The Denon Home 350 is a wired speaker designed for home use. You can add it to your Denon DHT-S716H soundbar and Denon DSW-H1 subwoofer if you want to create a 5.1 home theater setup. If you want to use it as a standalone speaker, it has a slightly boomy sound profile that you can tweak using its companion app's bass and treble sliders. It also gets pretty loud and offers fantastic voice assistant support with Alexa built-in. That said, it has extremely high Bluetooth latency on iOS and Android, which makes streaming videos a frustrating experience.
Our Verdict
The Denon Home 350 is good for music. It has a slightly boomy sound profile that's well-suited for most audio genres. If you prefer a different sound, there are bass and treble sliders available in the companion app. However, while it can play stereo content, its soundstage isn't very wide, so it won't sound very immersive. It can also get pretty loud, but there are some compression artifacts at max volume.
-
Bass and treble sliders available.
-
Can get very loud.
-
Narrow directivity.
The Denon Home 350 is okay for videos and movies. It has a slightly boomy sound profile which can help bring out the intensity of sound effects in action-packed scenes. You can also hook it up to your compatible Denon soundbar if you want to create a more immersive home theater setup. However, while the bar can get loud, there are some compression artifacts at max volume. Its soundstage isn't very wide, either, so your audio may not sound as immersive.
-
Bass and treble sliders available.
-
Can get very loud.
-
Very high audio latency via Bluetooth on iOS and Android.
-
Narrow directivity.
The Denon Home 350 is fair for podcasts. Its slightly boomy sound profile has a neutral mid-range, so vocal-centric content like podcasts or audiobooks sounds detailed and accurate. However, it has sub-par directivity, so your audio won't sound as clear from all directions. It also doesn't support multi-device pairing, so can't connect it to your phone and computer at the same time. On the upside, it supports multi-room, so you can link several units together to play different content across your home.
-
Can get very loud.
-
Narrow directivity.
The Denon Home 350 offers excellent voice assistant support with Alexa built-in. You can activate the assistant using your voice, and it can hear you from far away and in noisy environments. You can even mute the speaker's mic when you no longer want it to listen to you. Unfortunately, its directivity is disappointing, so you can't hear your assistant as clearly from all angles. Also, while you can control the speaker's audio via Google Assistant, this requires a third-party Google Assistant-enabled device.
-
Can get very loud.
-
Mic mute button.
-
Narrow directivity.
The Denon Home 350 is a wired speaker and can't be used outdoors.
- 7.6 Music
- 6.7 Videos/Movies
- 6.2 Podcasts
- 8.7 Voice Assistant
- 5.4 Outdoors
- Updated Apr 04, 2023: Added market comparison for the Marshall Woburn III in the Wired box.
- Updated Aug 10, 2022: Added a comparison with the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2021 in the 'Dynamics' box.
- Updated Mar 09, 2022: Firmware update adds Alexa support.
- Updated Mar 24, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Mar 19, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Mar 15, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Mar 12, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Mar 08, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
- Updated Mar 04, 2021: The product has won our suggestion poll, so we'll buy and test it soon.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Denon Home 350 comes in two color variants: 'Black' and 'White'. We tested the Black variant, and you can see its label here. However, we expect both color variants to perform similarly to our model.
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the discussions and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Speakers
The Denon Home 350 is a wired home speaker. In the same vein as the Bose Home Speaker 500 and the Sonos Five, it can be added to a pre-existing compatible Denon soundbar setup if you're looking for a more immersive audio experience. That said, on its own, it offers a slightly boomy sound profile that fans of EDM and action movies can enjoy. It also gets pretty loud and comes with Alexa built-in. It even has a USB port if you want to listen to audio from a flash drive. However, its extremely high Bluetooth latency on iOS and Android devices causes syncing issues between the audio you hear and the visuals you see when watching videos and movies.
Check out our recommendations for the best home speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers, and the best Bluetooth speakers for bass.
The Denon Home 350 is a slightly better speaker than the Sonos Five overall, though they perform similarly. The Denon can get louder with fewer compression artifacts, and it supports Bluetooth, although it has high iOS and Android latency. It also offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa built-in. However, the Sonos has a slightly better-balanced sound profile and it has a more immersive soundstage.
