured unit "fixed" by the Denon USA Factory Service Center in New Jersey to correct the problem under warranty, and I am very pleased that DVD playback now works as expected. The repair reports says:
upgraded software, reset C.P.U., replaced listed parts (p/n S301KIT1 - HDMI MOD KIT S301), checked/cleaned/tested all functions.

So you may want to go the warranty route if you can. Getting through to Denon on the phone isn't that easy, my typical wait time was about 40 minutes, and the CSR tried to tell me that the problem was the HDMI cable I was using. Be polite and persistent!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Consistent with Other Reviews
Comment: I went to Magnolia (high end retailer) and they convinced me that I should get the Denon S-301 since I didn't want to install true surround sound and tear up the house. The best price they were willing to offer was $1300. So from a price perspective, you can't go wrong. Overall the sound quality is great. Installation was simple. Design is sleek. So no complaints....except one which others have mentioned on their reviews. When watching DVD's, the system does occassionally blink to a dark screen for a second. Only happens once or twice in a movie but a bid annoying. Other than that, so far so good.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The other reviews are dead on--this system rocks
Comment: I just received this system last week after ordering it off of Amazon and couldn't be more pleased. For people with space constraints I can't imagine a better small system for both home theatre usage and as a music stereo.

The "equivalent" Bose system is more expensive and doesn't sound anywhere nearly as good as this system--the depth and richness of music is unreal. And the iPod hookup is awesome; unlike other reviewers, I've found no lag time with the remote and the selection of my music. Everyone who comes over is stunned when my 50" plasma becomes my iPod screen--it's great for parties and such.

I never typically take time to write reviews, but this system has exceeded my expectations and I'd like everyone else to see what they're missing. On a side note, the other review I now plan on writing is for the Pioneer 5071-HD 50" plasma TV which is about $600 cheaper here than on best buy. An amazing buy as well and well worth it.

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