Denon: all products
Founded in 1910 in Japan, Denon is one of the oldest audio brands still in operation. The catalog covers home theater amplifiers, stereo hi-fi amps, CD players, and turntables, all connected by the HEOS multiroom platform. From entry-level products to models made in Shirakawa, Denon remains a benchmark for surround sound and high fidelity. Learn more
More than a century of Japanese audio
The story begins in 1910 in Yokohama, when American businessman Frederick Whitney Horn launches Japan’s first record factory. The name Denon comes later, in 1939: it is a contraction of Denki Onkyo, meaning electricity and sound. That same year, the brand produces its first disc recorder for national broadcasting.
The shift to digital takes place in the 1970s. Denon is among the pioneers of PCM recording as early as 1972, then releases one of the first CD players at the beginning of the 1980s. In 1985, the brand introduces the world’s first consumer audio-video amplifier: home surround sound is born there. This is followed by the world’s first THX-EX certified home theater system in 1999. In 2002, the merger with Marantz gives rise to the D&M group, two sound signatures that continue to share their technologies.
The home theater amp at the center of the catalog
It is in home theater amplifiers that Denon is most visible. The range spans several levels: from compact AV receivers that provide sound for a living room, to multichannel models that drive a dedicated room and its height speakers. All decode three-dimensional surround sound in Dolby Atmos and DTS:X formats, and the higher-end references add IMAX Enhanced and Auro-3D.
On the video side, these amplifiers ensure the transmission of high-definition video signals to the TV or projector, with features useful to gamers such as variable refresh rate. Audyssey acoustic correction measures the room and adjusts the output speaker by speaker, a setting that high-end models take further with Dirac Live compatibility.
Stereo hi-fi, Denon’s other pillar
Two-channel stereo has never left the catalog. The integrated amplifiers cover the full scale, from entry-level high-fidelity models to massive integrated amps with large power reserves, almost all equipped with a phono input to connect a turntable. The most recent ones include HEOS streaming alongside Bluetooth.
These amplifiers are most often paired with the brand’s CD players, up to models capable of playing SACDs and high-resolution files. Two in-house technologies recur from one generation to the next: AL32 Processing, which reconstructs the analog waveform, and Advanced High Current power supply, which drives demanding speakers without faltering.
HEOS, Denon’s in-house multiroom system
Since 2014, HEOS has connected Denon’s networked devices. This multiroom platform, shared with Marantz, is controlled from an app and streams music wirelessly from room to room. It can be found on most of the brand’s network amplifiers, whether a home theater amp or a recent stereo integrated. It provides access to the main streaming services, internet radio, and files stored on the local network, with AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth as complements.
Shirakawa, the workshop for high-end models
Denon’s high-end models come out of the Shirakawa factory, in northern Japan. The engineers there assemble and tune the most ambitious electronics, under the direction of the Sound Master, the person responsible for the brand’s sound tuning. This listening stage partly explains the Denon signature, rather warm and controlled, which enthusiasts recognize from one generation to the next. The more affordable references are produced elsewhere, but adopt some of these design choices.
