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  • Denon DNP-720AE does network audio and not much else for $660 (update: $500 in the US)

    by 
    Sharif Sakr
    Sharif Sakr
    09.23.2011

    The DNP-720AE has been hanging around at trade shows for a while, but it's only just been tagged up with a price. And boy, what a price: £429 ($660) for a stereo box that snatches AirPlay, DLNA, Internet radio, Napster and Last.fm off your WiFi or wired network and outputs to your amp. Sure, it packs a decent 24-bit DAC and will no doubt deliver that sweet Denon sound when added to your stack -- but if you don't already own a bunch of same-brand components then there's plenty of alternatives to consider. To pick a random example, even the ancient and infinitely cheaper Logitech Squeezebox Duet has similar functionality, without AirPlay or DLNA specifically but with basic iTunes compatibility and Spotify too. You could put those savings towards a networked AV receiver instead. Update: We've just heard that the US price for this thing will be $499. The $660 we mentioned above derived from a straight currency conversion from the UK Sterling price.