On the surface, Denon's DHT- 550SD home cinema package seems to have everything you could ask for from a mainstream all-inone entertainment system.
Its credibility seems guaranteed by the two separate components used for DVD playback and amplification, while Denon's uncanny knack for melting hearts and opening wallets with its design aesthetics is confirmed by the svelte dimensions and matching metallic silver finishes of the DVD player and AV receiver. Surely a Denon product with so much instant appeal simply has to be a winner, doesn't it?
The 'SYS-550SD' speaker set that completes the 550SD package is as easy on the eye as the main components. For the small but perfectly formed satellites, the combination of its extruded aluminium chassis and cherry wood panel finish is delightful - especially with their grilles removed. It's also nice to find too that the 550SD speakers boast impressively robust screw-down cable connections.
Even the subwoofer shipped with the 550SD doesn't let the aesthetics down, with its roughly triangular shape looking rather more attractive than the standard rectangular box. It's usefully featured, too, in that it carries manual crossover frequency and has phase adjustments that are variable between 40/60/80/100/120/150 and 250 Hz.
Put some socketry in it
Good first impressions continue with the 550SD's connectivity. The DVD deck sports component video outputs through which you can deliver progressive scan, and an RGB-enabled Scart. On the receiver, every spare millimetre of rearend space is filled with socketry, including, two optical inputs and one for coaxial digital audio; FM tuner connections; the subwoofer pre-out; stereo audio inputs for multiple external sources; line ins for six-channel feeds from, say, an external Super Audio CD/DVD-Audio deck; and perhaps most impressive of all, two sets of component video, three S-video and three composite video inputs so that you can use the receiver as an AV switchbox.
It should be pointed out that there's a connection for a 'Surround Back' speaker. No such speaker is included in the package, but the DVD deck can handle both the Dolby Digital EX and DTS Neo:6 6.1 channel audio formats.
Other niceties include Dolby Virtual Speaker compatibility if you'd rather use just two speakers than the 5.1 system provided, and Dolby Headphone support (which offers a surround sound experience from any regular stereophonic headset).
