LabsHome cinema kits
Like Yamaha's AV Package 61, Denon's DHT1356XP AV receiver and speaker set is around twice the height of many of the DVD units. It also has a big remote control to match, with buttons for all its functions laid out along its length with plenty of space between them. It's even better equipped for audio than Yamaha's kit, with two optical and two coaxial S/PDIF and seven stereo phono inputs. Like the Yamaha receiver it supports two sets of stereo speakers, so you can set up a second pair in a different room. The speaker wires attach to binding posts rather than the more usual spring terminals, which ensures that they stay well connected and gives you the option of using chunkier speaker wire if desired. The DHT1356XP
The speakers look stylish, with curved grilles and a glossy finish down each side, and audio quality is excellent. They are the best-balanced of all the speakers in the group, with a neutral sound that is truer to the original soundtrack than the Z-5500's brighter interpretation. Music and dialogue are crisply delivered, and surround sound seems to envelope you rather than coming from individual speakers. The subwoofer isn't quite up to the bone-shaking theatrics of the Z-5500's, but it's a match for the Yamaha's. Bass effects are well integrated into the rest of the audio, but it takes a little tweaking to get the crossover correct. Note that there's no calibration microphone with this kit, so you'll need to use your ears to get everything set up just right. Denon's DHT1356XP kit has the best overall audio performance of any here, but we were disappointed by the lack of component video handling. It produces excellent surround sound, so if you don't mind changing video inputs yourself it's a great choice. SPECIFICATIONS:
4x composite, 7x stereo phono, 2x coaxial S/PDIF, 2x optical S/PDIF inputs, 2x composite, 2x stereo phono outputs
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