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Denon announces HEOS product refresh with Bluetooth and hi-res

Denon has announced the Series 2 "HS2" version of its HEOS wireless speaker range, which now promises better performance and Bluetooth playback.

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Ty Pendlebury is a journalism graduate of RMIT Melbourne, and has worked at CNET since 2006. He lives in New York City where he writes about streaming and home audio.
Expertise Ty has worked for radio, print, and online publications, and has been writing about home entertainment since 2004. He majored in Cinema Studies when studying at RMIT. He is an avid record collector and streaming music enthusiast. Credentials
  • Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
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The Denon HEOS range. All but the HEOS Cinema (top) are due for new Bluetooth and hi-res versions.

 Denon

Denon has announced it's refreshing its line of HEOS wireless audio products, differentiated by the Series 2 (HS2) specification, and which now includes features such as Bluetooth and hi-res audio support.

HEOS is Denon's proprietary wireless system that will play streaming services or networked music in a multiroom environment, in a similar way to Sonos or Bluesound.

The new HS2 (Series 2) components will feature upgraded processors in addition to 512MB of flash memory for future updates and 256MB of RAM. This will enable processing for music up to 24-bit/192kHz in addition to support for Sony's DSD format.

Denon representatives have confirmed the Series 2 products will remain at the same price, which is as follows:

  • HEOS 1 ($200/£199/AU$529)
  • HEOS 3 ($300/£249/AU$529)
  • HEOS 5 ($600/‎£499/AU$999)
  • HEOS 7 ($400/£349/AU$689)
  • HEOS Amp ($499/£399/AU$899)
  • HEOS Link ($349/£299/AU$599)

UK and Australian availability of the Series 2 components is yet to be confirmed. Denon is also yet to announce whether the $100 Go Pack for the HEOS 1, which includes the now-redundant Bluetooth module in addition to an external battery, will change price or features.

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The HEOS 1 with Go Pack is water-resistant.

 Sarah Tew/CNET

If customers have the existing Series 1 components in their systems they can add a Series 2 (HS2) speaker to enable hi-res support in their system. The Series 2 component will down-convert higher-than-CD music onboard to 16/44.1 to enable it to be played on the existing speakers

Meanwhile Series 1 users can alternatively add a $50 USB dongle (which is also part of the existing HEOS 1 Go Pack) if they just want to enable Bluetooth on existing systems.

High-resolution support is of particular interest to audiophiles and people with large collections of music downloads. The upgrade means HEOS is now in line with other Sonos competitors that differentiate themselves from the multiroom giant by offering 24-bit compatibility and Bluetooth -- neither of which Sonos can do.

While competitor Yamaha produces receivers that support its own wireless system called MusicCast, Denon has yet to announce any receivers that support HEOS.

Updated 4/20 2016 10.05 EST Denon has advised that all Series 2/HS2 units are available from US retailers now