Denon's budget beast delivers mature multichannel sonics

Denon's upgrade to its esteemed 2310 model is a great performer, but its lack of networking won't impress today's AVR buyer

Alone they're impressive – together: unbeatable. Here are two great parts that make an even better whole

Denon is fighting back. Having had its mainstream nose bloodied by Japanese rival Onkyo throughout 2007, and then been wrong-footed by Yamaha and Pioneer in the rush to claim the new high-ground for super-high-end integrated amps and receivers – not to mention coming under pressure from D&M stablemate Marantz – it’s unveiled its latest proposition: the AVC-A1HD: a networkable THX Ultra2 amplifier (with both 802.11b/g wireless wi-fi and Ethernet) which threatens to take no prisoners.

Denon may not be the first name one would think of in the context of high-end headphones, but it has five models on offer at present, plus three in-ear designs. This particular contender is an all-new model and sits one rung down from the range-topping (and more expensive) AH-D5000.

You will know better than us if the price tag on this set of earphones is too high. If you are happy with the earphones that came with your iPod, then the price will probably hit you as quite a whack.

The DL-103’s appearance gives you a clue as to its origins, which lie in Denon’s design department of 1963. The vinyl groove hasn’t changed a lot since then, however, so it’s still a worthy contender with a very tempting price.

I've been in a personal lather about the Denon A1HD duo since I first saw them at the IFA exhibition last September. I have played and I have listened, and can confirm that my initial desires have turned into a full scale love affair. If you have the cash to splash, and the room to fit it, then Denon's state-of-the-art AVP-A1HD & POA-A1HDA1HD pairing is the simply the best AV solution in the world

Denon has receivers positioned at almost every price point; the 1908 falls at the meat and potatoes end of the scale. Yet it still packs in features and benefits from trickle-down technologies – like its entirely separate audio and video signal paths.

Denon's AV receivers usually have a lengthy features list, and its latest, the AVR-1507, is no exception. Impressive as the feature count is, one thing stands out above all others - the affordable price tag

With its higher price, Denon's AVR-2807 is a sophisticated model, with a powerful seven-channel amplifier capable of delivering an impressive 110W to each channel.

Denon's previous sub-£400 receiver, the AVR-1906, was a proverbial hot cake. In some shops it outsold all other budget receivers 10 to 1 - and rightly so, as it was a cracker, a first-class bargain. The AVR-1907 is its successor. No pressure, then

Denon's receiver range grows more comprehensive each year and the current line up features no less than seven, from the entry-level AVR-1507 to the uber-specified AVR-4306. The range advancement is logical

Every now and then the audio industry shudders, shakes and evolves. Shedding its old skin like a snake, it emerges with a raft of new products that really shake up the home cinema market. The result is a new wave of kit (home cinema v2.0?) that pushes the envelope in terms of features and performance and leaves cinephiles with no option but to take once-revered reference kit outside to be shot

If ever the phrase 'don't judge a book by its cover' was going to be epitomised by a piece of AV gear, this is the one to do it. Denon's new receiver may not look special (it looks nice, in Denon's usual classy style, but not out of the ordinary)

The sound from these Denon earphones is admirably neutral, with no obvious sign of bias towards any part of the audio range

Denon's first foray into the increasingly-crowded soundbar arena, the X-Space DHT-FS3, is at least a stylish entrant, with a piano black finish and curved main speaker unit that is considerably more slender than rival models we've seen from Philips and Yamaha.

With iPods selling by the skipload and the rest of the world trying their level best to make its successor (Zune, Zen, anyone?), a new market for high-end earphones over £100 has sprung up

The AVR-2807 is the latest in a wide range of Denon multichannel amps and receivers that seems to cover just about every possible requirement at almost every price level

While Denon has long been a major name in component high fidelity in the Far East, it has only recently re-established itself as a source of hi-fi components in Europe. It started at the high end a couple of years or so ago

Some DAB radios can play music from an iPod, but this mini DAB hi-fi from Denon does away with the need to connect a portable player. Capable of storing MP3s itself, it can even be plugged into a wireless home network

This is the best DAB radio we've heard to date. Its beautiful design is no bad thing either, but more impressive is the versatility and ease of use. The S-81DAB is part of the brand's Smart Life (read idiot proof) range

With even dirt cheap home cinema all-in-ones struggling to sell these days, you have to wonder just why Denon thinks we should spend £1,250 on its Smart S-301 system - especially when that system doesn't have a full collection of surround sound speakers