The Bose Home Speaker 500 is a better speaker for most uses than the Denon Home 350. The Bose has better controls, a more immersive soundstage and it has outstanding built-in Alexa and Google Assistant support. It also has lower iOS and Android latency via Bluetooth. However, the Denon can get louder and you can connect two units to create a stereo pair. It can also reproduce more low-bass, which some users may prefer.
The Denon Home 350 and the Sonos Era 300 are both premium home speakers with unique strengths. Each supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, with built-in Alexa support for hands-free control. The Sonos has a better soundstage performance, with a wider and more immersive feel to its sound. It supports Dolby Atmos, too, so you can listen to Dolby Atmos Music or Dolby Atmos content with a paired soundbar. However, it doesn't reproduce quite as much low-bass as the Denon.
The Denon Home 350 and the Marshall Woburn III are both high-end home speakers with wired-only designs. The Marshall boasts the company's signature guitar amp design, which some users may prefer. However, only the Denon supports Wi-Fi connectivity and built-in voice assistants.
The Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2021 is slightly better than the Denon Home 350, though they're similar speakers with different strengths. Both are smart home speakers that offer fantastic voice assistant support with Alexa built-in. However, the Denon can produce a more extended low-bass that can produce the deep thump and rumble typically present in bass-heavy music. You can connect it to a compatible Denon soundbar too. That said, the Bowers & Wilkins offers a wider-sounding soundstage and has less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio quality at louder volume levels. It also has lower latency with iOS and Android devices, making it better suited for watching videos and movies.
The Denon Home 350 is a better speaker than the Yamaha MusicCast 50 overall, though they have different strengths. With its default settings, it has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce much deeper bass than the Yamaha. It can also get a bit louder than it. The Yamaha has less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner sound at louder volume levels. It also features a graphic EQ and presets you can use to customize its sound to your liking.
The Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6 and the Denon Home 350 have different strengths and depending on your usage, you may prefer one over the other. The Harman/Kardon is a battery-powered speaker that you can take with you outdoors. It has an IPX7 rating for water resistance, although we don't currently test for this, its Bluetooth performance is better, and it can be paired with up to two devices at once. However, the Denon is a home speaker that can only be used wired. It has a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box, a better soundstage and dynamics performance, and it supports Wi-Fi. It also has a companion app with bass and treble sliders so you can tweak its sound to your liking.
The Denon Home 350 is a more versatile speaker than the Apple HomePod (1st generation) and is easier to find in new condition since the Apple's been discontinued. The Denon has a better-balanced sound profile out of the box, and it can get louder, although with a bit more compression. It also has bass and treble sliders to adjust its sound, it supports Bluetooth and comes with Alexa built-in. It also has lower Apple AirPlay latency. However, the Apple has Siri built-in and a wider-sounding soundstage thanks to its 360-degree design.
The Denon Home 350 is a better speaker than the Klipsch The One II. The Denon's sound profile is a bit better balanced and can produce a more extended low-bass than the Klipsch. It also features bass and treble adjustments to customize its sound to your liking, and it's Wi-Fi compatible. That said, the Klipsch can get a bit louder than the Denon and has lower Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices, though some apps compensate for latency differently, and your experience may vary.
The Denon Home 350 is better for home use than the Bowers & Wilkins Formation Wedge. Both are stylish wired-only speakers with sleek designs, though the Bowers & Wilkins will stand out more in your home decor. That said, it can't reproduce as much low-bass as the Denon and lacks built-in voice assistant support. Overall, the Denon is the more versatile choice.
The Denon Home 350 is a better speaker than the Sonos One Gen 2/One SL overall. The Denon offers outstanding support via Alexa. It has a better-balanced sound profile, has a more immersive soundstage, and can get louder with fewer compression artifacts. It also supports Bluetooth, although it has high latency on iOS and Android. That said, the Sonos comes with both Google Assistant and Alexa built-in, though it isn't as good as the Denon at registering your commands in noisier settings.
