Denon S-101

I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy the S-101 without waiting on a Cnet review. I've got to say, I am very pleased so far. I've had it about a week now. I got it at Best Buy and they were offering a $100 instant rebate which brought the total down to $899. I think that is very reasonable for everything it offers.

First and foremost, what was most important to me was the virtual surround in this system as I will use it mostly for watching DVD's and as a home theatre system. I've got to say this is the best I've ever heard! Denon uses the Dolby Virtual Speaker technology and it is very good. Unlike most systems out there, it does not produce a noticable sweet spot. So, whether I'm sitting in the center of my couch or on one of the outer sides, I still get a really good surround effect and can hear sounds coming from "behind" me. Almost every other virtual system I've heard lets the sound fall back into the speaker if you're not sitting in the middle of the sweet spot. While I can't compare this to the Niro systems, I can tell you it beats the Sony DAV-X1 and the Bose 3-2-1 systems hands down!

The only thing I can say negative about it so far is that the video quality could be A LITTLE better. I wish they had used the higher end DVD rendering chip and 720p/1080i upscaling that they offer in the much more expensive S-301. But, I would still encourage anyone who is intrigued by the Denon to go ahead and get it. I don't think you'll regret it!

I was looking for a 2.1 system and after checking out many reviews, thought that the Denon S-101 was the best bang for the buck. Had it just long enough to go out of warranty when I made the mistake of unplugging the system wire from the receiver while it was powered up. When I had connected it back again I had what I refer to as the "Orange blinking light of death".

Was told by Denon to "reset the microprocessor". When that didn't work I was told I would have to send it (it being the receiver and subwoofer-$45 to ship) to an out of state authorized repair shop. After three months of me calling every week, they finally got around to looking at it and determined that it was beyond their skill to fix. So, they have now shipped it off to Denon to see if Denon can fix it.

Now, to be honest I really don't ever expect to see it again which irritates me that: 1) A product which cost close to a grand would be so fragile 2) When it breaks you might as well start shopping for a new system.

I realize that this product is obsolete at this point, but if you should come across one and are thinking of buying it, I would advise you to keep looking.

Despite the fact that the S-101 does not upconvert DVD signals, the progressive scan does a good job with the picture. I connected my new Sony KDL32S2400 LCD and high def cable box via HDMI and the whole package looks and sounds great. I have done research for nearly two years on TV's and sound systems. The Denon is a high quality simple great sounding system that would sound great in any room. I have a big and tall living room and the unit punches out great power. Nice tight sub for good bass frequency. A great system. Buy it!