The Denon S316 features stereo soundbar and subwoofer in one package
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(Image credit: Denon)
(Image credit: Denon)
T3 Verdict
Reasons to buy+Greater scale and definition than your average TV audio system+Composed, informative listen in most circumstances+Proper standard of build and finishReasons to avoid-Treble sounds could be bolder-Plenty of decent alternatives-Subwoofer is provokable
Reasons to buy+Greater scale and definition than your average TV audio system+Composed, informative listen in most circumstances+Proper standard of build and finish
Greater scale and definition than your average TV audio system
Composed, informative listen in most circumstances
Proper standard of build and finish
Reasons to avoid-Treble sounds could be bolder-Plenty of decent alternatives-Subwoofer is provokable
Treble sounds could be bolder
Plenty of decent alternatives
Subwoofer is provokable
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Enter the Denon DHT-S316, which delivers a stereo soundbar plus a separate subwoofer bundled into the mix too. That’ll cater for your bass, your mids and highs all in one swoop. Job’s a good’un. Or is it? Read our in-depth Denon S316 review to get a fuller understanding of why this might beone of the best soundbarsorbest soundbars for Samsung TVsof a smaller scale…
Denon DHT-S316: Price & Availability
The Denon DHT-S316 is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom you shouldn’t expect to pay more than £279. This equates to $299 or thereabouts in the United States, while in Australia it sells for AU$499, tops. Often it’s a little less, as you can see from the shopping widget embedded below.
It’s not quite Denon’s entry-level soundbar, but it’s not far off - but that doesn’t mean it’s short of competition. Plenty of big names, fromSonosto Yamaha (to name just a couple, more info on those at the bottom of this review), are ready to sell you something similar for the same sort of money - so the DHT-S316 needs to do a bit more than just rock up looking neat and tidy if it’s going to make your shortlist.
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Today’s best Denon DHT-T110 deals352 Amazon customer reviews☆☆☆☆☆No price informationCheck AmazonWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Denon DHT-T110 deals
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Denon DHT-S316 review: Features & What’s New?
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
The DHT-S316 is a 2.1-channel system, designed first and foremost to outperform the bog-standard audio system fitted to your television. None of your fancy-pants spatial audio effects here - that sort of thing costs a fair bit more. This is strictly stereo business, but that’s just fine.
Denon is coy about the amount of power it’s equipped the DHT-S316 with, but - as we shall see in the ‘performance’ section, it can be reasonably described as ‘adequate’.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Getting the content on board in the first place can be done using the HDMI ARC socket on the rear panel, or the digital optical socket that’s crammed in next to it.
There’s also a 3.5mm analogue input, and a USB-A slot that’s strictly for servicing. Wireless connectivity is restricted to Bluetooth 4.2, with SBC codec compatibility.
Denon DHT-S316 review: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Or, at least, the soundbar doesn’t. The subwoofer, which despite a lack of crossover adjustment, integrates smoothly with the soundbar, is pretty well-behaved in most circumstances. The bass it produces is reasonably well controlled, acceptably straight-edged, and with convincing attack and decay of individual hits, notes or explosions.
The woofer offers a degree of detail to go along with the sheer presence, and is actually quite informative and expressive. But should you decide to press on, volume-wise, a little of its composure goes astray. It becomes a bit bolshy and over-confident, drawing attention to itself in a less-than-positive way.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
The soundbar’s performance is less volume-dependent, and consequently a little more enjoyable in more circumstances. It does good work with the midrange, projecting dialogue well and revealing a fair amount of detail at the same time. Treble sounds aren’t the brightest or crispest around, but the slight rolling-off of the top end makes more sense than letting treble information get hard or edgy. It may give away some of the sonic brilliance of, say, shattering glass - but then again, it’s unlikely to set your teeth on edge.
The Denon system does reasonably well where music is concerned, too. It’s more convincing when handling the music in a movie soundtrack than it is when dealing with an SBC Bluetooth wireless stream, but in either case it remains pretty deft and detailed.
However, the subwoofer is further out of its comfort zone with music, and it’s not always at its happiest when asked to deal with rhythms and tempos - it can sound a little lumpy. But everything’s relative, of course, and given that the DHT-S316 is designed to be an occasional source of music at best, it’s far from an offensive listen.
Denon DHT-S316 review: Design & Usability
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
It should come as no surprise that a soundbar as affordable as this one isn’t the most luxurious product around - but it’s equally unsurprising that Denon builds and finishes the DHT-S316 to a very acceptable standard.
‘Design’ hasn’t really happened - but at 55 x 900 x 82mm (HxWxD) the soundbar is usefully compact, and will look right at home beneathTVs as tidy as 43-inchesor so.
Want to wall-mount it instead? Denon has integrated a couple of keyhole fixings on the rear of the chassis, and at a mere 1.8kg it’s not going to be any kind of burden.
The combination of acoustic cloth across the front and decently robust plastic for the rest of the chassis means the DHT-S316 looks the part in any event.
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
The ‘bar offers ‘volume up/down’, ‘Bluetooth pairing’, ‘input selection’ and ‘power on/off’, and the remote adds a dedicated bass level control, a mute button and a selection of EQ presets. There’s also a ‘dialogue enhancer’, a three-stage adjuster that pushes the midrange further and further towards the front of the soundstage.
At the front of the soundbar there’s a little row of LEDs that indicate volume level, input selection and type of audio file that’s on board.
Some people, of course, might hanker after an app or voice control. But then some people haven’t checked the asking price, have they?
Denon DHT-S316 review: Verdict
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
If you simply substitute your bog-standard TV’s integrated audio system for the Denon DHT-S316, we don’t doubt you’ll be pleased with the results.
But the subwoofer’s aversion to big volumes, the slightly truncated treble response and the numerousness of the price-comparable competition means it’s not exactly a no-brainer given the plentiful competition.
That said, it’s a sensible option for a sensible sum, so if you’re looking to boost your smaller TV audio with a straightforward two-piece soundbar-and-sub package then the Denon S316 acquits itself well enough.
Also consider
Our favourite small and affordable soundbar isYamaha’s great little SR-C20A- and given that it’s due to be replaced, you may be able to hunt down an even better deal than usual.
And you shouldn’t ignore theSonos Ray, either - it sounds confident and convincing, and if you’re already a Sonos believer it makes even more sense. Its lack of HDMI socket counts against it, though.
Today’s best Denon DHT-T110, Yamaha SR-C20A and Sonos Ray dealsYamaha SR-C20A$179.95ViewSee all pricesSonos Ray$279$205ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Denon DHT-T110, Yamaha SR-C20A and Sonos Ray dealsYamaha SR-C20A$179.95ViewSee all pricesSonos Ray$279$205ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Denon DHT-T110, Yamaha SR-C20A and Sonos Ray dealsYamaha SR-C20A$179.95ViewSee all pricesSonos Ray$279$205ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Denon DHT-T110, Yamaha SR-C20A and Sonos Ray deals
Yamaha SR-C20A$179.95ViewSee all pricesSonos Ray$279$205ViewSee all prices
Yamaha SR-C20A$179.95ViewSee all prices
Yamaha SR-C20A$179.95ViewSee all prices
Yamaha SR-C20A
Yamaha SR-C20A
$179.95View
$179.95
$179.95
See all prices
Sonos Ray$279$205ViewSee all prices
Sonos Ray$279$205ViewSee all prices
Sonos Ray
Sonos Ray
$279$205View
$279$205
$205
See all prices
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
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