Denon outfits Heos speakers with Bluetooth and high-res audio
The company offers a multi-room alternative to Sonos and others.
Denon debuted its Heos line of speakers nearly two years ago, a set of audio gear that looked to rival multi-room setups like Sonos and others. Now Denon is giving the speakers a bit of a boost by adding some new features. The new Heos lineup sports the same model names and exterior design as Series 1 that arrived back in 2014. However, what has changed is the addition of high-res audio and Bluetooth connectivity.
As far as the high-resolution audio is concerned, Heos by Denon HS2 supports uncompressed WAV (PCM), ALAC (Apple Lossless) and FLAC music files up to 24-bit/192-kHz over network or USB. And soon, you'll be able to play DSD and AIFF tracks, too. High-res playback is made possible by a 1.25GHz ARM A9 processor alongside 512 MB of flash memory and 256 MB of RAM. What's more, you can add any of the new HS2 gear to first-gen Heos speakers that you already own without having worry about compatibility issues.
Denon is also keeping the pricing the same as the original Heos devices, despite the additional features and upgraded internals. At the top end, the Heos 5 and Heos 7 are available for $400 and $600, respectively. The retooled Heos Amp ($500) and Heos Link ($350) which provide wireless amplifier and pre-amp options for any set of speakers. Last but not least, the more budget-friendly Heos 1 and Heos 3 are priced at $200 and $300 each. All of these Series 2 devices are available now from Amazon and Crutchfield.
Update: This post has been updated to reflect availability and pricing information from Denon. The company also explained that the HS2 designation applies to the UPC label and won't appear on any packaging. While retailers may still offer Series 1 units, those will be replaced entirely by the new Series 2 models.