The Denon Home 350 is a bit better than the Bluesound PULSE 2i. They're both premium home speakers, but only the Denon has built-in voice assistant support. You'll need a third-party device to use voice assistants with the Bluesound. The Denon brings more bass, too. However, it doesn't get quite as loud as the Bluesound.
Test Results
The Denon Home 350 is a rectangular speaker that's meant to sit horizontally on its base. It has a glass top with tactile buttons, and there's a small status light on the front bottom of the speaker, underneath the Denon logo. It also comes in white.
The Denon Home 350 isn't very portable. It's somewhat large and can only be used when plugged into a wall outlet.
The Denon Home 350 has an alright build quality. It feels solid and sturdy, with a tight fabric wrap across its front and back sides, which doesn't feel like it could easily tear. The speaker also sits on two low-profile rubber corners and has a glass top for its tactile controls. However, it lacks an IP rating for dust and water resistance, so you should use caution if you want to use it around water.
This speaker has alright controls. The top side has glass with a sensor. When you bring your hands near it, the tactile buttons light up then fade automatically. You can adjust this timing via its companion app. There are volume buttons, as well as a play/pause button that you can double-tap to skip to the next track. You can also triple-tap this button if you want to return to the previous track. There are six programmable preset buttons so you can add your favorite radio stations. On the front side, there's an indicator light that blinks blue when adjusting the volume, and is solid blue when connected to your network. It turns red if there's a hardware or setup issue, and is solid amber when you're setting up the companion app. However, there are no prompts for min/max volume or track skipping.
The Denon Home 350 has great frequency response accuracy. With its default settings, it has a slightly boomy sound profile that can please fans of EDM and hip-hop. The mid-range is still balanced, so vocals and lead instruments are clear, detailed, and accurate.
Note: Even though this speaker doesn't have room correction, the HEOS app has a feature that asks about the speaker's placement to ensure the best bass response possible. You can select one of three placement choices to optimize its bass response: having the speaker in an open space away from walls, next to a wall or on a shelf, or in a corner between two walls. We tested this speaker after confirming within the HEOS app that we were placing it in an open space.
The Denon Home 350 has an okay soundstage. While it can play stereo content, its directivity is sub-par. As a result, its soundstage is perceived as shallow and narrow, which may not sound very immersive.
The Denon Home 350 has a decent dynamics performance. While it can get quite loud, there are some pumping and compression artifacts at max volume, especially in the bass range. For a similar home speaker with less compression at max volume, consider the Yamaha MusicCast 50 or the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin 2021.
Update 03/09/2022: After updating the HEOS app to the latest firmware, this speaker supports Amazon Alexa voice assistant.
The Denon Home 350 offers fantastic voice assistant support via Amazon Alexa. You can activate Alexa using your voice, and it does an excellent job of understanding your commands from far away and in noisy rooms. You can even mute the speaker's mic when you no longer want your assistant to listen to you. That said, while it doesn't come with Google Assistant built-in, the manufacturer says you can control the speaker's audio via Google Assistant when connected to a Google Assistant-enabled third-party device.
The HEOS app is fantastic. It has bass and treble sliders so that you can adjust its sound to your liking. You can also pair two speakers together to create a stereo pair, link multiple speakers to cover a large room, or connect them to play audio in multiple rooms of your home.
The Denon Home 350 can only be used wired. It has a 3.5mm AUX input, an ethernet port, and a USB port so you can play audio files from a flash drive. If you want a speaker with an HDMI ARC input, check out the Marshall Woburn III.
The Denon Home 350 has disappointing Bluetooth connectivity. It has very high audio latency, which can be a pain if you're streaming video. Even after we tested its performance three times and restarted the speaker and our mobile phone, audio from the speaker was still very out of sync. For a speaker with better Bluetooth latency performances, check out the Klipsch The One II.
The Denon Home 350 has great Wi-Fi compatibility. You can stream your favorite tunes to the speaker using Apple AirPlay. It also has very low latency using this connection, so your audio stays in sync with your video. Unfortunately, it doesn't support Chromecast.