Music playback was from the shop’s NAS drive, full of files of various bitrates and filetypes, as well as Spotify and Tidal. Initial testing was performed with the Cambridge CXA80 amplifier and Monitor Audio Silver 2 bookshelf speakers, but the LINK has potential to fit in any system at any price and work admirably.
Available for both iOS and Android devices, the app is a huge feather in the Denon’s already impressive cap.Īs the LINK HS2 is primarily a hi-fi component when used in isolation, we picked out good quality gear to match. It also allows the user to select which zones they want to play, making it easy to separate or link areas that have HEOS devices in.
Its clean and intuitive interface makes selecting tracks, either from your own library or from the host of supported streaming services such as Tidal, Spotify and Napster a breeze. Speaking of the app, Denon’s is definitely one of the nicest we’ve used, both functionally and stylistically.
There’s even support for AIFF and DSD incoming via a future software update.ĭenon have also added direct Bluetooth support, great if you’ve got guests around for the evening and don’t want to go to any extra effort with downloading the app to extra devices. Capable of playing WAV, ALAC and FLAC in formats up to 24-bit/192kHz sample rates, the LINK HS2 leapfrogs ahead of similar products. As high-res audio continues to become a wider spread attraction, serious hi-fi components must show their high-res credentials – something Denon have managed this time around. Anyone who wanted to playback high-res audio was out of luck, an issue that saw it on level pegging with the equally hamstrung Sonos. One of the limitations that the HEOS network originally had was that files could only be played back in up to CD quality. The new one is equally handy, particularly with the upgrades. A set of phono inputs also made it possible to connect an analogue device, making it easy to play that source over the HEOS network for those with multiple HEOS devices in the home.
Digital inputs on the back allowed other digital devices to piggyback off the Denon’s high-quality in-build digital-to-analogue converter, making the LINK an easy way to upgrade a tired digital front end in one fell swoop. Effectively a minimalist network streamer, the LINK was designed to stream music across a home network or from online services, with all control coming from a mobile phone, tablet or laptop. The original LINK was probably the niftiest of Denon’s boxes first time around. Japanese audio giant Denon’s HEOS range proved to be a worthy contender to the multi-room crown that sits firmly atop of Sonos’ brow. Whilst the equipment may have been similar in principle, Denon added a few extra features that marked them out as unique, with products such as the LINK offering a greater range of connectivity and usability than its Sonos equivalent. This is a good system, one that does everything pretty well - but there’s not a truly compelling case to go the HEOS route over that of one of those rivals.As with other systems of its ilk, the HEOS has just received a V2 makeover, the components have been given a spruce up to take into account any new technology that they may benefit from in what is a very busy field. Whilst we’d love to review every product in the range, brevity requires us to narrow things down, so today we’ll be looking specifically at the LINK HS2 to see if the updates and tweaks have been worthwhile.
For example, Audio Pro and Bluesound both are better-sounding systems (despite Audio Pro lacking hi-res audio support), and Sonos offers a more thorough and pleasant user experience. The problem for the HEOS system is it doesn’t quite do enough to raise its head above the rest of the multi-room crowd.
The HEOS system has more difficulty conveying the rising tension in Murray Gold’s scores, the quick changes in intensity and the texture of vibrating strings. The mash of trumpets, deep drums, and cymbals all keep their counsel well, too.īut while smoothness, spaciousness and insight sound are all laudable qualities, the HEOS system lacks the rhythmic precision or dynamic subtlety of some rival kit, such as Audio Pro’s Addon C10 and C5 speakers.
We swap speakers to test out the Link, plugging it into our reference system and connecting it to the app.Ī blast of Max Roach’s Lonesome Lover provides a good test of detail thanks to the shiny cymbals - and the Denon handles the treble confidently, retaining its charm without erring on the bright side.